In search of 1000 Bird Photos
Nick Kontonicolas has a goal. He is in pursuit of photographs of 1000 species of birds.
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I started taking pictures of birds some 20 years ago, but after years of filling up my trash can with bad slides, I lost interest. My old photo equipment was collecting dust until digital photography came along. A little over a year ago, I traded in all of my old equipment and purchased a Nikon D100 digital camera along with a Nikkor 80-400mm VR zoom lense. I was back in business and bad images were ending up in my PC's Recycling Bin instead of the the trash can.
I needed a goal other than taking better pictures because I knew that if I kept at it, better pictures would eventually come along. So I came up with a goal that will keep me busy for a while; to take pictures of at least 1,000 different bird species. Since there are less than 400 birds that I can get to around my house, this would also give me a reason to travel to birding hot spots around the world.
I would like to share with you some of my adventures along the way, in a form of monthly updates. Sometimes I will talk about a specific birding area, while other times I will focus on a specific event or bird species. I welcome and look forward to your input on how to make my images better, and more importantly, on how to increase my species count.
Chapter 1: Barnegat Light, NJ
I made three visits to Barnegat Light, NJ in search of Harlequin Ducks, Purple Sandpipers and Snow Buntings. Recent reports from fellow birders suggested that these species would be easy to find. Common Redpolls and Lapland Longspurs were also reported, but I did not think I would have much luck finding them.
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The Harlequins were very cooperative to say the least. I was able to get very close to them (10-20 ft.) as they would stay close to the jetty. I would time their dives (20-30 secs), move up 20 feet, setup and wait and there they would be. They were present all three times I was there (a little over 20 of them, mostly males). They were used to the presence of humans and did not seem to be too concerned about me. Bird #268 was in the bag! Click here to see some of my favorite pictures of them. |
| The Purple Sandpipers (#237) were also a joy to photograph. There were anywere from 40 to 100+ present all three times I went there. They let me get very close to them as they seemed to pay no attention to me and other birders. During low tide, beds of small clams were exposed and I was able to get some great shots of the Sandpipers feeding. Another time, and as I was taking pictures of Harlequins, a flock of 30 flew within a few feet of where I was, and decided to take a little nap. A few off these guys showed of their brilliant Purple feathers. Click here to see some of my favorite pictures of the Purple Sandpipers. |
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Well, how lucky can you get!! I was following a flock of Horned Larks, trying to get close enough to get some good pictures, when 3 Lapland Longspurs decided to join in. These birds are rare in this part of the world, so when they started to come closer to me, I was salivating. I crouched down and stayed behind my tripod all the time. As they were foraging, one of them kept coming closer and closer to me. I had already filled up my flash card with 150 images, so I started deleting images on my camera to make room. I kept on taking pictures, the Longspur kept on coming closer, and I kept on going back to make room in my flash card...At one point, I noticed some 4-5 scopes pointing at my direction. The bird was now 6 feet away from me!! I was so happy that I gave a thumbs up signal to the fellow birders. Aside from running out of room in my Flash card, I was also running out of time, as my wife and kids were waiting for me to go out to lunch. I hesitated for a moment as I did not want to scare this bird away. But, I had to leave so I slowly got up, picked up my tripod and walked away. The bird was so used to my presence by now, that it did not fly away but just kept feeding only a few feet away. This was one of the more memorable wildlife photo moments for me yet. Click here to see some of my favorite pictures of the Lapland Longspur. |
In one of my visits, I spotted a pair of Oystercatchers at the beach. I took a few shots, as I followed them along. They kept their distance from me, but one of them gave me some nice poses. Unfortunately, one of the birds was banded which make these shots less attractive. To date, I have taken more pictures of the American Oystercatcher (#162) than most of the other bird species.
Click here to see some more pictures of the American Oystercatchers.
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My search for the Common Redpoll (#273) resulted in two very distant images. A flock of 20 of these birds circled the area I was at for 10-15 minutes and landed 50 feet away. They started feeding right away. As I took two quick pictures, they took off again, thanks to a Sharp-shinned Hawk who was looking for breakfast. Unfortunately, they did not return. I had more luck with Snow Buntings, Horned Larks, Surf Scoters, Common Loons and Long-tailed Ducks.
Click here to see some other Barnegat Light bird pictures.
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Nick Kontonicolas
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kontonicolas/birds.htm
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