For more than two months this male northern flicker and his mate maintain a territory centered around their nesting cavity in an Alaskan black spruce forest. Flickers are the most common woodpecker in Alaska’s interior. Continue reading
Yesterday I climbed a ladder twenty feet up to a natural hole in a decaying poplar within the boreal owl territory. I had found the male inside the cavity once, so I had always thought it was a likely place for a nest. I took a quick look inside the cavity with flashlight and mirror but there was nothing inside. A single gray, downy feather clung to the bark on the outside. The owl must have been spending some time there, I thought. When I looked around I was surprised to see the little boreal owl glaring at me from about ten feet away. It was clearly agitated that I was at the hole. A few minutes later as I photographed the owl from the ground, I suddenly heard the rapid calling of the male. But it wasn’t the owl I was photographing. There are two boreal owls here!
This morning just after six a. m. I returned to the owl territory. As I neared the poplar the cavity seemed to have vanished. Through binoculars I could see the female was at the cavity entrance peering out at me. What perfect camoflauge. It has been fifty one days since I first located the little male boreal owl. Well, it seems that all his persistant singing has finally paid off.
Female boreal owl in cavity.
Male northern flicker on spruce snag.
By the end of May one pair of flickers I had under observation had settled into a routine. After their first egg was laid in the cavity the male no longer called from the nesting snag. Now the calling and most of the drumming was taking place at another dead snag about a hundred yards to the north. Continue reading
Male northern flickers call to establish a breeding territory and attract a female.
This week was spent working on northern flickers which have shown up on our homestead. I have worked these beautiful woodpeckers extensively in the past yet there are still great shots to be had. I concentrated on getting the best shots I could of the opportunities that presented themselves. The leading off photo of the calling male was one shot I needed to improve on. This kind of shot presents a challenge because normally the eyes will be in focus but the long bill is not. I shot this at F16 to give enough depth of field. Continue reading
In my part of Alaska’s Interior we have two species of chickadees. These tiny and delightful birds cheer up the coldest day but are hard to photograph. The black-capped chickadee is often found in mixed habitats of spruce, willow, birch and aspen. The boreal chickadee is associated with the black spruce bog habitats. They are quick and refuse to stay put so you must be very quick yourself. One sure way just might be the oldest techique for bird photography out there. Simply pre-focus on a favorite perch and wait.
On my last post I laid out a way to get close-up photographs of the very small and beautiful common redpoll. By setting up a feeding station early in the season you can get redpolls to come to you.
Attention to a few photographic details can help you to get professional results. First, you’re choice of a location is very important. Some locations are more photogenic than others, obviously. Avoid situations that are complex. For example if your location is too thick with brush and vegetation then there will always be something in the way, branches, twigs, between you and your subject. Often, it is these kinds of distractions that can ruin an otherwise nice photo. Continue reading
What a joy it is to observe common redpolls every day all winter long. When the bottom drops out of the thermometer they go about their cheerful, lively routine seemingly without regard to Interior Alaska’s dangerous temperatures. Redpolls are active from first light until sunset. Even at fifty below you will find them busy, usually in small groups feeding among bushes. But where they spend the nights is a mystery to me. They have been reported to spend some nights in snow burrows, like ptarmigan. Continue reading
A group of willow ptarmigan huddle beneath a willow in Alaska.
It seems hiding in plain sight would be risky business in our hostile and unforgiving world. But few strategies for survival are as effective as camouflage. Countless species of wildlife including birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, insects have adapted diverse methods of camouflage for offense as well as defense. Continue reading