Sharing some of my favorite USA Bird Photos

Five Best USA Bird Photographs.

The USA provides “birder” with great opportunities to take photos. On our 6 month road trip around the States we took advantage of the situation. Although Audrey and I only had point and shoot cameras (good ones it must be said –she a Sony and me a Panasonic) we managed to take some photos that we really liked. Having these photos in a file on my computer of even as a print in an album is great but why not share them with the hubbing community?

One fact about the USA is that it is very large in comparison to a small country like South Africa. Both countries boast a bird list of about 950 birds. Here in South Africa one can travel from north to south or from east to west in a day and a half. In the USA you can travel for a week to get across the country. The sheer vastness of the USA means one has to travel much further to even begin to find many of the species.

Knowing the local birds is obviously a great advantage and so on a good day in South Africa a list of over a hundred birds is possible. I am certain the same can be experienced in the USA but as visitors we found the variety of species more difficult to find. At the same time birds often were present in large numbers and seemed more confiding than is South Africa. The better control of dogs in nature reserves and along beaches possibly was some of the reasons.

The many board walks in reserves makes the photographing of birds in the USA easier. Examples would be the Kansas Bottoms and the Florida Ponds and even the Everglades. A good bird hide is obviously excellent for photography and both South Africa and the USA have good hides.

At the same time your car is often a good hide as you pull over into one of the many viewing sites or even rest areas. There is no doubt that the USA has probably the most user friendly roads and viewing places in the world. At the same time it is often possible to simply park next to the road in quiet areas when you spot an interesting bird or group of birds. Obviously your safety and that of other road users are of first importance.

The interesting photo of the bird interaction on the lake was taken from a well situated viewing area just outside Jackson Hole. Here the newcomer birds were not welcomed by the resident birds and a flurry of activity resulted. Much to our delight we could take a series of photos. Sometimes it is just luck of the draw that presents the person with a camera with the good opportunity. So have your camera ready!