“If you’re not looking, you will never see…”
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“If you’re not looking, you will never see…”
This statement is how I describe my experience with bird photography – It has become my mantra.
I have photographed close to 150 different species of birds in an area of only a few square miles in Southeast Jefferson County, Indiana since late 2016. Some species are so common and obvious that I never gave them much notice or thought before taking up this hobby. Birds like Robins, Cardinals, and Woodpeckers come to mind as examples.
American Robin, 6/30/2019 with a Nikon D500 and AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 ED VR lens, 1/3200 sec f/9 ISO 1400
When I actually made a deliberate effort to look for birds to photograph, it was staggering just how many species are present at different times of the year. At least 8 species were never before reported for Jefferson County – including some very lost White Pelicans.
Then point is – if you’re not looking, all of this happens against the backdrop of the ordinary scenery and is never noticed no matter how remarkable it may be.
American White Pelicans, 11/10/2019 with a Sony A7RIV and FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens, 1/1600 sec f/7.1 ISO 200
Let’s start with just the interest in photography. I took a photography elective in high school, used cameras occasionally for product pictures at work, and usually took pictures when I traveled. If I had a favorite subject, it was probably places and landscapes. My interest increased dramatically as my daughter became older and we traveled to places like Disney World and the like. While I thought I was taking good pictures, I wasn’t breaking any new ground or doing anything that remarkable with my photography.
Space Mountain, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, 12/25/2013 with a Sony SLT-A65V with 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens, 1/5 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600
By 2016, I had accumulated a fair amount of different Canon system lenses, including a more premium lens for capturing images in lower light. My camera at the time was a Canon 80D DSLR and I really wanted to take some pictures that would show off what it could do. For a few weeks, I experimented with some pictures of the moon. They turned out well, but it got old quick and I began looking for more interesting subjects.
Moon, 12/14/2016 with a Canon 80D and EF70-200 f/2.8L USM lens + 2X teleconverter, 1/50 sec, f/13, ISO100
I tried some landscape shots including the overlook views from the hills surrounding the Ohio River where I live. If you go out with a camera in the winter in Jefferson County, chances are the natural landscape will be rather drab like this hillside. Let’s explore this hillside a bit to set up where my quest for subjects led. Notice how overgrown the hillside is in this picture - December 2016.
SE Jefferson County, 12/3/2016 with a Canon 80D and EF70-200mm f/2.8L lens, 1/200 sec, f/4, ISO100
Here is the same hillside in March 2012. At that time, the entire area was cattle pasture including the hills. Shortly after, the cattle were removed and while some leasing of pasture continued, the hills were not fenced and began to have overgrowth and small trees.
SE Jefferson County, 3/12/2012 with a Canon EOS Rebel T2i with an EFS 18-55mm lens, 1/320 sec, f/8, ISO100
This is the same hillside now in February 2020 from a different angle to show how what was once pasture is returning to a more natural habitat for wildlife - including birds. Now that I have established that there is more to see than just a drab hillside, I can get back to my story in late 2016…
In the process of hiking around looking at landscapes, I started to notice how many birds were making use of this habitat. Small birds in the scrub and brush, and a large Red-Tailed Hawk’s nest just over the crest of this hill. Literally, I had a camera on a tripod pointed at the Ohio River for a landscape shot from the crest of this hill, and I noticed a Red-Bellied Woodpecker about 12 feet away. I turned the camera and started taking pictures of the Woodpecker that unlike many birds didn’t seem to mind having its picture taken. Then, I walked around a bit a took pictures of other small birds in the area like Cardinals and Goldfinches. My observation - birds are interesting subjects.
SE Jefferson County, 2/23/2020 with a Sony A7RIV and FE100-400mm F/4.5-5.6 G OSS lens, 1/320 sec, f/16, ISO1250
So, I took interest in birds initially because I wanted to test my camera’s potential. Some of those early pictures of birds still hold up to my current standards, while others were not so good. I liked the challenge and worked at getting better at it. I seemed to always see raptors near the road and began to drive around looking for hawks to photograph. By December 26th, I made my first sighting report on Ebird.org – this Merlin on a nearby county road. I was hooked – and it happened in less than two weeks. Raptors were a favorite and I thought it would be nice to get a picture of a Bald Eagle. I probably should have educated myself a little on what Bald Eagles look like because…
Merlin, 12/26/2016 with a Canon 80D and EF400mm f/5.6L USM lens, 1/2000 sec, f/5.6, ISO400
Because… I took this picture the day after the Merlin thinking it was a hawk. This is an immature Bald Eagle - the dead giveaways are the elongated beak and the plank wings. It wasn’t until months later that I realized it. Worst eagle photographer ever? Still, I kept at it.
Bald Eagle, 12/27/2016 with a Canon 80D and EF400mm f/5.6L USM lens + 2X teleconverter, 1/800 sec, f/11, ISO500
As it turns out, it never hurts to have a humbling experience. As I did some research into Bald Eagles and learned more about them, it led me to stakeout areas along the Ohio River bank. It made sense, because their primary diet is fish, their territory ranges from under 3 square miles to up to 15 square miles, and they typically nest within 200 feet of a body of water. Staking out the River was successful not only for eagles, but for many of the other species I have photographed. The action was so good that I upgraded my camera and lens again - this time to a Canon 7D Mark II. That camera was/is a legend in terms of its ability to track and focus on birds in flight while taking 10 frames per second. This was my first professional bird photographer’s camera.
Bald Eagle, 4/22/2017 with a Canon 7D Mark II and EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens, 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO5000
There were times when I got the feeling the eagles were mocking me.
Choosing a good spot for a blind - Score “A+”
Timing - Being in the blind at the right time - Score “F-”
Taking a picture from 200 yards away as your dog races ahead, scaring the eagle away - Priceless.
I also got more serious about blinds. This one is embarrassing.
SE Jefferson County, 3/31/2018 with a Canon 7D Mark II and Ef100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens + 1.4X teleconverter, 1/600 sec, f/8, ISO640
This is “Owlie.” He’s the only owl I have photographed to date. He’s resting in a 3ft x 3ft open box I built to experiment with detail levels and background blur. It is simply a frame with white foam panels, a stuffed owl, and a tree shadow background. The background actually is a shower curtain that I purchased at Big Lots and stapled to the panel. True story! Not sure how many people would choose that design for a shower curtain, but it worked well in this application. Owlie can be moved forward and backward allowing me to try different settings on the camera to either keep the background in focus or blur it.
“Owlie,” 3/24/2018 with a Canon 7D Mark II and EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens, 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO640
Here’s another picture of Owlie showing some background blur from the lens. In the field, there are many variables and fleeting moments. In this controlled setting, I could try many settings and practice my technique.
Unfortunately, I can’t include Owlie in my species count.
“Owlie,” 11/30/2018 with a Nikon D500 and AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4G lens, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO800
Over time, I continued to refine my tactics and equipment. The Ohio River is like a giant conveyor belt and if you select a good spot, the birds pretty much come to you. In this picture, I am in full camo laying low in an upturned tree root beside the river. The camera here is a Nikon D500 with a very large and heavy AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4G prime lens. You might think a lens like this could take pictures of birds on the Kentucky side of the river. I prefer to use it at 20-25 feet for waterfowl, less if I can for maximum detail. At 25 feet, a Bald Eagle flying straight towards the camera will fill the frame with this lens. I know this from experience.
Ohio River SE Jefferson County, 3/24/2019 with an Apple iPhone 8 (selfie), 28mm 1/570 sec, f/1.8, ISO20
Eagles are one of my favorite subjects. I have photographed as many as seven in one day here in Jefferson County. The reality is I see eagles almost daily, sometimes like clockwork when they follow a routine. There are many, many other interesting birds in our Jefferson County - some are permanent year-round residents, and others pass through or leave us for the winters. You will be amazed with what you may see if you look. I photograph birds in other places, but the ones here at home are the most precious.
Enjoy the images - Kevin Turner
