From http://natureandwildlifephotography.blogspot.com/
You can't fight it, you have to go with the flow. Let the salmon go up river to their death, struggling to survive, but as a photographer - learn the seasons, research the places, scout them, make friends, make visits, and over time get to know places and what works best.
I guess in a nut shell that's what I've been doing for a few years or more. Traveling mostly a hundred miles this way or that way, and when it works well either learning about a location or getting some good and new images - and on the really good days both. A day with learning but no stand out images, that's still got to be counted as a success.
Cape May New Jersey is sort of my new favorite place. Last year I went a couple times, but this year I am even more in to it.
Having gone to spots here and there at Cape May and tried sunrise or sunset at a few spots I now have more info and more local knowledge. The folks that live nearby, or visit lots, they know what's up - and it can largely be a matter of asking, and also trial and error.
The hawk landed on that fence post - I was just 20 feet away, and when I moved the camera over and started to shoot he saw me and flew off a moment later. That brief encounter, what it really highlighted for me was - hawks will do anything and land and then scan the area - IF they aren't spooked off to begin with. I was there already, but when I moved and focused on him, THAT bother him.
So, that was a couple weekends ago. What happened a few minutes later was a group of ~15 birders came up to the spot near me, and walked up and started looking around. Needless to say, no more hawks landed on the fence.
A week later I was back and it was like ground-hog-day, but I had just a little more info. I was at a similar spot along the dune and the hawks were all over the place, and migrating, and flying mostly south.
What I tried differently was to not be in a spot so often traveled by people. It was still pretty close to the beach, at a dunes spot, and basically equally good for hawks.
Here's the spot I picked and how I setup with some cover. Having shot a few places where I just made the seemingly minor choice of picking some cover to try to blend in with, it really made a difference. 
The thing about shooting raptors flying by close and fast though is that shooting from a tripod - that's not so good. I couldn't move around and adjust fast enough. I wound up hand holding most of the time. I'd rest the camera and lens on the tripod, and then when something was approaching I'd hand hold the camera and get ready...
What actually happened next THREE TIMES though was I was too hidden, I blended in too much for my own good. Last year I got a camo coat, and hat, and have wrapped my lens in camo too. So, THREE times at this *other* spot a hawk landed on the fence post, so close that by the time I reached for the camera and began to adjust and move to just begin to PREPARE to take a shot, the hawk was so spooked by my new found presence that it took off before I even came CLOSE to getting a shot. Three times. Once the hawk was just on right of that tall grass perched on the fence maybe 4 feet from me and the camera.
Sigh.
So, I tried to learn from that, expect things, and plan and move around differently... It didn't quite work out, but I think if I had done what I did later during the earlier encounters, it could have worked. So, for me, I learned and will try new things next time.
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One of the great things about this time of year and Cape May also is that there are so many knowledgeable and friendly people there. In just a few visits this year, I really learned a bunch already. I will still basically say much of the bird IDs I tell people are "guesses" because I know I have so much more to learn, but, with hundreds of raptors passing by, often per hour, I kind of feel like I know more every day of every visit I'm there.
Taking time to blend in, dress right, move slowly, and predict things is something I've picked up more in the past 2 years I'd say. It's like being a hunter... The input influences the output. If you don't know what you're doing the best you can hope for is being lucky. But there more you know, the more you can predict, the more you can steer chance in your own favor.......
Find spots and go with the seasons, learn the lay of the land, patterns, and NEVER be afraid to get info from a local or fellow visitor.
-Jon
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Play the Seasons and Learn
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Get to know your subject and repeat visits to a location
I first started photographing these Red-Shouldered Hawks in 2005. They're wild birds that live at the US National Zoo.
My earliest encounters were the hawks hunting and working on their nest gathering sticks and branches.
Gathering Nesting Material
In Their Nest
Red Shouldered Hawks Mating
By going to the zoo often, I got to know some of their habits, where they liked to hunt and hang out. One reason I think I was able to spot them regularly and not spook them off is how they've become used to the zoo's visitors and don't just fly off when a human is present.
That's not to say that you could just walk up to them and they wouldn't care, but that relative to other birds that might see a few people a day or none, these two birds saw hundreds if not thousands of people a day. These birds help to teach me about how to approach and how to not disturb wildlife. It worked out well for me because of how new I was to wildlife photography, and they were very tolerant.
For comparison, I've seen some Red-Tailed Hawks and American Kestrals at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, and these birds won't let you get very close at all. They see much fewer people on a daily basis, their range is probably much larger, and they have to work harder to get food. The hawks at the zoo sometimes steal food from the zoo's exhibits, where these ones have to work hard for every meal.
Since my earliest encounters with these Red-Shouldered Hawks a few years ago, I've probably seen them over 30 or 40 times. I've learned their call, and can hear them from nearly a half mile away. Sometimes finding them was easy, because for example I learned a spot they liked to roost in, like this particular tree behind the outdoor bird aviary.
This year (2008) I got some of my favorite photos of them, and they were mating. The day I got the below images I went looking for the hawks because I knew early in the morning they might be working on their nest. When I got to the area I didn't see any hawks, so I took a few minutes to make sure my camera was setup right, and adjusted for the light, etc. Then a bit later I spotted on of the of hawks, and then shortly after that the second hawk flew by with something for the nest.
I knew it could happen, that they'd mate, and I waited. Moments later the male flew to the female and they mated for a minute or so.
Nikon D300, 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D VR - @400mm, ISO400, f/7, 1/400th, 0EV.
There were many days I went looking for these 2 birds and didn't see them. Other days I'd find them, but either they were too far off, or the light was drab, or nothing special happened. But by giving myself the chances, and learning some about their behavior I was able to be in the right place at the right time on multiple occasions.
I wouldn't recommend finding a bird's nest and just waiting there for the action. Nesting birds, or wildlife with babies should be respected and given some distance. That said, every animal is different and is used to different things and can cope in their own way. These hawks were so used to people, and possibly and even me in particular that I don't think I bothered or disturbed them. You'll have to use your own judgment, and try to do what you think is ok. Over time you'll gain a better base of experience to make more informed decisions from.
-Jon
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