birding Archives • Page 2 of 22 • Into the Light Adventures

Artistry in Nature

By Sandra | March 14, 2024 | Comments 25 comments

Artistry in Nature, The Wing, it never ceases to amaze me, the intricate detail and design of the wing on all of the birds. I count at least 10 different lengths of feathers on this white pelicans wing. But they look so perfectly in line and a master of art itself from our creator.

Each feather with a purpose that only the designer knows exactly why and how it works. If someone asked me to design a wing. I would just make all the feathers the same because I don’t actually know the true purpose of all the different lengths.

But they are beautiful to look at.

Artistry in Nature

Bird Diving Board

By Sandra | March 8, 2024 | Comments 12 comments

Bird Diving Board – the brown pelican is built for diving. From 65 feet in the air, to just diving off of a post.

Amazing birds for sure. Definitely one of my favorites when I am in south to photograph.

Have a great weekend.

Bird Diving Board

Pet Portraits

Sandra J’s Photography & Fine Arts

Sandra J

Interesting Wing Spans

By Sandra | January 29, 2024 | Comments 20 comments

Interesting Wing Spans markings on these brown pelicans flying overhead. I noticed the white marks under the wings which looks like their bone structure. It was more prominent in the one pelican.

When you think you have seen it all, something new pops up when watching birds.

Interesting Wing Spans

Pet Portraits

Sandra J’s Photography & Fine Arts

Perfect Bird for January

By Sandra | January 17, 2024 | Comments 27 comments

Perfect Bird for January – The Snowy Egret, a beautiful display of flowing snow white feathers on this bird. Being there is a lot of cold and blizzard type weather moving across the states. Even down south here along the coast, the temps are cold and high winds.

Bundle up Buttercup, more cold weather coming.

Perfect Bird for January

Pet Portraits

Sandra J’s Photography & Fine Arts

Sandra J

Gulls in Flight

By Sandra | January 10, 2024 | Comments 55 comments

Gulls in Flight – Gulls are a very unique bird, some may say they are pest and some may say they are extremely smart.

They are definitely good at finding food or stealing food. But, if you are new at photography and want to learn how to photography birds in flight. Gulls are the perfect subject.

I learned so many better techniques by photographing gulls, because they glide and hover which makes it easier to track them with your camera.

It is fun to get a photo with their maximum wingspan and tail feathers spread out.

Plus they sit still for long periods of time so you can practice your still shots as well.

You may not know this, but they do dive head first into the water to catch a fish now and then.

Gulls in Flight

Sandra J

Sandra J’s Photography & Fine Arts

The Beach Birds

By Sandra | January 8, 2024 | Comments 20 comments

The Beach Birds – Never a dull moment when watching the little pipers and plovers on the beaches.

The Beach Birds

Sandra J

Sandra J’s Photography & Fine Arts

Finally Photographed a Bird

By Sandra | December 6, 2023 | Comments 23 comments

Finally Photographed a Bird – This is the first bird photo I have taken in quite awhile. I have not seen many on our travels this fall.

This is a mockingbird that sat very patiently in this holly tree. I love that shot with the red berries and blue sky with the bird.

Hopefully I will be seeing more birds again soon

Finally Photographed a Bird

Sandra J

Sandra J’s Photography & Fine Arts

Swan Dive

By Sandra | November 21, 2023 | Comments 46 comments

Swan Dive – Look at the size of those flippers. I took these photos in Iowa a couple of years ago. I just had to bring them back up being I have been posting about swans.

We were walking along the edge of a small lake surrounded by tall vegetation and we could here this loud noise and the sound of water splashing. We walked over to a clearing and looked across the water and found the source of all this commotion.

Seeing a swan taking a bath is quite something. They have a wing span of 6 to 10 feet long. The longest wingspan recorded is 10 feet 2 inches.

The trumpeter swan is the largest extant species of waterfowl, and both the heaviest and longest native bird of North America. They come in at 15 to 30 lbs.

These swans need at least a 100 meter-long “runway” of open water: running hard across the surface, they almost sound like galloping horses as they generate speed for take off. About as long as a soccer field.

Hopefully I will photograph that one day, landing and taking off.

Swan Dive

Sandra J

Sandra J’s Photography & Fine Arts

Photo Manipulation

By Sandra | November 17, 2023 | Comments 34 comments

Photo Manipulation also called composites. which means two or more photos put together as one. I occasionally make composites, when my imagination seems to be sparking an idea.

Take for instance these two swans. When I look at a photo, I always crop in 100% to check the quality of the photo and check to see if there are any defects that need attention.

When I crop in on a photo, my mind will wonder off as I picture the subject in a different light

I cropped in even further on this photo so I can actually see how clear the face is and the eyes. I always want to see if the eyes are crisp sharp, in this case they are just to dark, but the feathers around the face look pretty sharp.

Then I crop in one more time and the water in the background makes my imagination start to turn, it looks as though the swan is sticking its head up out of the water as if its body is underwater.

So then I just have to see if I can make it look like it is peaking out of the water at me and because it appears that the swan is looking right at me, the words Navy Seal runs through my mind.

Well, all I could do is add some goggles that I found on the internet, just for a fun photo. Now I know why it takes me forever to edit photos, I can’t help but to try and create what my imagination is throwing at me. Then I just turn the computer off and go outside for awhile, laughing of course. 🙂

Have a great weekend.

Oh, on Monday I will show you the other swan I photographed when we were out west, a swan that is only suppose to be found in Australia.

Photo Manipulation

Sandra J

Sandra J’s Photography & Fine Arts

The Trumpeter Swan

By Sandra | November 16, 2023 | Comments 23 comments

The Trumpeter Swan – There are 6 swans species and I have photographed two of them. This one here being the trumpeter swan.

I went for years never seeing a swan anywhere, but now do to conservation efforts these swans have been taken off of the endangered species list and are found in many states including Iowa. Where I photographed these here.