Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens) photos by Larry Jordan
At the end of each year I like to go back and look at the bird photographs I have taken and choose the ones I like the best for a “favorite bird photo” post. I try to pick at least one photograph from each month however some months were photographically prolific, others not so much. Each description gives the camera settings used for that photograph.
All photographs where taken with a Nikon D90, using a Nikon 1.7x teleconverter and Nikon 200-400mm f/4G ED lens unless otherwise noted. Click on photos for full sized images and click on the name of the bird for a link to one of my posts on that species. Many of the posts also include videos.
The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex consists of five national wildlife refuges (NWR) and three wildlife management areas (WMA) that comprise over 35,000 acres of wetlands and uplands in the Sacramento Valley of California. In addition, there are over 30,000 acres of conservation easements in the Complex. The Refuges and easements are part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service where they serve as resting and feeding areas for nearly half the migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway.
The Snow Goose above was caught in a landing at Colusa NWR, one of the refuges in the complex – taken at 1/2000 sec, f/8, ISO 640. Below, the smaller Ross’s Goose (Chen rossii) was spotted among the Snow Geese on the same day, the photo taken at 1/800 sec, f/10, ISO 320.
The Sacramento NWR Complex offers four photography blinds that may be reserved by lottery. One advantage of shooting from a photography blind is of course, that the wildlife approaches closer to you than they normally would. This photo of a Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) drake was taken from the Colusa NWR blind at 1/320 sec, f/10, ISO 200.
In February I attended the Winter Wings Festival in Oregon’s Klamath Basin. Besides the incredible beauty of the area, the festival always offers great photography workshops and field trips.
One of the workshops I attended was the Extreme Raptor Photo Shoot put on by the High Desert Museum, which gave wildlife photographers a chance to capture in flight shots of several of the museum’s education birds. This photo of the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) has been processed in photoshop to remove the jesses (short straps fastened around the leg of a captive raptor) and make it look more natural. This is an education bird that cannot be released back into the wild. The photo was taken on an overcast day with the Nikon 70-300 f/4.5-5.6G ED lens at 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1000.
Since I apparently didn’t spend much time birding in March I’m going to insert one of my favorite photos of this bright male Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) found on my bluebird trail at Lema Ranch in February. I took this at 1/400 sec, f/6.7, ISO 250.
In April, these American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) were seen in the company of a couple of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) on the Sacramento River and photographed at 1/160 sec, f/18, ISO 500.
As May rolled around I returned to Modoc NWR in the hope of spotting some Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) colts. The refuge is a known breeding ground for these majestic birds where I was lucky to find a pair of adults nurturing two young colts. This photo was taken at 1/160 sec, f/20, ISO 500.
As May turned into June, the Klamath Basin Bird Observatory sponsored the inaugural Mountain Bird Festival. A few of the festival’s target birds would be lifers for me, including the Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa). We were able to see a nesting female with her young in a manmade nest structure. These “nestboxes” have enhanced local breeding for these huge owls whose nest success is boosted to 83% on artificial platforms vs. 66% at natural sites. This photo was taken in low light at 1/125 sec, f/6.7, ISO 500.
The other bird I was very excited to get some good shots of is the secretive Green-tailed Towhee (Pipilo chlorurus). This photo was taken in the shrub-steppe habitat where it breeds at 1/60 sec, f/6.7, ISO 200.
During the summer months here, the heat rises and bird activity diminishes but there is always activity at my backyard bird feeders and water feature. We have a resident community of Acorn Woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) that visit year round and this juvenile was captured in July from my porch at 1/400 sec, f/6.7, ISO 200.
On a scouting trip to one of our local birding hotspots in August, I spotted this Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) and snapped a few good shots. This one is my favorite at 1/160 sec, f/6.7, ISO 640.
Migrants still filtering through this section of the Pacific Flyway in September offered up a plethora of Yellow Warblers (Setophaga petechia) this year. I photographed this beauty at 1/1000 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800.
Our annual Northern California Audubon Council meeting, in which I was able to participate, took place in October. The 2014 meeting was hosted by Plumas Audubon in this beautiful area surrounding the Feather River. I was privileged to stay with some good friends who have made their home a wildlife sanctuary, offering up a multitude of native species. This Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) was one of our morning visitors, taken at 1/80 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800.
I have been very busy the last few months and unfortunately have not had ample opportunity to get out and photograph birds. I did however, shoot a video on my way down to Chico to give a presentation on “Cavity Nesting Birds” for Altacal Audubon Society.
There were thousands of Snow Geese, Tundra Swans, Greater White-fronted Geese and Sandhill Cranes feeding and resting in the agricultural fields along highway 99. A gorgeous sunset as the backdrop for the sights and sounds of this vocal horde give one a sense of what wildlife viewing is all about. I hope you enjoy it.
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Hello Larry, awesome post and wonderful birds. Looks like a great year of birding for you!
I wish the best for you and your family in 2015.. Happy New Year!
Great series for 2014. Happy New Year.
Wonderful post, fantastic photographs and I loved the sunset and the sound of the geese on the video. May I wish you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Incredible shots!
Lovely photos. Looks like a great year of birding!
You have some amazing places to find birds! I love your photos, they are so clear and crisp. I certainly couldn’t pick a favorite 🙂
I had already left a comment on this post but do not see it. Anyhow it was wonderful to see the video again of the beautiful sunset and the sound of the geese coming in to roost. Lovely set of shots in this post. May I wish you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR
An impressive array of birds and wonderful pictures.
I’d say you did very well! Congrats on all of your birds and happy new year!
What a fantastic year! Wonderful photos and narrative. Hope your year is as great this year! And btw the video is stunning!
Great series, Larry! Of course, I’m jealous of your “West Coast specialties”!
Wishing you all the best in the coming year.
Thanks Eileen! Your faves are awesome as well. Congrats on a great year, and since you are retired now 😉 have a super 2015!
Happy New Year Neil! And thanks for stopping by! I love your White-headed Pigeon!
Thank you Margaret. I must say the close-ups of the Sanderlings in your post were marvelous and the video was amazing! Happy New Year!
Thanks Mama Zen and Happy New Year!
Thanks Kathleen, it was a great year as it looks like yours was from your website! I think your goals for 2015 can be mostly solved with the new app from Princeton University Press, “Warbler Guide”
You can watch their tutorial videos here: http://goo.gl/ecknVt
Have a great time in the Everglades (and take a bunch of great photos)
Thanks Betty! It’s great to live so close to many different bird habitats!
Sorry I have been a bit late in checking my blog comments Margaret but I got it!
Thank you Adam. I love your little Jenny Wren!!
Love the female Bushtit photo and the Wrentit Chris. Congrats on the lifers and best of luck in 2015!
Thanks Marie! I love your Anna’s Hummers. Aren’t they fun to watch? Have a super 2015!
And I am jealous of your gorgeous landscape photography Wally! Have a great 2015!
Happy New Year to you Larry and many more of those beautiful bird photos for you.
I’ll have to get back into regular blogging again.
Hi Natalie! May you have a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Another wow from me! Such gorgeous photos! The eye on that woodpecker is striking! Okay, you’ve inspired me to put together a roster again, even though it will clearly pale in comparison. But I love seeing a chronicle of your work over the past year. You had some fantastic experiences and sightings.
Larry, that photo of the Great Gray is priceless! The character inherent in that image tells such a story. The location, the expression …
And you know, the bluebird shot is splendid, especially because of the branches in the back. I know bokeh is the be-all end-all, but I very much appreciate a sense of setting and environment. The lattice work of the branches makes me feel as though I understand his world a bit better.
Lastly, although I love them all, I’ll just comment on the Ross’s Goose because I always think “Mini Me” when I see Ross’s and (more often) Cackling geese. Sweet photo.
HAPPY 2015 to one of my favorite photographers — and one of my favorite persons on this planet!