Wood-Warblers | on the wing photography

Spring fever…

By Mia McPherson, on March 27th, 2011%

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)

Audubon’s Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata)
Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah
Nikon D200, f7.1, 1/500, ISO 320, +1.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, not a set up, natural light

I have the fever. Aspirin won’t help nor will bed rest because spring fever can only be cured by getting out and soaking up spring! For a little while today the sun was shining and teasing me. A storm is rolling in tonight and tomorrow is going to be cruddy … but a high pressure front is coming in after this storm and the weather is looking better, spring time is knocking at the door.

It is about time for a cure for this spring fever.

Cliff Swallow with collecting mud for its nest

Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) collecting mud for its nest
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Nikon, f6.3, 1/400, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

I’ve seen signs of Ravens, Black-billed Magpies, Canada Geese, Horned Larks and other birds preparing their nests. It won’t be long and there will be many more pairs of birds mating and incubating eggs. They have spring fever too.

Quite a few species of trees have started to open their buds, I’m seeing green on the willows, a flush of new blooms on some cherry trees and I have been hearing the songs of the chorus frogs. There are crocus, snowdrops and grape hyacinths in bloom and the daffodils and tulips will soon follow along with the sweet perfume of the lilacs.

Yes, spring is warm, inviting and exciting.

Western Grebes courting in early spring

Western Grebes (Aechmorphus occidentalis) courting in early spring
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/640, ISO 400, +1.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

Don’t get me wrong, I love winter and the birds I see then. I love to see the mountains heavily covered in snow, frosted vegetation and breathing in the brisk air.

Spring seduces me. Refreshes me. It whispers to me softly to come outside to savor nature and wildlife and feel the warm breeze caress my skin. It beckons to me to go camping to spend the daylight hours exploring and promises star-filled nights out where all I might hear are the sounds of howling coyotes and the hoot of an owl or two. Away from the city, out where you can hear for miles.

Male Red-winged Blackbird singing on cattails

Male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelius phoeniceus) singing on old cattails
Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah
Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/500, ISO 250, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, not a set up, natural light

Spring has a musical rhapsody which is entirely its own. Birds such as this Red-winged Blackbird seem unable to resist singing outloud and why should they? It is a great time of the year.

The snow melt will fill the mountain streams and as they tumble downward towards the valleys the tinkling and gurgling sounds that creates will fill the air. Yum, sitting on a sun warmed rock streamside and listening to that in the spring?

Priceless.

Mia

Small in the frame

By Mia McPherson, on August 19th, 2010%

Though I quite often photograph birds so that they are what is labled “frame filling” I also like to compose images that show the bird or animals small in the frame.

Palm Warbler perched on Sea Purslane
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, F6.3, 1/640, ISO 200, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light.

For me this image above is as much about the Sea Purslane and the OOF Sea Oats on the sand dune in the background as it is about the as it is about the Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum). I wanted to show the scale of the bird and purslane, the warbler is tiny and the individual leaves of the purslane are too.

Oystercatcher juvenile in the surf
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, HH, f5.6, 1/160, ISO 320, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light.

I do have other reasons for taking images where the birds are small in the frame. I don’t approach, harrass or disturb nesting birds or chicks. I will remain at a distance from the nest or chicks even knowing that I’ll take a heavier crop than normal and while I am framing the shot I will look for a setting or background that will work with a bird smaller in the frame.

The American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) chick in the image above isn’t frame filling but I feel the wave about to crash in the background and the bits and pieces of shells and the bird’s pose provide enough interest. Also since the chick is small having it smaller in the frame can accentuate that.

Laughing Gull in a quiet lagoon
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, HH, f5.6, 1/1600, ISO 400, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light.

I didn’t feel that the Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla) in the photo above was all that interesting from the distance I was away from the bird but as I positioned myself lower and lower in the lagoon while looking through the viewfinder I found the still water, dark reflections and the contrast of the lighter colored gull very interesting, so I took a few shots. I know the image above isn’t likely to appeal to a large audience of viewers, but it does have appeal for me.

Feeding Brown Pelicans over the Gulf of Mexico
Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, HH, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 200, 80-400mm VR at 175mm, natural light.

Another reason that I might compose an image with birds small in the frame is that I may want to include several birds or animals in an image and include enough background to give the viewer a sense of place.

The Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) in this image are actively hunting over and diving into the Gulf of Mexico, the gulls seen in the image are hoping to get the baitfish that the pelicans might lose. I wanted to convey the differences of the sizes of the gulls and pelicans as well as include the clouds in the early morning sky.

These are just a few examples of why I might compose images with birds or animals that are small in the frame.

Mia