Love for Birds

Not sure since when I started to be interested in wild birds.  Throughout the years, I have used different kinds of birdfeeders to get them come close to my house.  I watched them and studied their different habits. One thing they all have in common is, their eyes are always concentrating on our movement. A reflection of our small move will catch their attention and chase them away.

Nuthatch

Anna's Hummingbird

At the beginning, I usually have my telephoto lens ready on tripod pointed at the feeder.  In a little while, I feel birds on feeder is kind of boring unless I catch an action shot before their landing or when they are taking off.  I am a busy bee and I don’t have a lot of patience sitting around to wait for the moment.  Wildlife photography needs patience, patience and patience. Taking bird pictures is training my patience.

Camera has to be ready at all times because birds come and go and they don’t stay long enough for us to be ready. Believe or not, I found prettier birds are more shy and sensitive than the ordinary ones.  Maybe they have been trained by us and come to be aware that they are our targets. Most of the large birds also react quickly  because they need a bit more time to get away due to their weight, I think.

It is easier to take water fowl pictures particularly if they are inhabitants. Willamette Valley has vast areas of greens that provide wonderful habitats for birds. We see more migrated birds stayed here for winter instead of flying thousand miles south. Herons, Egrets, Bald Eagles and of course ducks and geese are commonly seen here.

Mrs. Woodduck

In animal kingdom, male usually looks more striking than female, but I think she is quite attractive, too.

Not until I got serious about bird photography, I did not know that my husband is also very interested in birds.  Our exploration to wildlife refugees began last year, not only in Oregon and Washington, we even made a special trip to Sorroco, New Mexico for Crane Festival where about sixty thousands birds were staying there during our visit. Flying Out and Flying In events are very cool. Flocks of cranes would gather together before dawn and take off to the ocean as sun rises. The scene was pretty spectacular.  Then, dusk came and they flew back in groups.  We so often saw them flying above us and made loud calls.

Fly Out

Fly In

Another fond memory we have is going to Klamath Falls wildlife refuge. There were literally water birds everywhere on both sides of the road. My husband and I would take turns to drive and the other person would step up on passenger’s seat and used sunroof to support our 400mm telephoto. We cheered, and reminded each other to quiet down whenever we came across our target. This safari adventure lasted for the entire day, at least 8 hours. That evening when we were out to celebrate our day, we could not even hold the forks. We were aching all over and pleasantly tired.

Great Egret

Killdeer

My blog is a photography blog. I am not an expert, but I do love to explore and I learn as I go. I am sharing my personal experience in case you also like birds. Not necessary for photography, many birders simply enjoy watching birds and don’t take any pictures.  Wildlife refuges are usually in a large area with absolutely natural environments. It is also a good place to hike if you like to be in the nature.