From the Arctic to Africa Another exciting way to view birds from the water is fromZodiacs. During an Arctic cruise, one Zodiac excursion brought us to the 285-metre cliffs on Digges Island, at Hudson Bay’s eastern entrance. Observing 800,000 nesting thick-billed murres left us awestruck. A blizzard of pudgy black-and-white birds spilled from towering cliff ledges. With black feet spread like rudders, they clumsily splash-landed on their bellies around us. The thick-billed murres jostled on rocky shelves for the best spots to protect their aquamarine eggs from hungry glaucous gulls. Tips for memorable bird photos Rather than taking photos of sedentary birds, make your images come to life by capturing their behaviours and interactions with each other. In the Galapagos, for example, we photographed swallow-tailed gulls with vivid red eye-rings preening each other. On Espanola Island, we listened to an immature Nazca booby make quick quacklike sounds in succession. Hearing his incessant cries, his mother opened her orange beak. The juvenile booby shoved his head into her throat to collect enough predigested fish to satisfy his hunger. A whistling sound drew us to a male bluefooted booby standing on a rock above a ground nest. Standing below him, a female blue-footed booby responded by honking. Nestled into a rock niche, their booby chick was as white and fuzzy as a child’s stuffed toy. When he woke up, he tapped his mother’s beak. She opened her mouth so that the chick could retrieve regurgitated fish from her throat. Guided tours or on your own? Tour guides provide invaluable details about bird species, plumage, songs, behaviour and habitat. Without our knowledgeable guides, we would have walked right by numerous fascinating birds. When tours are not available, apps, field guides and bird identification books provide helpful information. Many parks post interpretive plaques describing local avian life. Some birds are so common that you don’t need a tour guide or identification book to recognize them. In Florida, we frequently viewed brown pelicans waddling on docks, perched on pilings and plunging head-first into the ocean to scoop up fish in their expandable throat pouches. By the way, if you’re searching for pink flamingos (other than the plastic ones) in Florida, you’ll discover that sightings in the wild are rare. The best places to view the Sunshine State’s quintessential emblem are in Florida’s theme parks, such as Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay. The large flocks make it easy to hone your bird photography skills. In addition to photos of the entire flock, focus on the details, such as the eyes and feathers, as well as their reflections in the water. Another fun way to birdwatch without walking is from an African safari vehicle. In South Africa, we observed yellow-and-black weaver birds construct stocking-shaped nests. In Botswana, home to 550 species of birds, we photographed two hornbills on a tree branch. Birds often announce predators approaching. A northern black korhaan skittered nervously and cried out as a lion lurked nearby in the grasslands. Juvenile Nazca booby retrieves predigested fish from mother’s throat Two pink flamingos reflected in water Thick-billed murres nest on ledges on Digges Island cliffs Weaver birds construct stocking-shaped nests in South Africa 18 | www.snowbirds.org Travel
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