I often see, and more frequently hear, Wood Ducks on Cedar Creek. However, if they catch even the slightest glimpse, they’re off!
Yet, a few days in late November 2021, they were so obsessed with one section of the creek that they would fly only a few yards and land. I discovered they were bobbing for acorns falling from creekside trees:
The birds were about sixty yards away in complicated light, a challenge to both me and my camera.
This is a photo image that embodies the vagaries of nature photography–a lot of things have to come together to capture an good image. When I shot this photo I was on an early morning bird walk with friends, and I had made a trip to the restroom at the northern end of Columbia’s Riverfront Park. On coming out of the building, I noticed this heron. Now, I see Great Blue Herons quite often, and as they are solitary and still hunters, they are rather easy to photograph. Should I take the photo or join my friends who are waiting for me? I decided one quick shot. Resting my elbows on the steel railing of the walkway, I snapped one, then several more shots, after which I quickly closed down my camera and was off to look for other birds, apologizing to my friends by saying I stopped to photograph a heron. Only on downloading the images did I realize that not only was I wise to carefully prop my elbows on the railing for a steadier shot, but also that the early light just happened to be perfect for the shot. I also noticed that this particular image looked rather like a Romance-era painting! In the studio, photographers can move the subject as well as the lighting, in the outdoors I keep walking and snapping pictures, and occasionally it all comes together.