On Saturday, June 9th, 2012, I went to my favorite place to take pictures of birds. That place is called Long Run Park, which is located near Louisville, Kentucky.
When I tell people I like taking pictures of birds, they often somewhat enthusiastically ask me where I go to take the pictures. Once I tell them where I usually go, the enthusiasm quickly disappears. It’s as if they expected me to say Ecuador or Indonesia. Once they realize that they are talking to an amateur, once they understand that I go to take pictures of birds like some people frequently go to some nearby lake to fish, they then proceed to tell me about all these other local and not-too-distant places where I could go.
Early on, I checked out some of those places, and invariably came home disappointed. Perhaps it’s because I fell in love with the place the first time I laid eyes on its beauty, way back in the seventies, but the Long Run Park terrain, its amount and density of the trees, the character of its paths, its topography in relation to the sun’s arch across the sky, and its total acreage seem far more inviting to me than any of those recommended places to which I have ventured.
More
importantly, though, concerning people’s lack of enthusiasm for Long Run Park
as a frequent destination for a bird photographer—be they amateur or be they
pro—I just listed seventy-five different species of birds of which I have a
photographic account of having seen them there.
My favorite
photos from 06/09/2012 include eleven species. The following are my five best quality photos
of the day.
(Click on the titles for a full view, see all the flaws, and feel free to copy any of them that you want for whatever reason you have in mind.)
(Click on the titles for a full view, see all the flaws, and feel free to copy any of them that you want for whatever reason you have in mind.)
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Those were
my top five photographs with regard to photo quality. For the overwhelming
majority of my shots, I use the Canon
Power Shot SX40HS: a
bridge camera, something between a point-and-shoot and an SLR. Like I said,
I’m an amateur, and the unedited quality of most of my bridge camera photos won’t
let me forget that fact.
Nonetheless, I employ editing tools and press on.
What follows
are one dozen other photographs ( in time line order) that, for one reason or
another, made the drive, the bath in Deep Woods Off, the heat, the walking, and
the waiting well worth the effort.
 |
| Barn Swallows (11:27AM) |
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| Summer Tanagers (11:41AM) |
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| Northern Mockingbird (12:46PM) |
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| Blue Jay (01:23PM) |
Out of the three hundred and twenty-nine shots I took between 10:18AM and 02:18PM, I kept one hundred, forty-seven of them. The preceding photographs were my seventeen best catches; and like that person who goes fishing a lot, I threw some back and some got away. I saw a great Blue Heron, but didn’t catch it. I saw a Green Heron, but didn’t catch it. I saw a male Indigo Bunting as I pulled in to park, but never saw it again. Maybe tomorrow if the rain holds off.
Beautiful photos, Mitchelle! I just recently acquired the very camera model you mentioned, but I am still weeding through the manual for information on proper use. Next time I am up that direction, I will have to see about visiting Long Run Park. Four of the species you mentioned above I have not had the pleasure of viewing yet (and another I have only seen once by chance). :)
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you dropped in. If you ever come to Long Run Park, the closer you get, the more you will find.
ReplyDeleteIf you start something like this, let me know, and I'll be there and push it.
Good-night and peace.
I am glad I looked at your site... great pictures!!! I will return on occasion!
ReplyDeleteLovely photo's! No wonder you love that park, what wonderful beauty it shares with you!
ReplyDeleteHI Mitchelle. Do you have an email address please?
ReplyDelete