Wildlife Photography across the Water: Subtle Differences

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Subtle Differences

Many species look and sound very similar to each other and i found this out again last week in California, I was at Jims house looking through some images and in particular the Grebe images when he said that's a Clark's Grebe not a Western Grebe, Well firstly i had only shot a Western Grebe once a couple of years ago and secondly i had never heard of a Clark's Grebe, The differences are quite subtle but once you know, there is no doubt
The top image is a Western Grebe and the bottom Image is a Clark's grebe

The main difference is the crown on the crown,On the Western Grebe it goes below the eye whereas on the Clarks the black crown stops above the eye, Also look at the beak, On the western grebe its a greenish/yellow colour whereas on the clark's grebe its more of an orangey/straw colour
So i guess its always best to carry a bird ID book with you just in case, Also locals will help, The thing with the grebes above is that they swim together making life harder if you do not know the difference

Dave

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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.