2018 Photo Contest – Birds of Ohio – 2nd Prize

2018 Photo Contest – Birds of Ohio – 2nd Prize

Brad Imhoff

“The image is of an American Avocet—one of three that showed up in late September 2017 at Kokosing Lake in Knox County. It’s not a very common bird in Ohio; in fact, it was only the third time this species had ever been reported in Knox County. I hiked back into the mudflats on the backside of the lake where they ultimately spent three or four days feeding. Lying in the mud and water, I inched my way closer—crawling only about 20 yards over the course of an hour. I didn’t want to disturb them or alter their behavior. At one point, the birds began moving closer to me as they fed, so at that point I stopped trying to get closer and just let them come to me. I especially liked this image, because the Avocet crossed through a reflection in the water of a tree that’s leaves had been changing into fall colors. This provided an incredible setting for the image.”

Camera: Canon 7D Mark II; Lens: Tamron 150-600mm
Exposure: 1/1250 sec; Aperture: f/8
Focal Length: 600 mm