A Few Sights and Sounds

What follows are a few late winter/early spring Mid-Atlantic region sights and sounds. I'd like to begin with some Red-shouldered Hawk photos, but first, here's one of a Great Blue Heron grabbing a bluegill for breakfast. I took it on the same morning I took the Red-shouldered photos. The Red-shouldered Hawk Let's go to those … Continue reading A Few Sights and Sounds →

Advertisement

God Bless the Child

Before we talk about kids, I'd like to return to the theme of the last blog: the unsung, underappreciated female bird. Several readers wrote me and told me they wished I had included more birds and bird photos in the piece. They made a good point. So, here are a few more birds and bird … Continue reading God Bless the Child →

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 Few Photo-Worthy Moments

Many readers enjoyed the American Black Duck photo in the last blog, "Be There," and several asked me about the EXIF or image file data. Here's the photo once again. And here's the data: Canon EOS R5 EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4x III lens 700mm f/8 1/2000s 1600 ISO. Here, also, are some of … Continue reading A Few Photo-Worthy Moments →

Be There

I mentioned "f/8 and be there" at the end of "A Special Moment." A reader who'd never heard of it before sent me this: "I should put that on a T-shirt and wear it on every outing. Great advice!" I think it is great advice. F/8 has to do with photo gear and technique. Being … Continue reading Be There →

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 →

Consider The Background

We brought up "best quality photos" in the last blog. I noted there that many had blurred backgrounds and that those backgrounds may have accounted for the higher ratings. I provided Josh Houck's Facebook photo (below) as an example. Folks on Facebook raved about it and responded to it. I responded in this way: "All … Continue reading Consider The Background →

Great Blue to Best Quality

I wrapped up "A Close Encounter," a blog I published midday on 10/16, with these words: "Any day now, the [young Green Heron] will make it’s first trip, its maiden voyage, from the breeding grounds where it was born to its wintering grounds. It’ll probably leave during the night. I’ll revisit the lakeshore a few … Continue reading Great Blue to Best Quality →