Leah Turner and Jim Avery Earn Top Honors in the Eastside Audubon's Monthly Photo Contest in May

Leah Turner and Jim Avery were the co-winners of the Eastside Audubon Photograph of the Month award in May.

Leah won for a series of photos of Savannah Sparrows shot during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in April. Jim Avery, a previous winner, was honored for his shot of the elusive Canyon Wren.

A Song in Full Bloom by Leah Turner
Photo Details: Nikon D850, Nikkor 500 mm, 1/1250 sec at f/6.3, ISO 160

Leah is a new member of the Eastside Audubon Photography group and was well prepared to shoot the series of photos entitled "A Song In Full Bloom".

“Having visited the Skagit tulip fields for many years, I knew if I wanted to get great shots, I needed to go first thing in the morning before all the crowds arrived,” she says.

“It was a cloudless, sunny Friday, so as soon as I arrived, I quickly walked to the far corner of the fields where there would be fewer people and the sun would be at my back,” she adds. “I could hear dozens of Savannah Sparrows chirping and noticed the males would perch themselves on top of a flower to sing for a couple of seconds before diving underneath the flower petals to hide. I snapped away, taking as many shots as I could at a fast shutter speed to capture the sparrow mid-chirp!”

She points out that the bird is not named after the habitat but instead for the City of Savannah, Georgia, where one of the first specimens was discovered.

The Merlin phone app helps Jim Avery find the Canyon Wren

The photo of a Canyon Wren was taken at the Umtanum Creek Recreation Site near the north end of the Yakima Canyon in Eastern Washington with the help of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Merlin phone app.

“After crossing the Umtanum Creek Bridge, and hiking a short way along the trail, the Merlin Bird Sound ID app on my phone picked up the distinct song of a Canyon Wren, so I sat in the brush and waited there,” he says.

“After half an hour or so that bird landed on the branch of a tree that had been burned down in a wildfire a couple years ago, so the view was quite clear”, he adds. “The sun was higher in the sky than ideal at 11 a.m., but the lighting was okay for this shot.”

**Photo Details**
Shot on a Sony Alpha 1 camera and 200-600 mm zoom lens with the following settings:
Lens 600 mm | 1/2000 of a second at f/6.3 | ISO 640

Amanda Buse is the Winner of the June Photo of the Month Contest

**Photo Details:**
All photos were shot on a Sony a7riv with Sony 100-400mm G Master lens.
Lens: 400 mm | Exposure: 1/5000 of a second at f/5.6 | ISO 800

Long-time Eastside Audubon Photography Group member, Amanda Buse, was the winner of the June Photo of the Month contest for her stunning photos of Eagles shot at Seabeck, WA.

The photos were taken during a photography workshop led by renowned bird photographer Mark Smith.

“He is known for his Osprey photography, as well as other wildlife photography,” Amanda says. “After taking his class, I realized it is important to really know all aspects of our subject if we are going to be prepared for the photos we desire,” she adds.

**Photo Details:**
All photos were shot on a Sony a7riv with Sony 100-400mm G Master lens.
Lens: 400 mm | Exposure: 1/5000 of a second at f/5.6 | ISO 1000

Here are the key takeaways from the workshop:

Be familiar with the subject’s body language.

This helps to know when to prepare for the shot you desire.

Know the terrain and environment of your subject.

If the food source is dependent on tides, then that is when you need to be out there too.
Understand that you may be shooting in less ideal times, but it is a tradeoff, and post-processing can help.

Sometimes it is the equipment and not you.

Be prepared to adjust accordingly if your equipment is not playing nice.

Amanda started in bird photography in 2016 when she began shooting photos of a little male Anna’s Hummingbird she affectionately called Mi Amigo. “Mi Amigo was such a great photography bird to learn two hobbies that I have grown to love, birds and photography,” she says. “Looking back, I feel very fortunate to have had such a wonderful introduction to wildlife photography.”

**Photo Details:**
All photos were shot on a Sony a7riv with Sony 100-400mm G Master lens.
Lens: 400 mm | Exposure: 1/4000 of a second at f/5.6 | ISO 500

About the Eastside Audubon Photograph of the Month Award

The Photo of the Month award was instituted to recognize the work of the Photo Group Members. The group members meet monthly to show their latest photos and videos as well as share their knowledge of photography and wildlife. To attend the meetings, please join the group’s announcement list.