I’ve started to watch and take photos of a male Belted Kingfisher. He's laid claim to the farm pond I visit and is there now every time I show. The Osprey family that took up residence nearby has moved on and headed south, but the kingfisher is going nowhere—at least for the time being. And … Continue reading The Kingfisher and I
Category: Light
Privileged Time With Some Area Birds
I continue to be amazed at the number of people who visit here and read "A Green Heron Colony." After "A Game Changing Bird Photography Camera," a piece about the then-new Canon EOS R5 full-frame mirrorless camera, it's my most-read post. I've written a lot about other species of birds, like the Osprey and Killdeer, … Continue reading Privileged Time With Some Area Birds
Going, Knowing, and Seeing
Let's begin with a photo of a Gray Catbird. I made the mistake of writing in an earlier blog that these birds are hard to find out in the open. Not true. This adult was doing what so many do this time of year: it was gathering food to feed its young. But it was … Continue reading Going, Knowing, and Seeing
The Unsung Female
The last blog didn't go over too well. Such is life. I imagined some saying, "What does 'Water Sources and Winter Light' even mean"? If the title had been catchier or if I had worded it something like, "How to Take Advantage of Water Sources and Winter Light," the blog might have attracted more interest. … Continue reading The Unsung Female
Water Sources and Winter Light
Several readers asked me about the thrush photo in "More Photo-Worthy Moments." It was nothing special, but I chose it because it perfectly complemented the quote just above it. If you're interested, I took the photo in the woods. It was quiet, the bird was close, and it was easy to "feel that connection." The … Continue reading Water Sources and Winter Light
More Photo-Worthy Moments
You know it's winter when you see a bird sighting report of 4 Greater White-fronted Geese spending time in a corn stubble field and a dark morph Rough-legged Hawk soaring nearby or one of a Golden Eagle drifting by overhead accompanied by a couple of Common Ravens. These may have been Pennsylvania and Massachusetts reports … Continue reading More Photo-Worthy Moments
A Special Moment
Let's start with a few words, then our story about a special moment. I know I harp on fieldcraft. The word figures into the title of several of my blogs, and I've used the word or touched on some of the skills involved many times. For example, I recently quoted Melissa Groo, who said that … Continue reading A Special Moment
A Few Birds and a Fisherman
I've changed the blog tagline but not the name. "Personal notes and thoughts on bird activity—and human activity, too!—in and around SE Virginia" is now "Personal notes and thoughts on birds, bird photography, and, on occasion, human life." It's interesting. Since leaving the Coastal Plain of Virginia, I've said to myself and others a number … Continue reading A Few Birds and a Fisherman
From Birds to Photo Gear
Some of you enjoyed my reference to Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning" in "The Birds of Spring." And you also enjoyed the photo of the Ospreys there. I often think about Joni's song when I head out with my camera and it's the kind of morning where the sun is giving everything it touches a butterscotch … Continue reading From Birds to Photo Gear
Whispers of Spring
We're not quite ready for "the day is on the wing, the kite is on the string," but we're getting close. (Those are two lines from the N.M. Bodecker poem I referenced in "The Day is on the Wing.") There have been reports of American Woodcock courtship flights, House Finches, Titmice, and Northern Cardinals singing, … Continue reading Whispers of Spring
Elizabeth River Bird Blog 