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.
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.
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.
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 yellow-headed blackbird balances itself on a reed during a breeze. In early spring, marshes across the western United States echo with the grating calls of yellow-headed blackbirds. These flashy birds with their striking yellow and black plumage pick out nesting spots, perch and display on prominent stalks to attract mates. At this time, they are highly visible and make a pretty sight in the new spring vegetation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A trio of American white pelicans arrive at their feeding area These large birds nest inland but close to water bodies. They fish in small to moderately sized groups, often diving in unison. Here, I saw them arrive in small numbers to feed on carp trapped by a small check dam. I was captivated by the lighting, synchronous head angles and colors.
A juvenile Clark's grebe follows it parent learning to feed in the process. The still waters and evening light highlight the pair and their reflections.
An adult Clark's grebe shakes water off its feathers as part of evening preening in Utah's Great Salt Lake. Like many shorebirds, grebes maintain a healthy distance between themselves and humans. So, it is a rewarding experience to get them to relax in our presence as this grebe did during my time there.
An western grebe chases after rivals in the course of courting. This was part of a larger group that had gathered in the morning to feed and socialize. Grebes tend to move away from humans and I was lucky to find a group that were comfortable around me.
A juvenile sora chases midges in the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. These shy rails live in wetlands, close to rushes and other vegetation. They run back to cover at the first sign of any movement. I had seen these juveniles in the area before and waited for these to emerge from their cover. They soon came out, even becoming bold enough to walk around me as they concentrated on feeding.
Cliff swallows gather on rushes to feed on the seed in late summer. The flock of swallows number in the hundreds containing both mature and juveniles hatched earlier in the year. They are busy consuming the seeds in the heads of the stalks in preparation for their fall migration.
Sandhill cranes land to join their feeding colleagues at a cornfield in the Bosque del Apache NWR. I particularly liked the dynamics in this image that conveys the social behavior of these birds as well as the chaos of feeding at end of the day before going to roost.
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 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.
Marsh Wren Territorial Singing
I was photographing water birds in the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge one morning and turned around to see this male marsh wren close-by, observing me. He then proceeded to advertise his territory on a variety of perches providing me with several photo opportunities. These active wrens have several songs in their repertoire which they go through in succession. Their song sequences are commonly heard in our marshes through spring and summer.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Brilliant evening skies highlight resting snow geese in Bosque del Apache.
Snowgeese fill the dawn sky as they take flight to feed. The rush of the flock as they take off has to be seen to be believed.
An yellow-headed blackbird in northern Utah rests among dried rushes as it returns back to its breeding area in early spring. Birds lose much of their body weight during migration and need a lot of food to recoup their lost energy. The availability of food, such as the insects or seeds, is critical to their survival at this point. Here, I could see the blackbird was busy consuming newly hatched midges, gnats and flies in the rushes.
A juvenile black-necked stilt stretches as part of its evening preening before roost at the Bear River Migratory Refuge in Utah. In late summer, most adult stilts migrate from the area, but first-year stilts stay back as they work on their flight skills. This stilt was part of a small group of juveniles that was feeding in a drying lake. They were a little nervous when they saw me settling to photography. However, they did not fly away eventually becoming relaxed enough to preen just a few feet away.
A greater prairie chicken eyes its competition during an early morning lek. It was an unforgettable experience to trek across a dry marsh before dawn and see these rarities at first light.
An American white pelican in the process of digesting a carp. I observed the pelican holding on to the fish for well over an hour, during which it was continuously tilting its head and agitating its pouch. I like the dramatic pose enhanced by morning light.
Western Grebe Parent and Juvenile
A western grebe feeds its juvenile a minnow at the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Juveniles stay with their parents till late in the summer and often rely on the parent grebes for food as they are still learning to fish for themselves.
A group of WIlson's phalaropes feed on insects at the water's edge in the Great Salt Lake. Phalaropes are a polyandrous bird species and a single female will mate will multiple males. Unlike most other bird species, female phalaropes are more colorful than the males.
I have photographed cinnamon teals in the past, but it has usually been from a vehicle or the road. Approaching them any closer invariably spooks them away. So this spring, I decided to make photographing them close-by as one of my goals. It was more challenging than I thought, but eventually I got my chance early one morning when this pair swam to where I was photographing. They became wary after noticing me close-by - as their expressions show - but stayed around. I liked the scene with the even light and newly growing reeds in the background.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ring-necked Pheasant in Habitat
I enjoy seeing and creating images of birds in their habitat. An opportunity presented itself when I saw this colorful male pheasant feeding with a hen in the middle of fresh spring grass. Occasionally it would look up, still partly hidden by the grass, to see if there was any danger. The striking colors of the pheasant in the new grass made for an attractive scene.
A flock of snowgeese fly in search for food at Bosque del Apache before they turn in for the day. I liked the scene with evening light, mountains and golden grass.
A western meadowlark in the middle of its territorial song in Utah. From early spring to mid summer, these birds are a common sight in open grasslands as they perch on any available pole or tree stump and sing to advertise their territory. But they are very skittish and fly away at the slightest disturbance. I had to be very careful in my approach to get this image.
Wintering sandhill cranes gather to feed and socialize on a harvested corn field in late afternoon at the Bosque del Apache NWR. While not as gregarious as snowgeese, socializing such as seen here is an important part of their daily lives. I liked the light from the setting sun, and the chaos and dust created by the cranes for a pleasing scene.
Cliff Swallows Collecting Nesting Material
Cliff swallows build nests out of clay in vertical natural and man-made structures. The nest building requires several trips to the source of clay, sometimes numbering in hundreds. In this image, taken in late afternoon, the hyper-active swallows are collecting clay immediately after a rain-shower.
Snowgeese fill the evening skies at the Bosque del Apache NWR on their way to roost. Mountainous scenery and colorful skies in the area provide a setting for dramatic images at this location.
Western Grebe Shaking off Water
A western grebe shakes off water as part of its morning routine. Grebes are diving birds and spend much of their time underwater looking for fish or crustaceans. Their feathers are waterproof and keeping them in good health is critical to their survival. Here the grebe's feathers had got wet as it preened and the shake was part of its effort to remove the water.
A juvenile bald eagle traverses across a frozen lake on a winter morning in search of food. Bald eagles feed mostly on fish, often stolen from more skillful fishing birds. In winter, they tend to gather in around frozen lakes and rivers, where breaks in the surface ice provide a source of fish. I noticed the eagle warming up on the lake a little earlier. Soon, it started to scour an area where there was a break in the ice sheet, for fish. I liked the scene presented by dark eagle framed in the open winter landscape.