Category: Wildlife

I love images where the subject fills the frame!  Being able to accomplish that in wildlife/bird photography is often challenging due to equipment limitations and proximity to the subject.   Despite taking sometimes more than 1,000 images in a day of photographing snow geese, I often have only a few images that catch my attention upon review.  This one was a favorite from yesterday’s visit to Middle Creek.  Thankfully the inner tour road is now open and there was an opportunity to get a little closer to the birds while they were out in the farm fields.  I even managed to get all of the wings in the frame….which I tend to mess up on more often than not!  Practice, practice, practice!

“S” curves in photography are compositional elements that lead the viewer’s eye through an image.  They are thought to lend grace and rhythm to a scene and most often are found in roads, paths, tree lines, streams, railings, flower plantings, etc.  Who says an “S” curve can’t be found in waterfowl?  This is a Great Blue Heron landing along the shoreline during a visit to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area earlier this month.

Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area is like Woodstock for Snow Geese.  A vast open area to congregate and party with 200,000 of your feathered friends!  On the day that I shot this image, snow geese covered the entire lake and much of the nearby fields.  The sights and sounds were amazing!  Party on guys!

Someone is hanging with a new crowd!  Can you find the bird that is different from the rest?  It didn’t matter one bit…he/she took to flight with the snow geese at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Tuesday!  Earlier this week, Middle Creek had the highest number of snow geese ever in the park’s history at 200,000!  It was AMAZING!

This image caught my eye as I was scrolling through the thousands of shots I’ve taken this year at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area.  It was the simple elements that drew me in to the photo – a few evergreen trees, a tower, and Tundra Swans set against the mountainside.  I imagine that this might be the view that the Tundra Swans and Snow Geese have as they soar over the hills surrounding Middle Creek.  When I revisited the area, I searched for the spot where my lens was focused when I took this image but I was not able to locate it.  I find this image to be very peaceful and it reminds me of the grace and elegance of the Tundra Swans.