Picture of the week

Winter cranes

A trio of sandhill cranes departing on a winter morning from the Bosque del Apache wildlife preserve.  This is a capture from one of my previous trips to this bountiful birding preserve of New Mexico as documented in my travelogue here. The winter migratory bird season has started here in the central valley of California, and also including locations in other parts of the west including Bosque.  But the weather so far has been more like summer, with temperatures continuing in the high 70's fahrenheit.  Although the bird count reports here have been favorable; due to the continued drought conditions, birds like these cranes have been forced into tighter concentrations this year, as constricted to the fewer number of fields that have been flooded, or have crop remains that they can feed on.  Hopefully the weather situation changes soon, as cranes rely on flooded fields as a form of protection during their evening roost. 

Other waterfowl are in a similar predicament such as the ducks and geese that migrate to the central valley during the winter.  Another concern is over the spread of avian cholera.  Because all the birds are forced into a tighter area, there is concern that any disease including cholera will spread more easily, potentially having serious consequences to the rest of the bird population if it gets out of control.  It is also spread more easily when the weather is dry and you don't have the rains to help wash the bacterial agents away.  The Californai Department of Fish and Wildlife are closely monitoring for signs of this, with a quick response to any groups of bird deaths in the numerous birding preserves spread across the valley.  

On the lighter side, this weekend I gave a lecture on better bird photography at the California Swan festival held in Marysville.  Myself plus one of my friends and fellow photographers John Murray led a half-day field trip out to the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge the next day with the participants from this class. Given my focus and knowledge is on Canon, while John has a deep understanding of Nikon (and Canon) equipment, we were able to better assist the others with issues related to the use, configuration, and troubleshooting of their camera gear regardless of brand.  It was a fun experience and a pleasure to share our knowledge and help with an enthusiastic group of photographers also interested in this endeavor.  Where else can you combine your interests in photography with a better connection to the environment and the life of birds, while trying to apply your creative side to produce more artistic images of these species?  Getting better bird photographs can be extremely challenging from the standpoint of your techinque, composition, the demands on the equipment, and a deeper understanding of the birds themselves. The photo to the left was captured at only a shutter speed of 1/80 of a second with a 400mm lens in order to create more abstract image that helps to exaggerate the motion of the birds in flight (while also breaking a few of the more general rules).

For those interested in bird photography in the central valley, it should also be noted that while visiting the Colusa NWR last week on 11/1, I spotted the infamous falcated duck.  After being on a hiatus for the last year, it is back.  However I did not spot it this week on my latest visit on 11/9 during the field trip, but given the number of birds there, it is not surprising. In my sighting last week (as shown here to the right) it is noticed that the plumage is not yet that colorful.  The bird was also keeping quite a distance from the viewing platform. The shot to the right was taken with the Canon EF 500mm f/4 IS L lens plus the use of a 1.4x teleconverter on a cropped sensor Canon 70D body, and then the resultant image was significantly cropped. According to the Colusa refuge manager, by December (assuming it will still be around) it's feathers should be getting more vivid, putting on a better show for the public, and potentially getting closer as it gets more comfortable with the presence of people on the viewing platform.

All content and images are property of Stephen Fischer Photography, copyright 2014.  Last updated: 11/09/2014   ()