SHOT FROM THE FILE

Fish Hawk This image of an Osprey is a perfect rendition of why they are sometimes called a Fish Hawk. Early one morning I had arrived at my shooting post and was setting up the equipment when I heard a loud splash out on the lake. I knew an Osprey had hit the water on a power dive in quest of a fish. Raising my lens I searched in vain for the predator. Finally I saw a tremendous action up ahead as the bird, lying spread-winged on the water’s surface, tried in vain to take flight. The Osprey made three extraordinary attempts before it finally broke the water’s tenacious grasp and then I knew why. It held in its talons a large fish! Laboring directly toward me, the “hawkish hunter” banked to the left and gave me this golden opportunity while showing off its catch. ~ Anecdote and Osprey capture, Fish Hawk © Jerry L. Ferrara 

Studly Little Buck I was out the other day testing a new memory card from a company I had not used before when two doe White-tailed Deer suddenly appeared and crossed hurriedly in front of me. The reason for their haste soon made ‘his’ debut. The studly little buck paused but briefly, here, in recognition of the camera’s shutter noise before continuing his pursuit of the ladies. ~ Anecdote and White-tailed Deer capture, Studly Little Buck © Jerry L. Ferrara

Migration … A Place To Rest As the light drifts off afar They gather on a sandy bar There to spend the eventide A place to rest and safely bide Sandhill Cranes coming to roost on a sandbar at early evening. ~ Poem and Sandhill Cranes capture, A Place To Rest © Jerry L. Ferrara

The Glint In Its Eye Recently I captured this handsome Bald Eagle [in portrait] while it keenly surveyed its surroundings for a salmon dinner. What I had not realized [until post-processing] was the glint in its eye, caught by the camera. ~ Anecdote and Bald Eagle capture, The Glint In Its Eye © Jerry L. Ferrara

The Sweep It tore through the maritime atmosphere like a bolt of lightning born from the vault of heaven. The creature’s flight speed was breakneck making framing the Steller’s Sea Eagle in the camera’s viewfinder a near-impossible task. As the powerful predator closed in on its unwitting target, the eagle’s position morphed and the geometry of the event became nearly perfect to my position. Lowering its robust legs and outstretched steely talons, the Sea Eagle effortlessly snatched the hapless fish from its watery abode. The fleeting incident was explosive and simply over in the blink of an eye. It was not until that evening, while viewing the day’s work on my laptop’s screen, that I realized I had made a capture that I have pursued unsuccessfully for years with our native Bald Eagle. Cradled within the borders of the image was the magnificent Steller’s Sea Eagle with a fish firmly clenched in its iron-tight claws, the tell-tale splash at the aft from where the quarry was plucked, a keenly determined stare blazing from the eagle’s eye and the part of the action that had always eluded me … one of the wing tips dragged through the water during a forward […]

Glancing Back Along the rocky shore of one of the Falkland Islands, a Rockhopper Penguin was caught glancing back during a pause in its “jumping journey”. It was hopping a route on an avenue of rocks back to its nest, deep in the lush bunch grass. ~ Anecdote and Rockhopper Penguin capture, Glancing Back © Jerry L. Ferrara

Contrast How we see and how we think isn’t always quite distinct. For often from a polar view reality does wax askew. We find that life is not steadfast. The journey’s rife with much contrast. Yet in this stark dichotomy, the general gist still there might be. ~ Poem and Bald Eagle capture, Contrast © Jerry L. Ferrara. From the book, Wild North Idaho: Season of the Eagle.

A Shower of Color The hills are aglow with a shower of color, for this time of year is unlike any other. The death of a pigment reveals what’s been hidden, a palette beneath for the eye to be smitten. But last long it does not, this earthy leaf show, for soon they will fall and lie deep beneath snow … and the evergreens remain. ~ Poem and Idaho scenic, A Shower of Color © Jerry L. Ferrara. From the book, Wild North Idaho: Photos and Reflections.