Last year, as spring was slowly turning towards summer, I decided it was a perfect time to start really trying to do some bird photography. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not as if I’d never attempted to take photos of birds before. However, in the past, it had always been opportunistic. I’d happen to be somewhere and have a camera and take a photo of a bird I’d come across. The only photos of Wild Turkeys and Great Blue Herons that I’d taken up to this point were from exactly that type of situation. The only times I had intentionally tried to get photos of birds was on my bear workshop in Minnesota and on my bear workshop in Alaska a few years ago. They had built in some time dedicated specifically for bird photography on both trips.

Horned Puffin. Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

      I wanted to start being intentional with my photography, especially with wildlife photography. I wanted to go out with my camera specifically to search for birds to photograph. Living in Kennebunk, Maine meant that I had access to a lot of different habitats for birds – forests, meadows, rivers, ocean, salt marshes, estuaries, etc. With wildlife photography, sightings are never guaranteed, but with the sheer numbers and variety of birds in southern Maine in the late spring, there is a far greater chance of success. Surely, if I tried, I’d be able to find lots of birds to practice my photography with. 

      My first day, I drove through Kennebunkport and Biddeford along the marshlands and beaches. I lucked out and found an interesting bird I’d never seen before in an area of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. I took a lot of photos, none of them any good. The bird was a bit too far for the lens I was using. Additionally, I was sitting up on the side of the road, while it was down below me in the grasses and water. I had no way to get closer or more on its level. And, of course, it was right around lunchtime. The sun was glaring down, casting the bird in shadow as it moved about. I learned a lot in that short session, and even though none of the photos were great, they were good enough for me to identify it when I got home – a Glossy Ibis.

Glossy Ibis, heavily cropped. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

      A few days later, I headed out again. I wanted to see if I could find that same bird once more. However, as I drove along the back roads of Kennebunkport, I came across some Wild Turkeys. They were extremely far off, so I only snapped a few photos before moving on. These were done handheld and were more a test to see how I’d do with such a big lens not supported by a tripod. I got back in the car and continued on, only to come across a female Wild Turkey on her own at the edge of the pavement. I pulled over further up and on the opposite side and used my car as a blind, photographing her as she slowly made her way towards me in the brush alongside the road. Again, they weren’t the best photos, but I was still handholding and learning how to follow her movements. I use manual focus, so even though she was moving relatively slowly, it was still a lot to learn to change focus as she got continuously closer.

Wild Turkey. Kennebunkport, Maine

      After she disappeared into the trees further down the road, I continued on. Unfortunately, when I reached the area where I’d found the Glossy Ibis the other day, it was nowhere to be seen. So, I decided to head over to a different area of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge that was nearby. I pulled into the parking area and stayed in or near my car for a few hours. In that time, I spotted a few different birds. There were several that were off in the distance, but they were too far to identify. Those closer to the parking area included a Snowy Egret, a pair of Canada Geese and their chicks, and some Eastern Song Sparrows (I think). While I took photos of all of them, it was the sparrows that I had the best luck with. One landed on a bush right next to the parking area with an insect of some kind in its mouth. It just stood there watching me, not seeming to mind as I took photos of it. I stayed tucked against the side of my jeep to give it space, and it stuck around for several minutes. Eventually, I moved back around the other side so it could head safely to its nest, if that’s where it was headed. I left not long afterwards.

Eastern Song Sparrow with an insect lunch, partially cropped. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

This little bird seemed comfortable enough that I was able to change positions slightly for different backgrounds while it moved amongst the branches of its perch. Eastern Song Sparrow, partially cropped. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

      The following day, I went back to that same location once more. This time, there was a Great Egret fishing right by the parking area. Using my jeep as a blind once again, I was able to spend some time photographing it before it flew further into the marsh. It was quite interesting trying to figure out the best type of composition with such a large bird so close to my position with near perfect reflections in the water. Additionally, it gave me practice with the exposure, being such a bright white bird with darker surroundings. I was grateful for the overcast skies and even lighting. And, as it was actively fishing, it gave me a lot of practice with the manual focus.

Is this composition better? You can see the entire bird and all of its reflection, but that makes the animal smaller in the frame. Great Egret, partially cropped. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

Or, is this composition better? You can see the bird better, filling the frame, but it cuts off the reflection. Great Egret, partially cropped. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

      After the Great Egret flew off, I turned my attention to a Willet that had flown into the grass near the parking area. It wandered around there for a couple of hours, giving me plenty of time to practice. The Great Egret came back a few times during that period, each for a few minutes, so I was able to get a bit more practice with it, as well. All in all, it was a really great day practicing my bird photography.

This bird is extremely well camouflaged in the marsh grass. Willet, partially cropped. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

Success! This bird just caught a fish. Great Egret, partially cropped. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

As the day wore on, the lighting changed, and this bird wandered into an area with better surroundings. Willet, partially cropped. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

      I learned a lot in those couple of days. I thought it was a great introduction to the genre and decided I was going to try and continue practicing when time allowed. I would continue returning to these locations, as well as exploring new locations in the area for other types of birds. I also hoped to be able to hook up with some birders in future to learn more about finding and identifying the different animals. For now, though, I had heard that the Piping Plovers were nesting and wanted to see if I could safely capture anything worthwhile. So, for the next few weeks, they would be my focus. That, however, will be a story for another day.

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