Christmas Birds At Farmington Bay

Christmas Day is one of our favorite times to photograph birds.  My daughter lives in Florida so I normally don’t get to spend time with family and for me bird photography is the next-best thing.  Besides, we usually have splendid isolation when we’re “out there” while everyone else is at home celebrating the holiday in a more traditional way.  A win/win situation for all.

This post is dedicated to “Christmas Birds” – photos I’ve taken on Christmas Day in recent years.  I often think of these birds as extra-special Christmas presents.

 

 1/1600, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, called in or set up

This beautiful male American Kestrel is perched on a short but thick wooden pole at Farmington Bay.  The pole has been a favorite perch for kestrels and eagles for years but now an ugly bat box has been placed near the top of the pole, ruining it for photographic purposes.  I’m all for bats but I sure wish the box had been placed a few inches lower on the pole.

 

 

 1/400, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, called in or set up

Two years ago, this Common Merganser hung around a Farmington Bay pond for much of the winter.  I seldom saw it actively fishing.  Instead, it would just wait around until one of the many Pied-billed Grebes caught a fish and then steal it away from them – very entertaining to watch.

 

 

 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, called in or set up

 This is the same merganser at the end of a wing-flap.  I like the somewhat unusual wing position.

 

 

 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, called in or set up

Getting close to hunting Northern Harriers is always a treat, especially when it’s an adult male.  Normally in this situation they’re looking straight down so I was glad to get some eye contact from him, even though I’m not particularly happy with the twig in front of the bird.

 

 

 1/1000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, called in or set up

This almost adult Bald Eagle was coming in from an unsuccessful fishing trip to land on the same pole I mentioned at the beginning of this post and I was able to get an entire series of head-on shots as the bird approached.  Though it looks like the eagle is looking directly at me, it’s actually focused on the top of the pole.  This image was an interesting exercise in image rotation.  At first glance it appears that the shot needs to be rotated counter-clockwise to level the shoreline in the background.  But the shoreline was truly at an angle and besides, I know that the bird’s wings were level as it glided toward the post with no breeze to contend with.

 

 

 1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, called in or set up

This is the same eagle after it landed on the post.  I like the detail of the salt and pepper head plumage of this sub-adult.

Yes, I enjoy photographing birds on Christmas Day.  And if the sun comes out (as promised) we’ll be out there again today.  Can’t wait…

Ron