It has been especially evident of late, as I make my regular and frequent trips to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

Time. You cannot do this in a passing glance, or in a quick run out in your car. Or a 30 minute walk in the woods. Sure, you may get some nice shots, but you will miss far more. And you won’t learn what to look for. Or learn about the birds and animals you photograph. No books are good enough to teach you what you need to know. You have to live with them. The creatures we admire, love and want to capture with our cameras. You have to observe them. With a keen eye and ear, and learn what they do, how they behave. how they communicate.

In my time out there, I have learned many of the behaviors and calls of Osprey, Forsters Terns, and many others. It takes hours and days and weeks and months before you start to put things together. When you start to understand them. And once you do start to know how they behave, what their habits are, and what their various calls mean, you can be ready and in the right place and time to capture amazing moments.

Like watching Osprey engage in courtship rituals, where the males dive down from on high to chase the female after she calls out to them…and if she is willing, she will jump up from her perch and grasp his talons in mid air.

Like learning how Forsters Terns call to their mates to bring them an offering of a freshly caught fish. What they sound like when they do that. What they do to display their intentions. And the male, how he will circle around her proudly displaying his catch, holding it up for her to see…and then finally meeting her on her perch and handing her the prize from his bill to hers, in one of the most incredible scenes in the avian world.

Those moments don’t get captured by chance. They happen when we take the time. Have the patience. When we spend the hours to observe. When we are persistent in our attempts to be there often, to find them when they are doing these amazing things, and to be ready when they do.

The photos I have of Osprey courtship and Tern courtship feedings took not only the many hours sitting in one location watching and waiting, but days and weeks and months of study. To learn how and when they will do their courtship, and how to know what they are saying. What they are doing, and to be ready for the moment.

Forsters Terns have a complex social network, hierarchy, and an even more complex vocabulary and method of communication. It is incredible to watch, hear and start to understand. Once you do start to “get it” with what they do, you can be ready for what is to come, and what they may do next. They talk all the time. To each other. And they coordinate. They communicate. And it is not as simple as “want food”. They will follow a leader’s signal, leave a fishing spot suddenly all together, go back out a ways, regroup, and line up to take turns diving again where they just were. What purpose this serves? Not sure yet. But I am studying it. And learning.

The photos of Osprey and Tern courtship and behavior aren’t the only wonderful things you can photograph by having patience and taking the time to learn. Even the diminutive Yellow Warbler can be a real challenge to get a nice shot of. But if you take the time to watch them, you learn what they do during mating season. You can be ready for the shots, because you know that they usually go from low to high in a tree, in order to sing from the loftiest perch. Then when they reach near the top or edge, they will take off and go to the next spot. And in time, repeat the cycle, and often choose the same trees and even branches the next time through.

Yellow Warbler finds a treat - (Aphids on a branch)

Yellow Warbler with a nice background. Patience pays off.

I’ve seen a lot of photographers in the last few years. Now more than ever, so many seem to be in a hurry. It’s like a race to them, to see what they can see, capture what they can, and then move on. I’ve seen it dozens of times. I sat with my friend Joe Campbell, another dedicated and very talented photographer, at a spot at Forsythe. We sat there for hours. Just so happens to be a great spot to get shots of Tern Courtship feeding. I knew this because I’ve taken the time, the patience, the dedication, and the hours of observation. And car after car just glanced over and kept going. No interest to them. Just some Terns sitting there, and nothing of interest. To them.

And this is what they missed:

Tern Courtship - The Male gives his love a gift

Male Forsters Tern proudly displays the gift he will give to his mate

Forsters Terns - The male gives his mate a courtship gift

So, while car after car drove past, we sat, we waited. We watched and we noticed. And then magic. And we were there for it. Covered in bug spray, inhaling gnats, getting hot and sweaty, our hands aching from holding the heavy camera and lenses for long periods. Worth every hour, and every drop of sweat.

The same can be said for so many birds. (and other animals). If you take the time, and have the patience, you can get the shots, and capture these incredible moments.

A similar situation arose regarding nesting Osprey at Forsythe. A few photographers will camp out at nests and wait to see what will happen. But unless you know the birds, unless you study them, you will be there at the wrong time, and you will not see the wonderful things you could.

During the nesting season, Osprey have tasks to do. But one of the first is to (re)establish the mating pair. Most mate for life. But there are always challenges from other males. Sometimes, their own offspring from a year or more before! But no matter the length of the relationship, there will always be courtship between them every year. And if you know what to look for, and spend the time, you have a great chance of seeing these rituals.

If you wait until after the eggs are laid, and watch the nest for hours, you will see…a female bird sitting on eggs. And not a whole lot more, except when the male brings back a nice fish to share. Or not share. Sometimes they are like that. Men! The rest of the time, you will sit and wait and watch the male sit nearby, and the female sit on her eggs. The only really interesting thing is if another bird of consequence (like a Bald Eagle or a Great Black Backed Gull) gets too close. Of course, after the eggs hatch, there are countless wonderful things to see. And this is when most photographers arrive like a horde of Green Head flies, and camp out lined up with tripods and mega-lenses.

And you can get some great shots of those things, and they are wonderful. And everybody else gets the same shots you do.

But very few get this:

Female Osprey leaps from the nest to grasp the talons of her mate

Osprey courtship. The pair is intertwined, talons grasping talons

A challenge! A second male invades the nest to try to win dominance

From what I know, there are exactly two photographers who visit Forsythe who have photos like these this year. Me, and Joe Campbell.

Patience. Persistance. Observation. Time.

We sat at this nest countless times. This pair seemed to be very active. Very unique. And there was a lot going on. We observed this second male a number of times. So on this day, after 3 hours of almost nothing, we got a couple hours of intense action the likes of which neither of us had seen in all our years photographing birds. By the time it was over, our hearts were racing and we were pumped full of adrenaline, and our hands and arms hurt from trying to capture the non-stop action for almost 2 hours. We learned how the female would set up the courtship drama. She would circle with the male (and the second male trying to win her over), all over the refuge. And each time she would return, dive to the nest and perch there, and then give a very distinctive call while looking upward. And then one of the males would make a spectacular plunge dive behind her, spreading his wings at the last minute, coming in from behind…and the chase would begin. When the time was right…she no longer initiated the chase, but chose her mate again by leaping up and meeting him in mid-air. Grasping his talons and tumbling together in the air.

Spectacular doesn’t begin to describe it.

Sometimes it isn’t the spectacular that you get when you’re patient, but the silly. The curious. The odd and weird moments you just don’t expect. But being there, and paying attention, and spending the time is what it takes to see many of these things as well. It often means just noticing something out of the ordinary. And you can’t know what “ordinary” is unless you’ve spent a lot of time observing.

One of the other wonderful things with Osprey is how they share the duties of building their huge nests. And how they go about doing it. They start with heavy and sturdy twigs, and build a structure that can support their weight and those of the young. Then, they bring in other materials they find to finish it off and make it suitable for eggs, and for the hatchlings. They find scraps of cloth, or pick up fine hay like grasses to make a soft and warm place for the eggs to rest, and of course the female on top of them.  If you spend enough time with Osprey when they first arrive for the Spring and Summer, you know that these tasks will get underway with all due urgency. It’s the perfect time to sit and watch and wait. Most times, the male will be dominant in the nest building once the female is fertile and bearing eggs. And in this case, as I like to call him, the hardest working Osprey in Jersey was not a disappointment.

Osprey brings back an entire shrub for the nest

It took an enormous effort to carry that bush back. Strong headwinds, and tons of wind resistance from the branches. But he got it all the way home.

And he kept at it, day after day….

Osprey neatly maneuvers a new twig into the nest

This will make a great bedspread! (Osprey with a nice piece of cloth for the nest)

Of course, all that nest building makes any good Osprey hungry, so when it’s time for a meal, they go out and bring back the freshest fish.

Osprey with a nice fish for supper

Osprey and his catch of the day.

Then, there are those just plain silly moments…

Not a whole lot is sillier in the avian world than Willets during courtship. Not only are they loud and call out constantly, the engage in seemingly endless chases. For hours. Sometimes doing the craziest of maneuvers. So, when I saw a couple doing  just that, I stopped and watched them and photographed them for hours. It was tiring. It was laugh out loud funny at times. And it was amazing.

Willet skips on the water

I don't even know what to caption this one!

Skimming the water with his wing, Willet male pursues a female (out of frame)

Only 2 on a stick, please!! (Willet Silliness)

Willet and his shadow

Forsters Terns are always entertaining, and never boring. If you watch them fishing enough times, you’ll see and learn certain behaviors. And that can help you get some great shots. Still, they are lightening fast and make wild sudden moves, so it’s never easy.  Ever wonder how they keep those crazy tails looking so nice?

Forsters Tern preening his tail feathers.

That’s how.

And their antics while fishing are just incredible.

Forsters Tern with a really nice catch

Sometimes, they don’t have the fish in a grip that will allow them to swallow it the way they need to. So, they will flip the fish in mid-air and re-catch it!

Forsters Tern Fish Flip

Now, this is MUCH better. Down the hatch!

Forsters Tern swallowing a fish on the wing.

Sometimes, even the Tern is surprised by what it catches…

Two for one special at the fish counter. (Forsters Tern)

This Tern (above) captured two fish in a single dive. I can only assume one fish was swimming just above the other at the moment of impact.

One thing the Terns will always do after diving into the water is shake off the excess once they are back in the air. It lasts all of a maybe a fifth of a second, and you never know exactly when they will do it. I have captured this exactly twice in my entire life.

Forsters Tern shakes off the water after a dive

Forsters Tern shaking off the water after a dive for fish

One thing that is of great aid in getting shots of birds is learning their calls. If you can hear them, then you might just be able to see them, and get a great shot. If you’re lucky. Combine that with knowing their habits, and you have an even better chance.

The Common Yellowthroat arrives in my area every Spring about this time (Late April, Early May). It’s call is very distinctive, and it loves to hang out in the reeds and brush near water. (Ideal for a place like Forsythe refuge). And it sings loudly. It also likes to pop up from cover sometimes to get a nice high perch. After all, it’s all about mating and courtship, and if you’re up and visible and singing your heart out, you have a better shot. Speaking as a bird, that is. I don’t sing all that well, and I’m not big on heights.

So, early one morning I heard one singing like he was auditioning for the Tonight Show…. soon enough, he popped out and decided that Late Night TV  was too old-school, and American Idol was where it was at. He was bold, and brazen, and singing at the top of his lungs, in great light, with a very dedicated nature photographer there to watch and listen.

The next big recording star. Common Yellowthroat

Similarly, another Spring arrival is the Blue Grosbeak. They too have a unique call, and they too like to perch to take a look around, usually in the reeds and tall grasses of fields.

Blue Grosbeak (Male) sits up and looks handsome in a field at Forsythe

A wonderful challenge for me recently was to get a shot of a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. Singing. These are tiny birds. They move through dense cover most of the time, only coming out into view very briefly. And they never sit still. I read up on them a bit, and I also watched a courting pair of them near a small overpass on the entry into Forsythe Refuge. I got no photos the first two times I observed them. So, I kept going back. I noticed the areas they seemed to like to travel through, and they repeated being in those locations.

Persistence. I kept going to the spot, and keeping my eyes pealed and my ears open. Soon enough, for all of about 10 seconds, this little guy came out and gave me the opportunity.

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher debuts for me.

Another wonderful find, and the result of a very patient observer friend (John “Jack” Adams) was this gorgeous Rose Breasted Grosbeak. Jack was well ahead of me and Joe Campbell (we meet up a lot at Forsythe and shoot together as friends), and he went to a good location and just waited and watched. He noticed a bird that was fairly good sized and dark, and it was going up and in and out of the reeds and grasses. Since there are so many Red Winged Blackbirds doing the same thing, it can be easy to miss. But Jack has also spent countless hours observing, and he noticed that this was something different. So, when we got there, we took our time and waited for it to make an appearance. And sure enough, we were not disappointed.

Rose Breasted Grosbeak

Sometimes being observant just allows you to be ready for anything. In this case, I suddenly saw a Great Blue Heron carrying something huge and walking over to a spot in the grass with it. What I watched was one of the most amazing feats of swallowing prey I have ever seen.

Great Blue Heron with catch of the day.

Great Blue Heron prepares to swallow the biggest meal of his life

This fish was fully 20 inches long, and had to weigh at least 3 pounds. And this heron swallowed it effortlessly.

Gulp! (Great Blue Heron)

Great Blue Herons are patient, observant, and persistent hunters. They will stand motionless or nearly so for long periods, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

One day, my old friend Joe Campbell and I decided to wait and watch a Great Blue Heron at a water level control gate at Forsythe. This heron was very active, and appeared to be catching one small fish after another.

So, we parked and waited and watched. And he fished out one small fish after another. And promptly tossed most of them away! Now that was unusual. I’ve never seen a choosy Great Blue Heron before.

And what happened next explained why he was tossing away the little fish. He tossed one away, and in one fluid motion struck the water with incredible force, and came up with this:

Great Blue Heron spears a great catch!

Joe and I were stunned. And we fired off frame after frame of this incredible action. It didn’t last long, and he flew off with his prize meal.

Great Blue Heron prepares to fly off with it's great meal

Observation.

My friend Shawn Wainwright sure knows what that means. He’s studied with the best birders. Spent countless hours in the field. He’s also hugely into butterflies, moths and dragonflies…and just about anything that walks, crawls, swims of flies for that matter. He’s an observer. His nickname is “Eagle Eyes”. And rightly so. He sees more than most. Tremendous vision. And he uses that to his advantage. To observe, to learn, and to see wonderful things. He’s taken me on a couple of outings into his “backyard” in Toms River, NJ. And because of his keen observation skills, and what he has learned, he helped me to get some perfectly wonderful shots.

One of which is this very rare, Cobweb Skipper butterfly. According to Shawn, seen only in one very small patch of sand and field near where he lives, and in Cape May, NJ.

Cobweb Skipper Butterfly

That’s the wonderful thing about those of us who love this field. Others who know more than we do can help us to find great shots, and to enhance our learning as well.

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Nothing that rare about a Black Swallowtail Butterfly. What is rare is getting a shot with a fantastic background. This particular butterfly kept wanting to land on some evergreens near where Shawn and I were. So we waited. And waited. And watched. And our patience paid off when it finally landed in some spots that gave us some wonderful compositions for the shot.

Red Banded Hairstreak Butterfly

This butterfly (above) is all of a half inch tall when perched like this. I know a bit about butterflies and have loved them since I was a kid. But Shawn knows a hell of a lot more than I do. And I didn’t pay these butterflies much mind when we were on our walk. But he did. And he showed me how colorful and beautiful they are. And we got some wonderful shots as a result of his efforts and his knowledge.

Red Spotted Purple Butterfly

Because Shawn had visited, studied, and observed areas near where he lives, and spent tremendous amounts of time out, he knew all the best places to go. What plants would be where, what would be blooming, what kinds of butterflies and birds might be found at each spot. As a result, we went to one small area that seems to have a lot of activity. And this gorgeous Red Spotted Purple visited us while we were there.

This year is a banner year for the Red Admiral butterfly. They are everywhere. Last year, you would have been lucky to see one or two all year. In one afternoon, he and I counted over 30.

Red Admiral Butterfly stops to take a short rest on a tree

Sometimes patience and time in the field pays off in ways we don’t anticipate. While we can study the birds and animals and learn more about what to look for, the mere fact that we have trained ourselves to be observant can have it’s own rewards. As much as there are wonderful times like watching the Forsters Terns in their courtship feedings, there are those moments where it all just comes together. Where your eyes and your ears let you in on being able to notice something wonderful, and to capture that moment, as it happens. You are far more likely to capture these if you’ve spent the time to really learn about the birds, the butterflies and other animals that you photograph. You’re already likely to watch for signs, look in places that have the right environments. The right time of day. The right food sources.

Peregrine Falcon does a flyover

This Peregrine Falcon (above) made two passes at me and a couple of my friends, at Gull Pond in the Forsythe refuge.  We noticed that this bird made a point of looking us over in the first pass, with a very low, high speed dash directly at us and quickly over us. It then headed back out over the refuge at high speed. Nobody got a shot off. But we talked about it. We thought that she wasn’t done with us. We were intruding in an area she was hunting, perhaps, and she wanted to know what and who we were. So we kept a watchful eye. And sure enough, 5 minutes later, we spotted her coming back toward us. And this time, she soared slowly and pulled up to circle over us for a second or two to get a really good look. And as a result, I managed this capture.

Getting to the refuge early is a good tactic. Not only are many birds most active in the early morning hours, but the refuge is undisturbed, with no cars or people having gone through. That means that birds may perch or be active right near the drivable areas. And to be on the lookout for them, as the first to come through.

One morning, Joe was out ahead of me by a good ways. He radioed me to tell me of a fantastic find. In a way only Joe could. “Eric, you’re going to freaking hate me”. “What is it, Joe…what do you have?”. “I have a Peregrine on a sign”. “Really, how far are you from it?”. “Oh, about 4 feet”.

So, needless to say, Joe was enjoying a very close up view of a Peregrine Falcon. Not an easy bird to get close to. Amazingly, this bird stayed there until I met up with Joe, even allowing me to pull beside him, just as Joe had done.

The ultimate in irony.

Peregrine Falcon, as close as you can get without kissing it.

Then there are those times where all you have learned, and all the patience, time, waiting and learning allow you to see and capture moments that will live with you for a lifetime.

I’ve had the privilege to have a bird look into my soul and know me. And allow me to know a little bit about them.

Osprey and I meet, eye to eye.

Female Merlin introduces herself

Patience.

Time.

Observing. Learning.

Persistence and dedication.

It’s where the great moments come from.

For me the day started at sunrise which was a little before 6am this May morning, I had an hour drive to pick up my father and then about another hour to get to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Brigantine, NJ.

The sun rises over the marsh as the birds begin to start their day

I have been here many times before and have shown many pictures from this location but it is one of those places you can go again and again and again and still see new things every time you go (as I’ll point out later). I’m sure it sounds pretty cheesy but there is certainly something special about being at the refuge for sunrise. If you are there a bit before the sun comes up it will be somewhat quiet and not too much activity. As soon as the sun gets close to showing itself the bird activity increases tremendously. The sounds of all the birds beginning their day fill the air and at times that becomes all you can hear.

Before the sun has fully risen a Canada Goose flies overhead

Some birds start the day flying out in search of food such as this Canada Goose making it’s way out to the marsh flats to start feeding, while some birds are the opposite such as the Black-Crowned Night Heron heading back to it’s roost for the day.

A Black-Crowned Night Heron flies back to roost in early morning light.

Then all of a sudden the cool blue morning transforms into a warm spring day as the sun lights up the refuge. The sunrises here can be quite unbelievable. Actually, sunrises anywhere can be quite amazing, it’s not too often that most people are up to enjoy a sunrise and for me it always has a bit of a different feeling than a sunset.

It's a beautiful sunrise this morning, the clouds make for some gorgeous color and patterns.

My father and I decide to start our morning by parking the car and waiting in one particular spot. On this morning there isn’t too much activity in our chosen location but every once in a while a bird or two cruises by. There is a small group of Forster’s Terns fishing right out in front of us, and as the sun breaks through the clouds it presents me with the photo below. I love how the warm sunlight lights the bird up against the cool blue of the cloudy background.

A Forster's Tern begins it's morning fishing over the shallows as the early sun lights up it's body.

A female Red-Winged Blackbird keeps flying around in the low marsh grass. The sun isn’t hitting this area yet so it’s quite colorless and somewhat dull. The bird really blends in with it’s surroundings and if it wasn’t constantly moving, I probably wouldn’t have known it was there.

A female Red-Winged Blackbird perches on the low marsh grass.

It’s been about 30 minutes since we arrived and we are still the only ones in the area. I love it, just my father and I and the birds, and the incredible view. These mornings make it totally worth getting up so early! The sun is still trying to light up the day and rise above the low clouds. Higher in the sky it becomes a beautiful bright orange and I notice a flock of Glossy Ibis flying through the sky. I press the shutter button on the camera and the image is captured.

As the sun rises a small flock of Glossy Ibis cruise overhead to look for a good place to start foraging for food.

The Forster’s Terns are still fishing out in front of us and the one below makes a hard turn which I manage to grab. I try not to forget the sounds, as a male Red-Winged Blackbird lands in front of me and belts out a loud call. The sun is finally starting to hit all the areas even the low marsh grass where this male is singing his song.

A Forster's Tern makes a hard bank to the right with the morning sun lighting up it's underside.

A male Red-Winged Blackbird starts his morning in song.

Every once in a while there is a downturn in the bird activity and it becomes almost quite. During one of these short silences a magnificent Mute Swan flies between myself and the sun which lights up it’s wings quite nicely. It’s a little farther away than I’d like for the shot, but it comes out better than I expect because of the lighting on the wings. This photo will be a keeper.

A huge Mute Swan flies in front of me with the sun lighting up it's wings and the water droplets falling from it's body.

A friend of mine shows up at the same location and we hang out there for a little while just chatting about nature photography and random other things. As nice as it is to enjoy nature alone, it’s sometimes equally as nice to share it with friends, plus you can always learn a thing or two about the birds or photography. After a while our friend decides he is going to go check out some other areas so we say goodbye knowing that we’ll most likely catch up with him again later in the day.

A Forster's Tern flies right in front of me, I really like how the sun is shining on it's wings and body.

My father and I have been in the same spot for a little over an hour now and it’s starting to look like the sun is only going to be shining for another half hour or hour at best, so we make the decision to head out and begin the drive around Wildlife Drive to take advantage of the sunlight. As we begin our drive the sun starts to come in and out behind the clouds, it’s starting to look like it’s going to be one of those cloudy days. This can be a good thing or a bad thing for a bird photographer depending on what and where you are taking pictures. It turns out to be a good thing for the first bird we come upon, a Great Egret. This all white bird can be very difficult to photograph in full sunlight, today with the thin cloud cover it works to my advantage as I snap a few shots of it fishing in the shallows. I can see that it’s getting ready to make a strike at some prey so I quickly change the settings on the camera to it’s fastest mode. I see the egret tense it’s neck preparing for a strike and I mash down the shutter button. At 11 frames per second the camera continuously captures the lightning fast strike of this beautiful bird and I still manage to miss the initial neck extension. I do manage to capture most of the fishing sequence and the Great Egret lifts it’s head from the water triumphantly with a fish in it’s beak. It was a successful try and I managed to get a great sequence with lots of detail in those bright white feathers thanks to the cloud cover.

A beautiful Great Egret still sporting some of it's breeding plumage is stalking small fish in the shallow marsh.

A sequence of a Great Egret making a succesful strike on a small fish which is so incredibly fast.

A sequence of a Great Egret making a succesful strike on a small fish which is so incredibly fast.

A sequence of a Great Egret making a succesful strike on a small fish which is so incredibly fast.

A sequence of a Great Egret making a succesful strike on a small fish which is so incredibly fast.

A sequence of a Great Egret making a succesful strike on a small fish which is so incredibly fast.

A sequence of a Great Egret making a succesful strike on a small fish which is so incredibly fast.

A Great Egret swallows his catch.

After watching the Great Egret fish for a while we continue our drive and come upon more Forster’s Terns doing their acrobatics in the sky. The one below sees something and completely commits to the dive. It turns directly vertical and heads straight for the water without slowing down. The tern makes a successful dive and comes up with a tiny fish, but the action isn’t over. Another tern has been eying the action and attempts to come in and steal the catch. They splash around in the water and then take to the air, and in all the turmoil I have no idea who was the victor or if they both lost the catch. I figure at the time I’ll review the photos on the computer at home and be able to figure out what happened. I’ve reviewed them and I still have no idea, but they make for a great sequence of action photos.

A Forster's Tern really commits to it's dive.

A pair of Forster's Terns have a small challenge to gain the fish.

A pair of Forster's Terns have a small challenge to gain the fish.

A pair of Forster's Terns have a small challenge to gain the fish.

A pair of Forster's Terns have a small challenge to gain the fish.

A pair of Forster's Terns have a small challenge to gain the fish.

Continuing down the Wildlife Drive after the intense tern action, I’m driving the car along really slowly and all of a sudden a Common Yellowthroat pops up out of the tall grass and perches on a branch. This is the first time I’ve ever seen one of these beautifully bright yellow birds. When I see a bird for the first time that I’ve never photographed, it pretty much goes like this.
1. Point camera and hold shutter button and hope to get some picture, any picture, before new bird flies away
2. Decide I’ve probably got something after taking probably more than 50 pictures, and try to slow down and check camera settings to make sure any pictures I get will be properly exposed
3. If bird still hasn’t flown away, I now fine tune the exposure and start to mess with the composition of the photo a bit and get something a little better.
It’s always pretty funny to see me shooting like a madman at first, and then slow down and try to get a good photo. Thankfully this Yellowthroat allowed me the time to go through my whole process and I managed to fire off a few good shots of him singing before he took off. In this shot I would have preferred a little more sunlight but you take what you get and continue on.

Here a Common Yellowthroat belts out a song not long after the sun has risen.

Some times a mildly funny photo presents itself like the pair of Willet below who flew in behind a couple of vehicles and began wildly flapping around as if to say “over here, over here”

This pair of Willet seem to be announcing their presence to all.

The Forster's Tern is showing off his catch to a potential mate.

A Greater Yellowlegs wades in the shallows.

Further along the Wildlife Drive, we cruise up on another Great Egret who decides it doesn’t like our presence too much. It doesn’t take long for it to take off and thankfully I was completely ready, camera set, bird in the frame, ready to rock when this one took off. It is also another sequence that turned out great with the slightly overcast morning. It’s always neat to see the mechanics of the wings as a bird this large takes off from the water.

A sequence of a Great Egret taking flight from the water.

A sequence of a Great Egret taking flight from the water.

A sequence of a Great Egret taking flight from the water.

A sequence of a Great Egret taking flight from the water.

A sequence of a Great Egret taking flight from the water.

A sequence of a Great Egret taking flight from the water.

As we were driving along and getting near the end of the marsh area my father spotted a brilliantly blue bird. Neither of us recognized it at first, but thankfully for me it was on my side of the car so I was able to lean out and proceed with my haphazard “never seen before bird” sequence. It turned out to be a Blue Grosbeak which is such a beautiful bird. As I mentioned, the Grosbeak was on my side of the car so my father wasn’t able to get any photos and proceeded to bust my chops saying “sure I see it and you get the pictures”. We thought it only flew a little bit further down the road and landed on his side of the car, so we slowly drove up and as luck would have it the bird was sitting right there in front of my dad. It took him a moment to get set up for the shot (he shoots with a 500mm lens which isn’t the easiest to deal with inside a car). Right as he was ready to take his first picture I tried to put down the back window on his side of the car, planning to get myself a vantage point to photograph from. Well this didn’t work out so well since I accidentally hit the wrong button and put the window down which my father had his lens resting on. It really messed him up and he began to think I just didn’t want him to get a photo of this (new to both of us) bird. He regained his composure and managed to fire off a few, one of which is way better than any of my photos. It all worked out in the end and we both had quite a laugh about the whole scenario, although I think he would have had a different point of view had he not been able to get a great photo too.

A brilliantly blue, Blue Grosbeak sitting on a branch over the marsh grass.

The Blue Grosbeak didn't stay long.

Next we drove into the upland area, leaving the marsh and tidal water behind. This is another one of the great things about Forsyth National Wildlife Refuge, the multiple different habitats you can observe in one day. We started seeing some birds that are more common and some that can be found at the backyard feeder, but it’s always nice to get photos of them in their natural surroundings. This is one of the areas it pays to really take it slow, many of these birds are incredibly adept at blending in with their surroundings and if you go too quickly you will miss a lot of them. I always seem to get too impatient though and after a while of driving really slow, I usually end up quickening the pace. On this day I did manage to keep things going slow and I got another first, an Orchard Oriole as it took flight. It’s certainly not the best picture but it was the third species that day that I had not ever photographed before, so far so good! This was all on one drive around which wasn’t finished yet and it was only a bit after 9am – another great reason to start out early.

A Pair of Tree Swallows - that one on the right seems to have an attitude problem.

Not a very uncommon bird but for me it's uncommon to see them in a natural surrounding, not on a feeder.

A Gray Catbird turns his head just right to catch the sunlight in it's eye.

This Orchard Oriole didn't sit around very long for photos.

At one point along the drive you go over a bridge which straddles a few small ponds, some times you can see lot’s of wildlife in this area, other times not a thing. This morning we were treated to a Belted Kingfisher (which was very far off) but not much else. As we sat there for a bit I noticed some movement in the lily pads in the water. I didn’t think much of it but it was enough for me to keep my eye on the area. Just as I was ready to move along a river otter poked it’s head up out of the water, and I only managed a fleeting shot as it dove back under and continued on it’s way.

One of the most wary birds I've ever encountered this Belted Kingfisher sat for quite a while this day, although he was very far off.

Only saw this otter for just a moment before he disappeared.

I liked how you could see part of the plant under water as well as the pads on top.

We decided to head back to the area where we started the morning and just hang out there for a while. Just like earlier there wasn’t too much action but the Red-Winged Blackbirds were still hanging around making tons of noise and I even got a few far off shots of one chasing a crow around. It’s so funny to watch these territorial Red-Wing Blackbirds, they will chase almost any bird out of the area. I’ve seen them pestering crows, and even hawks which could easily kill them, I guess they are either very brave or very lucky.

Male Red-Winged Blackbird showing off his colors.

Sing it proud.

Red-WInged Blackbird chases off an American Crow

This Crow has certainly seen better days, it's feathers don't look so hot.

I decided to take a short walk by myself along a dirt road next to a small pond. It was still pretty overcast but it was starting to look like we might see some sun again later in the day. As I walked along I noticed a Cedar Waxwing hopping around in a tree branch. I tried to move as slowly as possible and get a little closer, which is pretty much impossible not to be noticed when on foot. This bird didn’t seem to mind me and I got within a reasonable distance and grabbed a few shots. Immediately after I took the photo below of the waxwing another bird (not sure what it was) flew from about 10 feet away, then a snake slithered away right next to my feet. Man on man the things you miss when you are distracted. There was a bunch of wildlife right next to me and I didn’t even know it. Next time I’ll have to pay more attention to what’s around, haha.

Cedar Waxwing proudly showing off it's incredible color scheme.

Yet Another Red-WInged Blackbird.

On the second trip around Wildlife Drive we went a little quicker but we still saw some interesting things and the sun started to make an occasional appearance. The first shot below is one I really like even thought the bird is very small in the overall shot and it’s also not the most beautiful bird (Common Grackle). I like the photo because of the really interesting texture on the dried ground behind the bird. I remember specifically placing the bird in the lower part of the frame to be able to include more the that cool texture. I have begun to realize that this is certainly a big part of my style of shooting nature and wildlife, where I sometimes heavily offset the subject to include more background or just empty space. I’m sure it’s not everybody’s taste, but at least it’s something I can start to see as a personal style in my photography. You can see a bit more of that in the two photos following the grackle, the snowy egret is offset as is the hard turning tern, haha turning tern!

I really only liked this shot because of the background.

The Snowy Egrets really like to fish near the water gates.

Forster's Tern with cool angles.

Another Snowy Egret fishing at a water gate.

We stopped and got out of the car to photograph the large group of Forster’s Terns at one particular spot they like to congregate when the tide is running right. I started out shooting a bit wider to show how many of them there were and how they fly in tight quarters together. I’ve taken probably thousands of shots of these birds in my many trips here, but I never get bored of trying to get a really good close photo of one filling up the frame. They fly so erratically, most of the time they are an incredibly difficult target which makes for a really fun challenge. I managed some of what I think are my best flying tern photos yet on this day, and I’ve shared a few of them below.

Showing off their flying skils these Forster's Terns are a blast to watch and challenging to photograph.

Showing off their flying skils these Forster's Terns are a blast to watch and challenging to photograph.

Showing off their flying skils these Forster's Terns are a blast to watch and challenging to photograph.

Showing off their flying skils these Forster's Terns are a blast to watch and challenging to photograph.

Showing off their flying skils these Forster's Terns are a blast to watch and challenging to photograph.

After the fun with the terns my father and I went off to meet the group of photographers that had assembled at a nearby cafe. Overall there were about 15 or so photographers that showed up that day which was a great turnout, and I got to meet some great people of whom I’ve only previously had contact with online. It was great to put a face to the photos that I’ve been seeing over the past few years and I hope we all get to do this again. We all had lunch together and everybody shared stories of what they had seen so far that day and some other interesting stories from outings in the past. It was a great time and it’s awesome to see all these great photographers together. After filling my stomach with pizza, we headed back out to make one more drive around the refuge. My father and I kind of split off from the group and took our time going around for our last pass, it started out great with the pair of Glossy Ibis flying right overhead.

I got to catch another glimpse of the Glossy Ibis on this lucky day.

Nothing special here, just a female Red-Winged Blackbird, but she's got a great pattern on her.

The last Glossy Ibis I saw on this day.

A pair of Wimbrel hunting in the marsh grass.

I managed to catch another sequence of a Great Egret fishing and this time I even got the full head extension, which looks hilarious to me with just it’s eye sticking out above the water. The bird was not successful on it’s first attempt, but it did manage to grab a small shrimp after a few tries.

This was a missed attempt for this Great Egret.

This was a missed attempt for this Great Egret.

This was a missed attempt for this Great Egret.

This was a missed attempt for this Great Egret.

Seems like a small meal for such a large bird but I guess food is food for this Great Egret.

The nesting osprey are cool to see, but they weren’t too active when we cruised by so we didn’t pay attention to them too long. In the same areas as the osprey a bunch of Willet were making such a loud ruckus I couldn’t ignore them. A fellow photographer who I had just met earlier at lunch was already set up on the Willet and the two of us got to watch a full mating sequence which was pretty cool, although I must say if I never hear another Willet call it will be too soon, man those suckers are loud!

An Osprey takes off from the nest.

From Flying around to a ridiculous amount of calling the end result of all the ruckus is a Willet pair mating.

From flying around to a ridiculous amount of calling the end result of all the ruckus is a Willet pair mating.

From flying around to a ridiculous amount of calling the end result of all the ruckus is a Willet pair mating.

From flying around to a ridiculous amount of calling the end result of all the ruckus is a Willet pair mating.

From flying around to a ridiculous amount of calling the end result of all the ruckus is a Willet pair mating.

From flying around to a ridiculous amount of calling the end result of all the ruckus is a Willet pair mating.

From flying around to a ridiculous amount of calling the end result of all the ruckus is a Willet pair mating.

From flying around to a ridiculous amount of calling the end result of all the ruckus is a Willet pair mating.

From flying around to a ridiculous amount of calling the end result of all the ruckus is a Willet pair mating.

I think she has had enough!

That was pretty much it for that day, we finished the drive around and didn’t spot that much more action. I did manage to get another first which wasn’t a great shot by any means, but hey, a first is always cool. As were were sitting in the car near a wooded area a Black and White Warbler showed itself for a quick few seconds and I was able to snap a few quick shots. The day ended with another Orchard Oriole sighting and we headed home a little before 4pm, which coincidentally was around 12 hours after I had awoke to start the day.

Only saw this Black and White Warbler for a split second but I managed to get something.

A final Orchard Oriole perched high in the trees to end the day.

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me for a day of birding and I hope you get to experience a day just like it yourself.

Thanks,

Ray

You know what I’m talking about, the hundreds of sparrows and finches that stop at back yard feeders all the time, fluttering around in city streets and just about everywhere. They don’t seem that special, they are almost too common! I’ve certainly had that attitude towards many song birds for a long time but every once in a while I decide to concentrate on them with my photography and I’m always surprised at some of the great photos that have resulted from photographing what I sometimes consider to be “boring” looking birds. Take the generic House Finch pictured above, in the right light and the right spot they can look incredibly colorful and dare I say beautiful. Many of these birds always blend in with their surroundings and it can take some extra care to seek them out and photograph them properly.

Most of these birds can be seen and photographed right in your back yard or taking a short walk through your neighborhood, even if you live in a city. I hope you enjoy the photos below and every once in a while, take the time to admire some of the all to often overlooked song birds, I’m sure you will be just as pleasantly surprised as I have been.

Pine Warbler - taken at Batsto Village in Hammonton, NJ

Gray Catbird - taken at Palymyra Cove Nature Park, NJ

American Tree Sparow - taken at Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge

Eastern Kingbird - taken at Palmyra Cove Nature Park, NJ

Female Red-WInged Blackbird - taken in Cape May, NJ

Male Red-Winged Blackbird - taken at Forsythe National Wildlfe Refuge

Northern Mockingbird - taken at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge

White-Throated Sparrow - taken in Clementon, NJ

Black-Capped Chickadee - taken at Palmyra Cove Nature Park, NJ

Eastern Phoebe - taken in Sebastian, FL

Female House Finch - taken at Barnegat Lighthouse, NJ

I choose to use space and off center crops quite a lot in my photography. Some of the time it may not be the best composition for a particular photo but it’s usually what I feel works best at the time. You may not agree with some of the examples shown here and that is perfectly acceptable. I believe every individual will always view the same photograph in a different way or make different suggestions to better the photo and that is one of the things I love about photography in general. No one way is the right way. Because of this I think you can use space any way you would like to try to make your subject stand out. I usually compose extremely off center when my background is a particularly smooth solid color as in the brown leaves against the solid blue sky below. Another personal preference of mine is when choosing to add extra space to a photo with an animal in it I like to have the animal looking into the photograph instead of out of it. You will notice three of the examples I’ve posted have the birds looking into the extra space in the photograph. As I mentioned this is not a cut and dry rule and the photo of the little shore bird hunting on the beach has him facing closer to the edge with less space. My main goal when using extra space in my composition is to try to cause the viewer to take an extra couple of seconds looking at the photo and to exaggerate the size of the subject or color of the background.

This method for the subject being “singled out” is entirely my opinion and please do not take it as the correct or incorrect way to take certain pictures. My goal with this entire series was to give you possibly new ways or just rekindle your creative eye when trying to make your subject stand out in a nature photograph. Whether that subject be a bird, flower, landscape scene or any other beautiful subject mother nature places in front of your lens, be creative and most importantly have fun with it. I’ve been lucky enough to have been working in the photography field in one form or another for the last 11 years. I’ve worked for a school and wedding portrait studio, an architect photographer, started my own portrait and wedding business and have always enjoyed taking nature photographs. It has become a huge part of my everyday life and I wouldn’t change that for anything. I hope photography can bring just as much pleasure into your life as it has mine.

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With the proper application space can be used to include more of a scene and still draw the viewer's eye to the main subject. In this photo we can see the bird is on the beach so it helps to give some location to the photograph and still the bird is the main subject.

I'm using 2 tools here, depth of field plays a part of making the blossom stand out but the use of space also contributes. The large amount of smooth bright water in the foreground helps to give the photo a different feel versus filling the frame with the blossom.

I used the space here simply for a more interesting composition. It also gives the Great Egret something to be lookin out towards in this photo.

Giving a huge palette of blue for the dark brown leaves to stand out against.

Using space again to show the empty snow covered ground surrounding this gull. The added space in this photo also allowed me to include the gull's shadow.

By positioning the gull in the lower right corner it allowed me to show the beautiful coastline beyond the main subject of the photo. This picture is a close call between the main subject of the photo being the entire scenic view or the bird on the cliff, but I still think the added space helps the photo and maintains the gull and rock ledge as the main subject.

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I have created silhouettes of many different things in nature but some of the most common for me are landscapes and specifically trees. Trees are great, large, immovable objects that come in thousands of varieties and shapes. One of my favorite was the B&W photo of the peach tree below. I had driven by this peach orchard hundreds of times near my home in southern New Jersey and always thought to myself “that would make such a great photo in the winter with fog”. One crisp morning in early February I woke up to see the perfect late morning foggy conditions needed to make the photo I had been imagining for years. I decided that would be the morning and I drove out to the orchard of peach trees. The morning had all the ingredients required to make the photo I had in my mind, leafless and creepy trees, plus thick dense fog. A few frames later and some added contrast in post processing and I ended up with a spooky, looming, dark tree outline against a bright white sky. This was one of the first silhouettes I was truly proud of as a budding nature photographer.

Another subject that can work well for silhouettes are birds (I like taking pictures of them if you haven’t noticed, haha). Some birds make for better silhouetted shapes than others and as always require a little luck to get the bird in just the right spot. As I mentioned, early morning and late evening can be the perfect opportunity to experiment with a few silhouettes because some times there is just not enough light to do anything else. It can also be fun for the viewer to try to identify the bird based solely on it’s shape and nothing else, which can be a challenge to even a seasoned birder, of which I am not.

Below are a few examples of silhouette photos that I’m quite fond of. Thanks for stopping by, and next week will be the last of the “Singled Out” series ending with “space”, which is my favorite technique.

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On a foggy morning the dark silhouette of the leafless peach tree against the bright white sky does a perfect job of making the subject become singled out.

Again, the dark silhouette of the single tree does the trick. It becomes the first thing the viewer's eye goes to.

Another tree example - hey they are easy to silhouette so I've got a few to share.

An Osprey perched on a branch becomes the perfect silhouette against the nice orange glow of a sunset. The fact that it is the one vertical thing in this photograph also helps make the bird become singled out.

Another tree silhouette, but this time it's the moon lighting up the sky and you can see a few stars too.

This silhouette is helped by the snow on the ground. If there was no snow, the bottom half of the tree would most likely blend in and only the top would be the silhouette.

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Flowers and plants can be a vast source or many different and vibrant colors. One advantage of photographing them is they don’t move. You can really take your time and look for the right colors or just the right composition to make a specific color stand out. In the first example below the green (which is one of the most common natural colors) really stands out because of the composition and utilizing a really dark background.

Another example of color that makes the subject stand out are birds. There are literally thousands of colors in the bird world and we as photographers can try to take advantage of that. The difficulty with bird photography is the inability to control what the subject does and where it goes. Most of the time luck plays a huge part in getting a beautifully colored bird on the perfect background. Other times it can be patience, waiting and waiting for a bird to show up in just the right spot to make it’s color stand out. I usually use a combination of the two. Since I become easily bored, luck plays a large part in my ability to capture the beautiful color of birds against contrasting backgrounds.

Colors can be used in all different types of nature photography, not just the examples I’ve shown and talked about. It can be more difficult and require some time and patience to pay off, but in my opinion it can be one of the most striking methods for making your subject “singled out”. Next week I’ll be talking about silhouettes and if you have time click below to view the rest of the series.

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Pretty obvious here, the red really makes the flower become the main subject.

This photo of the Cardinal has the 3 primary colors going on but the one that really stands out is the bright red. It's the most intense color in the scene and just seems to catch your eye the most.

Again here the bright white of the Egret stands out in the field of green marsh grass.

Another example of the bright red really catching the viewer's eye and making the blossoms on the branch become the main subject of the photo. This also has a little depth of field helping to draw your eye to the center blossom.

Here we have a great landscape on it's own. The many islands off the coast of Bar Harbor Maine make for a great scenic photograph. Once you add the bright red sails on this boat all of a sudden you have a definitive subject in the photo.

This is a more subtle use of color but the blue of the Tri-Colored Heron contrasts nicely against all the green in the scene and allows the subject to stand out.

There's that bright red again doing it's thing. In my opinion this is one of the most stand out uses of color there is.

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REDWINGS ARRIVE IN JANUARY DURING THE COLDEST MONTH.

Photography lends well to those who think,  “what else do you do when you look for things to grace that new roll of film or the mega pixels processed by the sensors on a digital camera?”  Then there are the times when the weather sucks like it did in the North East this year. So you comb through your files looking for things you missed all the time thinking about getting out there. I am fortunate to be able to go out pretty much when I want but most of the people I know shoot only on the weekends and there weren’t many nice ones in 2009 and so far in 2010. I never let weather bother me before the camera days so why now. I’m sure you can remember all those conversations about there not being enough light, or it’s going to rain tomorrow, and it’s freezing out there. So I thought why not use the weather and see what happens. 

A White-throated sparrow braves the winter winds.

When its blowing 40 Mi winds its a good time to test the focus on a lens.

A bee hovers the flower as the rain drops glisten on the pedats and leaves.

I had this idea of a shot while I was on one of those long periods of inactivity staring at nothing.      My first outing was to be a rainy day.  Not just any rain but the kind that runs down your back even with an umbrella.  I needed such a rain to get the effect I was looking for.  The first time I went out I thought I was pretty smart, I put on the gortex rain jacket, hip waders, carried an umbrella and had a plastic bag for the camera.  Of course I wasn’t prepared as well as you would think.  Trying to carry the tripod, camera with an extended flash and the umbrella was pretty cumbersome.  Not only that but trying to hold the umbrella and focus with the camera and subject was way too awkward for me.  Rain is one time you should shoot level or down at the subject or the lens hood will help collect water.  Then there was the walking with tree limbs catching the gear and helping send more water down my back.   Then came the realization that the umbrella I had was only good for a short time in that kind of rain before it was of no use at all, it was one of those free hand outs at some event.  I will confess that I use pro gear and the camera fared better than I did. 

As the rain fills the leaf the weight of the water tips the leaf causing a water fall to cascade.

After a few hours I did take some shots but I should have had a longer lens because with a million leaves there were only a few in the right position always farther then I wanted.   So naturally I started thinking….. about the next trip and how I would solve some of these problems. Fortunately it rained every week all summer long providing ample time to think about these problems, and so I did. 

First thing was to do some research on a more professional rain coat for the camera so I could forget about the umbrella.  I found one on the internet that was pretty cost effective and gave me a camo cover I needed anyway.  I was using a leg cut off an old pair of hunting pants.  I bought the better grade option so I could tripod the camera without taking the cover off and on.   Best money I spent because I also started to shoot HS Football and it rained every Friday night.  I hardly ever took it off.  I now felt more comfortable about the camera surviving so I headed off in the next rain storm to get that photo I had been thinking about for some time. 

Sometimes you get lucky and the water hits other leaves on the way down causing SPLATTER.

The next rain came right on schedule and I headed out to a local place that had the right type of plant. In Pennsylvania there are only two major places to find them.   The hardest part was to find the right direction because plants move to face the sun and where I wanted to be was on the opposite side.  Now here I go thinking again, thinking about the camera settings, and somewhere I’m not standing in the muck since rain and wetlands equal mucky walking.  I tried several spots until  I found the location with the right position.  I took a few test shots and began the long wait for the rain to do its job.   I had plenty of time to think about timing this shot however, too much thinking about other things sometimes called daydreaming and you miss the opportunity, having to wait till the next rain. You also have to pay attention while someone may be distracting you asking you about your rig and whatever could you be doing. It would be nice to nail the shot now because you never know about the weather and winter was coming. The plants wouldn’t be there much longer and the last thing I wanted to do is think about it till next year.   I’ve had a lot of people tell me about adding water but that’s not for me and after all, natural comes from Nature right? The weather never got any better and the winter came here too early for me.  The birds knew it was going to be ugly, and I took notice to the lack of winter food for them.  It was hard to find something worthwhile and was disappointing considering I was shooting the year before with good results.   I began to think, I used to like the winter. 

Snow covers a YOU ARE HERE sign although I don't think anyone cared today.

To know where you are going you have to know from where you came.

Winter with a camera presents a whole new problem, shooting white and not loosing detail while keeping it bright enough to show some really nice shadows.   Since buying the camera I hadn’t really encountered much snow and thought to put Yellowstone in winter on my high priority list. Foul weather in winter adds additional precautions for days out with the camera. Cold alone is enough but when you add the snow it hinders travel to and from places as well as the extra effort toting a 20 LB camera load through 30 inches of snow. I was certainly thinking about snow shoes after the first trek. Fresh snow can provide some interesting opportunities when you are the first to be there after the snow stops. It also provides some solace to think about things without being interrupted by a passerby or the sounds of civilization nearby. (Wildwood is basically a swamp in the shape of a triangle bordered on one side by major warehouses and the other two are interstate highways that merge. )    Snow can also be hard on the natives, food becomes even more scarce and wildlife cannot afford to get hurt by stepping in a hole they can’t see.   I think about those things when I am watching the snow fall through the local McDonalds window sipping the morning coffee. 

A table cloth of snow awaits diners.

Surfing was out of the question today.

Here are some things you would think obvious when going out in the weather that I learned the hard way.
• Carry an extra micro fiber cloth.
• Depending on the wind, even drifting snow will attach itself to the lense glass and rain will either put drops on the glass or become a mist much like fog.
• Squeezing the water out of a soaked cloth is better than not having any cloth at all.
• Carrying heavy gear can overheat you with all the extra clothes you need while you are thinking.
• Stepping into or down a snow bank can make you scramble to save the camera. (I hope no one was taking my picture that day)
• Warm rainy days can be bone chilling if you stay long enough.
• A gentle rain or snow fall can become extremely hazardous when wind starts blowing.

THE KISS THAT MADE ME MELT....Valentine's day gave me a present.

I don’t think winter is over yet as it is snowing outside again.  February has provided some interesting things, but you have to bundle up and get out there.  I have seen some bluebirds scraping at the boxes which is definitely a good sign.  I sure will be glad when I can put away the long underwear and boots and get back to business. 

AND YOU THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO TALK ABOUT SHOOTING IN THE RAW MODE!   Maybe next time, but I wouldn’t shoot any other way. 

Winter at its worst, snowing and blowing.

One last shot from the truck since it was cold enought to numb the hands shooting from the window. 

Trying to capture movement with the camera I tried to line up the blowing snow behind the trees.