Rich Polk
Embedded Files
Green Heron
Maker: Rich Polk
Thompson Park, Monroe Township, New Jersey
.On a hot and sticky summer evening, this heron was perched on a snag in Manalapan Creek. The reflections of the trees in the water worked to unify and simplify the background. The best light is often found around the time the sun rises or sets.
Canon EOS 60D, Tamron 150-600mm lens @600mm, 1/1250sec @f/7.1 ISO 6400
Common Yellowthroat
Maker: Rich Polk
Abbott Marshlands, Hamilton, New Jersey
A gloomy, overcast day greeted us for an organized warbler walk in the Abbott Marshlands. Separated from the group, I heard a common yellowthroat--my favorite warbler--calling from a trailside bush. Trying to chase him with my lens from one opening in the leaves to another never gave me enough time to focus before he moved on. I decided to choose the brightest opening, pre-focus, and wait for him to show up there. Eventually he did. .
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Tamron 150-600mm lens @600mm, 1/1000sec @f/6.3 ISO 3200
Black Skimmer
Maker: Rich Polk
Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, Galloway, New Jersey
The black skimmer is so much fun to watch as it flies just above the water's surface, its lower mandible skimming the surface. Upon contacting a fish, the mandible snaps shut to grab the food with the shorter upper mandible.
Canon EOS 60D, Tamron 150-600mm lens @600mm, 1/1250sec @f/8 ISO 400
Egret in Flight
Maker: Rich Polk
Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, Newport Beach, California
This great egret took flight as I was exploring the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve in California. Unfortunately the sky behind the bird was a sickly color. In post-processing I replaced the sky with a more interesting one I captured here in Monroe.
Canon EOS 60D, Canon 70-300mm lens @210mm, 1/1000sec @f/18 ISO 800
Wood Duck Drake
Maker: Rich Polk
Thompson Park, Monroe Township, New Jersey
I captured this image of a male wood duck in Thompson Park. This species is especially skittish, and many a time I have spooked them before I even have seen them. This bird swam up Manalapan Creek as I was standing on the bank with some overhanging leafy tree branches keeping me hidden. The colorful foliage reflected in the water was a bonus.
Canon EOS 70D, Tamron 150-600mm lens @600mm, 1/800sec @f/8 ISO 5000
Pileated Woodpecker
Maker: Rich Polk
Thompson Park, Monroe Township, New Jersey
Light is the essential element of photography. In the studio; a photographer controls the light to deliver his message. In nature, he usually must take the lighting he finds. I was very fortunate to find this subject on the ground deep within Thompson Park, sitting in a spot of sunlight that had pierced the canopy.. The size of a crow, the pileated is our largest woodpecker. His red "mustache" identifies him as a male.
Canon EOS 70D, Tamron 150-600mm lens @600mm, 1/1000sec @f/7.1 ISO 6400
Wilson's Snipe
Maker: Rich Polk
Upper Abbott Marshlands, Hamilton, New Jersey
I was surprised to find this snipe standing on a log just feet off the trail. Very tolerant of me photgraphng him from different angles, I suspect he had just arrived and was exhausted from his migratory flight. This posture is a common resting position. .
Canon EOS 60D, Tamron 150-300mm lens @600 mm, 1/1600sec @f/8 ISO 3200
Belted Kingfisher
Maker: Rich Polk
Thompson Park, Monroe Township, New Jersey
Kingfishers are especially skittish. I used some shrubs along Manalapan Creek to hide my approach to this one sitting on a snag. After I made the exposure, he flew off emitting his raucous cackle.
Canon EOS 70D, Tamron150-600mm lens @600mm, 1/1250sec @f/8 ISO 4000
Horace's Duskywing on Purpletop Vervain
Maker: Rich Polk
Davidson's Mill Pond Park, North Brunswick, New Jersey
While the colorful butterflies tend to capture so much attention, the nuances of color found in the less brilliant species should not be ignored.
Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 18-250mm lens @128mm, 1/800sec @f/7.1 ISO 2000
Eastern Towhee
Maker: Rich Polk
Thompson Park, Monroe Township, New Jersey
Usually found on the ground, searching for food under leaf litter, I found this towhee perched in a bush in early autumn. Conservatively dressed, I nevertheless find the bird striking in appearance. I enjoy their clear call and playing photographic hide-and-seek with them amidst the branches and shadows.
Canon EOS 60D, Tamron 150-600mm lens @600mm, 1/1250sec @f/7.1 ISO 800
Mother and Child
Maker: Rich Polk
Ocean City, New Jersey
Great egrets are attentive parents. The elevated sidewalk at the rookery in Ocean City puts the photographer close to nest level, making such photographs possible.
Canon EOS 60D, Tamron150-600mm lens @600mm, 1/12500sec @f/7.1 ISO 2500
Fox Kit
Maker: Rich Polk
Abbott Marshlands, Hamilton, New Jersey
While exploring a woodland traii in the Marshlands, a commotion to the left drew my attention. Two fox kits were playing in the entrance to their den, just feet off the trail. One sought shelter within, but the other was curious to watch me as I captured his image.
Canon EOS 60D, Tamron 150-600mm lens @600mm, 1/1250sec @f/8 ISO 6400
Sawfly Larva
Maker: Rich Polk
Monroe Township, New Jersey
After watching this larva eat its way through a rose petal, I photographed it walking across a leaf on its way to its next meal.
Canon EOS 60D, T150-Sigma 18-250mm lens @155mm, 1/500sec @f/9 ISO 320
Allen's Hummingbird
Maker: Rich Polk
Laguna Beach, California
While traveling, my gear usually includes lightweight lenses of shorter focal lengths. This limits the "reach" for small birds at greater distances. Fortunately, hummingbirds are very confident of their speed and maneuverability. This, combined with their need to constantly consume high-energy nectars to support their rapid wingbeats, often puts them within close range. While walking along the bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, I captured this Allen's hummingbird feeding at a flower of the candelabra aloe.
Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 18-250mm lens @250mm, 1/250sec @f/8 ISO 320
Death on the Train Tracks
Maker: Rich Polk
Thompson Park, Monroe Township, New Jersey
The last light of day was failing as I walked the train tracks toward the bridge at the east end of Lake Manalapan. Finding nothing photo-worthy, I shut off the camera and started back toward the parking lot. Walking carefully in the near darkness, I saw a sudden movement at my feet. A garter snake had snared a toad, the same creature I had passed walking in the opposite direction. I had to push the capabilities of my camera to its limits to capture this life and death encounter.
Canon EOS 60D, T150-Sigma 18-250mm lens @600mm, 1/500sec @f/9 ISO 6400
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