New beginnings.....

It's the beginning of a new year, and as has been my habit for the past number of years, I like to take on a new self-imposed challenge at this time.  This year is the "Year photo list".  I've decided to see how many birds I can photograph in a year's time.  My main thrust will not just be the image, but to capture a more dynamic image of each bird.  Rather than a "field guide" portrait of a Sanderling like this earlier shot.....

     the newer version will attempt to be more of a documentary, portraying some aspect of the bird's life activities.  I am totally guilty of imparting human emotions on my subjects, even though I taught against this practice for years as an educator in Environmental Sciences.  I've spent too many years in contact with the avian world to totally ignore behaviors that make you ask, "What was that bird thinking?"  So when I captured this year's new Sanderling photo, I could hear the sanderling on the right asking itself about the strange actions of it's partner in the surf.

       The second challenge will be to capture more images of birds in flight.  One of the toughest shots I've found is to get a Painted bunting away from the feeder.  Even worse, try capturing one of these beauties in flight.  And so, this addition to the new "Photo Year-list" was a welcome triumph in my digital world.

     Capturing birds-in-flight has become a bit easier for me as I recently acquired two new pieces of equipment.  The new 80-400 mm Nikon AF-S lens has much faster focussing capabilities and paired with a new Nikon D7100 body, I find it much easier to capture decent pix (proper settings being the key).  This latest flight shot of a Laughing gull over the pier at the Naples Beach in Florida is an example of the shots I hope to gather this year.

       And so, I'll be posting updates throughout the year as to how many species I can capture will sample images.  For more images, you can visit my new Flcker site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/111343143@N02/ for a more complete collection.  Meanwhile, as of today, January 22nd, the count stands at 70 species photographed since the beginning of 2014.  I hope you'll follow along during the course of this year and that it will prove to be an exciting year of  birding for all of us.

Snowy egret