A little green bee-eater dries out in the middle of a rainstorm at Kodiyakkarai Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu. Bee-eaters feed on insects which they catch on the wing. Rainy days make their life difficult as most insects rest during the downpour. A break in the weather brings out both insects and bee-eaters.
Displaying Greater Prairie Chicken
A greater prairie chicken male displaying at a predawn lek in Central Wisconsin. Prairie chickens belong to the grouse family and are found mostly in open lands. Loss of habitat has significantly affected their population and today they are found only in isolated pockets in Midwest US. The prairie chicken leks in occur in early to mid spring when the weather in Wisconsin is still cold as seen in the frosted grass all around.
A parent Clark's grebe feeds a juvenile on a late fall evening. Clark's grebe juveniles stay with their parents through fall during which they learn to feed. During this time the parent grebe ends up feeding the juvenile often.
Great Egrets and Forster's Tern in Rain
A flock of great egrets fly to shelter at the start of a rainstorm in Wisconsin. The dark skies were lit by afternoon sun causing it to glow and providing a counterpoint to the whites of the egrets. A solitary fishing Forster's tern is also seen in the frame.
A flock of Indian spot-billed pelicans gather on a dead bamboo trunk to cool off in the midday heat. Pelicans use their large pouch as radiators to remove body heat.
A long-billed curlew feeds on a western mountain prairie in North Utah. Curlews breed in open grasslands of west-central US and winter in wetlands or along the coast. Like most shorebirds, they are skittish and do not allow humans close by. It took a good deal of patience and waiting on my part to get these birds to venture close to me. Even so, they were aware of my presence and would move away if I made any sudden movements. I liked the golden landscape in morning light and shot with a shallow depth-of-field to frame the bird against the soft grass.
As the evening draws to a close, a flock of juvenile whooping cranes dance in a recently harvested corn field in Wisconsin. These magnificent birds have been raised by the Crane Foundation and radio tagged for tracking.. I was trying an abstract and liked the ghostly image which seems to convey the danger these cranes are in.
I came across this group of avocets feeding in a Bay Area harbor late one evening. It was interesting to observe the flock feeding in a circle. One avocet would dredge the bottom bringing up invertebrates and crustaceans, and the next member would move in to feed in that spot. The steady movement of the birds and low light gave a opportunity for an abstract.
Snowgeese wait to take off at dawn in Bosque del Apache. Like most ducks and geese in winter, snowgeese roost in shallow open waters in large colonies. With their numbers and bright plumage, they are always pleasing to photograph as a group in the soft morning light.
A male osprey takes evasive action as the female comes in to land on their nesting platform near the Snake River in Wyoming. It was great to see the pair take turns bringing in sticks for their nest. Despite not being able to see the eyes of either bird, I liked the image for the tension from the contrasting poses.
Canada geese are often the first birds to arrive to their spring grounds and register their presence through loud honks. I could hear this trio's honks even at a distance one early spring evening and the wing beats as they came closer. I captured this pan blur as they sped past me to their evening roost. The reeds and grass are still dry in early spring in Wisconsin and provide a nice background color palette.
A flock of Indian cormorants cooling off during noon at Vendanthangal Lake. Unlike most diving birds, cormorants do not have waterproof feathers. After they swim underwater for their food, cormorants spent their time in the open - on trees or poles - to dry their feathers. Here, the branches of the tree provide a strong counterpoint to the cormorants.
Sandhill Cranes Feeding at Sunset
Sandhill cranes actively feed on the Rio Grande river at sun down. Their food consists of grains, vegetation, insects and molluscs. I was drawn to the texture of the water in the evening light.
Yellow-headed Blackbird in Habitat
Male yellow-headed blackbirds are striking looking birds with their black and bright yellow plumage. One of the images I had envisioned of this species was in its spring habitat where the blackbird would stand out against the green surroundings. So, I was happy to see this blackbird fly into a pack of reeds and show up a few moments later. It stayed for a few seconds before darting back into the reeds, but that was enough for me to fire a couple of shots.
Sandhill cranes gather to roost in the Platte River in the midst of their migration. Cranes roost standing up in shallow water bodies where any approach by predators is quickly audible. Here, the weather was cloudy and dark until the sun came out for a few minutes at end of the day and created an arresting scene.
A raven pair fly out of their nest on a cliff in the southern Utah. In the desert southwest, ravens are a common species and build their nest out of reach of ground predators. The birds and their shadows stood out against the wonderful red rocks providing a contrast of both scales and colors.
A flock of flamingos are in the middle of their social dance at end of the day near Vedaranyam. The occasional red of their wings and elegant poses contrast well with the blue of the sea.
On one of the mornings at Bosque del Apache, I noticed an unusually large snowgeese flock portending a spectacular take off. I was not disappointed and with the sky providing a perfect backdrop, it was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
After creating images of snow geese in large numbers, I wanted to take a closeup of their take off. This smaller group along with the clear blue waters and warm morning light created an intimate scene.
A pair of avocets forage on the Great Salt Lake in Utah as fall approaches. In spring and summer, avocets are in their breeding plumage and their neck and breast feathers turn rusty brown. Here, the avocets have taken on their wintering plumage and their feathers have turned white.
Cranes on the Rio Grande River at Sunset
Cranes and snowgeese gather to roost at sunset on the Rio Grande river. Cranes are the oldest birds alive today with fossil records going to nearly 3 million years back. It is humbling to realize that we are witnessing a scene from a prehistoric times.
Brilliant evening skies highlight resting snow geese in Bosque del Apache.
A swamp sparrow in the middle of its territorial song in the Horicon Marsh NWR in Wisconsin. All birds have multiple types of calls used for different purposes - some to advertise territory, others to sound alarm, to communicate with each other and even express aggression. Here, the sparrow is advertising its territory, as most birds do during nesting season.
A snowy egret concentrates on its next meal in the middle of a rocky shore in the Bay Area. The white of the egret contrasted well with the earthy colors of its surroundings.