Waterfowl

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Narrows Reserve, Beavercreek Ohio © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Narrows Reserve, Beavercreek Ohio "Subject matter is subject that matters." - Fredrick Summer By this point I would argue that Canada Geese are a tired subject, having built up a large assortment of images over the years. Derspite that, they are large and approachable in a lot of habitats. In this case, I found this pair along the Little Miami River. Resting on this piece of driftwood, they weren't too concerned by me being around them. My 150-600mm zoom lens made the moment easy to capture. The overall brown tones of the image are something I like about this particular image. That single color is the primary focus here, and color can affect the mood and stability of the photo. That little pop of color with the black and white of the geese just adds that extra touch. Your eyes are lead there from the geese at the tip of the driftwood to the end at the right. Who says wildlife images can't both document and be artful? © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Narrows Reserve, Beavercreek Ohio © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Philips Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "For small creatues such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love." - Carl Sagan A nice warm and sunny spring day by the pond. This Canada Goose is presumably sunning to dry off its' feathers and wings after bathing in the pond. A patient observer will get to see them rapidly flap their wings to shake off any remnants of water droplets. When that motion is stopped with a photograph, I liken it to being the conductor of an orchestra. The actual movement is very fast and intrepid. However in a photograph it embodies grace and swift. The best thing for me in this image is the single eye directed towards the camera/viewer. Any time you have the attention of an animal (without disturbing it of course) then the eyes make a wonderful connection. The white underside of the bird help distance it from the pond water, perfectly lining up out of the way in the frame. The foreground and background grasses add a nice complimentary color to the earthtone scene. A sliver of their brown underside is matched with the line across the background of dirt. Even the midday lighting work in this case to add a bit of shine on the goose. Just when I photographed this species enough, I find them in a whole new light. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Angels Pass Memorial Park, Beavercreek, Ohio While this isn't the first image I ever took, this is the oldest one on this site. It is perhaps the one that got me interested in wildlife photography when it landed me a little spot in the local newspaper. This is perhaps the first photo that truly got me interested in wildlife photography. Just a simple minimalist portrait taken during midday light in a local pond. © 2016 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Philips Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "Gliders, sail planes, they're wonderful flying machines. It's the closest you can come to being a bird." - Neil Armstrong An early photo trip had me at a local pond where common yearly resident birds can be seen. Geese are always present at this location and so I was looking to photograph their antics for the day. They were swimming about in the water whilst making splashes and chasing each other around. Birds can become sources of humor in this way. Capturing behavior like this goes to show that photos become more interesting with a dynamic action from the subject. Always seek out the personality with your subject, whether it's avian or otherwise. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Fairborn Community Park, Fairborn, Ohio © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Fairborn Community Park, Fairborn, Ohio I sat by a local pond for a better part of an hour. I was partially obscured by a tree and my telephoto lens and camera mounted to a tripod very low to the ground. The late morning sun was beating down leaving me sweating after hiking for miles since the misty and foggy morning. A gaggle of about 30 of these Canada Geese were congested to the side of the pond closer to me. I watched through my binoculars as geese bathed while swinging their wings back and forth to dry off. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Fairborn Community Park, Fairborn, Ohio "I have not even begun. I'm chasing the light and a vision I had. This what I'm after." After a cool and misty morning gave way to a sweaty and sunny day. After trekking through the back woods for white tailed deer and other various subjects, I made my way out of the woods. Just when I thought all opportunities were exhausted, I sat by the nearby pond for a better part of an hour. I was partially obscured by a tree and my telephoto lens and camera mounted to a tripod very low to the ground. The late morning sun was beating down leaving me sweating after hiking for miles since that misty and foggy morning. A gaggle of about 30 of these Canada Geese were congested to the side of the pond closer to me. I situated the sun towards my left side and watched through binoculars as geese were bathing and in the nice and cool water. This is one of many exposures made during my time by the pond. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Spring Valley Wildlife Area, Spring Valley, Ohio "There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before." - Robert Wilson Lynd Negative space is a unique compositional technique to use in your work. For this image of some geese, I knew any potential images had to differ from previous ones. This helps keeps subjects fresh and perspectives renewed. I deliberately chose to frame the landlocked flock to the bottom edge of the vertical view. A dropped out of focus foreground and a deeper depth of field helped secure the off in the distance geese. The green foliage adds some color and interest to the photo as well. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Spring Valley Wildlife Area, Spring Valley, Ohio "Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it." - Nicholas Sparks This was my very first trip to Spring Valley Wildlife Area last February. I was eagerly anticipating the multitude of waterfowl in the 150-acre lake and marsh. This is where I spotted my first sightings of several birds, including Mute Swan, American Coot, and Wood Duck. Mallards and a very large gaggle of these Canada Geese were present as expected. This made for a sunny and chilly day as I slowly but surely circled my way around the lake while observing the birdlife through my lens and binoculars. On the wooded side of the lake there was a clearing in the brush and these two geese were near the waters edge. I was essentially spotted and they both slowly turned and went further out to the water. I managed to take off a handful of shots, this one being a keeper. While most birds do not mate for life. There is a special bond created between mates where they move together such as in this image. If only they got a little closer and formed a heart with their heads and necks. Unfortunately that moment never came. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Cemex Reserve, Fairborn, Ohio "The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly." - Friedrich Nietzsche Geese sound the alarm like a siren song and cacophony of honks. They were barely out of sight in the wetland pond, however I knew their honks signaled a possible flyaway. Aiming my telephoto lens in the direction of the sounds, the geese soonafter were winging out of the area. As you can tell, this flock was rather far away even when zoomed at 600mm. I cropped the image later on in post at the top and bottom to remove negative space and focus more on the subject. Another nice detail is how known of the birds overlap in this split second moment. Wildlife photography is truly about being prepared ahead of time. Knowing the geese will start to cackle together, raising in volume and tempo means a takeoff is imminent. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Cemex Reserve, Fairborn, Ohio "I realized that If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes." - Charles Lindbergh Early on in my career, I made a conscious decision to photograph various Ohio wildlife. The majority of easily viewable happen to be birds, as avian life can be found in almost any habitat and any time of year. The widespread range and availability of geese such as these meant I accumulated quite a variety of images from them over time. The many different lighting situations and poses you can make with a single species reward the persistent photographer. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Cemex Reserve, Fairborn, Ohio "The good man is the friend of all living things." - Mahatma Ghandi Nothing beats wading through a marsh during early morning sunrise. Hints of that golden hour light still glisten over the bottom half of the frame, as well as light up the white feathered breast of this goose. A fairly large flock of them flew in just before first light, as their cacophony of cackling could be heard from afar. With this shot, I simply wanted to isolate one of the geese and make a simple bird portrait of them swimming. Zoomed out at 600mm, I was still very close here which allowed for pin sharp focus. While their head is something to meter for, a slight catch light and glimmer of reflection in the eye shows that it isn't just a "black blob" of a head. Overall a personal favorite and simple bird photo of mine. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Cemex Reserve, Fairborn, Ohio "If only the best birds sang, the forest would be silent." - Henry Van Dyke The early morning golden hour is the time period surrounding the sunrise and its effect on natural surroundings. No matter the time of year, the lighting is much more dramatic and warm as the sun is angled lower in the sky. For this trip, I took advantage of the early morning light to photograph some waterfowl at a local marsh. The solitude allowed me to wade through the water undetected, and capture some close looks on camera. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Cemex Reserve, Fairborn, Ohio "If only the best birds sang, the forest would be silent." - Henry Van Dyke The early morning golden hour is the time period surrounding the sunrise and its effect on natural surroundings. No matter the time of year, the lighting is much more dramatic and warm as the sun is angled lower in the sky. For this trip, I took advantage of the early morning light to photograph some waterfowl at a local marsh. The solitude allowed me to wade through the water undetected, and capture some close looks on camera. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Greylag Goose (Anser anser)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful - an endless prospect of magic and wonder." - Ansel Adams This image was the result of thinking quickly and throwing myself into the scene before the subject moved. This domestic goose is very approachable and so I walked all the way around it to get a better look from behind. My thinking was all about the background in this case. Using a 150-600mm telephoto zoom lens at the far end of the focal length, I knew the background would drop out out focus into a clean sheet of color. Images like this have such a clean, professional look to them. The background is uncluttered and so the bird subject takes center stage. A creative choice was cropping out the bottom half of the goose, however I took a less cropped in image showing the bird laying on the grass. All of this occurred in less than 2 minutes before I moved along to the next location. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Greylag Goose (Anser anser)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "Not all who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien He goes by the name Huey. A lone one of these stocky grey and brown geese seem to be primary residents at Spring Lakes by the tackle and bait shop. I was actually hiking from Sugarcreek Metropark but wanted to check out Spring Lakes as they are connected. The overcast lighting suits itself well to a tack sharp portrait. This particular one became known of my presence pretty immediately as it looked at me here. I fired off a few images at a safe distance before leaving the area. The name is given due to the white base of feathers that is present on the base of the bill. I can assume this is a juvenile due to the lack of the white patch. These geese are common migrants who can be seen in flocks of Canada Geese. This day was my first sighting of this Goose. Their coastal migratory range is from central United States all the way up North to Canada. One fascinating characteristic of this bird as well as many others is how the pairs stay together and migrate together, often for life. Other bird species mate with another partner every season, while others may move on if they find a better option. It is very interesting how they pick and choose. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Greylag Goose (Anser anser) & Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "The kite and other birds, which beat their wings little, go seeking the course of the wind, and when the wind prevails...they will be seen at a great height." - Leonardo da Vinci Every photo is like a special, tender moment to me. Some hold a much more special significance in their stature, just like this Greylag Goose as it stands up high in reverence compared to its Canadian counterpart. As always, anytime I can get some sort of interaction or exclusivity of two different species in a shot, I will jump for it. The early morning light was settling for a nice diffused sky as day broke. This same Greylag (called Huey by some locals) was just fighting about with another goose in the lake next to them in the image. While those images show a more intense struggle going on as they dunk one another and honk and squawk, this photo shows a much more calmer side. © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

Old Reid Park, Springfield, Ohio © 2020 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Spring Valley Wildlife Area, Spring Valley, Ohio © 2020 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "When I look at wildlife or a nature subject, I don't see the feathers in the wings, I just count the wings." - Charley Harper A series of headshots of a familiar bird. The more habituated avian individuals at a fishing pond will allow you to get very close to. Be calm and precise in your movements, and you may get a frame-filler portrait in exquisite detail. © 2021 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Goose Goslings (Branta canadensis)

Spring Valley Wildlife Area, Spring Valley, Ohio © 2020 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Spring Valley Wildlife Area, Spring Valley, Ohio © 2020 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Sora (Porzana carolina)

Spring Valley Wildlife Area, Spring Valley, Ohio © 2020 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

American Coot (Fulica americana)

Cemex Reserve, Fairborn, Ohio "My wish is to always stay like this, quietly in a corner of nature." - Claude Monet Typically known as mud hens, American Coots are a common wetland bird. You may find them near any open water of lakes and marshy ponds. Although mistaken for being a duck, coots are in a unique order of birds. Instead of webbed feet, they have lobed scales for walking on dry land. The offspring with the brightest plume feathers will be fed more than others, an act called chick ornaments. This is very fascinating as to why the parents do that. Also their meat is less desirable to hunters than that of ducks. I was wading through the waist deep waters of the fairly small Cemex lake. Obscured by some sedge grasses and cattails, I slowly waded around them to move in closer to some waterfowl. The early morning light still ever present, a lone American Coot was within a few feet of me to my surprise. I barely noticed the dark feathers and small size. And I got this shot before it gingerly swam away. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

Ivy Pointe Park, Cincinnati, Ohio "Time sometimes flies like a bird, sometimes crawls like a snail; but a man is happiest when he does not even notice whether it passes swiftly or slowly." - Ivan Turgenev There is a pleasant feeling in wildlife photography at times. No matter the hustle and bustle of highway traffic and cars zipping by, the calm-minded focus of 'the moment' is what I crave. That pause where you inhale and press the shutter. Time almost seizes to exist in that momentary pause where the only thing that matters is you and the subject. A camera acts more or less as the bridge, the connection between you and the feathered creature in the water. © 2020 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” - Henry David Thoreau The one unique individual in the flock, this shot took several quick attempts to get it right where the compositionally contrasting of one goose against the rest. With one head raised as the others grazed, the look while still in a telephoto focal length, seemed to give a bit of wildlife and landscape hybrid shot. © 2021 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "Mother Nature speaks in a language understood within the peaceful mind of the sincere observer.” - Radhanath Swami A more isolated shot of a swimming goose that I'm sure everyone has seen time after time. My portfolio and edited shots of this species easily add to over hundreds and yet such a catalog is harboring many images. The quality of light, compositions, seasons, habitats and more differ each shot while being consistently the same type of bird. © 2021 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duckling (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio © 2021 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Ross's Goose (Anser rossii)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "Nature, complete with vibrant colors and magnificent light shows is free for all. The only price of admission is to pay attention.” - Garry Fitchett Nothing beats getting up just before sunrise, driving twenty minutes away to stand in the bitter cold with other birders and friends just to see two white geese awaken and swim around. © 2022 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Ross's Goose (Anser rossii)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "Nothing is constant in Nature except change. Our lives are destined for a new reality.” - Donna Maltz Ready for takeoff, and for once I was alert enough to capture the entire sweep on camera. These two white birds contrasted well against the deep azure blue sky of mid-morning as they headed south. © 2022 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Graylag Goose (Anser anser)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "The more you connect with nature, the more creative you will become.” - Mwanandeke Kindembo Amongst the search for the "life birds," a few other surprises came our way. This whiter and domesticated variant of the greylag became a cooperative subject for any photographer present that morning. © 2022 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Graylag Goose (Anser anser)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "Explore and discover not just nature but yourself as well.” - Nancy B. Urbach Sometimes the chaos of the moment translates to the image as well. A photographer can laboriously compose and clean up a composition only to find other wildlife getting in the way. Maybe that is the beauty of a white goose centered in a lake of other waterfowl. © 2022 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

Huffman Metropark, Fairborn, Ohio "Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius." - Pietro Aretino Ohio is a state in which several types of swans inhabitant it. While the native Tundra and Trumpeter are regular visitors. Mute Swans are still a spectacle as they swim and preen along the partially-frozen lake. © 2022 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

Huffman Metropark, Fairborn, Ohio "Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius." - Pietro Aretino Ohio is a state in which several types of swans inhabitant it. While the native Tundra and Trumpeter are regular visitors. Mute Swans are still a spectacle as they swim and preen along the partially-frozen lake. © 2022 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)

Siebenthaler Fen, Beavercreek, Ohio © 2022 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)

Siebenthaler Fen, Beavercreek, Ohio © 2022 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)

Siebenthaler Fen, Beavercreek, Ohio © 2022 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Double Crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)

Eastwood Lake, Dayton, Ohio © 2022 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.