Gray Jay

This inquisitive bird landed in a tree near where we stopped for a picnic lunch, while recently at Jenny Lake, in Grand Teton N.P. in Wyoming. (USA)

Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis)

Snatching Insects

This year I have really enjoyed watching the hummingbirds in our backyard. We have two feeders out and several hummers come to them, as well as to the flowers in our yard. We've had mostly females and young ones, making it quite hard to identify what kind they are. I know we've had some Black-chinned hummingbirds because of their distinctive habit of pumping their tails.

The bird in this image was snatching tiny insects out of mid-air, allowing me to capture it in full light. My feeders are in the shade so they're usually backlit and if I don't use a flash, good luck getting a good image. I added a filter in Adobe Lightroom 3 to this image and although the colors are not true, I love the golden look it has given this image.

If you can identify what kind of hummingbird is in this picture, feel free to leave it in a comment.

In the Meantime

I haven't posted lately. I've been on vacation, planning 11th grade courses for my homeschooled teen, having computer problems that proclude me from editing and uploading images, but hope to have some newer images up soon! Looking at getting a Macbook Pro. I hate change, but I may have to bite the bullet. In the meantime, I'm sharing this little vignetted image is of a young chipping sparrow that I took in the spring. Rather than remove the distracting elements in Photoshop, I added the vignette. I love the look of this image, how it looks like a painting.

On My Own-An Independent Film

I know this post has nothing to do with birds, but I know what kind people you all are and that you wouldn't mind...

I took the stills for this independent film, last summer. The movie is by AKB Productions and premieres on August 21, 2010, in Boise, Idaho. This is the movie poster for promotion of the film. (The graphics were done by Media Ghost Productions.) Click here for more about On My Own, and to see the movie trailers.

For more about the film company or to see other films they've done, CLICK HERE.

If you are interested on working on their next full-length film, A Sweeter Song, click here for more info.

Little Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh, WMA

Last weekend I went up to the Little Camas Prairie, near Fairfield, Idaho. I am posting a few of the images I took at the Little Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh, WMA. These are some of the images with birds in them.

From what I've read, there are hundreds of birds there, in the early morning this time of year. I didn't get there quite early enough to catch the many many shorebirds and sandhill cranes, but still saw several and even a few of the cranes before we entered this WMA. The area had plenty of yellow-headed blackbirds! I hope to stay in the area overnight sometime to be there for the hours of great light, too.

A yellow-headed blackbird stands out amongst a field of camas lilies in bloom.

Camas County, Idaho.

Yellow-headed blackbird on fencepost in wetlands area.

More images from this shoot, HERE.

Burrowing Owl Babies

For the past several months we've been making drive-bys, taking pictures of burrowing owls and hoping to eventually see some young burrowing owls, in the wild. Tonight we finally saw them! The grasses in the fields have grown so high, but I could just see their fuzzy little heads down in the the grass. I stood on the runner of our trooper to get up high enough to see these guys enough to get a photo. They were so cute and their parents were very diligent about watching over them. The most I counted was 7, but there are most likely more that were out of sight behind the bush, in the right side of the frame, where the entrance to their burrow is. It's my pleasure to finally be able to share these little guys with you all.

My image=Honorable Mention

I recently entered the spring Idaho Birding Photo Competition, sponsored by Idaho Camera. Out of 94 entries, my burrowing owl image, below, took an Honorable Mention. I am quite proud of my image and the comments by the judges.

Judges Comments: "This is the kind of image I would see in National Geographic. The first thing that strikes me is the eyes of the owl that captures the viewer and holds them. It is an intense stare and you get a connection to the owl because of this. I like the way the creator of this image simplified the background through shallow depth of field, the background is completely indistinct and just becomes a lovely green backdrop to this image. I like the rim light that really make the bird stand out from the background, and the fact there is enough shadow detail for those eyes to grab you. I think the only thing I find myself wanting is a little more intensity in the eyes...not too much. That might be accomplished through a low-power fill in flash or perhaps some mild post-process. All in all, a great image."


I really enjoyed getting the judges' comments on my own image, as well as the others, as they help me improve as a photographer.

I knew when I saw the winning image that it would probably take first, and I agree with the judges' 1st. place pick. Personally, I would have liked to see a little bit more light on the eyes, though. See it here.