Another shot from about a week ago, but a pulled back perspective. I loved the shapes created by this branch along with its reflection, in the Salt River. The bird – a Black Phoebe, part of the Kingfisher family – kept returning to a couple points on this branch to search for its next prey. The image from this series in my previous post is an uncropped full frame image; that’s how persistent this bird was in returning to the high spot on the branch.
As most of you know, when I’m outdoors taking photographs, I concentrate my efforts on the details of the landscape. In recent days, I have made trips with the primary purpose of capturing the animals and birds of the environment. This requires faster thinking and slower movement than with my traditional subjects, and has been an interesting change of pace.
As in photography, so goes life. While Covid still has prevented much of what I might have otherwise been doing, I have been making a point to not just sit around Netflix binging. I probably won’t be presenting the things which I have been learning on this site, but I have been using this newfound spare time to take on challenges which I never would have attempted years ago. As my recent birthday was one in which both digits changed, I’m glad to be pushing my limits at a time when many people stop doing that.
Additionally, I wanted to point out that while I have photographed more birds in the last few months than I have in the rest of my life, I really never knew which species most of them were. I tried identifying them via websites, but wasn’t getting results. Then I downloaded an app called Merlin Bird ID. The only downside to this app is if you don’t have memory space on your phone to download the databases for your region. This app has made life simple for someone like me who’s not a birder.
About a month ago, when things were still cool, I returned to a hike I had done three weeks prior. In a spot close to where I encountered a dragonfly on that previous visit, I saw this hummingbird. He had little tolerance for me being close, so this was through a decent telephoto lens. The tree he was favoring was swaying in the breeze, so he was moving in and out of the shadows while he perched on this branch. I just kept clicking until I was sure I had some variations I liked.
Although I spend a fair amount of time photographing nature, it’s not very often I encounter wildlife, especially birds that are close enough to photograph.
While in Calgary, Canada, I encountered many geese with their young goslings in late spring along the Bow River (above).
Last summer, I ventured into the forests of Oregon. I think I got a little too close to the nest of this guy, as he became quite vocal.
During one of my trips to Seattle, I met this beggar.
No tree is an island, but this one came close, and provided a nice resting spot for these white birds near Hilo, Hawaii.
While in Texas last spring, I was able to witness this beautiful heron at the end of the day.
In the unlikeliest of places, on several visits, I have seen ducks in this side canyon of a major hiking trail in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. The water stays year round, but the largest pool is not that big, and the canyon walls are not tall enough to provide constant shade in the 100 degree temps of summer.
Steve Bruno Photo 
You must be logged in to post a comment.