I enjoy watching and photographing bird behavior. Recently I had the opportunity to photograph a white-breasted nuthatch pair as they prepared to nest in my backyard. Nuthatches make their nests in natural cavities, such as a broken limb or tree trunk or perhaps an old woodpecker hole. My nuthatch pair found a cavity in tree… Read more »
Watching birds in my backyard in the rain last week reminded me of something I heard my grandfather say on more than one occasion: “If the birds in the rain play, it will rain all day.” And sure enough, it rained all day. Remembering this made me wonder: Can birds predict the weather? Are there… Read more »
You may have heard photographers say, “That’s great light.” Or perhaps you have thought: “I think I’ll just stay home today because the light is awful.” Light in winter can be challenging for outdoor photography, and it is a key variable in whether a satisfactory photograph is possible. Light is a basic building block of… Read more »
With a workweek behind me, I was excited to spend a Saturday with the birds and my camera! It was February, and bird photography in frigid weather has a unique set of challenges to overcome. For starters, dressing in warm layers and wearing warm gloves are essential. As I was preparing to leave the house… Read more »
Snowy owls are a rarity in southeastern Ohio, so it’s exciting news when one is spotted nearby. After hearing about a snowy owl turning up not far from my home, I decided to take a drive to check it out and maybe get a few photos. My wife (who isn’t a birder) and I set… Read more »
With nearly all in-person birding festivals canceled and some of my favorite hotspots closed due to the pandemic, 2020 was a challenging year to find birds to photograph. Since March, I have been working from home. As a result, I’ve spent many lunch breaks and more early evening hours than normal in my backyard, and… Read more »
What lens do you use for bird photography? This is a question I have been asked many times. My love affair with Tamron lens began in the winter of 2018 while co-leading a Bird Watcher’s Digest Reader Rendezvous at Florida’s Space Coast. I was leading the bird photography sessions of the trip, which were sponsored… Read more »
While everyone was waiting for turkey on Thanksgiving Day, I was anticipating a different bird: the short-eared owl. With a four-day holiday weekend but no family gatherings this year, I decided to head out to a nearby location I found by using eBird and by talking to other local birders. The place I visited is… Read more »
It was a Sunday afternoon, and I was interested in doing some “birdtography.” My aim was to find some LBJs (little brown jobs, aka sparrows). Determined not to let a little rain stop me, I grabbed my camera and headed to the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, where LBJs have been reliable and abundant… Read more »
You may have seen my photos on the pages of Bird Watcher’s Digest and Watching Backyard Birds. For the past three-plus years, I have been the production director and a contributing photographer to BWD. But my interest in bird photography, aka birdtography, began long ago. Since high school I have been interested in photography, and… Read more »
