The American Birds Salon of Photography 1982

The American Birds Salon sistheeleventh annualsalon;thetenth was blishedtwo years ago in theSeptember, 1980 issue of AmericanBirds. In 1981we featuredin its placea specialexhibit of the photographsof FransLanting; this year we return to the originalformat. Responseto our Photography announcementwas slightly more than two yearsago, with a 1982 totalof 360+ colorphotographs from 61 entrantsfrom which to selectour winners. Thisyear an expanded judging panel spentmany hours going through the variouselimination proceduresthat finally resultedin a selectionof about 30 excellent entries, from which the winners were chosen. It shouldbe notedthat the photographs,when judged are so anonymous, and we are so honest, that we have an embarrassingthree double winners this year, proving only that qualitywill out. Fora morethorough discussion of howwe judge photographs,what makes for goodphotographs and what we think detractsfrom others, seeAmerican Birds 34(5) 715. Once again,our congratulationsto the winners,and our thanksto winnersand non-winners alike. We think it'sa goodshow. Famous,of Macbias,Maine, walked off with the honorsand the Septemberfront amouscover,with isnot hisabadbeautiful, name forevocative theGrand composition Prize winner entitled inour"April competition, Blizzard." and The Norm birds areCommon Redpolls, no strangersto snow,and they are patiently and puffedly waiting theirturn at a nearbybird feeder. Famous is a professionalphotographer of oneyear's standing,although he hasbeen photographing birds, among other subjects, for aboutten years.His locus. is mostlyNew England, and this is the biggestaward he hasyet won. When we telephonedfor information,we talkedto the distaffFamous, Nona, who laughingly informedus that she and Normwere competitive, and while she was happy for him, she wouldhave preferred a callabout her own entries. Perhaps next year will be Nona'syear! The datewas April 7, 1982(see "Changing Seasons," this issue),the cameraa Nikkormat w•th85 mmNikor lens, the filmEktachrome, and the exposuredata probably f.4 at 1/125th second.Available light, no filter.The winning exposure was one of onlyfour taken,but after he snappedthis one, the excited photographer said "this is the one everythinglooked just right!" And it does! Volume 36, Number5 791 premier ornithologicalattractions, was the site for the Mockingbirdphotograph which won GeorgesDremeaux amaicaof ForestBayHills, Wildlife New Refuge,York, secondone ofprize New inYork this City's year's salon. Dremeaux,who saysthat he has been photographing birds as an amateur for only four-and-a-halfyears, already has a photo list that tops 300 species.His birdingtravels have taken him acrossNorth Americaand to England,France, and Spain,during which he also photographsmammals if the opportunitypresents itself. The Mockingbirdpictured here on April 10, 1982was free, establishingits territory, and "standinghis ground."The camerawas a Canon F-IN, the lens a Canon 400 ram, the film Kodachrome64. Exposuredata f.5.6 or f.8 at 1/500thsecond, with ambient light. 792 AmericanBirds, September 1982 A mood picturewins Third Prizethis year: graygulls against a gray sea,which somehowcatches one of the infinite imagesof this ever-changing environment.The photographeris RichardL. Ditch, of Freehold,New Jersey, a youngamateur who hasspecialized in bird photography,but admitsto an interestin wildflowersand historicbuildings. Ditch is a member of the Board of Directorsof the New JerseyAudubon Society, and is beginningto see his photographspublished. The winningtrio of LaughingGulls was taken from a moving boat in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape May, New Jersey,October, 1981, as the gulls flew alongside.The Nikon FEwas hand held, with a Nikkor 300 mm lens; the film was Kodachrome64, the auto-exposurewide open at f.4.5, at 1/250th second. Volume 36, Number 5 793 FarallonIslands,aNational Wildlife Refuge35 miles westof the IdenGate, are justly famous. Home of thousandsof seabirdsand a sident researchteam from the Point ReyesBird Observatory,they are also the site of California'smost renowned migranttrap, or last-ditch sanctuary,for an amazingvariety of easternstrays. Shown here, in stark contrast,are two of its ever-changingfaces, and togetherthey havewon Kevin Schafer, of Seattle, two Honorable Mentions in our salon. Schafer is now a professional.photographerspecializing in mammalsand in scenery;he hastraveled to Antarcticain his quest,and saysthat "most of the birds I've photographedhave been easyto get closeto. My favorites,penguins, will standand model for hours. It almostdoesn't seemsporting." 794 AmericanBirds, September 1982 FarallonIsland, where Schaferwas employed as a biologist.On the othleft,photographs the gullsin fog by andSchafer mistshow in April,Western 1982.GullsThe cameraonSoutheastwas a Canon FT,with a 50 mm lens, but the photographeris a bit foggyabout the exposure data. On the right,a more panoramicview, in beautifulsunset light, alsoin April, 1982.The camerawas the same Canon FT,the film for both photographswas Kodachrome64, and this time with a 28 mm lens. No exposuredata are available.This is the largestWestern Gull colonyanywhere, (20,000individuals) and the photographswere takenfrom one of the few pathspermitted to observersduring the breedingseason. "Although the birdsare cautious,they are relativelyeasy to photograph.They alsohave a darlinghabit of dive bombingphotographers." Volume 36, Number 5 795 •n spite oftheeditor, whofirmly believesthat there isnosuch birdas the SpruceGrouse, having searched in vain for birdsfrom Maine to Manitoba that were "here ten minutesago," or "we alwaysgel• it up this road," or "you should have been here last week," we must nevertheless award an Honorable /v•ention to Norm Famous, his second award, for this whatever-it-is. Admittedly,it is an attractivephotograph of watchfulhen and one of her five chicks.The photographwas taken at Petit Manan Point, Steuben,Maine, in June,1982. The camera,once again,a Nikkormat,with Nikkor 200 mm lens, Kodachrome64 film, a slow exposureof 1/30thsecond at f.4. The bird was free and there were no problems,except for the feat of photographinga mythicalbird. 796 AmericanBirds, September 1982 Surelythere'snothingparticularly difficultabout photographing a Killdeerchick, exceptthat you mustfirst locatethe chick, catch it at a rare moment of repose, arrangethe light to fall over your shoulder,find a harmonizingforeground and an unclutteredbackground, and shoot. JamesF. Parnell,of Wilmington,North Carolina,seems to havedone all this with his HonorableMention winner. A veteranbirder, this biologyprofessor at the Universityof North Carolinaat Wilmingtonuses his photographsof birds, mammals,and habitatsespecially wetlands, as teachingaids. The chickwas capturedon Kodachrome64 film in May, 1981at Wilmingtonby a Nikon FE camerawith a 400 mm Novoflexfollow-focus lens. Naturallight. The exposurewas at f.8 but the exposuretime was "on automatic." Volume36, Number5 797 for a landingat BeaverhillLake, Alberta, on May 20, 1981.All exposure details are identical to those for the owl: same camera,lens, film, f stop,and shutterspeed. It's obviouslya magicsetting for Rudi Butot. Honorablefor his GreatMention Horned Owl, caughtin the act of trying to drive him away from a fledged young nearby, goesto Rudi Butotof Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Butot, a dedicated birder, considers himself an amateur photographerof all wildlife, but his "photo list" is now about 250 species.His photographshave found their way into books about Calgary and Alberta wildlife, and he uses them in adult and school-ageeducational programs.Rudi is one of our three double winners. This photographwas taken at Irricana, Alberta, on May 18, 1981, with a Canon F-l, 400 mm lens, on Kodachrome 64 film, at f.5.6 at 1/500th second. 798 AmericanBirds, September 1982 othing ß , spectacular, • nothing • startling,but a rather neat, indeed immaculate,portrait of a Western Flycatcherwins Peter LaTourette, of LosAltos, California, an Honorable Mention this year. Although flashwas used to fill in the light, there is no trace of overexposure,and the fine details are all clear, from eye ring to bill color. The little œmpidonaxwas caughtat YaquiWell in Anza-BoregoState Park in southernCalifornia, in early May, 1981.The Nikon FFwith Vivitar365 strobewas mountedon a tripod. The lenswas a Nikon 400 mm with a wfrc-14 attachment,making it 560 mm power. The film was Kodachrome64, a UV filter was used,the exposurewas f.ll at 1/125thsecond. The only other ingredientwas patience: "1 stayedin the same spot for 2ø3hours." La Tourettereveals that he has been photographingbirds for about four years, is interestedin "birding in general", and has travelled widely--from Hawaii to Finland, in this pursuit. the birdsbegin with a photogenicadvantage, we couldn'tresist this lthoughratherunorthodox heronphotographspose of aare LouisianaundercertainHeron, handicaps,which wins because Fd Hagen, of Woodbury,Connecticut, an HonorableMention. Someof the judgesfelt that the stumpin the foregrounddetracted from an otherwiseattractive composition, but we thinkthat it addsa markof punctuationin wood, turningwhat would otherwiseseem unreal into a believablesetting. Hagen is a birderwho takes photographswhen opportunitiespresent themselves; his other favorite subjects are landscapes.The settingfor thisone wasEverglades National Park, Florida, the cameraa Canon FIN, the lensa Vivitar300 mm, the film Fktachrome400, availablelight, at 1/100thsecond. The bird wasfree and wild and Hagenhad to positionthe cameraat

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