Jeffrey A. Gordon

Pictures for Peterson 4: Purple Sandpiper

jeff — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:32:40 +0000

Try to conjure up an image of your favorite seaside locale. Many will think of sand and sun and summer, long stretches of lounging punctuated by a refreshing dip in a tranquil, blue ocean. Very few, I would wager, will imagine a cold day in February, clambering over jagged, seaweed-slicked boulders while crashing surf sprays all around, constantly threatening to sweep the unwary into the churning sea. But that latter scene is just the ticket for Purple Sandpipers. In fact, I bet about the only point where human and Purple Sanpiper tastes might agree is that the beach is a good place to get fresh seafood.

This is a day at the beach for Purple Sandpipers…scuttling about, trying to snatch prey from amongst the seaweed and mussel beds, always keeping an eye cocked for that next wave and knowing, with very little margin for error, which waves can be ridden out and which require winged relocation.

Here’s a Purple Sanpiper in late November, in its basic or winter plumage, during a moment of near repose, a few feet away from more treacherous feeding grounds at the water’s edge.

About the only place we have in Delaware that Purple Sandpipers like are jetties and breakwaters in or near the Atlantic Ocean. Our lovely sandy beaches leave them–figuratively–cold, as real cold seems not to register with them at all.

Above and below are shots of Indian River Inlet, the best place in Delaware to see Purple Sandpipers, beginning in mid-to-late October. Also the best spot for surfing and among our premier fishing locales.

Given that their High Arctic breeding grounds take so long to ice out, Purple Sandpipers stay with us fairly late in the Spring, often lingering into May, sometimes early June. The Purple Sandpiper I photographed for the Peterson Eastern guide was, on May 5th, 2009, just about molted into its breeding plumage, being much more spangled and spotty than the November bird above. Neither seems obviously purple, of course–that color is restricted to a dull iridescent sheen on some of the back and shoulder feathers. You’ve got to be in just the right angle and light to see it at all. One of those museum-drawer characters for which so many birds are named.

I like this shot for a couple reasons, not only the Purple caught mid-step, but also the way the foreground boulder frames it and the way the Ruddy Turnstone melds with the seaweeds into a colorful backdrop. Neither of these latter elements is visible in the book, though. Instead it functions as a head shot, sitting atop the Table of Contents on page vii. I think it works that way, too. And you can still see that raised foot, which I think is nice.

PS: You did see the sandpiper in the uppermost image, right? It’s just barely peeking over the rock at the upper right.

Pictures for Peterson 3: Prairie Warbler

jeff — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:15:08 +0000

No big backstory here…just a beautiful little bird, singing his heart out, an image that seems appropriate for the gorgeous early spring weather we are having today, though it will still be another month before Prairie Warblers return to our area.

The buzzy, ascending song of Prairie Warbler is the first “fancy” song I remember learning, as opposed to the songs of common yard birds. If memory serves, that would have been spring of 1977, at White Clay Creek State Park, under the tutelage of Winston Wayne. Below is a more medium-distance shot of this bird in his favored habitat of shrubby, regenerating forest, which apparently used to be referred to as prairie, thus lending the bird its name.

And here he is in some dead weeds, presenting a different aspect.

The topmost picture appears on page vi of the Eastern guide, set against an orange background. It was taken on 23 May 2009, near Georgetown, Delaware. Here’s hoping the weather is nice and the birds are singing wherever you are today.

Pictures for Peterson 2: Red Knots & Ruddy Turnstones

jeff — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:40:51 +0000

The second of my photos that appears in the Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America is one of the big ones, spanning two pages, a treatment afforded only 3 shots in each book. It appears across pages ii & iii.

But the photograph has to share space–lots of space–with two text boxes and a map. Not only that, but the elements that float over it get to hog the most significant real estate, the central areas where one’s eye naturally goes, so the layout presents a bit of a challenge. Either you need a picture with the bird or birds in the lower left, or you need a flock shot, a wider picture where the birds become semi-abstract design elements and can be cut and blocked without destroying the overall flow of the page. In the Eastern book I went with the latter, much easier option. Here’s what it looks like unobstructed. Somewhat ironically, the bird most sharply focussed of the whole bunch, the knot just above and right of center, is almost entirely obscured in the book.

I took this shot on the evening of 20 May 2010 at Slaughter Beach, Delaware. Named for a family rather than a massacre, this stretch of coast is among the most productive along the entire shore of Delaware Bay for horseshoe crab spawning and shorebird feeding. If you’re unfamiliar with this annual May spectacle, the Delaware Birding Trail has a thumbnail sketch of it here and there are plenty more sources of info to be found with a little Googling.

That afternoon, I had gone to Slaughter Beach with Kevin Fleming pictured below with two of his cameras, both Nikon D700’s, the left with a 600mm Nikkor lens and the right with a 200-400mm Nikkor zoom. Kevin and I spent a lot of time last spring shooting together, him working on his upcoming book, Wild Delmarva, and me doing the Peterson shots. Kevin was kind enough to let me use the 200-400mm rig on quite a few occasions and 6 of the pictures reproduced in the Eastern book were taken with it. A seventh was taken with Kevin’s 200-400 lens and a Nikon D300 body.

Looking over the barrel of the 600mm lens, you can see the shoreline crammed with shorebirds, with plenty of Laughing Gulls flying overhead. By slowly and carefully approaching the birds, staying very low to the ground, we were able to get close enough for satisfying photos without disturbing the birds’ frantic foraging and feeding. It’s a real thrill to see such gorgeous animals, massing here almost in my backyard.

As the sun dropped toward the western horizon, the birds were lit in beautiful, if strongly directional light. I shot hundreds of pictures, trying to get group shots, portraits, interesting behaviors, on and on and on. Below, a Red Knot lifts a bonanza from the sand, a marble-sized mass of several dozen fresh horseshoe crab eggs. Having flown in from South America and soon to depart for the High Arctic, the knot needs the calories these eggs furnish if it is to arrive on its breeding grounds at all, let alone nest successfully. A Ruddy Turnstone looks on, perhaps jealous of the knot’s find. I believe those fluffed feathers may literally be raised hackles–an aggressive display, perhaps in hope of scaring the knot into surrendering the goodies. Watching these shorebirds, one sees quite a bit of inter- and intra-species aggression. It’s no picnic for these guys, it’s a matter of survival.

A different turnstone strikes a more sanguine pose, with a pair of horseshoe crabs coming in to spawn in the background.

Another looming pair of horseshoe crabs provides a backdrop for a sleek Red Knot.

Being shorebirds, the turnstones, knots and others took flight fairly regularly, most explosively when a Peregrine Falcon strafed the beach, perhaps in search of a meal or maybe just some sport. When the birds took wing, Kevin and I would rapidly switch gears and try to fire off as many flight shots as we could manage. It was one of these that ended up being used. Below is a more wide angle shot of shorebirds coming back to the beach after startling.

If you’re looking for a way to help preserve beach habitat for this globally significant phenomenon, may I humbly suggest a donation to the Delaware Bird-a-thon? I’ll be competing again this year and would love to have your support. I’ll be posting more about this event as it draws closer.

Pictures for Peterson 1: Scarlet Tanager

jeff — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:43:28 +0000

I’m beginning with the first of my bird photos that appears in the Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America, hereafter simply, Eastern. It appears on page i.

Obviously, it’s a male Scarlet Tanager. It was photographed 19 May 2009 near Georgetown, DE. When I accepted the assignment to provide 30 photographs for the new Eastern and Western books–more about how that came to pass later–I knew that I wanted to turn in a selection of images that were appropriately varied: some songbirds, some waterbirds, some common and widespread, some more restricted in range and/or abundance.

I figured, though, that I would lean somewhat toward birds that were pretty or otherwise visually striking. After all, the Peterson bird guides are designed to be attractive, eye-catching, and accessible for beginners, but with enough detail and accuracy to give more advanced birders something to chew on, too. So I was aiming for a lot of favorites, but hoping to slip in a few that were a little offbeat. Clearly, Scarlet Tanager is in the former category–as predictable as Sousa at a 4th of July concert. But then, there are good reasons why some things are classics. Here’s that same shot, cropped from full-frame, but before being put in the final layout.

Moreover, there was the issue of timing. I took on this job in April of ‘09, with a deadline of July. I wanted to mostly use new photographs, so I knew I wouldn’t be shooting many Snowy Owls against winter dunes. Clearly, the birds depicted were going to be mostly from spring and summer. And though I knew I would need to–get to–do some travel, the less time and money spent on that, the better. Given all these factors, a photo of this species seemed essential–they’re spectacular, popular, quintessentially “eastern,” and common in the breeding season near where I live. Here’s an alternate shot of the same bird on the same perch, but in mid-song, with that impressive bill wide open. It’s not as sharp, and it’s a somewhat unexpected pose, but still fun, I think.

I spent most of the day May 19th photographing, devoting much of it to Scarlet Tanagers. I had some luck with 2 different males–the bird above, and another, near Laurel, DE. The “winning” male had a couple of advantages: he was bathed in low angle, late afternoon light against a dark green background of pine needles. Beyond that, he seemed like an almost perfect specimen, whereas the other individual had some issues. Here’s a shot of that other male.

Not a bad shot, perhaps, but not as good as the one I went with. For one thing, I used fill flash on this guy and while it’s within my tolerance of looking natural enough, it’s missing the quality of light that flattered the other bird. This guy was photographed more towards late morning, in full but open shade.

But there was another issue with him and it’s one that you might find interesting. Look at the crown, about 11 o’clock from the eye. See a smudge there? That’s a slapdash cloning job. If cloning is something you only know from genetics labs, here it’s a sort of digital airbrushing and it’s a controversial technique, one that I use sparingly if at all. People often will say an image has been, “Photoshopped,” but I wasn’t actually using Adobe Photoshop here, so I’ll stick with the more accurate term. What was I concealing? Whoever heard of a Scarlet Tanager that needs a makeover? Well, take a look at another shot of the same bird.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this bird has a tick. No, not an habitual muscle spasm, but an arachnid ectoparasite. A big fat one. Sorry to perhaps mar your image of life in the treetops, but birds, even pretty birds, do get ticks and other nasty things. You can also see that this guy, in addition to having his flank feathers fluffed as Scarlet Tanagers often do, isn’t in quite complete alternate (breeding) plumage. There are some yellowish patches here and there. He’s just not as perfect as the other bird. I’m pretty sure that this guy is a male in his second summer; i.e., he was hatched in summer, 2008, and is back for his first breeding attempt. The other male is older–back for at least his second breeding attempt. If someone with more banding experience than me can confirm or disprove these theories, by all means do so in the comments. I think the wing feathers are sharp enough to allow for accurate aging.

Sometimes, a heavy parasite load can cause a bird to be unable to molt into full breeding plumage. In fact, some ornithologists theorize that attaining full breeding plumage is one way birds signal to potential mates that they have a low parasite load and are in generally good reporductive condition. But again, I think this is just a young buck with a tick.

Interesting, though, that we humans would rate a male Scarlet Tanager’s attractiveness using many of the same visual criteria that a female Scarlet Tanager would. Simply put, the winning male is not only better photographed, he’s just better looking.

Les Petersons nouveaux sont arrivés!”

jeff — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:57:08 +0000

A few days ago, something besides another foot of snow fetched up against our doorstep. Two big brown heavy boxes, all the way from Indianapolis.

Sure enough, they were the brand-new Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America and the similarly titled but quite distinct, Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America. That’s right, fully updated Peterson bird guides are once again available in a more portable size and narrower geographic scope. Liz snapped a shot of me unboxing this bounty, attired in my très très chic walking outfit.

At last, here they were in-hand.

These new volumes are exciting to me for a couple of reasons, particularly in that they feature my photography. Now, don’t get too upset…they’re still very much Peterson bird guides, with RTP’s paintings, digitally revised by Michael O’Brien and Michael DiGorgio, as in last year’s continent-spanning Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America. But where last year’s model featured fifteen bird photographs by Roger himself, employed as decorations for title pages, section headings, and such, these two volumes each contain fifteen shots by me. Me. Me? Me! Cool, huh?

Over the next few weeks, I’d like to share those 30 photos with you, along with a few stories about how and when and where they were taken.

PS: I know it’s been months and months and months since my last post, but I find that there are few things more boring and less necessary than bloggers apologizing for how they haven’t been blogging much lately. Readers, if your’re still here, thanks. If you’re new, welcome.

Midwest Birding Symposium 2009: Photos of Photographers

jeff — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:45:15 +0000

I’m just back from the 2009 Midwest Birding Symposium, which was without doubt one of the best organized and coordinated events of its kind, ever. I kept pretty busy, giving a presentation on the uses of digital technology in birding, successfully chasing a Kirtland’s Warbler that turned up nearby, burning the midnight karaoke oil, and so on. I took very few photos, except for a series of quick, informal portraits that I’m presenting here.

Bill Thompson III (aka Bill of the Birds) asked me to take on a rather deadline-intensive project: collecting photos from a bevy of volunteer photographers that were dispatched to all corners of the festival and organizing them on the spot into a presentation that would serve as a pleasant recap and farewell at the close of the festival Sunday morning.

As a result, I didn’t get as much sleep as I would have liked between Saturday evening, when I received well over 1300 images, and Sunday morning, when I showed just under 380 in 25 minutes. Mind you, I’m not complaining–events like this are built on sleep deprivation and I had surely among the lightest burden of any of those who helped out.

As the photographers gave me their memory cards, I downloaded their pictures to my laptop. Meanwhile, I took each photographer out to the front of Hoover Auditorium and shot a quick series of portraits of him or her in ambient light. I used the photos as a list of visual credits at the end of the presentation.

I think these photos are a reminder of one of the most basic pleasures of photography: the chance to regard the face of a fellow human at leisure. I know many people are uncomfortable being photographed, photographers often especially (and paradoxically) so, so I try really hard to present them in ways that are flattering, yet still accurate. I think they all look great. Well, Geoff Heeter is kind of in his own category, but that’s no surprise. ;-)

Here they are, in alphabetical order.

Dana Bollin

Ernie Cornelius

Geoff Heeter

Ethan Kistler

Judy Kolo-Rose

Loopy Lewis

Bernie Master

Ric McArthur

Liz McQuaid

Deb Neidert

Renee Tressler

Of course, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the photographers and to the MBS staff that helped coordinate. I’m also sorry that I let Sherrie Duris get away before I got a photo of her. Looking forward to seeing you all in 2011!

European Golden-Plover near Smyrna, DE photo by Anthony Gonzon

jeff — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:03:08 +0000

Congratulations to Andy Urquhart for his astonishing find of a European Golden-Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) just southeast of Smyrna, Delaware. The bird is hanging out in the fields at Wick’s Potato Farm, on the west side of Route 9, just south of the turnoff for Bombay Hook National Wildlife National Wildlife Refuge. Time to write is short, as you can imagine, as a bunch of us are heading out the door to attempt to re-find the bird. In the meantime, here is one of Anthony Gonzon’s photos from this morning, both full-frame and cropped.

In this rather tight crop, the bright white wing linings, for starters, are clearly visible.

For the latest info on location, etc, check the DE-BIRDs LISTSERV, a transcript of which can be found here.

Thanks to Andy, Anthony, Chris and all involved in the discovery and identification of this bird. Now, wish me luck!

Lark Sparrow at Fort Miles, Cape Henlopen State Park, DE

jeff — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:00:18 +0000

I was out walking the dog around 9:30 AM this morning when I got a phone call from Forrest Rowland, who is once again scanning the skies over the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch. He said that he had heard from Derek Stoner that the Delmarva Ornithological Society group Derek was leading on their annual Cape May field trip had already seen two Lark Sparrows. Forrest said he was seeing and hearing lots of passerines around him and gently but firmly suggested that if I didn’t have anything too pressing, I get my butt over to Cape Henlopen (just 11 miles across the bay from Cape May) and look for Lark Sparrows or other rare or scarce species that might be present. Forrest, being largely pinned to the hawk platform, is in the sometimes frustrating position of just knowing that there are interesting non-raptor birds around, but being unable to venture even a few hundred yards away due to the need to keep up the hawk vigil.

It took me a while to get the dog home, gear up, pick up Liz, etc. But about 2 hours later, we rolled into the park, pulled into the Fort Miles area and in less than ten minutes, we were looking at a Lark Sparrow!

It might have taken even taken less time, had we not paused to admire a lovely male Cape May Warbler, plus a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. It also took just a little sifting through a good sized flock of Chipping Sparrows (perhaps 50), with a few Field Sparrows mixed in, for us to find our quarry.

Within minutes, Forrest, who had taken a brief sabbatical from the hawk watch, and Frank Rohrbacher, secretary of the Delaware Bird Records Committee, had both arrived. It’s a measure of how infrequently this species has been detected in Delaware that this was a state bird for Frank, who is locked in a neck and neck battle with Colin Campbell for the top spot among those who carefully tend their Delaware state lists.

A rear view of the bird on the same perch. Notice the long tail tipped and edged in white, the striped back, and how much duller the crown striping is toward the rear of the head than it is on the forecrown.

Forrest soon returned to his post. Frank, Liz, and I worked our way around the Ft. Miles area, encountering the Lark Sparrow (or Lark Sparrows–at one point we were nearly convinced there were two, but couldn’t be sure) at least three times. Below, it feeds on a concrete pad which anchors a large gun. Fort Miles is a fort, after all. On the left is a Chipping Sparrow, providing a nice shape comparison.

They’re both long-tailed, but that’s about it for similarities. Not only is the Lark’s body bigger, look at the difference in the legs–the Lark looks like Foghorn Leghorn. It’s also got a huge bill, but the Chipping isn’t obliging us with a direct comparison.

Below is a map of the Fort Miles area, with 3 dots where we saw the bird. You can click on the photo to see a larger view, or even download a copy. Of course, Lark Sparrows are famous for not sticking around too long, a major reason Frank hadn’t seen one in Delaware before. But this spot is consistently one of the best along Delaware’s oceanfront for sparrows, and warrants checking throughout the fall migration. Bound to be a few Clay-coloreds in there from time to time, as well as other goodies.

Hey, whaddya know? A blog post. Holy cow!

Lotus Life

jeff — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:49:17 +0000

On Saturday, July 26th, I attended a half-day photography workshop hosted by Wil & Donna Hershberger, a couple of dedicated wildlife photographers and sound recordists who live in eastern West Virginia. The workshop was held at Lilypons, a unique nursery for aquatic plants just northwest of Washington, DC. I went expecting to concentrate on water lilies, but ended up being captivated by lotuses. It’s easy to see why this huge flower is a favorite object of contemplation–its easy to lose oneself in it hues and its geometry.

Shortly after sunup, we fanned out along the dikes containing the lotus ponds. What follows is a sampling of lotuses in various stages of their bloom cycle from bud to seed. If you’re having a distracted, harried sort of day, just turn on some nice soothing music, feel your breath, relax your muscles (but not so much that you can’t use the scroll wheel) and join me for a little trip through lotus life. You can click on any image for a larger view.

Cool plant, huh? Thanks for stopping by!

Meet the Modern Naturalist

jeff — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:20:34 +0000

Self-portrait by Matthew Sarver

Good news for all of you who enjoy well-written, thoughtful, authoritative, and nicely-illustrated blog posts (and if that’s you, what are you doing here?). My buddy Matt Sarver has been cultivating his web presence, including launching a new blog, appropriately called The Modern Naturalist.

Matt’s a great birder, naturally, but he’s also lamentably talented in just about every field of natural history. Did I say lamentably? I meant laudably. Just a little jealous here, sorry.

Being afield with Matt is a little like drinking from the proverbial fire hose. It seems like he can put a name to everything that flies, crawls, or photosynthesizes. And usually not just a name–he almost always has some interesting tidbit to share about the life history of each animal or vegetable, turning an ordinary walk into something educational and entertaining. Last Sunday, he showed me a bee which despite all appearances, was not a bumblebee. He went on to tell me that this non-bumblebee specializes in eating the pollen of hibiscus flowers. This was just one of dozens of cool critters he alerted me to that day. I was impressed.

Matt’s a hands-on kind of guy. He manages a property he owns in southwestern Pennsylvania, striving to improve the quality of the habitat there. And now that the governor of Pennsylvania has given his blessing to fire as a management tool–look out. I expect to see some pretty hot posts coming out of that. He’s also a sailor, crewing on the Kalmar Nyckel, our friendly neighborhood tall ship. Some say he got that gig in classic high-seas fashion–by sleeping with the captain–but I’ll leave that to him to confirm or deny.

Though he’s only been in Delaware for a couple of years, Matt is already making quite a mark. He and his Captain already keelhauled us in the Delaware Birdathon this year.

I’m betting that Matt will quickly become a star in the nature blogging sky. So click on over and say hello.