Showcase 2020 Winner Profile – Melissa Rowell

March 23, 2020 by Blog Poster

2020 Showcase, First Runner-up: Birds. "Dance of the Great Blue Herons, Delray Beach, Florida" © Melissa Rowell. — 2020 Showcase, First Runner-up: Birds. “Dance of the Great Blue Herons, Delray Beach, Florida” © Melissa Rowell.

How I Got the Shot

I arrived at Wakodahatchee Wetlands later than I had planned and knew I wouldn’t have long because of an impending storm. I grabbed my short, light Nikon 200-500mm lens, and walked slowly around the boardwalk hoping to find a quiet area where I could spend some time. Suddenly I spotted two Great Blue Herons interacting atop a tree. The male was attempting to entice a female with his elaborate stretch display, and she was playing hard to get. Fascinated I stopped to watch them just as serious bill duels erupted between the pair. Thunder began rumbling in the distance, and their long, flowing plumes were accentuated as the wind picked up. I was thrilled to witness this dramatic behavior which continued for a few brief moments signaling what I hoped would be the beginning of a strong bond leading to a successful breeding season.

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Weekly Wow! Week of February 3, 2020

February 3, 2020 by Blog Poster

Showcase 2020 Top 100 winner: "Clark's Grebes Doing the 'Weed Dance', Southern California" © Brian E. Small. — Showcase 2020 Top 100 winner: “Clark’s Grebes Doing the ‘Weed Dance’, Southern California” © Brian E. Small.

All of this week’s Weekly Wow! images can be seen in the slideshow on the NANPA homepage at nanpa.org.

The following Showcase images have been selected to appear on the NANPA home page for the week beginning Monday, February 3, 2020. To view all of the top 250 photographs from NANPA’s 2020 Showcase competition, see the photo gallery on the NANPA website. The 2020 edition of Expressions contains all of the top 250 photos from the Showcase competition as well as interesting and insightful articles. Order your copy here!

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Weekly Wow! Week of January 27, 2020

January 27, 2020 by Blog Poster

Showcase 2020 Top 100 winner: "Western Burrowing Owlets, Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, California," © Melissa Usrey. — Showcase 2020 Top 100 winner: “Western Burrowing Owlets, Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, California,” © Melissa Usrey.

All of this week’s Weekly Wow! images can be seen in the slideshow on the NANPA homepage at nanpa.org.

The following Showcase images have been selected to appear on the NANPA home page for the week beginning Monday, January 27, 2020. To view all of the top 250 photographs from NANPA’s 2020 Showcase competition, see the photo gallery on the NANPA website. The 2020 edition of Expressions contains all of the top 250 photos from the Showcase competition as well as interesting and insightful articles. Order your copy here!

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NATURE’S VIEW: Within striking distance

June 21, 2017 by NANPA eNews

Story and photography by Jim Clark

For nature photographers, how exhilarating it is to capture that defining moment as a great blue heron strikes the water? Even better is photographing a full sequence of a great egret stalking its prey and then plunging its bill and neck into the water to seize the prize.

Wading birds come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, and each species use specific hunting strategies to gather a bite to eat; ornithologists have even described 35 types of feeding behaviors wading birds use (see a list in a sidebar to this article).

Understanding how each species of wading bird feeds helps the nature photographer to photograph those amazing moments. Combine this knowledge with time in the field, and the photographer will become more and more successful at recording that special “striking” moment.

A great blue heron is about to swallow its prey after tossing and catching it midair. This image was photographed on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia. © Jim Clark

Here are some feeding strategies of a few wading birds I photograph at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia: Continue reading →