I’m often asked what I enjoy photographing the most, and my answer is usually birds. Before that it was elk, and before that it was deer.

It’s a tough question for someone who has been doing nature photography as long as I have. Every year I have a new goal: birds, elk, deer or maybe even a scenic. Birds have been at the top of my list for many years, probably because they are a real challenge, and second, there’s nothing more satisfying than to get a great portrait of a colorful songbird.

Since there are so many different species of songbirds in our area, from the tiny warblers to the familiar cardinals and blue jays, bird photography can be a lot of fun. I do confess that I also love to photograph birds of prey, from the hawks, owls, and beautiful bald eagles, to the small falcons that live in our area.
Early in the spring I got to photograph a bald eagle nest, from of all places, a busy parking lot. The best part of this was the fact that there were two active eagle nests in this particular parking lot. How often does one get to photograph two active bald eagle nests within a hundred yards of each other? Photographer’s luck you could call it, or maybe just my old saying of being in that right place. With a great start of some fantastic nature photography I was sure this would be a fantastic spring and summer. I was wrong.

After my encounters with the eagles and some great songbird arrivals, things really came to a standstill. My only other exciting moment was a male bluebird landing on my fishing pole. Why would this be exciting you might ask. I was two and a half hours out in the North Atlantic fishing when the bluebird stopped for a rest on our boat. This is not an unusual sight off the coast of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Maine. Migrating songbirds often get blown far off the coast while migrating northward. Hopefully these wayward songbirds find their way back to land.

With late summer upon us, my photography has shifted slightly from birds to an occasional deer. I have seen a lot of deer activity pick up over the last couple of weeks, with the small velvet covered tiny bucks growing into some giant velvet covered monsters. Could this mean I just might get some nice buck shots this year? This brings me to the subject of photographic equipment, which could be a big factor in some great late summer and early fall nature photography.
My workhorse lens is my 100-400 Canon zoom. With its low light capabilities, it is ideal for some late evening nature photography. For you Canon shooters, this 100-400 now comes in a new Type II model. (With a hefty price tag). I do believe Nikon has a similar lens.

Whatever camera you may own, do your homework and shop around. While at Magee Marsh this spring, I decided to shop for a new lens. How could I do that, you ask. Easy, just be a nib, and check out what the majority of photographers are using these days.

The results were actually surprising to me, and this is what I found. Although many of the die-hard photographers are still carrying the giant, and heavy, long lenses (500 to 800mm zooms and standard), a lot, and I mean a lot, have turned to a less expensive Tamron or Sigma lens. The lens of choice seems to be the Sigma, or Tamron 150-600mm zoom lenses. This lens has plenty of focal power, while being lightweight and hand holdable. (No tripod).

The really good news is the price of these lenses. Usually under $1,000 compared to a $15,000 or more price tag on some name brand lenses. I have followed Tamron and Sigma lenses for many years, and yes, they have come a long, long way. It was amazing to me how many photographers were using these lenses. I still have a 600mm Canon lens that I use, but I’m noticing the weight more and more every year I take it into the field.

The bottom line is that a good telephoto lens can help a nature photographer tremendously, but do your homework. Shop around, and ask a lot of questions.

Also, think used. You could save yourself some big bucks, and still get a great lens. Have fun with photography this upcoming fall season. Wildlife will be plentiful along with some extra color being thrown in for extra measure.

Until my next adventure…
Questions or wildlife sightings, email me at rocky.holland1@verizon.net