Author: Hank

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The Uncommonly Common Starling

A European starling perches on a length of barbed wire
A European starling perches on a length of barbed wire

Everywhere I go for bird photography, I see starlings. Sometimes alone, sometimes in huge flocks, these birds are very common throughout much of the world. Here in the US, they are known as European Starlings (as they are native to Eurasia), elsewhere as Common Starlings, and in Europe, simply Starlings.

Because of their ubiquity, they are generally regarded as pests or just ignored by the general population. However, closer inspection reveals a beautiful feather display and a strange and sometimes unbelievable vocalization. Adults have an iridescent black feather coloring, and in winter, it becomes speckled with white flecks. At the right angles of light, the black feathers reflect a glossy green or purple.

A European starling perches on a branch of a white-barked tree
A European starling perches on a branch of a white-barked tree

They can be excellent mimics, repeating various bird songs and sounds from the environment. Each bird has its own repertoire with more proficient birds having a range of up to 35 variable song types and as many as 14 types of clicks.

Here is a sample vocalization from a common starling:

Taken individually, they can be a quite striking bird. But real amazement comes from their behavior in a flock, or murmuration. Changing speed and direction based on their closest neighbors, they fly as one shape-shifting organism, with the ability to perform a beautiful aerial ballet. A YouTube video gained popularity a few years ago showing off this behavior.

The next time you see one of these birds perched in your neighborhood, take a moment and admire them for the interesting species that they are.

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All New Website Design

My main photography page just got a brand new look and feel. It now maximizes the space to display portfolio photos and has a responsive design geared toward mobile devices.

Features:

  • Responsive design to work with any screen size or aspect ratio – try it out on your mobile devices
  • All new portfolio area and full screen mode. The images are now larger than ever
  • Integrated blog – read the blog directly from my main site, or click on any entry to see the complete blog (comments, slideshow, etc)
  • New clean and simple navigation
  • Links directly to my Google+ and Facebook pages

    • All New Website

    Come check it out and take it for a spin. I’d love to know what you think, if you have any feedback, or suggestions for improvements! Write a comment below, or drop me a note.

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    Yosemite Cloudscapes

    Clouds build over the northern mountains of Yosemite National Park. In the summer, afternoon thunder storms are common, often lasting less than an hour.
    Clouds build over the northern mountains of Yosemite National Park. In the summer, afternoon thunder storms are common, often lasting less than an hour.

    Recently I made a short overnight backpacking trip to the Ten Lakes region of Yosemite National Park. The trail to Ten Lakes starts at Highway 120 and heads north, into the Yosemite high country. Unfortunately, the sunrise and sunset weather conditions were not optimal for my particular location. With a large cliff to the west of my camp site, I was more or less blocked from the setting sun. Sunrise came with blue bird skies – definitely not what a landscape photographer is hoping for!

    However, some of the best atmospheric drama came from the typical afternoon cloud buildup over the high peaks. As my group reached Ten Lakes Pass, we were greeted with a large cumulus buildup, and distant showers, providing a dramatic topper to a never ending mountain range to the north.

    There was such detail in the cloud textures that I began thinking instantly of Ansel Adams, and the magnificent work he created on similar afternoons in the high country. I began thinking in black and white, centering my composition on the clouds, and using the mountains as nothing more than to give the photo a sense of place. The stark blue sky above the clouds was turned black by applying a strong orange filter (in post processing of course!), which rendered the isolated cloud bursts below the clouds in lighter grays.

    Storm clouds are bottom lit from the setting sun
    Storm clouds are bottom lit from the setting sun

    That evening, I watched the sun settle with bland ambivalence behind the ridge line to the west. It was not quite yet true sunset, but my world was thrust into shadow. Dark, colorless clouds spotted the sky, but I couldn’t tell if the western horizon was free of cloud cover or not. Just as I was about to give up and pack the camera, the bottom of the clouds lit up in a surreal magenta. With nothing to anchor the shot, I began creating cloud abstracts, loving the way the sun colored the bottoms of the clouds, leaving the upper clouds dark and mysterious.

    Although I took many other landscapes on the trip, nothing spoke to me like these two cloud images. I was satisfied returning with these two images and happy memories of being out in the wilderness.

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    Pelican Palooza

    Several american white pelicans swim together, alternately dipping their heads under water to pull up a bill full of fish
    Several american white pelicans swim together, alternately dipping their heads under water to pull up a bill full of fish

    I stopped at one of my local spots to photograph birds and was rewarded with an abundance of not only one pelican species, but both species that are regularly seen in California – the American White Pelican and the Brown Pelican. Usually I don’t see both in one area, but here they were at Shoreline Park in Mountain View, each doing their own thing.

    First, I saw a half dozen white pelicans swimming together, and fishing simply by dunking their heads underwater and scooping up great billfuls of water. In this way, they were able to catch small fish, but on a fairly regular basis.

    A fish attempt to flee the confines of an american white pelican's bill.
    A fish attempt to flee the confines of an american white pelican’s bill.

    Most of the time, at least one pelican would remain above water while the rest would go for fish. They would rotate this way, dunking, scooping and eating. At some points however, I saw all pelicans in the group go under at the same time. I waited to see if I could get them lined up, and finally I saw a moment of symmetry in order to capture this photo.

    Four american white pelicans line up, all of them fishing at the same time. There was a nice symmetry to this image, which was calling very strongly to be rendered as a black and white fine art photograph.
    Four american white pelicans line up, all of them fishing at the same time. There was a nice symmetry to this image, which was calling very strongly to be rendered as a black and white fine art photograph.

    Next it was on to the brown pelicans, who were circling above Shoreline Lake, and going through much more effort to fish. A pelican would circle for a while, keeping a close view of the surface of the water.

    A brown pelican circles through the air above a lake, looking for fish to dive for
    A brown pelican circles through the air above a lake, looking for fish to dive for

    When it saw a movement of fish in the lake below, it would stop its forward flight and sort of hover in air.

    A brown pelican circles through the air above a lake, looking for fish to dive for
    A brown pelican circles through the air above a lake, looking for fish to dive for

    At this point, it would plummet to the water surface in a dive, completely submerging its entire body underwater. The success rate of fishing this way seemed lower than the white pelicans, but perhaps when the diving did work, it rewarded them with bigger fish. It was fine by me, because their activity rewarded me with many flight shots and photographs of the birds on the surface of the water.

    A brown pelican flies low and flat over the surface of the water after it takes off from the surface
    A brown pelican flies low and flat over the surface of the water after it takes off from the surface

    After a dive, the pelican would drain its bill of water, and swallowing any fish it caught. Occasionally, I was rewarded with a vigorous head throw.

    After diving for fish, a brow pelican dries its feathers with a vigorous head throw.
    After diving for fish, a brow pelican dries its feathers with a vigorous head throw.

    After a couple of hours of shooting, I was pretty pelican’ed out and I packed up to leave. But it was great to see both species side by side on a single morning.

    Copyright 2017 Hank Christensen