Photo Walk - Saturday, March 5, 2011

Mike Hannisian reports: "The weather was mostly cloudy and a bit chilly, as one would expect given that winter is now yielding to spring. There were not a lot of photographable land birds, but among those present were a number of adult male Red-winged Blackbirds defending territory. As always, there were waterfowl present. Among the most photographable of these were Mallards and Mute Swans. Despite the fact that the latter are invasive, non-natives, they are nonetheless very nice subjects for cameras.

Perhaps not an obvious choice for photography, but at least the local Mallards are approachable and so make ideal subjects for practice. (Actually, is it me, or does that odd greenish bill with black on the culmen smack of a Mallard x Black Duck hybrid? - MC).

They're back and waiting for your cameras! Feisty Red-winged Blackbirds are already setting up territories at Cape May Point.

Working with white plumage always gives the camera plenty of work to do in getting the exposure right. These are just a few examples of what you can achieve on our morning photo walks. All photos by walk leader Mike Hannisian.