My Favorite Birds

     Since I have acquired a passion for photography, I have come to appreciate all the new things I learned and saw. Most of the time, I am out in the wild, looking for new interesting species of animals to hopefully photograph. Wildlife photography is by far my favorite genre, I should say. Rarely, I do product photography, where I take something from around the house, or buy it, and photograph it in an interesting way. And I enjoy doing it too, not so much the fact that I'm not making any money, despite it being called "product photography". But in this article, I want to take some time to write about a few of my favorite birds I have taken photos of over the last few years. 

    Raptor Category

    If I had to choose just one favorite bird, no matter what category, it would be without hesitation the Bald Eagle. Is it because it's big and strong, or because of its splendid black and white design, or since it is the symbol of America? Either way, I just love it. Every time I see one I get chills down my spine. Sadly, Bald Eagles became one of the first species protected by the Endangered Species Act when it was passed into law in 1973, since they were being hunted so much. However, they are no longer a concern. The population had since been ever growing. I feel like they are everywhere, in parks, near highways, and even in our backyards. On the other hand, this eagle is very hard to photograph. Their eyesight and other senses are great, so there is no possible way to sneak up on them. That's why I really only got two good photos of them, in about 4 years now. Yes, pretty sad. But I'm still extremely happy with them and will never forget the adventures I took to capture these photos. 

The next bird I will be sharing is the Osprey. I absolutely adore it. It is so different from all the other birds in the way it flies, hunts, and eats. Its beautiful and sleek shape makes this bird unique. I am shocked at its eye capability, and how it's able to see any fish in the water more than two hundred feet away. When it dives into the water, talons first, the Osprey closes its third eyelid, called the nictitating membrane, which is semi-transparent. It acts like goggles and helps them see clearly beneath the water. I am fascinated with this bird's many abilities, like reaching a maximum dive speed of over 120 mph. That's incredible for a bird its size. Unlike the Bald eagle who can eat fish and small mammals, the Osprey eats only fish. Therefore, the Osprey is only found near the ocean or various other water sources. It is also much more common to find, meaning that I was able to take countless good photos of it.

Aves Category

    Probably my second favorite bird from any category would be the Kingfisher. From its splendid colors to its beak, this bird looks like it's from another planet. Unlucky for me though, the Kingfisher is extremely difficult to photograph. Harder than the Bald Eagle, or any other bird I have seen. I sometimes feel like it can see me from miles away. And it's so small and so well camouflaged, that sometimes the only way to see it was there is for it to fly away. It is very frustrating when that happens. However, my sorrow drains when I see it's beautiful matte blue and green colors change and brightly shine in the sunlight. The Kingfisher's shape inspired the Japanese bullet trains. And believe me, this bird flies exactly like a bullet.  When it spots a poor little fish in the water, that fish can not escape. The Kingfisher catches it in less than a second. Blink and you miss it. Unless you wait hours for one of these birds to magically appear in front of your camera, it is almost impossible to take a good photo of them. And luckily, that's exactly what happened for me. I was in the Danube Delta, on a boat, and a Kingfisher decided it was a good idea to place itself in front of my camera on a stick coming up from the water. It's really the only "good" photo I have of a Kingfisher. I hope that this summer I will get an even better photo. 

The last bird I will be talking about is the Snowy Egret. It's so simple, yet complex. The soft tone of white it has on its feathers, makes me just want to cuddle with it. Unfortunately, these birds are migratory, so they can only be seen in New Jersey between April and late August. However, unlike the birds I have mentioned above, the Snowy Egrets are some of the most easiest birds to photograph. And that's most likely because the are not that smart - sorry Snowy Egrets. And they are not very fast either, another advantage. This means that I do indeed have many good photos of these birds. However, recently I took a really good one that I am very proud to share with everyone.

    In conclusion, those were four of my favorite birds since I have started photography. Generally, I like any sort of animal, but these birds just don't get the amount of attention they should from people. Even going to public parks, I notice that people do not see the beauty that lies around them. I hope that by creating more awareness like this article, people will open their eyes and realize what this little blue marble we live on really has to offer.