Brief notes from my bird photography outings—the conditions, the birds I encounter, and the moments that make or miss a photograph. A record of what I’m seeing and learning along the way.
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Still Slow at the Virginia Arboretum
I returned to the State Arboretum of Virginia at dawn to give the meadow another try. It was a crisp 48 degrees with mostly clear skies. This time, I skipped my usual spots and went straight to the meadow, standing quietly for 45 minutes. Bird activity was sparse compared with my first visit, and I…
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An Early Start at Stauffer’s Marsh
This was my first bird photography outing since Sunday’s time change. Arriving just after sunrise meant getting up an hour earlier by the clock—not an easy adjustment. I also chose Stauffer’s Marsh, a 40-minute drive and the farthest of my regular spots. It was a quiet morning, yielding a few photographs of perched sparrows and…
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State Arboretum of Virginia Part 2
Friday was a bit disappointing. I went to the State Arboretum of Virginia for the second time in a week, which is unusual for me, but I was excited because I found a new meadow that really produced earlier in the week . I got my monopod out and stood by the meadow, and there…
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Bird Photography at Shannondale Springs
I try to visit Shannondale Springs along the Shenandoah River at least once a week. Great Blue Herons, eagles, ducks, and the occasional kingfisher keep me coming back. This morning’s forecast called for overcast skies, but I was greeted by patches of sunshine. Fog along the drive had me wondering whether I’d be fogged out…
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Discovered a New Hotspot at the Arboretum
I returned to the State Arboretum of Virginia this morning—the place I’ve called “Mockingbird Alley” in an earlier journal entry. At sunrise, I set up my monopod in my usual spot and waited. After 20 minutes, several mockingbirds perched high against the sky. I took a few photographs but kept only one. Half an hour…
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Shenandoah University River Campus
I arrived at Shenandoah University River Campus in the western part of Virginia at 7:30 this morning, right at sunrise, although the sun wouldn’t clear the eastern mountain until 8. It was a brisk 40 degrees, and my thin wool gloves made working the controls on my Nikon Z8 awkward but manageable, much like my…
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Fogged Out!
I arrived at Shannondale Springs Wildlife Management Area at 7:30 this morning, right at sunrise. It was a brisk 40 degrees, and thick fog covered the river, limiting clear visibility to about 10 feet. I should have anticipated it—cold air over relatively warm water can create these conditions. I decided to wait for the sun…
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A Meadow Surprise and a Missed Kingfisher
I arrived at Stauffer’s Marsh just after sunrise, later than my usual dawn start after underestimating the 40-minute drive. It was a brisk 38 degrees under clear skies, with fog covering the pond. Two Great Blue Herons flew past the western overlook, but at 1/800s my Auto ISO hit its 12,800 ceiling, leaving the birds…
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A Morning in Mockingbird Alley
Bird photography at Virginia State Arboretum. Bluebirds and Mockingbirds
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High Water on the Shenandoah
Nature caught me by surprise this morning, as it tends to do. While I was in Maine for a long weekend, nearly two inches of rain fell across the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. When I returned to Shannondale Springs near Harpers Ferry, I found the Shenandoah higher than I’d ever seen it. The water…