“Environmental bird portraits” is a fancy way of saying that I was not able to get close enough to my subjects to isolate them and fill the frame. Although that is true, I like the way that these three images give you a sense of the environment in which the birds were found. Often I try to get so close enough to my subjects with a telephoto or macro lens that I lose sight of the “big picture.” These images, all of which were taken last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, give you some sense of the variety of birds and environments that I encounter when I am out with my camera.
The first image shows a pair of colorful Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) that took off as soon as they detected my presence (and I was a long way off from them). The male is the one that is in front, with the female just behind him.
The second image shows a Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus), the smallest hawk in the United States. This bird was the toughest one for me to identify and I had to seek assistance from some experts in a Facebook bird forum. There was some discussion about whether this was a Sharp-shinned Hawk or a Cooper’s Hawk, another small hawk, but prevalent view was the it was the former.
The final image shows a male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) as he sang out loudly from atop a tree. Male blackbirds are definitely not shy and the volume of their enthusiastic songs and calls is amazing, i.e. really loud.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Can’t wait to hear that red winged here! Such a harbinger of spring for us. The hawk is a neat shot. Looking right at you!
I enjoy seeing the landscape as well as your featured feathery friends. As always, AMAZING PHOTOS Mike!
I love the alliteration if your “feathered feathery friends” and may borrow that phrase in a future posting . 🙂
You ABSOLUTELY can Mike! I would be honored! …any chances you know what kind I took a photo of? Out here, they say we don’t have butterflies, just moths?
Thanks. I don’t know for absolute certainty, but the colors and patterns of the butterfly you posted in Spring is on the way make me think it might be a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).
Ok, so I laughed at that first line. I would agree though that sometimes showing the environment helps to tell the story. I like all three of these images, but for me personally, that middle one is the most compelling. That’s quite a death stare.
Yeah, that little hawk definitely did not seem to like the idea that I was paying attention to it. Even though I was looking at it through a long telephoto lens, I can pretty well guarantee that it’s vision was much better than mine. That’s one of the reasons why it is so hard to sneak up on birds like this–their reaction times are quicker and their vision is sharper.