Bird Portraits

Birds hold a special place in my soul. They are such beautiful, free spirits. John James Audubon produced a wonderful book of illustrations entitled Birds of America which was printed between 1827 and 1838. When I first saw his illustrations, I thought of them as precise, visually fascinating and elegant bird portraits. I envision taking a bird’s photograph as a portrait session. Unlike Audubon, I have absolutely no artistic talent which is one of the main reasons I enjoy photography. Photography allows me to capture what I am unable to paint. Audubon encapsulated my feelings when he said

“I never for a day gave up listening to the songs of our birds, or watching their peculiar habits, or delineating them in the best way I could.”

Click on any of the thumbnail images below to enlarge them and start a slide show of just a few of the birds I’ve photographed over the past decade.