Ferrara Wildlife Photography

Eurasian Otter – A State of Well-being

A State of Well-being Recently hauled out from briny Scottish Loch na Keal in the inner Hebrides, this Eurasian Otter rests atop a pile of shore-bound seaweed. The high-spirited mammal, and member of the weasel family, suddenly performed a trademark comfort move by stretching forth its right arm and paw. The engaging creature certainly seemed to be in “a state of well-being.” ~ Anecdote and Eurasian Otter capture, A State of Well-being © Jerry L. Ferrara

A Visual Echo The morning air was brisk and a chilling frost painted the lake’s margin. The light was murky for the sun had not yet peeked over the horizon. In the midst of the somber setting a resplendent Bald Eagle sat contemplatively on a log at water’s edge. As if a curtain had been raised at the opening act of a play, up came the sun and its illumination washed away the dimness. A muted radiance poured into the landscape and the shady “shallows” grabbed the light. Mirrored on the water’s face was a visual echo. ~ Anecdote and Bald Eagle capture, A Visual Echo © Jerry L. Ferrara

A Standout Many years ago when we first settled in Idaho it was fairly common to see Ruffed Grouse discreetly stalking the nearby forests, or hear a male drumming its wings from a secluded woodlot. Those incidences seem less frequent today. This winter, however, we’ve had a few visitations from a grouse going about exploring our yard. The Ruffed Grouse is a native game bird species and a master of deception. Its dappled feathering and extremely slow, furtive gait makes this avian character difficult to detect as it easily melts into the woodland understory. In today’s image “our visitor” pensively poses on a mound of snow. As you can see, its concealment techniques have failed as the camera captured the wily creature on the white surface against the dark shadows of our woods. This Ruffed Grouse was a standout. ~ Anecdote and Ruffed Grouse capture, A Standout © Jerry L. Ferrara

Calling Card The Bengal Tiger pregnantly paused at the forest’s enigmatic edge, but the stop was only brief. Turning toward the nearest tree, the cat sniffed at the trunk’s bark. The creature’s eyes then rolled back in its head, its nose went up in the air and a silly grin adorned its face. Turning with its hindquarters pointed at the tree, the predator raised its sinewy tail and liberally sprayed. It was merely leaving its “calling card”. ~ Anecdote and Bengal Tiger capture, Calling Card © Jerry L. Ferrara

A Garish Mask The Chestnut-eared Aracari is a denizen of the wilds of South America. A member of the toucan clan, it presents a most outrageous profile … an appearance that’s actually quite “loud”. At first glance, the creature’s gaudy presentation doesn’t seem real. It’s as if the aracari is wearing a garish mask. ~ Anecdote and Chestnut-eared Aracari capture, A Garish Mask © Jerry L. Ferrara

A High-wire Act One bright overcast day I decided to visit a local housing tract to see if there was any “urban wildlife” activity. Sure enough, I caught this Fox Squirrel [an introduced species to our area] leaving a backyard squirrel-feeding station. This “savvy saver”, with pilfered peanut in maw, made its guileful getaway via the overhead power lines. It was quite a high-wire act. ~ Anecdote and Fox Squirrel capture, A High-wire Act © Jerry L. Ferrara

Fireball Flight When I made this image, over thirty-five years ago, it was in an era of different technology … Kodachrome 64 film. To me, the Snow Geese seemed to be flying in tandem with a giant fireball, a bright meteor blazing through our atmosphere. The sun, flare and silhouetted Snow Geese came together in what I titled Fireball Flight. The shot was used on the cover of Audubon Magazine. ~ Anecdote and Snow Geese capture, Fireball Flight © Jerry L. Ferrara

The Cooper’s Hawk is a formidable and highly skilled hunter. A master of the ambush, this Cooper’s Hawk keenly surveys the scene. Raptor, O Raptor Raptor, O Raptor how quickly you move through the canopy so smooth. Your actions seem to be pell-mell steered precisely by long tail. Your short blunt wings add sure control as you maneuver on patrol. Raptor, O Raptor you do surprise your prey but rarely realize. Slip you through and around the brush a master you of the ambush. To see a Cooper’s Hawk quickly steal through and around the foliage in a tree while on the hunt is an amazing event to witness. ~ Poem, words and Cooper’s Hawk capture, Raptor, O Raptor © Jerry L. Ferrara

Look Close! Look close! What do you see? A rough misshapen topography? What at first seems a landscape carved Is the face of a herp so deeply gnarled Look close! The caiman is a relative to alligators and crocodiles ~ Anecdote and Yacare Caiman capture, Look Close! © Jerry L. Ferrara, from the wilds of Brazil

A Gift Our Peace Lily was a gift to me from my sister and brother-in-law two-plus years ago after my double-hip replacement surgery … the latter also a gift. One of the symbolic meanings associated with the Peace Lily is for continued recovery from illness, a perfect metaphor. Our plant currently thrives under the gentle low light of a skylight in our kitchen. I chose to isolate one of the current floral blooms to demonstrate the beauty of this remarkable South American species. ~ Anecdote and Peace Lily capture, A Gift © Jerry L. Ferrara, recorded at f0.95, ISO 125, 1/250 sec.

SHOT FROM THE FILE

Eurasian Otter – A State of Well-being

Bald Eagle – A Visual Echo

Ruffed Grouse – A Standout

Bengal Tiger – Calling Card

Chestnut-eared Aracari – A Garish Mask

Fox Squirrel – A High-wire Act

Snow Geese – Fireball Flight

Cooper’s Hawk – Raptor, O Raptor

Yacare Caiman – Look Close!

Peace Lily – A Gift