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Monthly Bird Photo Project 2020: Bird Groups

Monthly Bird Photo Project 2020: Bird Groups

Sanderling and Western Sandpipers

Sanderlings and Western Sandpipers Take Flight

See Monthly Bird Photo Project 2020 blog post for details of this project.

For the month of January, I selected the focus of “bird groups” for my year-long photo project. I chose this theme knowing that we would go to Sacramento NWR where there are thousands of geese that often take flight for stunning photo opportunities. Therefore, “bird groups” would be an easy first month project, right?

Wrong.

Group shots are harder than I expected, especially if you’re simultaneously learning to use the camera in manual mode. On the technical side, I found that my photos were overexposed, blurry, or too dark. On the artistic side, I found photo composition for groups difficult, especially when the subject includes fidgety birds. If you want a nicely composed photo, it seems that you can’t just take a picture of a group of birds. This comes out boring with no interesting story to tell. I learned that there needs to be more intentionality behind the composition if the photo is to shine.

For nearly two weeks, I tried taking more group photos, and none were coming out the way I envisioned. Subjects were too far or covered by distracting objects like branches. Birds mingled too far apart, making spacing awkward. It was interesting to see the various factors that frustrated my efforts.

Luck seems to be a big part of the game, and I did luck out on a few shots later in the month. Below are the results. I still have more learning to do, but this was an interesting way to begin this project.

Various Gulls

Various Gulls Avoiding the Splash

Sanderlings and Western Sandpipers

Sanderlings and Western Sandpipers

Sanderlings and Western Sandpipers

Sanderlings and Western Sandpipers Take Flight

Rock Pigeons

Rock Pigeons

Snow Geese and Ross's Geese

Ross’s Geese and Snow Geese at Sunset

Return of the Swallows

Return of the Swallows

Tree Swallow

Tree Swallow Getting Ready for Nesting, 2016

I step out into the chilly air, reluctantly escaping the warmth of the car. The sky is blue, the hills are green, and the ponds are inviting me to explore the wintering waterfowl. I make my way towards the water when something catches my attention in the corner of my eye. Actually, make that several somethings. Dark shadows are playfully darting in no discernable pattern across the sky. The swallows are back!

Swallows are starting to become active as they arrive back to the Bay Area. Returning from a winter absence to their breeding grounds, they bring a splash of color and excitement to the skies.

We tend to get several types of swallows with some occasional visits by rarities. Barn Swallows, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Tree Swallows, and Violet-green Swallows will soon become a common sight. (Tree Swallows are here year-round although seemingly not as active.)

Take a moment to watch the swallows as they dart and dive in a mysterious pattern in the sky. They are a joy to witness.

Monthly Bird Photo Project 2020

Monthly Bird Photo Project 2020

Steller's Jay

Steller’s Jay, 2016

About 10 years ago, I bought my first entry-level DLSR camera. I was interested in photography and focused on plants and objects with patterns or vibrant colors. Fast forward a few years, and I discovered my passion for birding. I blended the two interests and evolved into a very amateur “birder with a camera.” I mainly used my camera for ID shots to help me learn more about birds. Occasionally I would land an interesting shot that sparked an emotional response. I yearned to learn more about photography, and yet the technical challenges of the camera set me back. I tried reading photography books, but I found it hard to translate the concepts into the skills required to photograph quick-moving and distant birds. I was overwhelmed and simply stuck with ID shots.

2019 marked new beginnings with birding and photography. I upgraded my camera to a semi-professional model (Canon 7D mk II) and purchased a telephoto lens (100-400mm). I also read Mastering Bird Photography by Marie Read – finally a book written for my specific interests! She strikes a perfect balance of technical advice and guidance on composition that was inspiring and well-paced. It was a lot to absorb and I’ll certainly need to reread it multiple times to fully grasp the foundations, but it encouraged me to take that fear-inducing step of turning the dial to Manual Mode.

To encourage my development in bird photography, I’m going to do a bird photo New Year’s resolution. Each month, I’ll focus on a bird theme for practice. My goal isn’t to turn into a photographer per se, but rather to remain true to my birding roots while capturing images that bring emotion or awareness to birds. Let’s see if this goal helps with that. I’ll be sure to post the images each month.

Happy New Year!

New Year’s Resolution

New Year’s Resolution

Western Bluebird

Western Bluebird, 2019

I enjoy making goals and checking them off my “To Do” list. It’s gratifying and I feel accomplished. The ultimate feat is to stick with a New Year’s resolution and master it for an entire year. What an accomplishment!

Except, it doesn’t always work out.

We strive to eat healthier, exercise, stop swearing, lay off the sweets, and so on. Yet, we are often back to our usual routine after a month, a week, or a few days. I remember one year I resolved to regularly exercise on my own. That resolution lasted one day. I did some isometric exercises on January 1 and then quit.

Over the past several years, I’ve largely stopped with the New Year’s resolutions knowing that it can be super difficult to maintain all year. However, I recently revisited the idea of making resolutions but with a new spin – birding! In 2018, I decided that I would try to submit a birding checklist to eBird every single day. It was amazing! I learned so much from that experience. I now know that Oak Titmice are here in the Bay Area all year, it’s just that they go quiet during certain times of the year when I thought they had left. Cedar Waxwings stick around much longer than I thought. I found birds in unlikely places, like random gas stations in the middle of nowhere on a road trip, which I birded in a panic having forgotten to do my bird list for the day during the long drive.

Accomplishing this goal wasn’t easy. Some days I really had to force myself to do a list. Weather, emotions, and rushing around all presented barriers, but it was worth carving out the 10 or 15 minutes to tune into the birds. By the end of the year, I had accomplished my goal.

For 2019, I decided to continue the daily birding since it felt weird not submit a checklist for each day. I also added a resolution to participate in all the monthly eBird challenges. This ranged from submitting recordings of birds, submitting multiple checklists in a single day, or tracking my birding route on a mobile device. I also did long-term challenges that included submitting over 90 checklists with sound recordings over a period of several months. I keep hoping that I’ll win a pair of binoculars for participating in the challenges, but so far, no luck. Earlier this month, I completed the final eBird challenge for December – another resolution met!

What will it be for 2020? Create a carbon-free lifer list? Patch birding? Photo Big Year? I haven’t decided. What are your birding goals?

December eBird Challenge – Media Submissions

December eBird Challenge – Media Submissions

Dark-eyed Junco

I am participating in the December eBird challenge to submit 20 checklists with media attached (recordings or photos). It’s a repeat of a challenge from the spring, which I completed with ease as I recorded lots of birds singing for the breeding season. However, this month is uniquely different. In one word – rain.

We need the rain and I’ve been so happy that we finally have moisture to dampen our bone-dry hills. But I’m not about to drag my camera out into the storms. So I’m focusing on recordings again. During the downpours, the birds are generally tucked away and I’m similarly rushing for cover from the elements. When it does stop raining, the birds are out and about trying to nab food. Humans are out too and quite noisy. I’m suddenly aware of how much construction is around with various loud beeps and buzzes alerting the town to big trucks in reverse. The city noise unsurprisingly drowns out the birds in my recordings.

One morning, I tried to capture at least one recording. The birds were too far in one recording and barely audible even with the volume on max. Another attempt captured a loud garbage truck that suddenly appeared as soon as I clicked “record.” In yet another attempt, the subject stopped calling immediately after I set up the phone. I finally landed a recording of a group of Dark-eyed Juncos, although foot traffic and cars driving by were captured in the background. It’ll have to do.

I previously wrote about the challenges of recording in an urban environment, but this December challenge seems unusually difficult, probably because outdoor activity from all creatures (birds and humans) is condensed into pockets of time between storms creating a blur of competing background noise. Plus, birds aren’t quite as vocal as the spring. I find it quite interesting to see these differences from the exact same challenge in two very different months!

#GreenFriday

#GreenFriday

Every year, family and friends gather, cook all day for a big feast, crash on the couch with football or The Twilight Zone running in the background, and spend some time reflecting on values and giving thanks.

Then Black Friday rolls around and we immediately switch into frantic shopping mode, braving the crowds and traffic to get that TV or hot new toy – purchases which may not even be gifts for others. It’s a frenzy that unravels the thoughtfulness of the day prior.

I’m excited to see a change in the winds with more and more retailers committed to closing on Thanksgiving Day and encouraging nature visits on Black Friday. The Bird Watcher’s Digest (a fantastic birding publication) is promoting a #GreenFriday event. The goal is to get outdoors and enjoy nature thus extending our appreciation to wildlife.

Luckily, here in the Bay Area we have a brief pause in the rain to let the bone-dry soil absorb the moisture and to let us sneak outdoors. Where will you go?

Window Bird Watching

Window Bird Watching

The clock tower tolls its reminder that it’s time to eat. I heat up my lunch and sit down for the first time in hours. I’m too tired to go out for my usual lunchtime stroll around the campus. Through my office windows, I stare out over the glade and watch bright-eyed students walk to their classes. The view of the bay is hazy, but I can still make out the blue waters and the San Francisco skyline. A cool breeze gently escapes the outdoors into my office as I munch down my meal.

I made a new eBird personal location: Office Window Watching. From this vantage point high up in my building, it would be difficult to make out the little birds bouncing through the grass and trees, but I do gain a wider perspective of the activity. In the past, I’ve seen pigeons flap by, Canada Geese honking in formation, and crows dancing in the sky. I heard my first-of-season Brown-headed Cowbird while working in my office, and also the screams of the Peregrine Falcon families. So why not make a new location and enjoy window birding?

I found out how much mental presence you need when watching birds from an office building, especially if you don’t have a pair of binoculars handy. I had to zone in on the screechy calls of the California Scrub-Jays over the chimes of the clock tower. What I thought was a sparrow on top of a tree ended up being one of the jays. Two silhouetted birds flapped from the top of one building to another, and I had to rely on shape and flying pattern to identify them as pigeons. All my senses were put into action and despite sitting in my office, my mind was far away from work and into the world of birding. I saw eight species just from my window. What a lovely way to disconnect from the busyness of the day, relax, and tune into nature in an urban setting.

Organizing Photographs

Organizing Photographs

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret, 2016

Several months ago, I embarked on a journey to rename 10 years-worth of bird photos. For each image, which includes both the JPG and RAW files, I added the four-letter bird species code. This would allow me to easily locate species I am targeting for a blog post, ID comparison, or to share on Facebook. It’s been a daunting task, but also a good learning experience.

I was worried that I would uncover cases of misidentification, especially in my earlier birding years. I haven’t tackled the Texas birds, with which I am frightfully unfamiliar. A case of misidentification will throw off my carefully maintained written and electronic life list. So far, so good (noting that I haven’t looked at Texas yet…).

I renamed and sorted through countless bird photos for months. In the end, I was left with 140 shots of birds I couldn’t immediately identify. Now the real sleuthing begins. It’s fun to crack open a field guide or two, research media online, and try to puzzle out the features which will all contribute to my continuing knowledge of birds. What fun!

Bird Sound Recordings

Bird Sound Recordings

Savannah Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow, Bolsa Chica, 2018

I bird a lot by ear. It’s challenging and yet highly rewarding. It opens up a new world allowing me to discover the birds of the day, which is especially useful if I don’t have my binoculars with me. I’m still learning so much as there are countless songs, calls, and chip notes to memorize. Even birds that I’m quite familiar with will surprise me with “new” material.

Tree Swallow

Tree Swallow, Coyote Hills RP, 2017

Imagine my delight when eBird and the Macaulay Library released two sound challenges. The April eBird challenge is to submit 20 checklists with a recording and/or photo. Macaulay Library has an even loftier goal of asking birders to submit 90 recordings through the end of October.

Excited, I tried my first recording on my Samsung Galaxy smartphone using Voice Record Pro. I downloaded Audacity to process my recordings. I watched tutorials on how to process and submit recordings according to Macaulay Library standards. There was a bit of a learning curve but I got the hang of it.

As I recorded more, I started to realize how much background noise is picked up. The hum of distant traffic, a bike or car racing by, conversations by hikers, and the ever-present ambulance and police sirens. I began to realize how much I tune out these sound bites constantly. I was frustrated with my noisy recordings. They weren’t clean and clear – why would they want to utilize these?

Mottled Duck

Mottled Duck, Texas, 2018

It dawned on me that this is my birding world. I bird in the buzz of an urban environment. The birds are still here. They are competing with the noise. Capturing my experience for researchers will hopefully contribute to efforts to understand the urban bird experience. So, I will continue to submit my noisy pieces and be more thankful for those rare moments of complete silence surrounding me when the opportunity arises.

Hutton's Vireo

Hutton’s Vireo, William R Mason RP, 2019

Listen Carefully: Lesser Goldfinch Songs

Listen Carefully: Lesser Goldfinch Songs

Lesser Goldfinch

Lesser Goldfinch, Pt. Pinole Regional Shoreline, 2015

I like to walk fast. Zip around here and there. Although when I’m birding, I’m averaging about one mile an hour. But when not birding I’m speedy.

Recently my foot has been giving me problems, and the last couple of days it’s forced me to walk around much slower than I prefer. I take it in stride and try to enjoy the new sights and sounds of an otherwise familiar area. Colors are springing up in gardens and birds are more active as they gather nesting materials and fill the air with songs.

Garden Flower

Garden Flower, Berkeley, 2010

Yesterday I spotted a Lesser Goldfinch brightly singing in the early evening in a small tree next to a medical building. Although I was on my way home and my mind was preoccupied with throwing together dinner, I stopped and listened. Familiar dips and crunchy chips filled the air. I heard a Chestnut-backed Chickadee call, but couldn’t find the bird. I heard it again, only to realize that the goldfinch made the call! My attention completely focused on the Goldie and its singing, I heard it demonstrate two more calls: an Oak Titmouse and a Black Phoebe. I ran home and a quick Google search confirmed that Lesser Goldfinches do in fact mimic, although ornithologists are not clear why. What a delightful thing to discover, all because I had been walking slower and enjoying the experience!