Birds

Photos, Observations, and Drawings

Birding based out of Boulder, CO. Below is an assortment of bird photographs and drawings. Photos are taken using a Canon 5d Mark III with a 500mm f4.5 lens, occasionally with a 1.4x extender. Small collection of photos here, hundreds more on eBird, a citizen data science project developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

First, one of my favorite pictures in one of my favorite places on Earth.

White-crowned Sparrow, Guanella Pass, CO. Lover of willows.

Sparrows, the family Passerellidae, are one of the most overlooked groups of birds. If you look closely enough, they are each incredibly unique.

Sparrow diversity. Left, Lincoln's Sparrow, Guanella Pass, CO. Middle, Song Sparrow, Walden Ponds, Boulder, CO. Right, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Ollantaytambo, Peru.

Another hidden gem of Guanella Pass:

Dusky Grouse with a near-perfect camoflage, Guanella Pass, CO.

I love to capture the resilience of winter birds as well:

Snow birds. Left, Brown-capped Rosy Finch, 14268 ft, Torreys Peak, CO. Middle, Black-billed Magpie with Mule Deer, Jackson, WY. Right, Canada Goose, Walden Ponds, Boulder, CO.

And occasionally, some vagrants make their way into Boulder:

Anhinga from SE United States makes her way to 95th street, Boulder, CO, and stays the summer eating lots of tasty fish.

In January 2025, I visited Hakaulau National Wildlife Refuge for birds and discovered much more… See OhiaSAR

Endemic Hawaiian Honeycreepers. Left, the renowned I'iwi, Hakaulau NWR, Hawai'i. Middle, 'Akiapola'au, Hakaulau NWR, Hawai'i. Right, Hawaiian Amakihi, Hakaulau NWR, Hawai'i.

The ‘Akiapola’au pictured above is a key driver for me to pursue the O’hia project. This endemic’s numbers are plummeting due to various factors with only a few hundred left in the wild.

And possibly my favorite capture, the Nene:

Hawaiian state bird, Nene, Hakaulau NWR, Hawai'i.