Aug 2009
"Outside the Box" and "The Box"
Aug//2009
So what does a “Bird Photographer” do when there are few birds to photograph? Well last Saturday morning at Plymouth Beach there were few birds even gulls to be seen let alone photograph. With that in mind I put away my 600mm lens and brought out my Canon 180mm macro lens and attached my twin flash unit and walked onto the bay side into the “flats’. The following morning, Sunday, armed with only my 28-135mm lens I walked the beach side this time looking for an unusual photo or something that might be “Outside the Box” (if there is such a thing) for me. While I do enjoy macro photography I really only dabble in it and it is after all a entirely other world of photography. You would be amazed at what you can find on a beach while searching for a “nice photo” or something interesting like a Periwinkle Snail and Hermit Crab I found the first day. On the other hand just walking the beach and only having a 28-135mm lens is another story. I spend so much time photographing birds and other wildlife I’m not so tuned into photographing the “everyday” or just what happens to be in front of me. Lucky for me that both afternoons provided many shorebirds, terns and gulls to photograph and that brought me back to “The Box” and my comfort zone.
Black Tern
photographed lying flat on the ground for “birds eye view”.
Canon Mark IIN with 600mm and 1.4x
With no birds on Saturday and walking the beach on Sunday I must admit it makes you look at and think about what you are seeing then you look for an interesting subject or something that just catches your eye. As I walked the beach two things stood out, one that I found to be sad the other hopeful. The thing that disturbed, upset and made me sad was the amount of plastic things I found washed up on the beach. Plastic cups, cans, bottles, bags and on and on. I do not remember one time that I have tossed even a single piece of trash onto the ground for others to pick up, it just would not cross my mind. To be fair I guess it’s possible that some of this trash may have blown out of a persons hand while they were on a boat and could not retrieve it. But it’s just not possible that it’s the case for everything I saw. What the hell are people thinking? Please don’t answer that question. I have seen people and I’m sure you have as well that think nothing of throwing their trash on the ground (or water) where ever they are, just toss it....no big deal who cares, besides I don’t live here and someone else can clean it up. Just once I would like to see one of these people made an example of. How about one year in jail or every Sunday for a year they have to walk a local park or beach and pick up trash for six hours! By the way this would still not make me happy but it would be a start. Also please note I make it a practice than when I go out to photograph or watch birds I always pickup at least one piece of trash, usually it’s more. In fact in Florida every year I make a point to spend 30 minutes at one of the locations I photograph that is just a little remote and I remove all the disguarded beer can and bottles I find in this lagoon, it usually amounts to one bag of trash.
Plastic cup on beach.
Okay enough of that rant now what was it that I enjoyed about my walk on Plymouth Beach? There were in fact a few things. For starters Plymouth Beach is doing well, and what I mean by that is consider the fact that just a few short years ago what had been a thriving Common Tern colony had been abandoned, thankfully it is now it’s the largest Common Tern colony in Massachusetts with over 4000 nesting pair, 400+ Least Terns and I believe 20+ pair of Piping Plovers! WOW! That is good news for these birds. With all the pressure on costal waterbirds they do need all the help they can get and that help is only going to come from people that care enough to protect the habitat they need during nesting season and for roosting (resting) as well as places they can feel safe during both north and south bound migrations. The limitations on access by SUV’s and other changes that have been put in place over the years has resulted in VERY good things for all bird life that use Plymouth beach. However as you know this comes with some rather vocal opposition. People that feel they have the right to drive their SUV onto the beach some wanting no restrictions at all and some (possible many) that care less if any birds were on or in need of using the beach. I grew up on the shores of Lake Erie and from Presque Isle State Park which has miles of wonderful white sand beaches. There are no SUV’s to be found on any of these beaches and I can not think of any person I know in Erie that would think this would be a good idea.
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Black Tern
photographed lying flat on the ground for “birds eye view”.
Canon Mark IIN with 600mm and 1.4x
With no birds on Saturday and walking the beach on Sunday I must admit it makes you look at and think about what you are seeing then you look for an interesting subject or something that just catches your eye. As I walked the beach two things stood out, one that I found to be sad the other hopeful. The thing that disturbed, upset and made me sad was the amount of plastic things I found washed up on the beach. Plastic cups, cans, bottles, bags and on and on. I do not remember one time that I have tossed even a single piece of trash onto the ground for others to pick up, it just would not cross my mind. To be fair I guess it’s possible that some of this trash may have blown out of a persons hand while they were on a boat and could not retrieve it. But it’s just not possible that it’s the case for everything I saw. What the hell are people thinking? Please don’t answer that question. I have seen people and I’m sure you have as well that think nothing of throwing their trash on the ground (or water) where ever they are, just toss it....no big deal who cares, besides I don’t live here and someone else can clean it up. Just once I would like to see one of these people made an example of. How about one year in jail or every Sunday for a year they have to walk a local park or beach and pick up trash for six hours! By the way this would still not make me happy but it would be a start. Also please note I make it a practice than when I go out to photograph or watch birds I always pickup at least one piece of trash, usually it’s more. In fact in Florida every year I make a point to spend 30 minutes at one of the locations I photograph that is just a little remote and I remove all the disguarded beer can and bottles I find in this lagoon, it usually amounts to one bag of trash.
Plastic cup on beach.
Okay enough of that rant now what was it that I enjoyed about my walk on Plymouth Beach? There were in fact a few things. For starters Plymouth Beach is doing well, and what I mean by that is consider the fact that just a few short years ago what had been a thriving Common Tern colony had been abandoned, thankfully it is now it’s the largest Common Tern colony in Massachusetts with over 4000 nesting pair, 400+ Least Terns and I believe 20+ pair of Piping Plovers! WOW! That is good news for these birds. With all the pressure on costal waterbirds they do need all the help they can get and that help is only going to come from people that care enough to protect the habitat they need during nesting season and for roosting (resting) as well as places they can feel safe during both north and south bound migrations. The limitations on access by SUV’s and other changes that have been put in place over the years has resulted in VERY good things for all bird life that use Plymouth beach. However as you know this comes with some rather vocal opposition. People that feel they have the right to drive their SUV onto the beach some wanting no restrictions at all and some (possible many) that care less if any birds were on or in need of using the beach. I grew up on the shores of Lake Erie and from Presque Isle State Park which has miles of wonderful white sand beaches. There are no SUV’s to be found on any of these beaches and I can not think of any person I know in Erie that would think this would be a good idea.
Read More...
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