Birding Information for Photographers DPI- SIG 5/9/2013

Transcription

1 Birding Information for Photographers DPI- SIG 5/9/2013 Title: Finding the Birds by Arthur Sissman & Ron Perkins 20 minutes I. Factors to Consider Tides (Charts) Water - Fresh, Salt, Brackish Habitat Time of Day Migration Breeding Season Tide High Tide -- Wading Birds Low Tide -- Shore Birds Time of Day Night -- Owls Early Morning Mid Morning On -- Insect Eaters - (Note: insects are not active early in the morning) Late Afternoon Evening Water Fresh Water (ducks?) Brackish Water Salt Water (gulls?) Season Migratory (buntings, sandhill cranes,.) Residents (reddish herons, roseate spoonbills,..) Breeding (white-eyed vireos, red-eyed vireos, northern parula ) Helpful Aides Tide Charts?????? (Example: Cape Coral Bridge for Ding Darling; Pt Ybel for Sanibel Lighthouse; Bunche Beach, Ft Myers: Punta Rassa, San Carlos Bay; Tigertail Beach, Marco Isl: Marco Island, Caxambas Pass e-bird.org BirdsEye Smartphone App Especially Photogenic Birds Wading Birds American White Pelican American Oystercatchers Roseate Spoonbill Indigo Bunting Warblers Painted Bunting

2 Finding the Birds? Who, What, Where, When & Why Factors to Consider! Who are the birds do you want to photograph? Backyard birds? Shore birds? Wading birds? Raptors/Owls? In other words what are your target birds? A target bird is any bird species a birder takes deliberate steps to see or attract. In effect, target birds are targeted to become photos! What are the requirements of the habitat that the target bird lives in? Is it tidal? Is it salt water? Is it fresh water? Is it open terrain? Is it wooded or swampy? What is the light like? Where do your target birds live? What habitat? The backyard? The shore? The marsh? The woodlands? The mountains? When is the best time of day to photograph my target bird? Early morning? Mid-morining? Late afternoon-dusk? Why do I have to be interested in all the above and more for instance: Does my target(s) bird migrate? When does the target(s) arrive in FL? When will the target(s) leave? How does my target(s) change from arrival to leaving that might interest my photography? How do local birds who breed in FL change during breeding and how does this affect my photography and where I find the birds? Helpful Aides Tides: Lowest tide = more mudflats; negative tide is better, allows for more shorebirds to feed!!!! More birds feeding > more species > more opportunity for target birds > more photographs/birds to ID!! Tides of interest: Sanibel Lighthouse: Point Ybel, San Carlos Bay Entrance Ding Darling NWR, Sanibel: use Cape Coral Bridge, Caloosahatchee River Bunche Beach, Ft Myers: Punta Rassa, San Carlos Bay Little Estero Lagoon, Ft Myers Beach: Matanzas Pass (Fixed Bridge) Estero Island Tigertail Beach, Marco Isl: Marco Island, Caxambas Pass Other tidal places I need to know about??????????????????

3 Ebird.org Video about ebird.org What is ebird and how can it help you find your target birds better and faster: Ebird is: a real-time, online checklist program, ebird has revolutionized the way that the birding community reports and accesses information about birds. Launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, ebird provides rich data sources for basic information on bird abundance and distribution at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Global tools for birders, critical data for science Record the birds you see Keep track of your bird lists Explore dynamic maps and graphs Share your sightings and join the ebird community Contribute to science and conservation

4 Parts of Ebird.org that should interest Photographers: Hotspots: ebird Regional Portals: Range and Point Maps Explore interactive range maps by species or subspecies zoom in for details Arrivals and Departures Arrivals and departures for a country, state/province, county, or hotspot

5 Range & Point Maps

6 Arrivals & Departures of Target Birds

7 BirdsEye Smartphone App Videos explaining how BirdsEye will help you target birds What will the BirdsEye do for the wildlife photographer? BIRDSEYE: THE ULTIMATE BIRD FINDER FOR IPHONES & IPOD TOUCHES Find More Birds Locate Birding Hotspots Easy Bird Identification Have More Fun Birding!!! $19.99 in the App Store for iphone and ipod Touch. NOT AVAILABLE FOR ANDROID PHONES YET Screen Shots

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9 Especially Photogenic Target Birds (to be briefly discussed) Wading Birds guaranteed for photography Tigertail Beach (lowest tide), Bunche Beach (lowest tide) American White Pelican -- Ding Darling, 10,000 Islands, Eagle Lakes American Oystercatchers - Tigertail, Rookery Bay trail, Little Estero Lagoon Roseate Spoonbill - Ding Darling, 10,000 Islands, Eagle Lakes, STA5 Indigo Bunting - Corkscrew Swamp, Sugden Park Warblers - Corkscrew Swamp, Sugden Park, Sanibel Lighthouse, Bird Rookery Swamp Painted Bunting - Corkscrew Swamp, Sugden Park Other photogenic target birds that you like? Sooooooooooooo, nuuuuuuuuuuuu? Who are your target bird(s)? What habitat do your target birds live in? Where do you target birds live this week!? When is the best time to find your target birds? Why do you want to photograph this target bird?