In My Life: bird

Showing posts with label bird. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: Now You See Me - Now You Don't (Chestnut-sided Warbler)

"Now You See Me." "Now You Don't." Digital Image. May 10, 2014.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Western Meadowlark on the Buena Vista Grasslands

Blessed are the moments when the light is perfect, you've selected the correct aperture and ISO and the bird lands in the perfect spot.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

A Journey Complete

I never get tired of warbler stalking: time spent with my camera walking through the brushy thickets avoiding wet feet, swatting mosquitoes, checking for ticks, all the while listening and looking for the tell tail sign of warblers.

My favorite? All of them but especially any warbler who comes out in the open long enough to allow me to focus and capture a terrific image.

The truth is - I could fill an external hard drive with images of the Common Yellowthroat. The males look like little bandits with their black face mask with a fuzzy white border. In flight (low to the ground) their olive brown color is a perfect camouflage. But once they land their bright yellow is unmistakable.

You hear them long before you see them - by the time you zero in on their proximity, they will have moved; usually not far but gone nonetheless. A twitch of green, a momentary flash of yellow gives them away. Before they are gone. Again.

What is also unmistakable is their song ... a bold "wichity-wichity-wichity" that heralds the arrival of that wonderful season: almost summer.

Like all energetic warblers the Common Yellowthroats are elusive and nearly impossible to photograph. They rarely are seen "in the open" - they prefer to stay close to thick vegetation on the ground. A solitary bird, they can be seen in pairs but it is the male who is first to make the long trek from Central America, Mexico or the Caribbean.

It never ceases to amaze me to think about these tiny birds - 5 inches in length with a 7 inch wing span - following an unknown call that compels them to wing their way across open water, through farmlands, forests and cities to make their way back to a small section of land in northeastern Wisconsin and announce the arrival of summer.

"A Journey Complete." Digital Image. May 22, 2013. Original photography

Monday, May 6, 2013

A Year of Creativity #125: Birds of a Feather

"Birds of a Feather." Digital Image. April 21, 2013. Original photograph privately

Monday, April 15, 2013

A Year Of Creativity #105: They Don't Call It A Bird Bath For Nothing

No light, low light, incorrect ev and f-stop settings - missed opportunities, not enough opportunities - sometimes it seems that the expense of great camera equipment is being wasted.

Apparently this photographer sometimes expects those National Geographic moments to be an every day occurrence instead of looking for the every day to be a personal moment.

"They Don't Call It A Bird Bath For Nothing." Digital Image. April 7, 2013

Thursday, January 3, 2013

A Year Of Creativity #02: Still. Life.

Before there was such a thing as computer generated special effects, you had to create your own special effect. I call this one Still. Life. How wonderful - no one moved until after the shutter was released.

"Still. Life." Digital Image. January 3, 2013. Original Photograph.

Privately Held by Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski (c) 2013

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

A Year of Creativity #01: Reach Beyond Your Grasp

Sometimes you have to reach beyond what you think you are capable of.

The results will surprise you

"Reach Beyond Your Grasp." Digital Image. December 26,2012. Original Photograph.
Privately Held by Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski (c) 2012