A long time coming

Late this afternoon my wife and I ventured to Dune Road since we were already out east.  So far I am 0-3 this season trying to find Snowy Owl's alone - and my wife is batting 1.000.  I already had heard there were multiple owls along Dune Road from a fellow photographer so I figured it would be a lock, and sure enough my wife spotted the bird in the marsh (though we were tipped off by some birders who had literally parked their car in the middle of the road).  The bird was pretty far out, and I have quite a few good images of this species so far so we moved on hoping to find another or at least something else of interest.

When we reached Quogue, we turned around and headed back scanning again for birds - aided by the lack of direct sun blinding us.  I noticed a female Kingfisher perched on a telephone pole and figured I would get my obligatory kingfisher on a telephone pole image (I probably have hundreds).  The bird was perched above a small watering hole and I was about to give up hope that it would do anything interesting when it swooped down and hovered about 10' above the water.  I photographed the bird from my car snapping away as it flapped its wings for what seemed like a very long time compared to other times I've seen this species hover.  It never ended up diving for a fish and flew to a different perch, but the result was very exciting as I have longed for photos like these of this species since I started photography over 5 years ago.

After scoring the shots of the kingfisher, we continued east along Dune Rd. when I spotted a Northern Harrier.  This is another species I've had an extremely difficult time photographing in flight (particularly along Dune Rd) but the stars appeared to be aligned today because I pulled off this shot

The Snowy Owl was still in the marsh - but by this time the sun had just about set and it was still a distance away, so we packed it in.  Below are a few photos I got earlier in the afternoon at the inlet where there was a nice mixed flock of Scoters and Eiders as well as some monster waves in the ocean and a very large flock of gulls fishing.  The best of them all is the immature male King Eider I photographed (by accident really).  This is a species I have hoped for years to get, often spotted in single numbers off of Montauk Point.  There have been reports of multiple king eiders (male and females) at Shinnecock recently.  I was lucky that the ocean was rough and brought these birds inside the cut and even more lucky that I photographed this one without really knowing what I was looking for

Here is a "beachscape" showing off the large number of gulls present

Lastly - an Immature Common Eider with some food

If you want to learn more about the natural world that is Long Island - check out this book by John Turner which features many of my photos

Book Review: On Feathered Wing

Note:  The images contained in this Book Review were photographed by me, however I was in the company of Richard Ettlinger who has showed me the ropes with respect to photographing birds in flight.  

Richard Ettlinger is one of the most talented bird photographers on the planet, as evidenced by his book "On Feathered Wing".  Richard's work, along with that of six other incredible photographers (David Hemmings, H.K. Hui, Miguel Lasa, Ofer Levy, Jim Neiger and Rob Palmer) amazes the mind and the eyes at what Nature is capable of and what can be captured on camera.  To be able to freeze the action of birds who can casually cruise at speeds upwards of 90 mph (in the case of the Peregrine Falcon) is a task so difficult that many don't try - and for those who do, they quickly wave the white flag.

The book beings with an extremely close encounter the author had with a falcon at a local park near his home.   While the bird whizzed past his head at incredible speeds, that fleeting moment of flight stuck with him for years to come.  He was determined to have a repeat encounter, to stop that bird in its tracks (digitally, that is).  It was this experience that inspired him to always pursue the impossible, to utilize patience and to understand that the bird is the one in control - we are merely witnesses to their extraordinary abilities and evolution.  Ettlinger writes, "You can't find the inner bird unless you find the inner you.  Doing so will allow you to respect your subjects.  Stalking the wild bird definitely won't get you there, so don't think that way.  You won't be stalking anything." 

Ettlinger begins the book with the written word as a preface for the birds who live up to the cliche about a photograph's worth.  He gives a brief breakdown of the birds featured in the book (Killers on the Wing, Wings Along the Shore, Wings of the Wetlands and Songbirds on the Wing) and he discusses the migratory feats of these animals, how they hunt and the different adaptations that fit niches for a diverse group of birds.  His knowledge of his subjects is only matched by his photographic skill and determining where the right time and right place will be.  A birder with more than 20 years experience, Ettlinger is as good at finding birds in their element as a professional fisherman is at locating the biggest bass beneath the lake or where the motherlode of crabs will be along the ocean floor.  That skill is reflected in his images as well as the images of the others who share his love and passion.  I'm willing to bet if you took the avian photographers featured in this book to the coldest continent, they would come back with shots of penguins flapping freely through the freezing air.

The bulk of the book, with almost 175 incredible flight images, is accompanied by a brief description of the specific species, where it was photographed and an interesting fact or two about the bird.  These narratives are kept short purposely as it takes the eye a long time to move down from the stunning image above.  The author points out the influence of birds - and their respective ability to fly - on writers, poets and inventors (where do you think the Wright Brothers got the idea?) through history.  He notes how even before the camera, the poet William Blake appreciated the breathtaking beauty of a bird in the sky, effortlessly floating among the clouds and wispy winds.  Writes Ettlinger, "This book was conceived and created in celebration of birds' mystical genius - a quality that can only be observed while they are off the ground.  Their wings may be made of pretty feathers, but those appendages serve no other purpose than to get them into and through the air."  The act of flight, which we equate with magic and which mesmerizes both the smallest child and the most seasoned senior is simply a way of life, or rather, survival.  It is evolutionarily the same as a humans ability to walk and talk and yet it's so much more.  Man has gone to incredible lengths in pursuit of flight but no matter how hard we try, what contraptions we conceive, what ideas we implement, we still marvel at a bird taking to the sky.  If you have ever had the chance to spend an hour watching birds in the air, you will be amazed.  If you are short on time - take a flip through this book, because it's the next best thing.

Some of the images in this book were featured in an exhibit (under the same name as the book) at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan from June 2008 - May of 2011 (it was extended many times due to it's immense popularity).  If you would like to purchase the book (which I highly recommend) click the link below: