Including habitat in photos

Too often, I strive for "bird guide" photos, side-on, in perfect light and showing every plumage detail. These views don't usually happen in real life. So many of my shots show nothing but leaves and twigs or empty sky. 

An American Kestrel was so far away that its cropped image would not merit publication on glossy paper, but the original illustrates its habit of selecting a high perch atop a Royal Palm:



Seeing a Yellow-rumped Warbler perched out in the open lets us better appreciate its small size as well as its namesake field mark:



Blurred wings provide action as a Blue Jay snatches fruit from a Royal Palm:



This male Northern Parula warbler is at home in mid-winter, among the emerging leaves of a Red Maple:



Northern Mockingbird on Brazilian Pepper-- Birds and berries go together...

 

...as do butterflies and blossoms-- Giant Swallowtail and Lantana flowers:



Is this a picture of the bird or the background? Great Egret:



A tight crop would keep us from learning something about the food preferences of a tiny Barred Yellow butterfly on Largeflower Mexican Clover  (Richardia grandiflora):



The aesthetics are horrible, but can a hawk and a dove tell a story? Red-shouldered Hawk watching a Eurasian Collared-Dove: 



A "field guide" view would eliminate the reflection of this Great Egret:

 

Another messy egret photo, not fit for publication:



An egret hunts in unsightly periphyton* which blankets the surface of a cove. It is a rich source of food and hiding places for prey species:



Its back is to the camera and the light does not catch the eye of this Black-throated Blue Warbler, at home in a Firebush (Hamelia patens):



The Eastern Phoebe is primarily a flycatcher. Not a great shot, but it is eating a large cutworm caterpillar!



Black-necked Stilts on still water:



What is most important here, the Bald Eagle or the golden sky at sunrise? What is one without the other?



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*Periphyton is a complex mixture of algae, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic microbes, and detritus that is attached to submerged surfaces in most aquatic ecosystems... Periphyton serves as an important food source for invertebrates, tadpoles, and some fish. It can also absorb contaminants, removing them from the water column and limiting their movement through the environment. The periphyton is also an important indicator of water quality... REFERENCE

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Linking to

Fences Around the World


Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Camera Critters

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)


Our World Tuesday

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World

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