I don’t know what the numbers are, but a high percentage of birders are photographers. And among birding photographers, a certain percentage focus exclusively or primarily on the largest birds, mostly raptors — eagles, hawks and the bigger owls.
I’ve done field studies of a sort, in that I often talk photography with birders I meet on the trail. Several of them have told me they go for the big birds, like the Northern harrier topping this post that I caught in flight this morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. Getting a shot of fast-flying raptors is a unique challenge, and I suppose it’s not unlike the challenge that big game animals present hunters.
I do enjoy getting photos of the big birds of prey, but I also have a soft spot for getting photos of warblers, sparrows and other “little brown jobs.” Today, I experienced both ends of the bird-size spectrum, getting shots like that of the harrier and one of a savannah sparrow perched in a small tree amid the tall grasses.
One of the great pleasures of the Pole Farm is that it attracts birds of all sizes. It’s not unusual to see dark-eyed juncos in one area and then see a bald eagle soaring overhead, with many mid-size blue jays and cardinals appearing as well.
The one thing I wish the Pole Farm had was a lake large enough to attract waterbirds. We get flyovers of geese and herons, but if the Pole Farm has a flaw, it’s a lack of a sizeable body of water. A small complaint.
For those you photographers who like the big birds, I say, “Have at it.” For those of us photography “omnivores,” I stand and shoot with you. To each our own!
The Jersey Birder 