Category: Wildlife Photography

Two Chickadees

by Earthwatcher, posted in Alpharetta, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, Georgia, nature, Nature Photography, Roswell, Virginia, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Black-capped Chickadee;
Stanardsville, Virginia, USA; OCT 2023

Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution!

Carolina Chickadee;
Roswell, Georgia, USA; SEP 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Short-eared Owls

by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, nature, Nature Photography, Uncategorized, Washington, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Short-eared Owl;
Bayview-Edison Rd, Edison, Washington, USA; NOV 2023

Some days you get lucky. My son and I were searching for birds to photograph in the state of Washington, USA. Traveling on a back road in an agricultural area, we found a group of photographers with big lenses. Of course, we had to stop. As it turned out, they were watching and photographing some Short-eared Owls that migrate into the area over winter. This was my first experience seeing Short-eared Owls and I was excited. What a blessing.

By the way, like the Long-eared Owl, it’s not the length of their actual ears that is responsible for their name. It is the length of ear-like tufts on their head.

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!

Short-eared Owl in Flight;
Bayview-Edison Rd, Edison, Washington, USA; NOV 2023
Short-eared Owl in Flight;
Bayview-Edison Rd, Edison, Washington, USA; NOV 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

A Few Birds

by Earthwatcher, posted in Atlanta, Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, California, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, nature, Nature Photography, Photography, Roswell, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
California Scrub Jay
Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Sacramento, California, USA; MAR 2023

Some birds I have photographed over the past few months.

Prothonotary Warbler,
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023
Gray-cheeked Thrush,
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023
Clapper Rail
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023
Male Hooded Warbler
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, GA, USA; SEP 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

A Few Woodpeckers

by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, Chattahoochee, Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, nature, Nature Photography, Photography, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Photograph of a male Downy Woodpecker perched on a brown tree branch against a background of light and dark mottled taupe. The branch is angled from the middle of the left side of the picture to the middle of the bottom. There is another branch, with offshoots on the right side of the frame. The bird’s breast and tail feathers are white though the lower right portion of the breast and center portion of the tail feathers are shaded and appear dark. The tail feathers have black spots. Between the branch and the bird’s head and behind the breast is a black stripe with white spots; those are its wings. Its beak is black with a small brownish gold patch at the base of the beak. Its eye is black with a white glint. Around the beak, are a series triangular shaped stripes forming the head feathers. The front stripe is black. The next white with a red crest forming the bird’s red crest. The next is a black eye stripe that does not extend to the back. The next is a white stripe that extends to the back then curves upward behind the eye stripe. The next stripe is black that narrows as it extends back then widens into a black patch. Its chin is white. Its dark gray legs and black “nails are clasping the branch.
Male Downy Woodpecker;
Roswell, Georgia, USA; FEB 2023

Please click on caption to see pictures at higher resolution!

Male Pileated Woodpecker;
Deepdene Park, Dekalb County, Georgia, USA; JAN 2023
Red-headed Woodpecker;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAR 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Damselflies

by Earthwatcher, posted in Atlanta, Chattahoochee, Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, Insects, nature, Nature Photography, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Image of a Female Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly perched on a bright green leaf against a background of black and surrounded by many more green leaves. The damselfly is positioned with its head near and facing the tip of the leaf. Its bulbous, black eye is most of what is visible from the head though the eye on the other side is also partially visible. Its dark gray legs protrude like sticks from the side of its body. As they extend outward, they make a sharp right-angled turn down to the leaf. Most of its body is obscured by the wings but the end of it protrudes from the back of the wing. Its wings are black, but they refract the light so highlight the wings in stripes of gold, green
Female Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023

When I saw the beauty of this female, the song “Isn’t She Lovely” popped into my head.

Image of a Male Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly perched on a bright green leaf against a background of black. The damselfly is positioned with its head near and edge of the leaf. Its bulbous, black eyes are visible on either side of its small, blue head. Its dark gray legs protrude like sticks from the side of its body. As they extend outward, they make a sharp right-angled turn down to the leaf. Its vivid blue body extends from the head and looks like a stick; it extends slightly past the end of the wings. Its wings are black but are refracting the vivid blue on the upper edges of the wings. The damselfly is casting its shadow on the leaf.
Male Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly; Island Ford;
Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Red-eyed Vireo

by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, Chattahoochee, Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, nature, Nature Photography, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Photograph of a bird, a Red-eyed Vireo, perched on a tree branch. The background is mostly yellow-green leaves with small patches of blue sky. The bird is perched on a dark colored branch that extends from top to bottom at the right side of the picture. The bird is viewed from below, so its underparts and side are visible. Its underparts are white. Beneath its eye and flowing back are its neck, wings and tail feathers, all olive green. The tail feathers are tipped in black. Its eye is red but appears dark in the picture. It has a dark eye stripe. Above its eye is a white stripe topped by a black crown. The bottom of its beak is white, the top is black.
Red-eyed Vireo;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023;

Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution!

Photograph of a bird, a Red-eyed Vireo, perched on a tree branch, with one end of a dark colored worm in its beak; the other end of the worm is wrapped around the tree branch. The background is a mix of yellow-green leaves and blue sky. The bird is perched on a dark colored branch that extends from left to right near the bottom of the picture. The bird is viewed from below, so its underparts and side are visible. Its underparts are white. Beneath its eye and flowing back are its neck, wings and tail feathers, all olive green. The tail feathers are tipped in black. The wings have black and green stripes. Its eye is red but appears dark. It has a dark eye stripe. Above its eye is a white stripe topped by a black crown; only the edge of the crown is visible. The bottom of its beak is white, the top is black.
Red-eyed Vireo; Island Ford,
Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023
Photograph of a bird, a Red-eyed Vireo, perched on a tree branch, with a fly in the tip of its beak. The background is mostly yellow-green leaves with a small patch of blue sky. The bird is perched on a dark colored branch that extends from top to bottom at the right side of the picture. The bird is viewed from below, so its underparts and side are visible. Its underparts are white. Beneath its eye and flowing back are its neck, wings and tail feathers, all olive green. The tail feathers are tipped in black. Its eye is red. Above its eye is a white stripe topped by a black crown; only the edge of the crown is visible. The bottom of its beak is white, the top is black. The object at the tip of its beak is an insect it captured.
Red-eyed Vireo;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Barred Owl

by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, nature, Nature Photography, Photography, raptor, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Photograph of a Barred Owl, perched on a tree limb against a background of blurred, green tree leaves. The tree branch lies horizontally at the bottom of the photo. It is gray, mottled with green moss and gray-green lichen. The branch starts just right of the picture’s left edge. It bows upward to just past mid-frame then bows sharply upward, then curling down to the bottom of the frame. At the bottom right of the frame is another, thicker horizontal branch that also bows upward. It is darker and is mottled with moss. The owl stands just to the left of the middle of the picture and dominates the picture. Its face is round and gray with a heart shaped notch at the top. It has dark eyes with a glint of light in each. Each of the eyes are encircled by fine, gray feathers with pale brown stripes. Between the eyes is a small, ovoid, dark patch. The beak is yellow and sets just below the ovoid patch. It sets in a triangular patch of feathers that are dark at the top that transitions to gray as they reach the rounded bottom of the triangle. It is holding a brown insect in its beak. The owl’s face is encircled by a cowl of brown and gray striped feathers. Its bulky body is white with horizontal stripes of brown feathers. Its 2 bulky legs are light brown with yellow and black claws that are grasping the tree branch. Its gray tail feathers protrude from under the body and below the tree branch.
Barred Owl with Prey;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023

Barred Owls are very common in the Atlanta, Georgia area. I am sharing 2 perspectives on this one, very cooperative, owl that I took a few weeks ago. I think it was just showing off the bug it caught.

Please click on caption to see this image at higher resolution!

Photograph of the face of a Barred owl against a background of blurred, green tree leaves. Its face is round and gray with a heart shaped notch at the top. It has dark eyes with a glint of light in each. Each of the eyes are encircled by fine, gray feathers with pale brown stripes. Between the eyes is a small, ovoid, dark patch. The beak is yellow and sets just below the ovoid patch. It sets in a triangular patch of feathers that are dark at the top that transitions to gray as they reach the rounded bottom of the triangle. It is holding a brown insect in its beak. The owl’s face is encircled by a cowl of brown and gray striped feathers. Its bulky shoulders and body is white with horizontal stripes of brown feathers. There are a few twigs and leaves randomly located in the picture.
Barred Owl with Prey – Close-up;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

A Few Birds from Our Recent Trip

by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, Earthwatcher, Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Fujifilm Cameras, Goose, nature, Nature Photography, Photography, Sacramento, Uncategorized, USA, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Photo of an adult and a juvenile Great Horned Owl at the opening of its hillside nesting cave. The hillside is a sedimentary mix of mud and ovoid river rocks. The background color isa sandy beige. The rocks are a mix of grays and browns. In the lower right corner is green foliage with yellow flowers – California Golden Poppies. There is some other green foliage dotting the hillside. The 2 owls are standing side by side at the entrance to their cave. The adult is the larger bird standing on the left, the juvenile is the small gray bird with gay beak standing on the right. Both birds are facing front with their head bent down, partially obscuring their eyes. The adult’s breast is mostly white, but orange in some areas, all with gray horizontal stripes. The top of the adult’s head is triangular patch with the point at the top of the beak. The patch is gray, outlined by a white stripe and further by a gray stripe. Its face is gray, outlined by a black stripe that makes it almost heart shaped. Its beak is gray.
Nimbus Fish Hatchery,
American River Parkway, Rancho Cordova, California, USA; APR 2023

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!

Photo of a Snowy Egret perched on a fallen tree in a pond. The fallen tree is two large main branches projecting from the water in the lower left of the picture. They project upward, across the picture toward the right at about a 30-degree angle. There are supporting branches on each of the main branches that project back into the water in the lower right quarter of the picture. The branches are dark gray, streaked with light gray on the top by the sunlight. The water is green in the lower third of the picture then changing to a greenish gray as it progresses to the opposite side of the pond. The bird is in the upper right quadrant of the picture. It is bright white with a black beak, black legs and yellow feet. Its eye is a small black dot where the beak meets the head. There is a small yellow patch on the end of the beak at the eye. There are many smaller branches in the water around the fallen tree. The river bank on the opposite site is out of focus river rocks capped with out of focus brush.
Snowy Egret;
Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Sacramento, California, USA; MAR 2023
Photo of a Snowy Egret perched on a fallen tree in a pond. The fallen tree appears as several medium gray to light gray, twisted, large branches. They appear to project from the lower right corner of the picture, curving upward; one into the middle, the other to left side. The bird is perched on one leg, on one of the branches, in the middle, vertically and one third of the way from the right side of the picture. The bird is white. It has a black beak and leg with a yellow foot. Its feathers are fluffed from the wind. Its eye is a tiny black dot at the base of the beak. There is a yellow patch on the base of the beak and around the eye. The background is the pond. The water is green in the lower third of the picture. It is mostly blue with greenish brown streaks in the rest of the picture.
Snowy Egret;
Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Sacramento, California, USA; MAR 2023
Photo of a Black Oystercatcher standing on a rock along the water’s edge. On the left side of the image is a triangular shaped, granular looking rock, sandy brown on type grading to dark gray. Across the bottom of the image, is a flat-topped rock which is light beige on the left and golden brown on the right. The water in the background is blue with some brown, shimmering rocks just below the water’s surface. The bird is standing upright atop the flat top rock, facing left. The bird has a black body, pink legs and a red beak. The bird is holding its prey, a black circular object, likely a shellfish, in its beak. Its eye is yellow with a red ring around it.
Black Oystercatcher;
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, California, USA; APR 2023
Photo of a Black Oystercatcher on a rock along the water’s edge. Across the bottom of the image, is a flat-topped rock which is light beige on the left and golden brown on the right. The water in the background is blue with some brown, shimmering rocks just below the water’s surface. The bird is standing hunched over, atop the flat top rock, facing left. The bird has a black body, pink legs and a red beak. The bird is holding its prey, a cream-colored circular object, likely a shellfish, in its beak. The shell from its prey sets just below the beak on the rock. Its eye is yellow with a red ring around it.
Black Oystercatcher;
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, California, USA; APR 2023
Photo of a Canada Goose on its nest which is on a hillside. The hill side is a dark, sandy beige color. The upper third is rock, the lower two thirds is dried mud. The dried mud is dotted with green foliage and yellow flowers. The bird has a black head, neck and bill. There is a small white patch on the right side of its head. Its breast and under parts are white. Its wing feathers are brown. The wing feathers are folded and extend to the length of its body making a “V” between the wings and underbody.
Canada Goose on Nest;
Nimbus Fish Hatchery, American River Parkway, Rancho Cordova, California, USA; APR 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Birds and Surf – Monterey California Coast

by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, California, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, Seascape, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
This image portrays a rough surf crashing over a large, triangular rock. Two Brandt’s Cormorants are flying low over the surf. The ocean water is pale gray-green. The rock is black with a brown peak. The surf is a mix of pale gray-green and white. The birds are black and are flying left to right, low above the surf.
Brandt’s Cormorants Traversing Crashing Surf
17 Mile Drive, Carmel By The Sea, California, USA; APR 2023

We returned to northern California for 2 weeks and visited many familiar spots. So, for the next few weeks, I will be featuring photos from that trip. I was intrigued by the birds thriving in the rough rocks and surf of the Pacific Ocean around Monterey and Carmel-By-The-Sea, California, USA.

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!

This image is a Brandt’s Cormorant flying left to right while carrying some type of sea grass for nesting material. The background is the blue-green water of the Pacific Ocean, capped with some white foam. The bird is black; the nesting material is in its beak and is a green color. The strip of water at the top of the image is pale gray-green. There is a large black object just below the surface of the water just to the right of the bird. It appears to be some type of marine plant.
Brandt’s Cormorant in Flight Carrying Nesting Material;
17 Mile Drive, Carmel By The Sea, California, USA; APR 2023
This image is a Western Gull flying towards the viewer, banking to the viewers right, over rocks. The waters of the Pacific Ocean are a green-blue with a strip of darker blue-green at the top of the image. Some of the waves are capped with white foam. The rocks are brown. White surf is flowing over some parts of the rocks. The bird is white and gray with a yellow beak.
Western Gull In Flight;
17 Mile Drive, Carmel By The Sea, California, USA; APR 2023




This image portrays a rough surf crashing over a large, triangular rock. The ocean water is pale gray-green. The rock is gray and is mostly covered with surf and water spray. The surf is a mix of pale gray-green and white becoming deeper blue in the upper right corner.
Crashing Surf;
17 Mile Drive, Carmel By The Sea, California, USA; APR 2023
Brandt’s Cormorant in Flight;
17 Mile Drive, Carmel By The Sea, California, USA; APR 2023
This image is a Western Gull flying towards the viewer, banking to the viewers right, over rocks. The waters of the Pacific Ocean are a green-blue with a strip of darker blue-green at the top of the image. Some of the waves are capped with white foam. The rocks are brown. White surf is flowing over some parts of the rocks. The bird is white and gray with a yellow beak.
Western Gull In Flight;
17 Mile Drive, Carmel By The Sea, California, USA; APR 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Tale of Two Finches

by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, bird watching, birding, Birds, Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, GA, Georgia, nature, Nature Photography, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Image of a male House Finch perched on a gray tree branch, facing left. The bird is surrounded by small twigs, The background is a blurred gray tree on the left fading abruptly to black on the right. The bird’s head and neck is a coppery orange fading to light gray over the breast. Its beak and legs are gray. Its eye is black. It has a gray-brown patch starting at its beak, across and below the middle, of its eye and finishing as ½ ellipse extending to the back of its head and down to the shoulder.
Male House Finch;
Roswell, Georgia, USA; FEB 2023

Most House Finches are red. However, its color comes from the food it eats during molt. Orange and yellow house finches can occasionally be seen.

I am sharing images of 2 male House Finches. These are very common birds whose range includes all the continental United States. One of the 2 images shows a bird with a red head and neck: the predominant color for these birds. The other showed up in our backyard a few weeks ago with this beautiful coppery-orange colored head and neck. It wasn’t the effect of the lighting; it was true color. I researched this condition and learned that House Finches can also come in Yellow. It all depends on what they ate or maybe they didn’t eat. The color derives from organic pigments known as carotenoids.

Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution.

Image of a male house finch perched on a gray tree branch, facing right. The background is blue sky crossed by gray tree branches of varying sizes. The bird’s head and neck is red, fading to light gray over the breast. Its beak and legs are gray. Its eye is black. It has a gray-brown patch starting at its beak, across and below the middle, of its eye and finishing as ½ ellipse extending to the back of its head and down to the shoulder. Its tail feathers are black with white tips at bottom corners.
Male House Finch;
Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAR 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.