Stan Tekiela

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.

For whatever reason, people love certain wild animal species. They have a universal appeal, resulting in admiration across the masses. For example, many folks are obsessed with owls. Any kind of owl. Big ones, small ones, it really doesn’t matter.
The same can be said for a group of mammals, the otters. For whatever reason, everyone seems to love otters. This was on full display last week while I was leading a photographic tour of bald eagles and sea otters in Alaska.

I find the variations and diversity in the wild to be the special ingredient underpinning the strength of Mother Nature. This was abundantly clear last week when I was in Florida, watching a specific variation of the Eastern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger).
I’d found the Sherman’s fox squirrel (Sciurus niger shermani) that occurs only in a handful of places in Florida and a couple of other states.

Stone-cold killer predators come in all shapes and sizes in the natural world. We often think of large, menacing critters with long, sharp claws and razor-sharp teeth as predators and don’t give a second thought to small carnivores. Maybe because some of these small predators are borderline cute. Well, that’s what makes them so cool.
I was thinking about this a week or so ago while photographing an adorable tiny owl.

Nature is fluid and adaptive. Once you wrap your head around that simple truth, answering some of nature’s questions becomes easier.
For example, every few years, several bird species such as the common redpoll, pine siskin, evening grosbeak and others move out of their normal winter ranges and into other areas to seek food. This group of birds is usually referred to as the “winter finches,” and this mass movement of a group of birds is called an “irruption.”