Egret Encounter

Like everyone else that enjoys watching birds at lakes, I have seen and photographed egrets many time. This time however, was more of a close encounter than I expected. I was turned away from the water shooting a tree, when Lonnie said “Egret!” as it flew seemingly right in front of us. Then it looped back and made a right turn heading right at us. It looped back and then made its way along the shoreline to the other end of the lake. I had my 300 zoom lens on my camera and was able to capture most of this encounter, but the ones where it headed straight at us are a bit blurry. Later, when I looked at my photo of the tree, the egret can be see between the branches as it headed our way.

MelindaLeave a comment

Bye-bye Blackbirds!

I love red-winged blackbirds! I have seen them often at Willow Lake, but this was the first time I had seen them at Watson. They flew in fast and disappeared into the grasses along the shore, and then flew away just as fast. In between, I could hear them inside the weeds. Sometimes other flocks would join them- and then off they’d go. It’s a successful shoot for me if the red shows on their wings. Getting a good closeup shot is on my bucket list!

Besides the blackbirds, we saw a bald eagle, a great blue heron, an egret, many ducks, and possibly two loons!

Melinda1 Comment

Foggy Morning at the Draw

Our second day of shooting started well before sunrise- in fact Lonnie and I did the half hour drive from Bisbee through the farmlands in complete darkness and then dense fog as we got closer. We were the first to arrive and sat in the car waiting for light and our fellow photographers to arrive. The cranes began to vocalize as the first rays of light appeared and soon were headed out to feed on the nearby farms. The dense fog made the cranes almost invisible, but this image is actually one of my favorites.

MelindaLeave a comment

BIF

I have just returned from photographing sandhill cranes at Whitewater Draw in southern Arizona. Lonnie and I went with a group of people from my camera club- and this was my very first time seeing the cranes, as well as photographing birds in flight. It was an amazing, bucket list type adventure- such a wonderful escape from stress! I highly recommend taking a break from the news, soaking yourself in nature and just watching the birds. What does BIF mean? Birds in Flight of course!

MelindaLeave a comment

Visitor

We had a dusting of snow this morning- along with a busy flock of yellow-rumped warblers! The snow was melting away as I went outside with my camera, but the warblers still swarmed the feeders as I snapped photos. This little guy waited in the willow tree (along with a few friends) for awhile, then back to the feeder.

MelindaLeave a comment

Color Storm

This image started out as a raven in a snowstorm, but evolved into something else as I played with layers and colors. Maybe a raven in a color storm? A pastel raven? This illustrates that, in my world, the photo is just the beginning.

MelindaLeave a comment

Shelter from the Storm

Winter has finally hit Prescott! Until yesterday, our snowstorms had been short lived, depositing just a few inches that mostly melted by the end of the day. Yesterday’s storm left almost a foot of heavy wet snow, and today’s snow is expected to last most of the day. We are blaming the atmospheric river coming from the west.

Yesterday, our backyard birds emptied the feeders, so I took some extra birdseed and sprinkled some on the birdhouse. I was hoping for a photo like the one above, but the birds didn’t notice the extra seeds. Within an hour, however, a lone javelina came to eat up whatever birdseed had fallen to the ground.

This morning, a dozen or so sparrows, a finch, and a couple spotted towhees discovered the birdseed and flocked to the birdhouse. I stuck my lens through the sliding glass door and managed to get some shots of the sparrows through the dead willow branches and the falling snow.

Melinda6 Comments

Heron Impressions

Out for a walk last week, we took time to stand quietly and watch birdlife- mallards, Canada geese, coots, a hawk, redwing blackbirds, egrets and one heron. Using multiple exposure camera techniques, I created this impressionistic image of the heron waiting patiently for prey in the waters of Willow Lake.

Melinda1 Comment