Fluffy little chicks are adorable, they make people “ohh” and “aww” and those that hit the ground running not long after hatching are especially appealing to some folks. But they need respect and they need space so we don’t endanger them.
During this time of the year I see tons of nest and chick images posted on the internet on photo sharing sites and I feel my self cringe when I can see that someone has walked up to a nest and taken images of nestlings or even the unhatched eggs with short lens because I know they got too close. Those actions can put the young birds at risk.
The American Oystercatcher image above was taken from a long distance and this is a large crop (43% of original frame) which I normally do not like to make but in my mind the image is never as important as the well being and safety of my subject.
Chukar chick
When we approach a nest we leave a scent trail that could possibly attract predators to the nest which might cause the eggs or the chicks to be eaten by a predator. This Chukar chick image is another case where I took a large crop (%39 of the original frame) rather than approach the bird closely which would have stressed it or the adult nearby.
Ethics on photographing nesting birds:
Do not approach too closely
If the birds show any sign of distress, back away
Don’t trim leaves, twigs or branches to get a clearer shot, you may inadvertently attract predators or cause the eggs/chicks to over heat
Follow local, state and federal guidelines concerning nesting birds
Don’t harass the birds to get an action shot
Don’t stay a long time with nesting birds or chicks, that disrupts their normal behavior
Always remember that your scent may draw predators to the area of nesting birds or birds with chicks.
Western Meadowlark chick (sorry for the poor quality)
Sometimes we might need to help chicks get to a safe place, like the example below.
Two days ago we spotted a ball of fluff in the middle of a road on Antelope Island State Park and after scoping it with my lens I could see that it was a Western Meadowlark fledgling, because the road wasn’t a safe place I took a few images, got out of the pick up and walked up behind the chick. I put my hands near the back of the fledgling and just that movement alone was enough to cause the chick to move towards the shoulder of the road and the adult. Once I knew the chick was safely off of the road I got back into the pickup and left.
At this time of the year we should be careful where we step, where we drive and how closely we approach nests and chicks, it is very important not to stress the chicks or adults.
Summertime is upon us now and with it comes loads of people participating in outdoor activities like hiking, sports, camping and activities on the water. Everyone looks forward to warmer weather after winter but some of those activities can impact birds and wildlife.
I photographed the Reddish Egret above in May of 2009 at Fort De Soto Count Park’s north beach. It was a warm morning and I was inside a lagoon kneeling on my knees while the egret was hunting, the action was intense and there were times the egret came in very close to me, it was so exciting and quick that I barely had time to make sure my exposure was okay before I fired off shot after shot of the Reddish Egret. I really liked this pose with the wings lifted, the great eye contact, the background and the beautiful light. It is a wonderful image… until you look closer.
Reddish Egret with Oil on it
This is the same image, I have just drawn lines to indicate what I saw when I got home and brought the series of images of this Reddish Egret up on my monitor. Every red line shows an area where some type of motor oil had saturated the Reddish Egret’s plumage. The marina isn’t too far from where I photographed this handsome wading bird as a crow flies and I suspect that there was a boat leaking oil that this egret inadvertently got into. The tips of the primaries were saturated, some of the secondaries, tail feathers and coverts also were coated in oil.
Pointing to the oil on a Reddish Egret
This image shows the oil saturated tail, the feathers near the vent, the upper scapulars and on top of the bird’s head. Reddish Egrets are often in water that reaches their under sides when they are actively hunting which means their tail and ventral area come in direct contact with the water and oils which are lighter than water will form a film on it and when it comes in contact with a birds feathers gets soaked up by them. Also while Reddish Egrets are hunting they push their heads under the water to get their prey which explains how the oil came to be on the egret’s head.
A different view of the Oil on the Reddish Egret
This view shows the dark stain of the oil and it also shows how matted the feathers were because of the oil. Even a quart of oil spread over a wide area of water can cause huge problems for the birds and wildlife that come in contact with it. The oil is poison, I won’t sugar coat that fact. It is poison to wildlife and it is poison to us. This bird got the oil on it in the same water that children would swim in.
The same Reddish Egret a week later
This is an image of the same bird a week later, the darkness of the oil isn’t as evident on the primaries or the head but there is still oil stained and matted secondaries. Egret usually preen several times a day and this egret’s bill would have come into contact with those oily feathers which means the bird also ingested the oil which is poisonous. The egret eventually got the oil off and it did survive but many other animals that come into contact with oils don’t.
I hope that boaters will be careful this summer and not pollute our precious waters or poison the wildlife that depends on it. Our recreation shouldn’t endanger wildlife.
Mia
The oiled bird was reported to Jim Wilson, the park supervisor. During that period of a week I did see two other birds; a White Ibis and a Yellow-crowned Night Heron, with a small amount of oil on them. This situation could have been much worse.
Eastern Willet in flight – Nikon D200, handheld, f8, 1/750, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 330mm, natural light
There are two subspecies of Willets which Western and Eastern, here in Utah I only see the Western subspecies but in Florida I could see both during the course of a year. This Willet is the Eastern subspecies that I photographed at Fort De Soto’s north beach in 2009.
The Willet flew in so close to me that I had to back up my zoom so I wouldn’t clip any of the bird. I had been photographing a static shorebird when I noticed the Willet flying in and I didn’t have time to change my settings, I would have increased my ISO some and changed my aperture to f6.3 to get a faster shutter speed if there had been time but since the Willet was gliding in I had just enough shutter speed to freeze the action. The reflection from the white sand below the bird helped to light up the underside of the shorebird’s wings.
I’ve mentioned before that light can impact the final results of an image and the background can as well. Some people might think the background in the image above is messy but I think that the palm fronds that are reaching towards the water a compliment to the curving lines of the Tricolored Heron and there are similar colors on the palm fronds and the back of the heron. The gnarly tree stump also seems to echo the feet of this Tricolored.
Tricolored Heron in golden light
This image has less “mess in the background but there is enough variation in the colors to be interesting and the bubbles on the surface of the water add a bit of tension.
Tricolored Heron in pastel water and soft light
The smooth pastel water in this image has a nice texture and color which contrasts with the herons plumage. The background is simple and doesn’t detract from the heron at all.
I actually like the backgrounds in each of these images, all of them show the habitat that Tricolored Herons might be found in and highlight the birds too.
Adult White Ibis – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/500, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light
White Ibis can be strange looking birds to people who have never seen them before, they have soft, sky blue eyes, skinny legs, long necks and a bill that could be compared to Jimmy Durante’s nose. The adults have white feathers, hence the name White Ibis.
There are three other Ibis species found in North America, the White-faced, Glossy and Scarlet Ibis. In the wild I have seen all but the Scarlet Ibis.
I photographed this adult White Ibis at Fort De Soto County Park’s north beach in a tidal lagoon one evening in June of 2009, the sun was starting to set and the tide was going out rapidly.
Juvenile White Ibis - Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/500, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 330mm, natural light
Juvenile White Ibis have the same shaped body, legs, neck and bill and their eyes are also a sky blue but their feather colors are different. Immature White Ibis have browns and tans in their plumage and as they age those feathers are replaced with white, they can look piebald until that change occurs.
This juvenile white Ibis was photographed in December of 2008 about 200 feet from where the adult above was photographed in the same lagoon but earlier in the afternoon so I didn’t have that soft golden light that shows in the image with the adult.
American Oystercatcher chick
Chukar chick
Western Meadowlark chick (sorry for the poor quality)
