All of this week’s Weekly Wow! images can be seen in the slideshow on the NANPA homepage at nanpa.org.
Showcase 2019 Top 100 winner: “Sea Urchin , Newton, Massachusetts” © Hope Schreiber.
Weekly Wow! Week of September 30, 2019
Tag: birds
Dramatic Decline in Bird Numbers in North America
“If you were alive in 1970, more than one in four birds have disappeared in your lifetime.” So begins a Cornell Chronicle article about a new study by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. That loss represents about three billion birds, across the US and Canada and across all biomes. Researchers examined decades of data on 529 species and found massive declines (53% loss) in the numbers of grasslands birds as well as big drops (37%) in shorebirds. As Ken Rosenberg, lead author of the study said, “It’s a strong signal that our human-altered landscapes are losing their ability to support birdlife. And that is an indicator of a coming collapse of the overall environment.”
Continue readingWeekly Wow! Week of September 23, 2019
All of this week’s Weekly Wow! images can be seen in the slideshow on the NANPA homepage at nanpa.org.
Showcase 2019 Top 100 winner: “Warthog Chase, Etosha National Park, Namibia” © Patrick Pevey.
The following Showcase images have been selected to appear on the NANPA home page for the week beginning Monday, September 23, 2019. To view all of the top 250 photographs from NANPA’s 2019 Showcase competition, see the photo gallery on the NANPA website.
Showcase 2019 Winner Profile – Laura M Eppig
Showcase 2019 Birds, Judges’ Choice: Ruby-throated Hummingbird Catching Gnat © Laura M. Eppig.
Bio:
Laura M. Eppig is a mostly self taught Nature Photographer who learned on slide film in the late ’80’s. She was invited to join a Camera Club in order to learn Bird Photography and was mentored by 3 of the founding members. While Laura shoots the majority of her images close to home, she has been known to travel far afield in search of certain elusive subjects, specifically Owls.
Laura finds that she can combine most of her interests through photography. Hiking and bird watching are two of her passions that nature photography encompasses. Macro photography is one of her special interests, especially shooting insects and spiders. Library Exhibits, as well as other types of displays, and Photography Classes keep her busy in addition to photographing whenever possible.
How I Got the Shot: Gilded Flicker and Bees Pollinating Saguaro Cactus Blooms
Gilded Flicker and Bees Pollinating Saguaro Cactus Blooms
Story and photo by Wendy Kaveney
The Giant Saguaro Cactus (Cereus giganteus) is indigenous to the Desert Southwest and blooms in the spring. Saguaro flowers bloom for less than 24 hours, allowing only a little time to be pollinated. During the flower’s short life, it provides food for bees and birds during the day, and for bats during the night. They, in turn, pollinate the flowers.
Bicycle Birding
A reddish egret dances across the water while pursuing a fish.
Story and Photos by Budd Titlow
If you are a bird photography aficionado, I have some great news!
The proliferation of “Rails-to-Trails” conversion projects throughout our nation has created a fantastic new modus operandi for practicing your passion. Plus, it also benefits your health by providing daily exercise. I call this activity bicycle birding and here’s how it works for me.
America’s Better Idea: National Wildlife Refuges
The National Wildlife Refuges were created to manage, conserve and restore fish, wildlife and plants and the ecosystems that sustain them.
Story and photographs by Jeff Parker
The National Parks have famously been called “America’s best idea”. I have visited many of our National Parks and they ARE awesome. However, I tend to think that our National Wildlife Refuges are “America’s Better Idea”.
How I Got The Shot: Royal Tern with Upside Down Head
Royal Tern with upside down head spitting out water. © Frank W. Baker. Canon 7D, Mark 2, ISO: 250, 1/2500, f/5.6, 350mm, +0.3 exposure compensation.
Grebes “Walk” On Water to Find a Mate
Story and Photography by Krisztina Scheeff with KS Nature Photography
Western Grebes rushing on Lake Hodges, CA. © Krisztina Scheeff
When it comes to dating in the world of Grebes it is not as easy as just going out for a fish dinner or a morning swim. These birds have much higher standards. If a mate cannot “walk” on water, they are out of luck.
Manú Road: A Birder’s Paradise in Peru
Story and Photography by Mercedes Benavides
Manú Road is a leading birding route that begins in the city of Cusco, in what was the capital of the Inca Empire, and journeys through deep valleys, lakes and mountains all the way into the rainforest, deep in the Manú National Park of Peru. One could even think of traveling this road as a pilgrimage: while there is one starting point and one direction, there are many paths along the way and plenty of stops to admire the breadth of avifauna and flora amidst dramatic settings as one travels up and over the Andes Mountain Range down to the Amazonian plain, all of which make Manú Road a spiritual experience for sure. As one of the top ten mega-diverse countries in the world, Peru holds the second spot in number of bird species at over 1,800, and is within the top five spots in amphibians, mammals and plants. Manú Road is representative of this biodiversity.