Sitting at my desk while writing an article this week, a flash of movement outside my window caught my eye. When I looked up, my hands reflexively went for my wildlife photography gear. Right outside my cabin, a flock of cedar waxwings decided to feast on the moths, mayflies and dragonflies right outside my window.
I’ve always loved cedar waxwings because their wings look impossibly smooth, almost plastic. But perhaps even more importantly for wildlife photography, the birds didn’t seem to mind at all at a human presence, darting right over my head to catch bugs in mid-air.
Such smooth feathers...
Image credit: Hillary K. Grigonis / Future
...until they ruffle them!
Image credit: Hillary K. Grigonis / Future
Birds are the great equalizer in wildlife photography. I can’t photograph a wild giraffe or monkey without a plane ticket. But, from the pigeons on a New York City apartment balcony to cardinals at a country bird feeder to puffins in the Arctic, birds are nearly everywhere.
Sometimes, I plan my wildlife photo hikes – which I often use as a much-needed mental health break – well in advance. I research the best spots and rearrange my schedule so that I can head out when wildlife tends to be the most active.
But other times, wildlife photography opportunities present themselves when I least expect. I’ve often longed for my wildlife gear when spotting a bird that I haven’t photographed before in a grocery store parking lot.
I can’t count the times that I wish I weren’t driving when I spotted wildlife, like the kestrel I saw scoop up a field mouse or the eagle that swooped right out of the fog towards me one morning, his wings feeling nearly as large as my windshield.
I consider myself only a hobbyist wildlife photographer (because when you turn both of your creative passions into a career, something needs to remain a sacred hobby). Thankfully, the cedar waxwings were enjoying the feast of bugs in my yard for more than an hour. That gave me the opportunity to watch, wait, and try for some action shots.
I wasn’t quite fast enough to get the birds swooping midair, but I managed to photograph a few wings poised in mid-flight, along with a few bugs clutched in beaks. A bald eagle even flew overhead while I was out photographing the cedar waxwings.
I walked back in the door, memory card bursting, and a smile plastered on my face – sometimes it’s the most unexpected photo shoots that bring the most joy.
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