Colorful Morning Shots of Nearby Birds
Up early to reap the rewards!
Clouds are essential for most landscape photos, but for these kinds of shots, clouds can block the precious gold light when the sun rises over the horizon in the east. Gold and orange drench the scene while the birds are active and hungry. I love it!
Besides the premium light, a few of the area lakes offer a variety of “new” birds for me. Often, I find that great opportunities are fleeting. It’s time to get out and “get it while the gettin’ is good!”
White Pelicans were on Loveland Lake for a few weeks in August. Early gold light adds interest to my nature photos, so being out early is essential.
Loveland Lake is less than two miles from my home, so it’s easy to make a quick morning trip to the area. There has been a variety of waterfowl along its edge over the past month.
The first few times I was able to get close enough to the White Pelicans, they simply swam around the lake. I caught them in good light on several occasions but kept hoping to photograph a few of them flying.
Finally, my persistence paid off! I managed to be in the right place when a few of the pelicans flew by.
There may have been more White Pelicans scattered around other parts of the lake, but I only counted about a dozen of them at any one time.
I don’t recall ever seeing Snowy Egrets in Jackson Hole so I was excited to get to photograph them here in Loveland. They can be a little spooky. In this photo, a group of them were run off their original location by a biker or jogger on the other side of the channel. They flew to the bank just across the way.
Given the choice, I would perfer to have my camera’s shutter speed set to at least 1/2500th second, and preferrably at 1/3200 or 1/4000th of a second, but with the starved morning light, I had to take my cances with lower shutter speeds.
When it looks like there is a chance of a takeoff, I can adjust my shutter speed quickly, but of course that can affect the ISO speeds.
If I had to give this bird a name, it would be “Houdini”! Now you see him, now you don’t. Darla and I spotted it the first time while riding our bikes around the town. I went back numerous times before I was able to get even one “record shot”, then several more trips before capturing it with the nice colors.
Snowy Egret and Gulls: There were a few times I was able to include gulls, egrets, herons, and pelicans in one capture. Two species in one photo was actually easy. Besides the birds I listed, I also see a few Killdeer, Mallard ducks, and Canada Geese. In the trees around the lake, I’ve also seen Northern Flickers, American Robins, American Goldfinches, and Bluejays. A Bald Eagle flew ovehead this morning, and I assume there would be a few Osprey in the area.
Gulls are probably the most common of the birds I find at Loveland Lake. They fly by, even at a close range, on a fairly regular basis.
Snowy Egrets also fly by if I am patient!
For the first few days, the water line was relatively close to some of the lakeside trees. I got a couple of photos of the Egrets in them.
The Hunt: Patience is the name of the game for a Great Blue Heron. An unsuspecting fish is the target.
The Strike: Lightning fast, and deadly accurate!
The Prize: I watched this bird catch at least four small fish. After a successful morning of hunting, it took off at first light.
Gold Reflections: Most of the time, I am trying to get great light “on” my subjects, but many of these photos illustrate that light reflected in calm water can be striking, too.
Great Blue Heron: I can’t remember now whether the heron was simply stretching its wings and feathers, or if it was trying out a new fishing technique!
Loveland Lake Beach Houses: At the time I took this photo on August 31st, the lake level had dropped to well below the residence’s boat ramps and toys. Regional farmers have water rights and drain the lake in the mid to late summer. As I make this post on September 5th, the edge of the water is nowhere near the docks, and is dropping daily. Since this is my first year in Loveland, I have no idea how low it will get.
Note: The photos on this page were all taken with a Sony A1 body and a Sony 200-600mm lens. Most were hand held.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Loveland Lake, and other area lakes, have given me some wonderful chances for avian photography this year. We have been diligently working on our home, but I know I can afford an early morning hour of fun shooting before “getting back to work”.
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