I don't have a photo but I am currently using a reliable technique I have used in the past. I am tracking game trails in the daytime. Hopefully find a good river crossing and get this nice buck on the sensor. Of course it is always fun when you run into the critters you have been tracking.

gordon_g said:

Great Thread Dave... I'm having a devil of a time right now finding anything to shoot... Went to the local Wildlife refuge an hour away for the house two days this week and saw 5 birds total... At least I'm getting some exercise I guess! I guess Im going to have to start learning to photograph something other than wildlife... :(


Great back story on the above something I would have done myself.

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I have been reading reports and papers from places such as Cornell and other reputable organizations that for some reason birds are really starting to vanish. I've read two stories about either AZ or NM the estimate is 250K or more are gone. In one of those states, they are finding thousands of dead bird bodies.

We have been in Covid lock-down on and off for 6 months. In stage 3 lockdown we were only allowed out for 1 hr exercise a day. While walking the dog one day I came across pair of Red-rumped Parrots on the grass verge right next to the road. I rushed home and picked up my brand new Nikon 500pf lens and D850. I ended up laying in the road gutter, waving crazily as each car approached (a few stopped and watched!). In 10 years of bird photography these are the best shots (by miles) that I have of these birds. When opportunity knocks eh ?

I always enjoy Steve's "How I Got the Shot" posts, so this thread is great! Thanks everyone. It would also be nice to know what continent some of these are on!

Apart from the fact that these are Australian birds, I would be inclined to say the antics of getting the shots is typically Australian.

I believe the most important thing to finding wildlife is to slow down. If practical get out of the vehicle and get away from the road. Stand still. Know different areas (forest, edge, field) and why wildlife uses them. Water, food, shelter etc. Morning is more targeted as animals wake up hungry and thirsty. The evening feed time is more spread out. Keep an open mind. You may be wanting to shoot elk in the river and notice a group of otters. Watch for movement, not size/shape/color.
The skill needed after noticing the target is to anticipate where it is going if it is on the move. Once a target is moving even slightly away from you the shot diminishes in quality very quickly. Animals moving purposefully will use trails to conserve energy, even in open territory they will often use the beaten path. Get a sixth sense for where the target is going and quickly circle to a point further along. When the light is not good use that time to work on your tracking skills.
Example below. I went over to a pond area in Katmai specifically looking for waterfowl. Not seeing any - and standing in ankle deep muck - I was thinking of relocating when I calmed myself and stood still for 10 minutes. At my 7 o'clock a wolf on the other side raised up. I waited another 30 minutes. Then it stretched, peed and started to move. I I surmised it would continue its' northern direction and I hurried/ran along parallel to come out ahead. Waiting for what I thought was appropriate for its speed it did not appear and I began to think it forked. So I took a couple of steps into the forest to see beyond the first line of foliage. Crappy shot - as almost were my pants - but it was coming out right where I thought.
So I backed out slowly and got ready. Still hoping that was another yawn.

The other point I wanted to make is to be generous to other shooters. While waiting another camper was heading to the falls and I communicated, mostly by gestures since he was Russian, to hang around I thought something good may happen. As deeds sometimes do it cost me a couple shots but the angle was slipping away as the wolf turned down the access road. Two thumbs up and some good Karma.

Great posts @ProperFrame & @Neil H.

Neil H. said:

While walking the dog one day I came across pair of Red-rumped Parrots on the grass verge right next to the road. I rushed home and picked up my brand new Nikon 500pf lens and D850. I ended up laying in the road gutter, waving crazily as each car approached (a few stopped and watched!). In 10 years of bird photography these are the best shots (by miles) that I have of these birds. When opportunity knocks eh ?

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Great story and cool birds. I really like the second image with all the color. Nice job and way to seize the moment!

I live in California and there are several wildlife refuges that I go to in the winter and early spring. We are located under a migration flight path. Additionally, I live in the foothills and there are several mountain passes that I can frequent to seek out wildlife. And, my front yard has birds, squirrels and other wildlife if I'm lucky enough to be there when they are around. What I could not do and won't do this year is go to Florida or New Mexico for birds or go out of the country...bummed about that! I think shooting wildlife is like shooting landscapes in that someone needs to search on the web, talk to people, view shots and then figure out where you need to be and when.

The first shot is from my front porch as the hummer approached the hummingbird feeder. The second shot was found when I was driving around an area looking for wildlife and saw some wild turkeys in the field. The third shot is from Sonora Pass (9,000 feet) where I knew the marmots hung out and there it was, waiting for me on the rocks, or so it seemed (yellow-bellied marmot). The last shot was also from Sonora Pass, I just stood in the wooded area and waited for something to happen and this little guy showed up so I followed it along from tree to tree. I think that finding and photographing wildlife takes patience and the ability to walk softly and quietly as you seek the animals as well as the ability to stay completely focused on the task at hand.

Viathelens said:

I live in California and there are several wildlife refuges that I go to in the winter and early spring. We are located under a migration flight path. Additionally, I live in the foothills and there are several mountain passes that I can frequent to seek out wildlife....

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Great post and great images!

DRwyoming said:

Great post and great images!

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Thank you!

One other thing to remember is that many species are creatures of habit -- dragonflies and many raptors have favorite perches to which they'll return time and again. Deer and elk can often be found in the same area on multiple mornings and evenings. Predators and scavengers will often repeatedly return to a carcass as long as anything edible remains. Most of my time in forest and field is spent in areas where the wildlife is truly wild and not habituated to humans, so a bit of luck is also involved. To me the key to photographing wildlife, as some others have said, is time spent afield - nothing beats boots on the ground.

Woody Meristem said:

One other thing to remember is that many species are creatures of habit -- dragonflies and many raptors have favorite perches to which they'll return time and again. Deer and elk can often be found in the same area on multiple mornings and evenings. Predators and scavengers will often repeatedly return to a carcass as long as anything edible remains. Most of my time in forest and field is spent in areas where the wildlife is truly wild and not habituated to humans, so a bit deal of luck is also involved. To me the key to photographing wildlife, as some others have said, is time spent afield - nothing beats boots on the ground.

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Great post!