The Wild Turkey: A Bird of many Colors

From a distance or in subdued light the Eastern Wild Turkey appears as a predominately black colored bird.

However, when an adult male steps into bright sunlight the incredible colors of his iridescent feathers changes his appearance entirely.

And the closer you look the more beautiful his coat of many colors becomes.

As March approaches the early stirrings of the breeding season can be seen in flocks of gobblers as they Jockey for dominance.

Although, I haven't observed a mature gobbler in full strut to date, the jakes are creating quite a commotion.  I was hoping to capture a good side or frontal shot of this jake as he strutted his stuff today, however all of the good poses came while he was partially obscured by the high grass.

Nature's Clean-up Crew

Black Vulture

After being away for a few months vultures are again circling our skies

Turkey Vulture

Vultures provide a valuable service cleaning up carion.  They are important players in nature's endless recycling system. 

The Edge of Winter

The changing of the seasons are gradual with little noticeable change from one day to the next

However as winter loosens her grip the point where ice meets open water presents a visual reference;

 "The Edge of Winter."

A Goldfinch perches beside the wetlands awaiting the change of the season.

I heard Red-winged blackbirds for the first yesterday and observed my first common grackles today.  Although official spring is still nearly a month away the signs of the changing season are unmistakable.

Waterfowling: Behind the Scenes

 Waterfowl in my area are normally quite wary.  Getting good photographs requires getting close.  Long lenses certainly help but even with the big glass the photographer must still be inside hunted waterfowl's comfort zone. 

This winter has been much milder than normal and with the temp at 37 before dawn this morning, I decided to check out a local wetland in hopes of finding some early migratory ducks.  Walking in through the early morning gloom I spotted a white dot sliding along the surface of the water, the unmistakeable white crest of a male hooded merganser.  As the morning passed I could hear the Canada geese and mallards fly out to feed and the hoodie occasionally calling, but nothing swam by my position.

And then suddenly a female hooded merganser was in front of the blind.  Success!

Now here are the "behind the scenes" views:

Frontal View

View from inside

I sewed the die-cut camo material around the window to break up the hard line of the window edge and to help conceal movement inside the blind.  To break up the outline of the camer & lens I drape a piece of camo die-cut blind material over the camera and tripod.

Rear,interior view

This year I added a pair of decoys to my gear 

I'm hoping that the sight of the decoys will give the real ducks added confidence in aproaching my setup.  I'll let you know later if they are a worthy addition.

The complete rig ready to travel

Camera, tripod, folding chair, camera bag, blind, and decoy bag

With the blind on my back, chair on the right shoulder, camera bag & decoys on the left, and the tripod/camera rig over the shoulder, the entire rig can be carried into the field in one trip.

Wildlife Photography: A Thrilling and Satisfying Endeavor

Male Pintail

For me wildlife photography is filled with thrills and the sense of accomplishment.  The pintail is a species that I have never photographed in my home area.  So to find a few of them scattered among the thousands of Canada Geese and Mallards at Blackwater NWR was a thrill in and of itself.  Adding a few good photographs of the stately birds to my portfolio gave me a considerable feeling of satisfaction of a job well done.

Mallard Flushing

While Mallards are common throughout our area, capturing the fast paced action as they spring almost vertically into flight is great fun.  In this instance the Mallards were flushing singly and in pairs as they flew from the marsh to the nearby fields to feed.

Female Northern Harrier

And it's always a thrill aiming the camera at a fast flying raptor.  Northern Harriers hunt by flying low over swamps and grassy meadows.  With their owl shaped face to concentrate sound, they use their acute hearing to assist in locating prey. 

Great Blue Heron

And as common as they are, photographing a Great Blue Heron as it stands as still as a statute is always a pleasure.  This heron waiting for its next meal to swim by may be using the pilings as a way to concentrate prey.

All creatures from tiny insects to the largest of beast can provide the wildlife photographer with thrills; capturing the creatures in beautiful photographs, that's where the satisfaction comes in. 





Eastern Wild Turkey Gobbler

Crow

There are two species of crow that inhabit the eastern US, America Crows and Fish Crows.  Since I am more concerned with photography than with birding I will not attempt to identify which species I captured in these photos.

I will say that I have found crows to be exceedingly difficult birds to photograph.  The crow's all black coloration coupled with a black eye makes it very difficult to capture eye detail.

Images from Blackwater

Blackwater NWR contains a vibrant wildlife community and much of the wildlife is acclimated to a degree of human presence.  This works wonders for the photographer since the critters do not flee at the first sight of humans.  This is not to say that one can approach closely as visitors are restricted and the wildlife is wild, unlike the birds found in city parks. 

The Canada geese tolerate humans at a distance; 80-100 yards seems to be their comfort range.

Small groups of geese took flight throughout the morning as they flew to the neighboring fields to feed.

Blackwater has both freshwater and brackish water habitat.  Muskrat lodges dotted the brackish water swamps.  Although we did not spot any muskrats during our visits their lodges indicate a substantial population.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron, Blackwater NWR

Shooting Snow Birds

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Chickadee

A recent snowy afternoon with nothing pressing to do was the perfect time to while away a few hours photographing a few of our winter birds.

Proper exposure can be a little tricky when shooting on snowy backgrounds.  Depending upon the light overexposure may be necessary.  I used +.5 - +1 stops of compensation to capture the images displayed on this post.  When shooting on snow check the camera's LCD and if your images are too dark (as they often will be) dial in some comp. and nail a set of images that you can be proud of.