Phalarope and Sparrow

Another commonly found bird on this trip is the red necked phalarope. these are neat and prim little birds that can be found in bodies of water of most any size from the large roadside puddle on up.

'Long About Midnight

Our efforts in attracting birds paid off handsomely long about midnight on this day of our photographing adventure. We set up in a field alongside the road near a couple of logs for bird perches. You need to remember that this happened in early June and the days were very long here at 64.5 degrees north. The sun barely set...it dips below the horizon (well, at the below the hills to the north of us) a little bu 1:30-1:45 am and is back up again by 3:00 or 3:30 am. By 11:00 pm the sun is very low and is mostly just sliding along near the horizon and the low angle light is a special time to photograph.

The Art of Bird Finding

Photographing birds in the wild is a hit and miss game. The first thing you need is to know where the birds like to be and what their habits are. You've got to meet them where they are. Next, you've got to be there at the right time. This involves varying amounts of luck. Yes, you can choose, as we did to be in the right place at the right time of year. But there is still the problem of being within photographing range of a birds at any particular moment.