It has been through my practice of photography that I have discovered the wonder of birds. Although a handful of these images were taken in nature parks and at educational events, capturing them in their natural settings is my goal . I most love creating images of birds in the course of their captivating and often humorous behavior.
The activity of photographing birds is very different from my usual deliberate and meditative photographic process. Reaction time, camera readiness, shutter speed and focus must be instantaneous when shooting birds. I take many, many exposures and often can't see well enough to register the activity taking place. Getting a good image, in focus and with expression and behavior, is much more a matter of luck. It is very exciting!
My hundreds of bird images are organized into galleries by their scientific order or taxonomy. Each gallery lists the species of birds therein. With the help of some amazingly knowledgeable Whidbey Audubon friends, Ruth Richards and Jay Adams, I've been able to identify many birds that still remain mysterious to me in the wild, even with my Sibley's field guide. Putting this website together has been a time-consuming task, and I most certainly have made some errors. If you find one, please don't hesitate to let me know!
This website has been created in order to recognize this special focus of my work and to provide an archive of my avian photography, for myself and to share with others. It gives me the opportunity to collect and catalog my photographic experiences with my feathered friends. Some of these photographs are better than others; some are not at all are print-worthy. But each image represents a moment of profound joy for me in my connection with this awesome part of our natural world. Thank you for visiting my website!
I also have a photography website at Beth B Johns Photographic Art with a wide variety of photographic images and creations. If you want to know more about me you can click here. I am a member of the Whidbey Audubon Society and am so grateful for the birding experiences and education that this organization provides. I have used the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website "All About Birds" for some bird identification and their 2019 taxonomy list, which was simplified enough for me to understand, and helped me to group the birds into their galleries.