bird photography

Despite his wife's long-time interest in birdwatching, it wasn't until John got into SLR photography that he came to share her fascination with all things feathered. Today, birds in the wild are John's favorite photographic subject. Presented here is a selection of John's best avian work to date:

Raptors and Owls Gallery

The Raptors and Owls gallery includes several sorts of birds of prey: Harrier, Northern (Circus cyaneus) Hawk, Cooper's (Accipiter cooperii) Hawk, Cooper's (immature) (Accipiter cooperii) Hawk, Red-shouldered (Buteo lineatus) Hawk, Red-shouldered (immature) (Buteo lineatus) Hawk, Red-shouldered (near Bird Rock) (Buteo lineatus) Kestrel, American (Falco sparverius) Kite, Mississippi (Ictinia mississippiensis) Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) Osprey (with fish) (Pandion haliaetus) Owl, Barred (Strix varia) Owl, Burrowing (Athene cunicularia) Owl, Great Horned (Bubo virginianus)

Woodpeckers Gallery

John's photos of woodpeckers include: Flicker, Northern (Yellow-shafted) (Colaptes auratus) Woodpecker, Acorn (Melanerpes formicivorus) Woodpecker, Downy (Picoides pubescens) Woodpecker, Pileated (Dryocopus pileatus) — Published in the December 2006 Birder's World Woodpecker, Red-bellied (Melanerpes carolinus)

Warblers Gallery

Most anticipated every spring yet most difficult to spot--much less photograph well--are the Wood Warblers aka New World Warblers, a group of colorful (when in breeding plumage) and tiny little songbirds: Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus) Warbler, Palm (Dendroica palmarum) Warbler, Pine (Dendroica pinus) Warbler, Wilson's (Wilsonia pusilla) Warbler, Yellow-rumped (Dendroica coronata) Yellowthroat, Common (Geothlypis trichas) Yellowthroat, Common (Geothlypis trichas) (different angle)

Sparrows Gallery

These ubiquitous little brown birds come in greater variety than one might think: Sparrow, Chipping (Spizella passerina) Sparrow, Eastern Song (Melospiza melodia) Sparrow, Eastern Song (in snow) (Melospiza melodia) Sparrow, Field (Spizella pusilla) Sparrow, Golden-crowned (Zonotrichia atricapilla) Sparrow, Lark (Chondestes grammacus) Sparrow, Savannah (Passerculus sandwichensis) Sparrow, Swamp (Melospiza georgiana) Sparrow, White-crowned (Zonotrichia leucophrys) Sparrow, White-crowned (different angle) (Zonotrichia leucophrys) Towhee, California (Pipilo crissalis)

Songbirds Gallery

The remaining Passerines (those other than wood warblers and sparrows) include many vocal songbirds; John's photos of these varied birds encompass: Blackbird, Red-winged (male) (Agelaius phoeniceus) Blackbird, Red-winged (female) (Agelaius phoeniceus) — 3rd Place Winner, Huntley Meadows Photo Contest '06 Bluebird, Eastern (male) (Sialia sialis) Bluebird, Eastern (female) (Sialia sialis) Bluebird, Western (male) (Sialia mexicana) Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) Cardinal, Northern (Cardinalis cardinalis) Chickadee, Carolina (Parus carolinensis) Chickadee, Chestnut-backed (Parus rufescens) Creeper, Brown (Certhia americana) Gnatcatcher, Blue-grey (Polioptila caerulea) Gnatcatcher, Blue-grey (Polioptila caerulea) (second photo) — Published in the Oct/Nov 2007 Birds & Blooms Goldfinch, American (Carduelis tristis) Kingbird, Eastern (Tyrannus tyrannus) Kingbird, Eastern (with nesting materials) (Tyrannus tyrannus) Kinglet, Ruby-crowned (Regulus calendula) Mockingbird, Northern (Mimus polyglottos) Nuthatch, White-breasted (Sitta carolinensis) Phoebe, Black (Sayornis nigricans) Phoebe, Eastern (Sayornis phoebe) Phoebe, Say's (Sayornis saya) Robin, American (Turdus migratorius) Scrub-Jay Western (Aphelocoma californica) Shrike, Loggerhead (Lanius ludovicianus) Siskin, Pine (Carduelis pinus) Starling, European (Sturnus vulgaris) Swallow, Barn (Hirundo rustica) Swallow, Tree (Tachycineta bicolor) Thrasher, Brown (Toxostoma rufum) Wren, Carolina (Thryothorus ludovicianus)

Shorebirds Gallery

Not just gulls are the many and varied shorebirds--from pelicans to sandpipers to plovers and more, shorebirds encompass a dazzling array of birds: Curlew, Long-billed (Numenius americanus) Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) Pelican, Brown (Pelecanus occidentalis) Plover, Black-bellied (Pluvialis squatarola) Plover, Piping (Charadrius melodus) Plover, Semipalmated (Charadrius semipalmatus) Snipe, Common (Gallinago gallinago) Turnstone, Ruddy (Arenaria interpres) Willet (Tringa semipalmata) Yellowlegs, Lesser (Tringa flavipes)

Waterfowl, Waders, and the Like Gallery

From Ducks and Geese to Gulls and Herons, these are the birds found in and amongst the water: Bittern, American (Botaurus lentiginosus) Coot, American (Fulica americana) Crane, Sandhill (Grus canadensis) Duck, Ruddy (Oxyura jamaicensis) Ducks, Wood (pair) (Aix sponsa) Egret, Reddish (Egretta rufescens) Egret, Snowy (Egretta thula) Goose, Canada (Branta canadensis) Grebe, Pied-billed (Podilymbus podiceps) Heron, Great Blue (Ardea herodias) Heron, Green (Butorides virescens) Heron, Tri-colored (Egretta tricolor) Heron, Tri-colored (Egretta tricolor) (different angle) Ibis, White (Eudocimus albus) Ibis, White (eating crab) (Eudocimus albus) — 1st Place Winner, Wild Bird 2009 Photo Contest, Waterbirds Mallard (drake) (Anas platyrhynchos) Mallards (hybrids, pair) Merganser, Hooded (Lophodytes cucullatus) Moorhen, Common (Gallinula chloropus) Night-Heron, Black-crowned (Nycticorax nycticorax) Rail, Clapper (Rallus longirostris) Spoonbill, Roseate (Platalea ajaja) Teal, Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) Teal, Green-Winged (Anas carolinensis)