This Ring-necked Duck showed me his ring and wings today (May 1, 2013) at the Ridgefield NWR in Washington state. Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1000, f8, ISO 1250, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens with 1.4x extender–total 560mm. More Details
A Killdeer pair has returned to the same spot to nest again this year at the Ridgefield NWR. One of the birds posed for me here on April 25, 2013. Canon 5D Mark III, 1/2000, f6.3, ISO 1250, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
Shorebirds basking in the sun at the Ridgefield NWR on August 22, 2012. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1/1250, f5.6, ISO 400, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
This Red-tailed Hawk did a fly-by on Feb. 1, 2013, at the Ridgefield NWR. Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1250, f5.6, ISO 800, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
Feb. 20, 2013, at the Ridgefield NWR in southwest Washington state. A light overcast day can be the best time to photograph these mostly black and white birds, with all sorts of colors in between. Canon 5D Mark III, 1/800, f5.6, ISO 160 ... More Details
A shot of the access bridge to the Ridgefield NWR in Washington state. Jan. 18, 2013, at sunset. Canon 5D Mark III, 1/100, f14, ISO 800, 24 mm, Canon 24-105mm f4L lens. A slightly larger image can be viewed by going here, and then c ... More Details
Here’s another landscape shot of the refuge taken on Dec. 5, 2012. This is looking north from between markers 11 & 12, at the southern end of Rest Lake. Canon 5D Mark III, 1/800, f9, ISO 800, 24mm, Canon 24-105 f4L lens. For a ... More Details
This is another shot of the earlier raccoon entitled, “Hunting is Serious Business.” Here the raccoon is feeling the bottom of the creek with its paws hoping to come across something to eat. Taken at the Ridgefield NWR, Au ... More Details
The instant before touchdown is captured here with a Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1250, f5.6, ISO 1600, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. Ridgefield NWR, Dec. 10, 2012. More Details
This Northern Harrier has its nictitating membrane deployed over the eye. I caught this beautiful bird in flight at the Ridgefield NWR on Dec. 10, 2012. Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1250, f5.6, ISO 2500, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
A Northern Harrier approaches a post to land on. Ridgefield NWR, Dec. 10, 2012. Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1250, f5.6, ISO 1600, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
Here’s a rare (for me) ‘landscape’ shot of the refuge. This is the “three tree” area I refer to often in my blog posts. Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1000, f5.6, ISO 1250, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
A caught this Northern Harrier the instant she touched down on a post at the Ridgefield NWR, Dec. 10, 2012. Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1250, f5.6, ISO 1600, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. See a larger view of this shot on my Flickr page at this pa ... More Details
A lone Pied-billed Grebe in his own section of water at the Ridgefield NWR, taken Dec. 6, 2012 with a Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1250, f5.6, ISO 2000, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
A Red-tailed Hawk takes flight from a post at the Ridgefield NWR, Nov. 26, 2012. Taken with a Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1600, f5.6, ISO 1250, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
The Canada Goose is sometimes confused with the Cackling Goose, which is somewhat smaller. In flight you can tell the difference by the length of the stretched out neck. The Cackler’s neck is about one-half the length of the Canad ... More Details
Ridgefield NWR presented me with this shot of a coyote in the morning sun on Nov. 26, 2012. Captured with a Canon 5D Mark III, 1/640, f5.6, ISO3200, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
An awesome bird in morning light–a rare sunny morning in the Pacific Northwest! Taken with my Canon 5DMarkIII, 1/1600, f5.6, ISO400, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
Lots of Great Egrets at the Ridgefield NWR on July 19, 2012. I got shots of several of them taking off and flying almost over me. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1/1250, f5.6, ISO400, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
I caught this beautiful Great Egret in flight at the Ridgefield NWR, Sep. 21, 2010. I used my Canon 40D, 1/2000, f7.1, ISO 400, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
A mischievous Bald Eagle stirs up a flock of Pintails at the Ridgefield NWR on December 7, 2009. The ducks don’t know quite which way to fly to avoid disaster. Taken with my Canon 40D, 1/1000, f7.1, ISO400, 400mm, Canon EF 100-400 ... More Details
I went back into my archives and found this shot of a GBH in flight taken at the Ridgefield NWR, May 8, 2009, with a Canon 40D, 1/4000, f7.1, ISO400, 400mm, Canon EF 100-400mm L lens. More Details
I was walking the gravel road at Ridgefield NWR on July 5, 2012, and captured this Great Blue Heron just after liftoff. This picture was selected for publishing in the Clark County, WA., book, “Clark County and Southwest Washington, ... More Details
A Red-winged Blackbird hangs onto a Cattail stalk at the Ridgefield NWR, May 2, 2012. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1/800, f5.6, ISO800, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. I also used a slight amount of fill flash here. More Details
This Northern Harrier just took flight from a post on the east side of Rest Lake at the Ridgefield NWR, March 23, 2012. This picture was selected for publishing in the Clark County, WA., book, “Clark County and Southwest Washington, ... More Details
Here’s a coyote with some morning light. Taken at the Ridgefield NWR on Feb.3, 2012. I used my Canon 7D, 1/1600, f5.6, ISO640, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
I found this White-crowned Sparrow at the Tualatin River NWR on June 17, 2010. I reprocessed it and liked how it came out in Lightroom 4 Beta. Taken with a Canon 40D, 1/250, f7.1, ISO400, 400mm with Canon EF 100-400L lens. More Details
I’ve seen one or two other photos of bitterns swimming but this is my first photo of this somewhat odd behavior. Why the bird didn’t fly to the other side of this narrow canal, I’m not sure. Possibly it figured flying ... More Details
This photo is a close up version of the “One Gave All” shot posted earlier. Taken with my Canon 7D, 1/2500, f5.6, ISO400, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens, on Jan. 11, 2012, at the Ridgefield NWR. A version of this photo won the Orego ... More Details
This female Northern Harrier shows off her hunting skills by picking out a vole for her afternoon snack. Taken with my Canon 7D, 1/2500, f5.6, ISO400, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. Taken at Ridgefield NWR, Jan. 11, 2012. View a larger image ... More Details
These birds are typically very skittish but this one let me get pretty close. Taken Dec. 16, 2011, at the Ridgefield NWR with my Canon 7D, 1/500, f5.6, ISO640, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
Dec. 16, 2011, at the Ridgefield NWR, I spotted this colorful little guy near some cattails. Canon 7D, 1/640, f5.6, ISO800, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
This Northern Harrier gave me a good opportunity with some soft afternoon light at the Ridgefield NWR on Nov. 25, 2011. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1/2500, f5.6, ISO400, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
A couple of Tundra Swans flew over Rest Lake at the Ridgefield NWR in southwest Washington state on Nov. 25, 2011. This was taken about 3:15 p.m. with the sun shining through a thin layer of clouds. I used my Canon 7D, 1/1600, f5.6, ISO ... More Details
A female merganser makes a fish, a meal, at the Ridgefield NWR on Nov. 25, 2011. This photo won 2nd place in the 2012 Ridgefield NWR photo contest, put on by the Friends of Ridgefield NWR. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1/1600, f5.6, ISO400, Canon ... More Details
This bird is a vagrant in Washington state. A vagrant refers to a bird that has wandered far away from its normal range of travel. Vermilion Flycatchers are normally seen in the lower southwestern U.S., by the Mexican border. They als ... More Details
A female Northern Harrier does low circles in front of me at the Ridgefield NWR, Oct. 17, 2011. These skillful hunters can change direction on a dime in mid-flight. Taken using my Canon 7D, 1/1250, f5.6, ISO400, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. ... More Details
Here’s another shot of the Cunning Coyote pouncing on a vole, which she caught and immediately started to consume. See this third shot in the Non-Bird Gallery. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1/1000, f5.6, ISO800, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
I caught this female Northern Shoveler basking in the sun at the Ridgefield NWR on Sep. 28, 2011. She seems to have a visitor flying right in front of her–a dragon fly. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1/2500, f5.6, ISO1000, Canon 400mm f5. ... More Details
A relatively rare sighting for me at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, this enormous bird was one of about 35 that had landed at the refuge on July 11, 2011. Taken with my Canon 7D, 1/2500, f5.6, ISO640, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
This bird was a ‘lifer’ for me when I spotted it at Mt. Tabor Park in Portland, OR, on May 26, 2011. I used my Canon 7D, 1/400, f5.6, ISO800, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens, with flash fill. Also, see the VIDEOS section for a video of ... More Details
This is the female version of the “masked bandit” that is so prevalent at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in SW Washington state. I took this photo on May 4, 2011 with a Canon 7D, 1/1000, f5.6, ISO400, Canon 400mm f5.6L ... More Details
This shot was taken at close range with a Canon 40D, 1/320, f7.1, 400mm, Canon 100-400mmL lens. At the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge on Feb. 27, 2009. More Details
This Ruby-crowned Kinglet was hovering to snatch a morsel of food from the foliage at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge on Apr. 12, 2011. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1/800, f6.3, ISO500, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens, with flash fill. More Details
A male Bufflehead poses for me on the blue-reflected water of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Taken on Apr. 8, 2011, using a Canon 7D, 1/2500, f5.6, ISO640, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
A Bald Eagle takes a dive at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Feb. 25, 2011. Taken with my Canon 7D, 1/2000, f5.6, ISO250, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
A Northern Pintail at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Feb. 25, 2011. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1/2000, f5.6, ISO250, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
A Northern Harrier hen making the rounds for her next meal at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge on Feb. 25, 2011. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1/1600, f5.6, ISO500, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
I snapped this shot of a gorgeous Northern Harrier at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge on Feb. 25, 2011. It was a cool, sunny day (finally!) and I tried to make use of the abundant light. Taken with my Canon 7D, 1/1600, f5.6, ISO ... More Details
I thought this Gadwall looked awesome against the reddish/pink algae. Taken at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Feb 1. 2011, with a Canon 7D, f5.6, 1/500, ISO400, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
The mature Bald Eagle actually knocked the younger one off the perch as they clutched talons. There are more shots from this encounter in my Feb. 1, 2011, blog posting. Taken at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Feb. 1, 2011, wi ... More Details
Jan. 11, 2011, at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, this awesome raptor lands in a tree where I had unfettered access with the camera. This is an uncropped shot of the eagle regurgitating a pellet although it appears that he is tel ... More Details
When visiting the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Nov. 2010, I came across these swans taking flight over Rest Lake. It appears that these could be Trumpeter Swans and the two outside birds are juveniles. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1 ... More Details
The Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge presented me with a lovely portrait of this magnificent raptor–the Northern Harrier. Taken Nov. 29, 2010, using a Canon 7D, 1/2000, f5.6, ISO1600, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
My first ever spotting of a Snow Bunting at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge on Nov. 22, 2010. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1/250, f6.3, ISO400, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens, flash fired. More Details
One of the many small birds I spotted at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 27, 2010. I used fill flash to help light this fellow as he was in uneven lighting. I used a Canon 7D, 1/250, f6.3, ISO1000, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens ... More Details
Driving the auto tour of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Oct. 2010, I spotted this Greater Yellowlegs hunting in the shallow waters of Rest Lake. He plunges his beak down in the water, feeling around for a morsel, and snaps the ... More Details
A second frame of this kestrel’s flight for his prey. Taken at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 27, 2010. Taken with a Canon 7D, 1/3200, f6.3, 400mm, ISO2000, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
Taken at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 27, 2010. Used a Canon 7d, 1/2000, f6.3, 400mm, ISO800, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. These majestic birds are a treat to see fly over, and it’s even better to get a shot of one. ... More Details
A group of Northern Pintails sail over Rest Lake at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in January of 2010. Taken with a Canon 40D, 1/1000, f6.3, 400mm, ISO400, Canon 100-400L lens. More Details
Taken at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 18, 2010, near post #9. I used a Canon 7D, 1/500, f5.6, 400mm, ISO500, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens. More Details
I came across a group of five raccoons busily foraging for food in the shallow water’s edge of a slough on the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge – Oct. 18, 2010. This is one of the raccoons scraping something off the bottom ... More Details
Here’s a shot I took on Oct. 18, 2010, at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. I was trying out some new AF settings on the 7D for flight shots–primarily shooting geese, which were there by the thousands. This awesome ha ... More Details
A very “cool” looking duck taken at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in May 2010. I used a Canon 40D, 1/1000, f7.1, 400mm, ISO400, Canon 100-400mm lens. More Details
This handsome fellow perched on this metal contraption that, apparently, was placed there by refuge personnel at some point. I’ve never been able to figure out what the circular bowl-shaped wire object is but the bird landed on it h ... More Details
Early morning, Sep. 28, 2010, at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge found me waiting in my vehicle for one of several American Goldfinches to land on a teasel within camera view. It’s almost like they know where to land to mak ... More Details
One of my favorite sparrows, the Savannah Sparrow. Taken October 2010 at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. These sparrows have beautiful markings and feather colors in addition to the yellow eyebrow. This bird was about 12 fee ... More Details
I took this image in the first year of this hobby, 2007. I had my Canon XT and 50-500mm Sigma Bigma. I was positioned along the auto tour where post #13 is located now. The bird was flying at a low level from north to south and I shot ... More Details
This perch is located on the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge auto tour just past the corner after post #9. The tree is about 100 feet off the road to the right and the perch is probably at least 60 feet up. It’s a little far ... More Details
This Bald Eagle was perched high in a tree for quite a few minutes letting me shoot away. After a while he spotted something on the ground and took flight, changing directions just after lift off. I hit the burst and got this shot. T ... More Details
Fall 2009, at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. A gorgeous Northern Harrier flies by nice and low to the ground, giving me a good perspective on the shot. It also didn’t hurt that the sun was directly coming from my back, l ... More Details
This was taken in May 2008 with the Canon XT body and the 100-400 f5.6L lens. I was driving along the Ridgefield NWR auto tour route heading for the main parking lot on the 2-way road. As I rounded the corner into the lot, I spotted thi ... More Details
A beautiful Green Heron hunts successfully in the waterways of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. This bird is seen around the refuge in the summer months and is always eagerly awaited by bird enthusiasts and photographers. I was ... More Details
Hello! My name is Dennis. I am a photographer specializing in creating bird and wildlife images through digital photography. Welcome to my site. Please feel free to browse my portfolio, which I am adding to frequently. Also, please consider visiting my blog where I describe my wildlife photo shoots from start to finish. I also discuss some of the technical aspects of bird photography in my Articles section. Thanks!
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