In early Spring of this year, I went to the nearby Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge in the North Tract looking for birds to photograph. I noticed a lot of activity around bird houses that had been set up near the tree line and close to a large pond. Birds were coming in and out of one bird house which clearly contained a nest of chicks. The parents were frantically bringing food to the house and then leaving to hunt again. Here were the Bluebirds, and this was going to be a great opportunity to photograph these colorful birds in flight.
Through these images I try to show different aspects of that busy morning for the birds. To freeze the flight action I used a high shutter speed and waited for the birds to approach and then leave the birdhouse. The trick is to avoid showing the birdhouse and photograph the birds as they seem to hover before landing. Slowing the camera shutter speed creates the blurring of the wings to convey the flight activity.
Whenever you can, step out into nature and just watch. To learn some cool facts about these interesting birds, check out the CornellLab Website write-up about Eastern Bluebirds.
