Stan Tekiela

When I photograph wildlife, I usually have a specific species of critter in mind. The best images are the ones that I envision and plan ahead of time, leaving little to chance. This usually requires knowing a critter’s biology, habits, and food preferences.
Having said that, every now and then while trying to photograph a specific species, another, unrelated species presents itself.

Most wildlife images you see are well planned out and researched.
Many times, it takes hours of preparation to capture an image. That means researching where a species exists in populations large enough to increase the chances of seeing one, traveling there during the season they are most active, driving to specific locations, and knowing your camera gear well enough to capture the images you have in your mind. And the list goes on and on.

When I was a kid in the 1960s, my family watched the Walt Disney program on Sunday evenings, like most families. It was one of the few programs the entire family could watch together.
I remember watching a particular show called Waterbirds, a 1952 short documentary about several bird species that live in water. It featured a few minutes of Western grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) performing mating displays set to classical music.

I just returned from a trip to southeastern Arizona. The objective of this adventure was to capture images of as many warbler species as possible. So, what are warblers and why did I go to Arizona to find them?
Warblers are a group of small birds, often colorful and produce rich musical songs. We are fortunate because our New World warblers are different from warblers in other parts of the world. The “New World” refers to the Americas. So our warblers don’t exist in Europe, Asia or Africa.

Twisting and turning in mid-air. Spinning and cartwheeling, wing over wing all while its head remains level and focused on the target. Total acrobatics like these are all set against a beautiful blue sky. This is what happened during a recent photo tour to Alaska to capture images of our national bird, the bald eagle.