Histograms and your shot.

Gouldian Finch at the Vancouver Conservatory

I have taken my photography club from school to the Vancouver Conservatory every year.  It is inexpensive and fun, not to mention an education in photographing members of the feathered fellowship.  They have quite a few species of exotic birds there (see link below).  They are well looked after and modestly used to a human presence.  It makes the business of photographing them a little easier.  After all, it is easier to take pics of something not desperately trying to get away from you.  I have seen many people use their cell phones to capture some pretty good images.

The strange little graph in the right upper corner is a histogram.  Chances are you have seen them before, probably in association with pictures on your camera.  Histograms are an empirical way to examine light information on an image.  The histogram here is a gray scale image combining all the coloured information together of the bird photo.  It would be exactly the same if we converted the coloured image to a black and white (gray scale) one.  The left side of the histogram shows the darker shades while the right side shows the whiter shades.  The values progress from completely black on the far left to completely white on the far right.

A histogram is made of 256 little bars.  Each bar represents a shade of gray.  It starts from 0 at the right for white and 255 at the left for black.  Each bar in between those two extremes would be a number; the darker the shade of a pixel the higher its associated number.  The height of each bar tells you how many pixels in the image are made of that particular shade of gray.  You can't really see the bars, and you don't need to.  The trick with histograms is not to get worked up by the insane amount of data, but rather to see the trends within the data. 

There are primarily three trends which you should know.  The overexposed trend, the underexposed trend, and the properly exposed trend.  Each of these is unique in its own right, kind of how a fingerprint is unique for each finger for the whole human population.  Still though there is a certain way that those bars form.  Once you know what you are looking for, the rest is relatively easy.  The great thing about interpreting histograms is that they can help you improve your shots.  A lot.

My next blog will be on the three trends.  It will also be on this same birding blog.

Birds at the conservatory:  https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/bloedel-conservatory-exotic-birds.aspx

Turkey vulture

The turkey vulture

The iconic vulture is a bird which feeds primarily on carrion - the flesh of dead animals.  That may seem a little nebulous, as most predators will kill something first then eat that which has just expired.  Turkey vultures then are opportunistic carnivores that actually don't kill to eat.  Rather, they enjoy the bounty of something that has died on its own or been killed by something else.   The distinction is important because of the reputation they have been branded with over the centuries.  Quite frankly, it is unfair.

The roll vultures play in nature is actually very important.  They go about their business and clean up the mess left behind.  They are nature's way of not letting good food go to waste.  What they don't get will be taken by others, such as all dogs and their relatives on land (coyotes, jackals, and so on), by fish and their relatives in water, many invertebrates, and ultimately by bacteria, protists, and fungi in all environments.  We call this group the scavengers and decomposers.  If it was not for these important niches of organisms the world would be filled with the remains of dead things. 

Consider the image of a skeleton of some long gone creature and a vulture sitting on a branch nearby.  Another popular meme is the cowboy dying of thirst, crawling on the desert, and vultures soaring overhead.  It does impart a certain dose of the heebeegeebees in one's mind, I suppose primarily because they would not be kind enough to wait until death had fully set in.  Being opportunistic, they would much rather be at the party first.  No sense showing up after all the good parts are gone.

We associate vultures with death, and all associated icons receive similar disdain.  Whether it be Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Future, the Spectre of Death, or even the ever eerie headstone with your name on it, they all speak of a foreboding finality.  I think that our view of death is not a global phenomenon, but very much a western understanding; death is something to be terrified of.  I recall a scene in "The Lord of the Rings" where Gandalf and Pippin are awaiting their demise.  The wizard helps Pip's fear regarding what they imagine is inevitable.  Scary and uncertain, but also bringing about a welcome peace filled with wonder, the concept of death is given a very different view.

If people saw death in this way, the vulture may be viewed in a totally different light.  They may be looked at the same way we see doves.  Not harbingers of death, but bringers of new life and peace.  I guess it is all in the way you look at things.

Western Bluebird

Western bluebird with grasshopper - Oosoyos

I have done a lot of walking in many places, and am always on the lookout for any type of wildlife.  Sometimes I am fortunate and get to see species like the western bluebird in the above photo.  They used to be more common, but have declined over the last hundred or so years.  The main reason has been the European starling, which has taken away its nesting areas.  Western bluebirds, like starlings, require a hole and cavity in something to construct a nest.  Unfortunately, the starling is much more aggressive and is more likely to get a nesting spot before or from a bluebird.

The thing that impressed me was the fact that you can build birdhouses which are geared towards these feathered beauties.  They have a different point of entry than traditional structures and the openings are flat, not round.  The Mountain bluebirds can get into these while the starlings can not.  If we want to see an increase in the population of them we have to start building them in natural areas where they live.  It will no doubt take a while before we see an increase in their numbers, because the population has been decimated.

I have been fortunate to see the western bluebird about a half dozen times.  Although they do live in the lower mainland, I have only ever seen them in other places in BC and Alberta, and always in open areas.  I do not think they are fond of living around humans, unlike the starling which can live wherever we are.  So, nesting sites in your back yard probably won't work.  It will be up to parks and rural land owners to help them regain a foothold.

It would be nice to see them on a regular basis instead of just inadvertently.  The less we care about our ecosystem the more likely we will restrict our species' diversity.  Wouldn't it be terrible if the only birds you ever saw were robins, starlings, crows, and pigeons?  That is where things are headed if there is no action.

The Bald Eagle - A predator is only as good as its weapons.

Bald eagle capturing fish

An effective predator is only as good as the weapons it has at its disposal.  The bald eagle has four weapons which it uses to overcome its prey; talons, beak, size, and strong flight ability.  The talons alone are undeniably its greatest asset as they are razor sharp and can be presented towards its quarry with minimum risk to body (see top right image).  I have seen eagles carry off seagulls, ducks, and large fish with ease.  There are stories aplenty of them absconding with small dogs, much to the horror of their masters.  Should an eagle decide to turn its claws onto a competitor or threat, wisdom would suggest valour take a back seat and the would be target head for the nearest cover.

Of course, the skin piercing legion of knives are supported by the beak.  Once the claws have subdued or at least mercilessly embraced a victim, the strong beak begins tearing off pieces of flesh.  If not already dead from the multiple lacerations imparted by those talons, the beak would surely finish the job.  Eagles have been seen attacking and killing young deer (link below).  They don't necessarily have to fly off with their quarry - pieces are fine.  All this can happen because of its great size and strength, other assets which this awesome bird wields easily and with authority.

We may cringe at the concept of the eagle dispatching its prey with the only desire to sustain itself or support its family, but this is the way nature works.  Eagles are considered top carnivores because nothing eats them yet they consume a wide variety of other organisms.  They are masters of the air, the land, and the sea.  I live in south western British Columbia where eagles abound.  I have half a dozen living within a square kilometer of my house, and there are literally thousands within a radius of 100 km.  I see them so often that I take it for granted.

I was camping down in Washington state and had three kayaks with me.  I met a couple who had never kayaked before and she had never seen a bald eagle, apparently something she had always wanted.  We took the boats out on a lake and it wasn't long before one of the Masters of the Sky appeared.  She gazed with awe at its majesty and grandeur, then watched incredulously as it dove towards the water.  Moments later it flew off with its scalely reward.  I remember her words at the time, "Now I can die in peace."  It must have been an incredible moment.


https://www.earthtouchnews.com/natural-world/predator-vs-prey/bald-eagle-swoops-in-on-a-swimming-fawn-video/

Common chaffinch

Above:  Male adult chaffinch    Below:  Female juvenile chaffinch

Have you ever held a live bird in your hands?  They are amazing creatures.  Ridiculously light for their size, their small bodies belie their potential and stamina.  I have been more fortunate than most and have had opportunity to hold many living birds.  I have caught swallows to remove them from buildings.  I once was part of a team capturing and tagging Canadian geese.  I have hand fed starlings, pigeons, and chickadees.  Injured birds rescued include robins, gulls, owls, and a few unlucky soles who strayed into windows.  Then there was the chaffinch.

While visiting New Zealand I came across a funny little brown and grey bird I had never seen before.  Consulting my bird book I discovered it was a common chaffinch, a European bird which has become commonplace in its new home.  It feeds on small organisms which it obtains through the usual methods and will eat vegetable matter such as seeds.  The chaffinch seems to be a pleasant bird with no annoying habits or tendencies.  Its song is nice, although not as lyrical as some better feathered crooners.  (see link at the bottom; information, videos, and songs available there)

We had parked our camper van at a night stop near Matamata, NZ, and I was out taking pictures.  We were at a rustic museum with many antique farm implements on display and good sized flower and vegetable gardens.  The building themselves were closed and, outside of another camper van, we were the only ones there.  I got some great shots of what was about; and then I saw this wonderful site.

November in New Zealand is much akin to spring in Canada and the birds were out making nests, laying eggs, and raising young.  A brown and grey bird was feeding its chick; what was unusual was that they were on a bench at the back of the property.  The chick happily sat there while its parent was scurrying about bringing it food for its quickly growing body.  It reminded me of my job a home a few years ago.  I took shots, as I usually do, and I got closer.

When photographing wildlife there is a foreseeable and predictable pattern which arises.  I see something, I move slowly towards it, being as inconspicuous as possible, and I photograph it continuously until I see that it is uncomfortable with my presence.  At that point I stop and leave the organism in peace.  Usually I end up with a pretty good photo and did not disturb my quarry very much.  What was unusual here was that the chick never showed signs of distress.

As I got closer and closer my shots improved and the chick remained steadfast on the bench.  I paused, moved a couple of feet, froze, took a photo, then repeated that pattern.  Eventually I was only a short distance away, literally half a meter.  I slowly bent over, extended my hand (palm up) and put it in front of the bird.  It hopped on.  It was both strange and wonderful that this little individual would trust me to lift it up to have a little face time.  I marveled at it, becoming cognizant of the fact that its parent was about to have conniptions no doubt thinking I was about to ingest its offspring.  

It was at that moment it flew away.  I think that is what gave me the greatest satisfaction.  The chick could have left at any time.  It trusted me and we had a moment with each other that will remain engraved in my mind forever.  Even though I was securely planted on the ground, my heart was up there with the birds.  I'm sure I could have chirped a few bars if I tried.

https://www.hbw.com/ibc/species/common-chaffinch-fringilla-coelebs

Golden crowned kinglet

Golden crowned kinglet sitting on Salal - shot in my back yard.

Have a look at the little ball of feathers sitting on that branch.  It is quite a remarkable bird; one of the smallest perching birds in Canada.  Where I live in British Columbia (in the Fraser Valley area) they are present all year.  I was out for a walk today (early January) and saw a pair of the them flitting about looking for food.
This is where many people get a little lost - what food?  There is a hint if you look closely at the kinglet's beak.  You can see spider webs there.  Their small bills are not meant for cracking seeds the way a grosbeak does, nor is it built for eating carrion or whatever is lying about like a crow's beak.  It is small and dainty and built for looking into tiny cracks and crevices.  They will work their way along a branch and check every spot for food.  This consists of invertebrate eggs, juveniles in all stages of development, and adults.  These could be spiders, insects of all types, mites, ticks, and so on.  Anything of that sort will do.  Invertebrates are packed with energy, water, and nutrients.  The problem is they are small and hard to find.
Fortunately the tiny birds busily move from branch to branch searching for any tidbit which will help them through the winter.  When spring approaches they find food is much more plentiful and begin the process of breeding.  I have never seen a  kinglet nest, but they are tiny, and their babies are only about the size of bumble bees.
The one I photographed above had hit my window and lay stunned upon my deck.  It was still alive, but not fairing too well.  I moved it to a safe area of my yard where it would recover.  As it rested I took the liberty of getting a few shots.  I have photographed them throughout the lower mainland and on Vancouver Island, but I like this shot the most.  After a while it flew off to go about its business.
If you hear small peeps and see a creamy coloured bird with a golden crown flitting about this winter, you probably just saw a kinglet.

No hummingbirds?

Female rufous sided humming bird

Imagine a world without hummingbirds.  Many of us take them for granted, although whenever we see one it is a marvel in our eyes.  We have four species in our area, with the rufous sided hummers being the most common.  Anna’s hummingbirds are also very common and have the distinction of being the only ones that spend the whole year in the southwestern BC.  My neighbour keeps a feeder out during the winter and I frequently see one perching on a nearby tree.  The other ones, much less frequent, are the black chinned and the calliope.

We have just spent a month in New Zealand.  They have no hummingbirds there.  Zero; zilch, none.  They have other birds that fill similar niches, with the Tui being very fond of nectar and being an avian pollinator to boot.  But very few people there have experienced the joy of watching a hummingbird flit effortlessly from flower to flower, navigating the air with all the skill of a veteran helicopter pilot.  It is kind of sad, in a way.

Of course, they have their own special birds which are no less amazing in their own special way.  These include unique creatures such as the fantails, whose antics and constant flittings must on some level equal the energy output of our hummers.  I have already mentioned the tuis, but let’s not forget the namesake kiwis.  Now there is a remarkable bird.

The egg of a kiwi is huge, emu sized, yet the adult is a little smaller than a chicken itself.  Think of a chicken laying a two pound egg.  It probably weighs more than that, but I don’t want to go overboard on my comparison.  These flightless birds are endangered because they can’t get out of harms way and the number of predators is increasing.  Fortunately there are a lot of management practices in place which seem to be facilitating a comeback.

I do not suppose we should feel too sorry for New Zealanders who have never seen a humming bird, as there are many of us who have never experienced a fantail, tui, or kiwi.  We each have our own species to be grateful for; to be admired and appreciated.  But just like those environmentally sensitive kiwis, we had better do a good job looking after them, because they could disappear and we might be the ones not to see them in the future.