Bearing Gifts A follow-up to my previous FaceBook image is an intimate view of one of the Razorbill’s “cousins”, the Atlantic Puffin. It, too, was caught returning to its nest bearing gifts. See The Clan of the Clown on our website for more Atlantic Puffin images. ~ Anecdote and Atlantic Puffin capture, Bearing Gifts © Jerry L. Ferrara
Quite A Catch I caught this portrait of a very handsome Razorbill [a seabird of the alcid or auk family] bearing a meaty meal back to its nest. It was quite a catch! ~ Anecdote and Razorbill capture, Quite A Catch © Jerry L. Ferrara
A Blazing Brume A blazing brume boldly brushed the bucolic expanse as a pair of White-tailed Deer gracefully grazed the grassy grounds of the grandiose refuge floor. Within moments, the mysteriously moist mist magically melted away. ~ Anecdote and White-tailed Deer capture, A Blazing Brume © Jerry L. Ferrara
A Vociferous Oration Alight on the cone-clad crown of a massive conifer, a statuesque Bald Eagle strikes an imposing posture while boisterously delivering a vociferous oration. What does “eagle speak” mean? Is it a directive to others of the clan to stay away from the feeding area? Is it a rally call to join forces in the hunt? Or is it a communique expressing the creature’s excitement at catching a glimpse of a fellow tribe member, maybe a mate … an announcement of “I’m here!”? Whatever the purpose, or even if there is a purpose, the delivery is loud and piercing and trilling. The oration permeates the cold silence. ~ Anecdote and Bald Eagle capture, A Vociferous Oration © Jerry L. Ferrara
Pileated The image presented here is of a Pileated Woodpecker which is considered to be the largest member [16″-19″ in height] of the North American woodpecker clan … unless you still hold out hope for the existence of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. The capture demonstrates the prodigious dimensions of the creature’s chisel-like beak and its stoutly nailed toes, the latter adapted for clinging to tree bark while it hunts for ants and larvae. It was made in our backyard while the woodpecker sought out prey on our plum tree. A Picidae I be Which means beware, Oh Tree For as I seek With massive beak The grubs and ants in thee My toes latch onto bark They aid my foraging lark With nails dug deep I plan to reap I’ll surely leave my mark ~ Anecdote, poem and Pileated Woodpecker capture, Pileated © Jerry L. Ferrara
The Clan of the Clown The North Atlantic Ocean’s only indigenous puffin species is the Common or Atlantic Puffin. The puckish creature also goes by the monikers of Clown of the Sea or Sea Parrot … quite understandable when one considers the puffin’s outrageously adorned bill. While the Atlantic Puffin spends much of its life at sea, they yearly do come ashore to mate and raise their single “puffling” youngster. They are colonial in these endeavors and dig their nesting burrows into the sides of cliffs. The images in this show were recorded in 2021 in Iceland, a major breeding area for the species. It is but a brief cameo of the lifestyle of the North Atlantic’s Clan of the Clown a.k.a. the Atlantic Puffin. To see the number of each shot, please hover your cursor over the image. ~ Anecdote and Atlantic Puffin captures, The Clan of the Clown © Jerry L. Ferrara
In A Split Moment My first attempts at photographing flying Atlantic Puffins fell far short of my grandiose expectations. WOW! That was humbling. I’ve always prided myself for being able to capture movement, yet trying to find and focus [at 10x power] on a football-sized, bullet-shaped object moving faster than fifty miles per hour at short range resulted in disaster after disaster. To compound the issue, the sea’s wave lines in the background were messing with the autofocus acquisition. Time to change tactics. First I pre-focused the lens on grass or rocks at an estimated distance where the birds might be as they flew into the frame. When one was close, I started firing at 1,000-2,000 second with as much depth of field as possible considering the available light. I also concentrated on puffins flying higher in the sky where the distracting background was absent. Here’s one of my first successful efforts. It was both challenging and rewarding to catch the speedy creatures in a split moment. ~ Anecdote and Atlantic Puffin capture, In A Split Moment © Jerry L. Ferrara
The Gnomes It’s true. Elves do exist in Iceland, but I’m not referring to the Huldufolk [Hidden People] of legend and lore. Instead the gnomes that seasonally visit this beautiful country arrive in the form of the pint-sized creature [about 12-inches from head to tail] known as the Atlantic Puffin or Sea Parrot. Not really a parrot at all, Fratercula arctica is a member of the auk family and joins ranks there with other pelagic birds like Murres, Guillemots and Razorbills. It is indigenous to and found only in North Atlantic waters. During a recent journey to Iceland, we were privileged to observe the antics and life style of this most engaging of sprites. ~ Anecdote and Atlantic Puffin capture, The Gnomes © Jerry L. Ferrara
The Mossy-antlered Creature In the fathomless still of early morning, shortly before the earth’s engine became a fixture above the horizon, a bull Rocky Mountain Elk abruptly came alert while grazing. The crisp clatter of the camera’s cacophonous shutter piqued the magnificent creature’s curiosity. Wariness was only momentary, though, as the mossy-antlered creature continued its meal while moving idly in the direction of the invitingly cool bottomland and creek. ~ Anecdote and Rocky Mountain Elk capture, The Mossy-antlered Creature © Jerry L. Ferrara
In Preparation A few days ago we were sitting on the back porch working on logistics for our journey to Iceland. I also had in hand one of the pieces of photo equipment to be exploited during the excursion and was testing and putting it through its paces. While we discussed travel plans, I casually made images of some of the bird species that frequent our yard and feeders. Here are some results made with my 500mm. Other lenses to be checked [and taken] include: 24-85mm; 70-200mm and 300mm. Hope you enjoy the mini bird show. ~ Anecdote and American Goldfinch, American Robin, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Flicker, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Pine Siskin, Western Tanager images, In Preparation © Jerry L. Ferrara