12-26-12 Taking Flight

I should know what kind of bird this is. But I don't. I'm not really equipped for bird photography but this guy was pretty close to me when he/she took flight.Added 2-2-12: Jim Klinger tells me this bird is a Great Blue Heron. Since he took the time to identify my bird, you should take some time and check out Jim's excellent photo blog.Canon 5DIII 1/640s f/10.0 ISO200 102mm

09-21-12 Stare-Down

This photo was taken at the Alaska Raptor Center just outside of Sitka. I was shooting through mesh wire with a telephoto lens. I said, "Smile" and this is the look I got.

07-29-12 Wing Span

I'm not really equipped to photograph birds in flight - I need a much bigger lens. But, When twelve big bird started circling the trees not too far from the Spring Creek marina, I decided (being pushed by my wife) that I needed to try to photograph one.This one came pretty much overhead, though even with my 200mm telephoto, I had to crop out about 80% of the photo to get a decent "close-up." In case my wife is wondering why I keep getting higher resolution cameras, this photo will certainly answer that question. Now, Deb, how about letting me get a 400mm lens?(We thought these might be eagles but after doing a little research, I've decided they are turkey vultures or buzzards. Oh well. . . )

Puffin

I don't do much wild life photography, mainly because it seems to take too much patience. It also helps if you have a really big lens, and I don't.But sometimes I get lucky as in this photo. We were visiting our son Jon in Sitka, Alaska and he had taken us in the company boat to see the flora and fauna of a few nearby islands. We don't have puffins in South Dakota so I felt lucky to be close enough to a few to get some photos. I took 10 or so photos but this is my favorite because it does a good job of showing the flared wing tips and the excellent aerodynamics of neatly tucked legs and feet.

07-20-09 The Bald (But Wounded) Eagle

Here's another one from the Raptor Center we visited in Sitka, Alaska. I don't know the story on this beautiful bird aside from the fact that he/she is a survivor who now has a permanent home showing off to photographers and other visitors.

For the tech geeks, I should mention that this photo is about a 3/4 crop, meaning that I threw about 3/4 of the photo away. I was wondering why I needed a camera with 23 million pixels and this photo is the answer. Of course, it helps to shoot with a lens like the 70-200 2.8L.

07-19-09 The Wise (But Wounded) Owl

I'd like to say I'd captured this photo as I walked through the Alaskan woods. But actually, this is a photo of one of the many survivors being cared for at a raptor rehabilitation center just outside of Sitka, Alaska. Somebody had shot at this owl but fortunately it was only wounded. Hunters and power lines seem to be the biggest cause of birds needing rehab - not drugs and alcohol.