photos by ABO staff
Creamer’s Field Migration Station – completion of spring banding
Alaska Landbird Monioring Surveys
Tree Swallow Mentoring Program on Creamer’s Refuge
Rusty Blackbird – Tanana Flats
Bird of the Day 31 July 2009: Hammond’s Flycatcher
Hammond’s Flycatchers seem to be all over Fairbanks recently. Juveniles from this year’s nesting season are conspicuous as they forage through the forest in mixed flocks. Last evening I had no less than five in my yard as they moved around with a group of Boreal and Black-capped Chickadees. They are preparing for migration, stuffing full of insects before they begin the long journey south to Mexico and Central America.
I was fortunate to have my camera nearby when the flock moved by the window. I grabbed my 500mm and scurried out the door in time to make a few dozen images of the several Hammond’s Flycatchers as they hawked insects from the birches around my cabin. This was a case where I was forced to handhold the big lens because I didn’t have time to pull out a tripod. As a result, I ended up with a lot of unsharp images, but a I did manage a few good ones. A hint: When hand-holding a telephoto, shoot your images in bursts to increase your odds of getting a sharp one.
Have questions about bird photography or birds in general? Enter them in the comments box at the bottom of this page.
-David Shaw/ABO Research Biologist
Bird of the Day: 1 July 2009- Alder Flycatcher
July 6, 2009
I’ve wanted for some years to get decent photos of Alder Flycatchers. They are only in Alaska for a limited time each year. In fact, they arrive late (usually not until the first week of June) and depart early (by mid-July) for the fastest breeding season of any interior Alaska songbird. Essentially they get in, breed, and get out. This short time in AK is preceded and followed by long migrations to and from southern South America.
I made this image near the top of Murphy Dome, a mountain northwest of Fairbanks. I’d been in the area a few days before conducting a breeding bird survey so I knew they were around. It took me a while to find a cooperative bird, but once I did, I was able to get several decent images including the one above. I used a tripod mounted digital SLR and a 500mm f4 lens.
-David Shaw/ABO Research Biologist
