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Dec
31
Shot of the Month – December 2013
Each December many children’s heads are full of ideas of what presents they would like a certain someone from the north to bring them. Although I had left such thoughts behind long ago, this year I received a wonderful gift from the north just in time for the holiday season. My gift skipped the flying-reindeer-driven-sleigh thing and flew in under its own powers to allow me to get my first sighting, and photograph, of a Northern Hawk Owl (NHO).
NHOs normally live in the boreal forests across the northern Holarctic so it is pretty rare (though not unheard of) to see one this far south. This little stunner has been hanging out in a nearby town (about 25 minutes away) since mid-December though I was not able to go see him until just before Xmas. This NHO flew hundreds of miles south from the desolated arctic landscape and perplexedly made his winter home in a series of fields right beside a very busy road. He seems completely unfazed by all the commotion. He could often be found sitting at the top of a dead tree (as in this photo) as the traffic buzzes by. I have seen him catch at least 5 rodents within 30 yards of the traffic so the noise must not bother him.
Talk about drive-by shooting…..a bit too close for comfort.
This guy can sure draw a crowd. On separate days while out shooting I met excited birders who had driven up from Pennsylvania and/or New Jersey (6 hour drive one way) to get a glimpse of this fellow. Every day, not too safely, I had more than a few cars stop on the road as the driver leaned through the open window and asked in a gasp, “Do you see HIM?” Their glee was immediate as I pointed him out. They would then quickly pull into a parking area 100 yards up the road and scurry back with assorted binoculars, spotting scopes, and/or cameras. At times traffic was almost brought to a halt as drivers slowed to try and understand what all the commotion was about while others tried to look around and see what we were all looking at. The crowds usually did not last too long given how bitterly cold it often was. The flurry of activity would ebb and flow as one group saw and left as another hopeful group arrived. Your average visitor spent perhaps 12 minutes gazing in wonderment or waiting for a better view. I typically spent about 4 hours at a time during the five days that I visited the site trying to get a good shot.
How did so many people hear of his arrival? All things can be found on the internet, grasshopper. As word got out the pilgrims came from all around Vermont, New York, Maine, Massachusetts… I met a friendly couple from Chicago who were visiting family in Vermont. I met a nice young woman, Annie, who lived just a few hundred yards from the most common areas to view the NHO. She walked over one day to see what the brouhaha was about. After looking through someone’s powerful viewing scope and REALLY seeing him she exclaimed, “I am not even a birder, but this is pretty exciting.” I met another nice couple from Connecticut, they had driven up through treacherous icy roads and fog to catch a glimpse of what for many is a “life bird.” One day I had a cement truck quickly slow down and veer into the parking area as I was walking from my car to take up my normal viewing spot. The driver jumped out and ran up to me. He explained that he drove by this spot each day and wondered what was going on. I explained, and with his curiosity quenched, he thanked me hopped back in his truck, and drove off with a satisfied look.
As I stood by the road with the tripod and large lens I was an easy beacon helping many a pilgrim find their quarry. A surprising number mentioned that they had seen me along the road a previous day and decided this time to stop and look. Some say that regifting is not polite, but in this case, I took great pleasure in helping others, even if inadvertently, share in this wonderful offering from the north.
How cold? Breath-freezing-on-the-balaclava cold.
Happy Holidays!
P.S.
I recommend opening the image up to full size to really see how beautiful he is….make use of that big monitor if you have it.
Nov
30
Shot of the Month – November 2013
Check out Vanessa, isn’t she lovely? Actually, it could be a he, I have no way of knowing, but either way, it definitely is a Vanessa. Perhaps a full introduction is in order. Please meet Vanessa cardui, her more formal, scientific name.
There is a pretty good chance that you have met “her” before as this is one of the most common butterflies in the world and is found on every continent except Antarctica.
In less formal settings Vanessa is known as The Painted Lady. In some circles, mainly in Europe, her nickname is the “Cosmopolitan” highlighting her global distribution.
In my image to the left, we see the underside of the Painted Lady’s wings. In butterfly lingo, this is the ventral side of the wing. The ventral side is seen when the wings are closed. When the wings are open we are looking at the dorsal side.
Dorsal = open wings
Ventral = closed wings
On the ventral side, the wings have a fascinating camouflage pattern and have 4 colored eye spots. The eye spots and the pattern markings on the hindwings are designed to draw predators’ attention away from the butterfly’s head.
With wings open, as shown to the right, Vanessa is draped in orange with black and white highlights. (source)
Alas, such beauty is fleeting.
The life cycle of the Painted Lady is typically 2-4 weeks! In warmer climates, they can live longer but rarely do they survive beyond one winter.
Painted Ladies are very popular in elementary schools where students can observe the entire “circle of life” firsthand. Butterflies go through 4 distinct stages of life:
Egg: 3-5 days
Larva(Caterpillar): 5-10 days
Chrysalis: 7-10 days
Butterfly: 2 weeks
Here is a nice graphic showing the life cycle.
Moral of the Story: Life is short, get out there and do your part to make it beautiful.
Thanks, Vanessa…
Oct
31
Shot of the Month – October 2013
This month one of the most readily recognizable and popular birds in the United States. How popular? Well, no less than seven states have made this species their state bird (North Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia). And then there are the sports teams. This bird is a very popular mascot — a certain St. Louis baseball team uses this bird as their moniker, as does an NFL football team in Arizona. Many a high school, college, and university fly this bird’s likeness on their team flag.
Still in doubt? (you non-birder, non-sports fan, non-mid-west/Southerner types) Part of the problem might be that this photo is of the female gender of this bird species. Per usual, the male tends to garner all the attention.
Another clue, they are named after these guys: 
No, it is not the monk bird.
Of course, it is a Cardinal.
To be accurate, it is a Northern Cardinal (NC). For you bird geeks out there, the term cardinal includes about 60 species of birds (see the whole list here) that us laypeople would call tanagers, grosbeaks, buntings, chats, and saltators that may exhibit a broad range of colors from red to blue to green to just about any color in the rainbow.
To the right is the flashy male Northern Cardinal that is almost universally recognized, even by non-bird enthusiasts:
No doubt that the male is a stunner, a startling all-out attack of RED; the female is more subtle, with delicate tones of tan and caramel with well-appointed red highlights.
A few bird bits to ponder:
- Northern Cardinals used to be found primarily in southern states. With the proliferation of bird feeders and warming climates, these birds can now be increasingly found from Mexico to Canada, from Maine to Nebraska.
- NCs are ground feeders and dine mostly on seeds (hence that powerful, seed-cracking beak).
- NCs used to be popular pets but the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 put an end to that silly practice. If you capture or kill a NC you can be fined $15,000.
- Cardinals mate for life. The females really dig the red — the brighter the male plumage, the better the success in finding a mate.
- NCs don’t migrate.
- Unlike many other songbirds in North America, both the male and female can sing. Usually, only the male sings.
Next time you spot that glorious jolt of red at the feeder or in the woods, take a bit of time to find and appreciate his lovely partner…
Until next month….:-)
Sep
30
Shot of the Month – September 2013
In my current state of being (geographic, not metaphysic), Vermont, September is the month when the trees explode with color. I found this scene during a short walk down the mountain road that we live on. I like how there is a spiral of color on the outside that guides you to the forest within that seems intent on resisting the change of seasons.
How and why do leaves change their color? I forgot long ago. As a service to all those who also forgot their 5th-grade science here is a simplified summary:
Leaves create the food trees need to survive by converting light energy into chemical energy that is used to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates (sugars). These sugars are the fuel for a plant’s growth and maintenance.
Leaves contain several pigments, chlorophyll, and carotenoids, to absorb different wavelengths of light to facilitate photosynthesis. Chlorophyll captures red and blue wavelength light but reflects green light — that is why most plants are green. Carotenoids (also found in corn, carrots, and bananas) increase the efficiency of photosynthesis by expanding the spectrum of light captured by the leaf. Carotenoids capture blue and green light and reflect back yellow and orange. Leaves always contain yellow and orange pigments but we can’t see them in the summer due to the dominance of chlorophyll.
In the fall trees begin to produce less chlorophyll as they begin to shut down food production. As the green chlorophyll fades from the leaves the carotenoids are finally revealed in all their glory.
Ok, so we have covered the different shades of yellow and orange found in the autumn palette, but what about the reds? Ahh yes, the glorious reds.
The red pigment (including pinks and purples) in leaves is produced by anthocyanins (also found in cranberries, cherries, strawberries, and plums). This pigment is not present in leaves until the fall and the production of this pigment varies greatly depending on the weather. Surprisingly (at least to me) scientists are not exactly sure of the role of anthocyanins — the leading theory is that the red pigment protects the leaves from the sun giving them extra time to transfer nutrients from the leaves into the twigs and roots before the arrival of winter.
Yellow, gold, and orange colors remain constant from year to year as carotenoids are always present in leaves and the amount does not change in response to weather. The intensity of red can vary greatly from one year to the next. The best autumn colors are produced when there is a:
- Warm, wet spring; plus
- A summer that is not too hot or dry; plus
- A fall with plenty of warm sunny days and cool nights (below 45 F but above freezing)
Who knew chemistry could be so beautiful?
Want to learn more?
Why are plants green? (a nice video)
Light absorption for photosynthesis (geeky physics with colorful graphs)
Aug
31
Shot of the Month – August 2013
This month a look at the Grey Crowned Crane (aka, the Crested Crane), the seemingly dandelion-inspired, dancing dandy of the avian world.
Dandelion: The golden crown on top is a sight to behold, especially when the sun hits it just right, and gives the bird a slightly crazed, mad hatter look. Gaze closely and you will see that each feather of the crown is dipped in black.
Dancing: When breeding the Crowned Cranes can put on quite a display called a “nuptial dance.” Their dance includes much bobbing, bowing, spreading of wings, and jumping to great effect. Here is a not-great-but-best-I-could-find video that gives you a sense of what the bird looks like when s/he busts a move.
Dandy: The Crowned Crane is a looker — she can stand three feet tall adorned in a lovely pearl grey body suit while the wings are mostly white but can include brown and golden feathers. The head is a stunning mix of white, red, and black.
Other Fun Grey Crowned Crane (GCC) Facts:
1. GCCs are the official bird of Uganda and can be found on the national flag. Its plumage contains the three colors of the Ugandan flag. Black identifies Uganda as a black nation in Africa. Yellow represents the abundant sunshine Uganda enjoys being situated on the equator. Red represents Uganda’s brotherhood with the rest of Africa and the world. (source)
2. As you may have gathered, GCCs are found in Africa. Two subspecies exist: the East African Crowned Crane and the South African Crowned Crane. The eastern lot can be found in Uganda, Kenya to Northern Zimbabwe. The southern crew can be found in Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
3. There are 15 species of cranes in the world — only 2 of those species can roost in trees. The GCC has long hind toes that give it the grip to be part of that elite group. (The Black Crowned Crane is the other)
4. GCCs do not migrate.
5. GCCs can live up to 22 years in the wild they seem to mate with the same partner for life.
6. While the population of GCCs is still fairly robust, the trend is dire. In the last 20 years, the population has dropped in half due to loss of habitat and the increased use of pesticides. In 2012 the GCC’s conservation status was downgraded from Vulnerable to Endangered (only 2 steps away from extinction)
Here’s hoping for a continued long reign for the crowned crane…
Jul
31
Shot of the Month – July 2013
When I first gazed upon this scene I was baffled. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. I could see only chaos. Well, the pile of sticks seemed familiar. Yeah, ok, that could be a bird’s nest. But the rest of it? No idea. I looked and I looked. I looked some more. Tilting of the head. Squinting of the eyes. Tilt to the other side.
Nothin’.
Finally, our guide gave me the orientation I needed to make sense of it all.
She explained that we were looking at a tree that had fallen over in this small bog. The main trunk of the tree can be seen in the water to the right.
The standing fan of “branches” was actually the root system of the fallen tree! Bam. It all snapped into place. The pile of sticks on top was an abandoned osprey nest. Well, at least I got that part right.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the visual disarray. It seemed like abstract art. I have tweaked this image in that vein to bring out the “art” even more. I have boosted the colors to make the green on the main vertical root really pop out. And I have blurred the edges of the photo to allow the eyes to be naturally drawn into the “canvas.”
Is it just me or do you also see a screaming face in the main vertical root? It’s mouth is agape as if caught in an eternal scream. A pointy nose and two furrowed brows filled with rage just above the black gob. Two root arms spread out in opposite directions as if appealing to the gods. Seems like the tree is unfurling its outrage over the injustice that has befallen it.
I love how something so real, a tree (you know, brown, stands straight, has some green stuff on it), has been transported into the realm of the abstract where lines and shapes no longer follow the rules and new meanings and realities blur from one into the next.
Perhaps this is Mother Nature’s version of the Rorschach test? If yes, I don’t think that I want to know how I did.
Something to ponder over your morning coffee: If there is no one in the forest to hear a tree scream, does it make a sound?
Until next month….
Jun
30
Shot of the Month – June 2013
I love this shot. The image is r-a-z-o-r sharp, which is the holy grail for photographers (or at least a major component of said grail). I can see every freakin hair on this fella’s neck. The background is nicely blurred so the subject, a Helmeted Guineafowl (HG), really pops. I find the image to be a fascinating yet hard-to-categorize mix of textures, shapes, and colors. The spiky neck feathers add a nice ruff flair. The crazy colors (did he tie-dye that neck?); the red head, the jazzy dual-hued, yet color-coordinated, wattle things. The aforementioned neck hairs. The dramatic head crown doodad. The red stuff on the nose. Wow. Put it all together and the image stops you in your tracks. It certainly makes for compelling viewing, albeit, perhaps not for a long time. Warm and cuddly he ain’t.
Helmeted Guineafowl are naturally found in Sub-Saharan Africa though domesticated versions can be found in the US, England, and just about anywhere people can raise chickens. Wild varieties of the helmeted Guinea fowl have been introduced into the West Indies, Brazil, Australia, and southern France.
HG are members of the order Galliformes; the same order that includes turkeys, grouse, chicken, quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and Cracidae.
Accordingly, HG spend much of their time scratching around on the ground in flocks of up to 25 birds looking for food rather, well, chicken-like. They can walk 6 miles or more a day. HG are similar in size to grouse or partridges, and like them, typically fly for only short distances and glide for most of the time in the air after the initial burst from cover. When in danger their preferred escape strategy is to run for it and only take flight if absolutely necessary. However, HG do roost in trees at night and during the heat of the day.
There are about 7 species of Guineafowl but only the Helmeted variety has the horn-like casque on top.
The Helmeted Guineafowl, I tip my hat to your bold if not totally beautiful style.
May
30
Shot of the Month – May 2013
Ever been at your favorite watering hole or dining establishment when a boisterous crowd rolls in and takes over the place? They talk too loudly. They, generally, make too much noise. You get jostled, perhaps spilling your drink, as they tumble into your space with their horseplay. They ravage through the snack bowls leaving you soggy and hungry.
In Bird World (great rides but I always leave feeling a bit peckish…) a similar scene often plays out at the local bird feeder with a group of Common Grackles, like the one shown here, playing the role of roughneck. Grackles will often intimidate other birds at feeders and push them aside to eat first.
Common Grackles are large, noisy, and gregarious birds that often hang out together in large numbers. Their song is particularly harsh and when multiplied by thousands it can get to rock concert levels of cacophony.
Common Grackles are omnivores and very resourceful foragers and can eat insects, minnows, frogs, eggs, berries, small birds, and mice, and well, it would be easier to list what they don’t eat. Grackles sometimes follow plows to catch invertebrates and mice, wade into water to catch small fish, pick leeches off the legs of turtles, steal worms from the American Robin, or hang out at outdoor eating areas and feed on food dropped by humans. That partial list gives you a sense of the diverse range of strategies these crafty birds deploy to find food. During the summer up to one-quarter of a grackle’s diet may be animals. (source)
That being said, Grackles are especially fond of seeds and grains and are considered the number one threat to corn crops in the US!? (I guess we need more “Scaregrackles” and fewer Scarecrows.) They forage together in large flocks and typically descend on corn fields in large numbers causing millions of dollars of damage each year. Perhaps an irate farmer came up with the common name for a group of grackles: a plague.
Unlike many birds, Common Grackles are very successful in and near human landscapes due to their opportunistic and adaptable nature. Grackles prefer open and semi-open areas across North America east of the Rocky Mountains. The range of these birds was more “easterly’ but expanded west as settlers cleared the forests.
Despite their uncouth nature, the Common Grackle can be quite the sharp dresser. Catch the light right and their heads display a stunning green or blue iridescence, while their body plumage shimmers with a bronze hue.
The Common Grackle, the wily ruffian of the bird world.
Apr
30
Shot of the Month – April 2013
Most viewers cannot resist applying a narrative to this image of two Tree Swallows (TSs).
Many a spouse finds kinship with the bird on the left who appears to be getting an earful from the partner on the right. Perhaps the nest was left a mess? Forgot to bring home the mayflies for the kids? Well, no need to gossip.
Tree Swallows are found throughout most of the US and Canada but spend the winters in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. (Who can argue with that?) I filmed these two at the Bombay Hook NWR in Delaware.
TS are very social and may be found in flocks that can include thousands and occasionally up to a million birds. During the breeding season the swallows are less inclined to mingle and a mating pair will defend its territory with great vigor from other birds and just about any creature that gets too close to the nest.
We actually don’t know if this is a breeding pair. Could be. It may be two adults fighting over a territory. Perhaps the bird on the right is last year’s chick demanding food — hoping that Dad won’t notice that Junior is all grown up now. Many possible scenarios. And that is half the fun…fill in the caption you find most appealing.
Nest predators include rat snakes, raccoons, black bears, chipmunks, mink, weasels, deer mice, feral cats, American Kestrels, Common Grackles, American Crows, and Northern Flickers. Outside of the nest adults are hunted by Sharp-shinned Hawks, Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, Great Horned Owls, and Black-billed Magpies. Sheesh. Should I stay or should I go?
Tree Swallows get their name from their preference to nest in tree cavities (cavities found in dead trees or perhaps a cavity made by a woodpecker, for example). They are also very happy to nest in wood boxes put out by humans. TSs breed in fields, marshes, shorelines, and wooded swamps and generally like to be near bodies of water that produce lots of flying insects. The dinner menu includes dragonflies, damselflies, flies, mayflies, caddisflies, true bugs, sawflies, bees, ants, wasps, beetles, stoneflies, and butterflies. Given their excellent flying skills, they typically chase prey in the air with acrobatic twists and turns and sometimes converge in large numbers in an insect swarm. During the breeding season, Tree Swallows eat high-calcium items like fish bones, crayfish exoskeletons, clamshells, and eggshells of gulls or loons. (source).
Tree Swallows pair up to breed but often mate secretly outside of the pair. The rapscallions! Occasionally a male attends two mates in separate nest sites. Though an individual swallow may have the same mate several years in a row, it is probably faithful to the site rather than the mate.
Given the aforementioned breeding behavior, those with active imaginations could divine yet another narrative for the above scene. As the screen fades to black, the voice-over opines “Tune in next week for more scandalous tales from the cattails….”
Until next month…..michael
Mar
31
Shot of the Month – March 2013
Like many people, I am a bit gaga over owls. I find them mesmerizing. They seem so majestic. Masterful. The embodiment of grace, power, and resolution.
Since moving to Vermont finding and photographing owls had been a top priority. The venture had not been going well — I managed a few sightings last year but I had not captured a single noteworthy image.
And then a few weeks ago a dramatic change of fortune. We found two Great Gray Owls wintering near Montreal, Canada.
It is hard to describe how fortunate I feel to have captured this image, and more importantly, to have had the opportunity to observe this animal over two consecutive weekends.
A quick inventory of the miracles. First, just seeing a Great Gray Owl is pretty amazing unless you hang out in the Boreal forests of Canada. Not many people do. Second, seeing a Great Gray hunt? Astounding. And finally, to actually get a decent shot of the hunt and record this spectacular behavior? I must have died and gone to Errol heaven.
Upon seeing this image a friend, also a photo enthusiast, lamented how she often missed the “decisive moment” and wondered how I had managed to pull it off. The decisive moment is typically that split second at the height of the action — just as the lion lands on the zebra, or just as the bald eagle catches a starling in mid air. (I initially responded that I didn’t get THE decisive moment, which in this case, was when the owl dove into the snow feet first to grab the mouse underneath the surface. But, this moment comes in as a pretty close second)
Capturing that key moment has less to do with big lenses or fancy cameras. Sure they help, a tiny bit, but there are lots of people who have expensive gear nowadays and they rarely get the shot.
The most successful wildlife photographers are large part naturalists, or biologists, either by training or by practice. For consistent success, one must really understand an animal and its behavior. This requires many, many hours in the field observing nature. Only then can you begin to predict where to find an animal and have a sense of how it will react in different situations. It is this body of knowledge that tells you when to go and where to go. It tells you which lens to use and what settings to apply to your camera BEFORE the shot happens. It helps you understand how to behave to avoid detection or scaring off the animal.
For me it’s a numbers game. It’s all a matter of putting the hours in. The more you are out there, the more chances you will have of seeing something special. And the more you observe the more you can predict what will happen next. It is difficult for weekend photographers like me and my friend to get those hours in so we are rarely properly prepared to seize those scarce opportunities when they arise.
In just the roughly 24 hours that I spent observing the owls over 5 days patterns and insights began to emerge. I noticed that one owl liked to roost on a preferred branch, in a preferred tree most mornings. Another Great Gray seemed to like to patrol a field and a group of woods a bit further away. I began to understand the difference in the light patterns in the morning vs. the afternoon. I began to understand the dramatic shift in exposure caused by the snowy fields compared to the wooded areas and how to adjust for it.
My small, but growing understanding of the landscape, the animal, and the interaction between the two helped me get this shot. Even after just 9 hours of observation, I had a better sense of where to set up my tripod if I wanted to have a chance of capturing a Great Gray Owl hunt on “film.” I didn’t get it perfectly right — the owl flew 20 yards past where I had set up my equipment. But I was right just enough to still be close enough to get the shot. Luck also helped. Originally the owl had his back to me. To my amazement, once he had the mouse in his mouth he spun around and faced me.
Click.
(And they lived happily ever after….ok, at least two of the three parties involved did)
Until next month…. 🙂
