The Majesty in the Air

I remember the first time I saw and American Bald Eagle in flight. It was in 1989 just north of Boise, Idaho. I was taking a drive up into the hills while on a business trip. I was just so amazed at the sight of that beautiful bird soaring on the thermals. Up to that point my knowledge of Bald Eagles was that they were on the brink of extinction (DDT did it!) and were very very rare.

Fast-forward to early 2003. Kathy and I moved into our new house in DuPont, Washington and quickly realized that there were Eagles out behind the house! We'd watch in wonder as they would drop from the sky to land in the (then under-construction) golf course ("The Home Course") to bathe and to drink. It wasn't uncommon for us to see two or even three at a time. At one point we saw, in a very short period of time, five eagles soaring overhead or simply heading from 'A' to 'B'.

Quite often I'll seem them along the waters of the Puget Sound as they search for a Salmon dinner in the shallow waters. Sometimes, if I'm very lucky, I'll have one fly so close to me (and with some advance warning that it's coming) that I can pick off a shot that's half-decent.



Even when Kathy and I go on our nature/photo walks (her nature, my photo) in the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge we're greeted by those beautiful, beautiful raptors.



It's difficult to believe the symbol of America begins it's life looking so different than when it's an adult. It generally takes 2-3 years for an immature bald eagle to develop its white head and tail feathers. An immature bald eagle can easily be mistaken for a Gold Eagle. A good example of this is the bird in this picture:

There's no doubt that the American Bald Eagle has made an incredible comeback. I never tire watching these glorious birds.

These guys are a challenge!

As difficult as these guys are to photograph, I seem to enjoy shooting them more than anything else. I suppose it validates me (in my own mind) that I actually know what I'm doing with a camera in my hand. I usually don't know how a picture turns out until I upload them and view them on a large monitor. Out of 100 shots I'll get maybe one or two that actually takes my breath away.

So, what am I babbling about? Hummingbirds! You know, those dive-bombing, aerial-acrobats that sound like the biggest bumble bee you'll every want to meet. The smallest bird in North America (and other places, I'd imagine).

I live in western Washington State. According to Hummingbirds.Net, there are 4 species of hummingbirds known to be in Washington:
- Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
- Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)
- Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)
- Calliope Hummingbird (Stellula calliope)
I've been fortunate enough to have been able to snap off pictures of three of them - in my own backyard! The one that eludes me (so far) is the Black-chinned Hummer.

Some of my more favorite shots of these guys are:










The Calyope (Male)


The Rufous (Female)


The Anna's (Male)


The Rufous (Female)

(You can click on the pictures to view the full size version - well worth it!)

Again - I'd appreciate your critique. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Tom

My Other Backyard

I'm lucky enough to live in a part of the country that offers me, the nature photographer, plenty of subject matter to photograph. For some reason I've migrated (forgive the pun) to birds more than any other thing to shoot. What makes me even luckier is to live very close to the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. It is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and encompasses the Nisqually River Delta where the river enters the Puget Sound. It's a haven for migratory birds of all sorts and offers wildlife viewing opportunities year-round. When you consider that an annual pass costs only $12 and it's only 6-miles down the road from home - you'll have to agree it's ideal for my needs.

Last year the park started a project to remove dikes that held back tidewater for over 100-years. In late September they breached the dike and allowed the first tidewaters in on what had been farmland reclaimed from the delta. (Click here for a great video) The bad part of this work is it removed a 5.4-mile trail that provided all sorts of birding opportunities. Now that part of the park is inaccessable to us humans. The good news is that starting next month a boardwalk 1-mile in length will be built that will allow us to go back into the current 'no-man's land'.

That 'no-man's land' is where I've taken many of my favorite pictures. On one of our nature walks, my wife (and trusty assistant/human tripod) and I saw a beautiful mature American Bald Eagle sitting atop a dead tree from quite a ways away. As we neared we saw there was an unimproved trail that headed out towards where it was perched. After some slipping and sliding down muddy slopes I found an opening in the tree canopy that provided a clear shot. I give you....



See you next time...

Hello and Welcome!

I originally set up this blog with the intention of sharing (something) in 2008. But, since you're reading this first blog post, it's obvious I just never got around to it. Actually, I never could come up with a reason to blog about anything that I felt people would be interested in. But something spurred me to take advantage of this media as a means of sharing my passion for photography.

I've been keenly interested in photography since my high school days in the early 1970's. I worked part-time during the summers and on weekends to save up enough to buy my first camera - a Minolta 35mm. Since a 'good' photographer can never have too much camera equipment, it was quickly joined by a Yashica Model-D twin-lens reflex camera that used 2.25" format film. I learned darkroom technique and tried to learn as much as I could from other photographers around me. In my senior year in high school I was lucky enough to be accepted into the work study program for photography. That allowed me to roam the school constantly on the lookout for that next interesting shot, to be part of the yearbook team and free and ready access to the on-campus darkroom.

Through the years my involvement in photography has waxed and waned as 'Life' happened. The equipment I used changed as well. There's a long line of cameras and other assorted stuff such as; Polaroid Instant cameras, Kodak Instamatic, various flash units, add on lenses and tripods. Most of what I shot were snapshots of vacation sites, family gatherings and the like.

When digital cameras started entering the market I was keenly interested for several reasons; 1) I didn't need a darkroom (or trips to the local drugstore for processing), 2) I'm in the computer industry so going digital was a natural for me! and 3) I realized I could shoot to my hearts content and simply delete what I didn't like! Bingo! - renewed interest!

Today I carry around a Canon 40D with a variety of lenses and accessories. Among them are:
- Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
- Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
- Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
- Canon EF 1.4X II Extender
- various lens filters
- Sunpak 757TM Tri-Monopod

There are two backup cameras (for when it's more practical to use something smaller):
- Sony DSC-F707
- Sony DSC-T70

Most of what I shoot is found either in my backyard or the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge (my other backyard).

I'll post up some of my more favorite shots over time. If you want to see more, you can visit my Flickr account

Enjoy...