Western Sandpipers at Hartney Bay, Cordova, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark III, 24-105mm (105mm), 1/250 sec @ f/18, ISO 400

Cordova, Alaska hosts the Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival, which happens annually in early May, timed to coincide with the great migration of many birds that utilize the Delta as a refueling and staging location. This year, the large groups of Western Sandpipers that often congregate at Hartney Bay, were only found in small groups. They may be coming through later, or simply have chosen a different location due to weather issues, as a large storm was centered over the area in early May. Here is one photo of a group of Western Sandpipers that were feeding on the tidal flats of Hartney Bay.

During the summer months, the Savannah sparrow is commonly seen and heard in the meadows around much of Alaska. They like to perch on the tall plants which, if your timings is right, can be fireweed or lupine. While photographing brown bears in a meadow along the Katmai coast (bears that were so busy feeding that they rarely looked up), I could not resist photographing the many sparrows that would fly from flower top to flower top. The comfortable range the birds seems to be about the equivalent of a 1000mm lens, but on occasion, one would land closer, or allow a closer approach.

Savannah sparrow perches on the wildflower blossom of a lupine in a lush summer feild of vegetation in Katmai National Park, Alaska Peninsula. Canon 5D Mark III, 500mm f/4L IS w/1.4x, 1/320 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 320

Female Pine Grosbeak in autumn plumage

The female pine grosbeak has a beautiful, rusty brown/orange color in autumn, which seems to blend in perfectly with the dried leaves of the willow bush in which she seeks food. The male, in spring plumage, is quite dramatically displayed in brilliant red. While at a rest stop along a highway, I noticed this bird feeding in the trees and hand just enough time to grab my 500mm and get a few shots hand held, before she flew off. Birds, while they are not the great money makers in general in the world of stock photography, sure are fun to watch and photograph.

Flamigos take flight over the Atacama desert, northern Chile. Canon 5 D Mark II, 70-300mm f/5.6L IS DO, 1/250 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 1000

I’m back in the blustery snowy landscape of Fairbanks, following a few weeks in the springtime southern hemisphere of Chile, South America. That is one long, slender country, and I enjoyed the divergent environments of the consistently clear and dry northern desert to the dynamically changing slopes of the Torres del Paine National Park of the south. I’ll have a few images to share in the next few weeks.

Snow owl in flight. Canon 1D Mark IV, 500mm f/4l IS w/2x, 1/500 sec @ f/8, ISO 800

I’ve had few chances to get a good photo of a snowly owl in flight, over the snowy tundra of Alaska’s north slope. On my last trip there many were spotted but this is the only one that I had a chance to photograph, and that was a long reach. I used my 500 with a 2x on a 1D, which makes a 1300mm lens. I even cropped this frame but still think it can produce a 16 x 24 inch print o.k. Net time, I’m hoping for something a little closer. They are truly majestic birds.