A Flying Rainbow - Painted Bunting in New York City

New York City is always on the go, at any given day and in any given time you can find something exciting happening here. This time of year, the Christmas decorations usually top it all, but this year a little bird was the symbol of holiday spirit and the best attraction this city had to offer.
On November 29, a birder named Keir Randall, noticed a very colorful bird near Prospect Park's LaFrak Skating Rink. He saw a small bird, at a size of a sparrow, with multiple colors: blue, red, yellow and green. In the New York area it is impossible to find a bird with so many colors. Sure, we have the Northern Cardinal and the Blue Jay, but their bright colors are not to be confused with this rainbow-like visitor.

"When I first tried to photograph it, I was literally shaking so much I had to calm myself down to get the shot", Randall said. The identification of this colorful bird was a no-brainer, it was the Painted Bunting. It is a fairly common species to spot breeding in the coastal southeast and south-central US, but its rarely found in New York.

This beautiful male is one of only 10 birds of this species to have arrived to NYC since 1927, according to data compiled by the New York State Avian Records Committee. This is the first adult male Painted Bunting to ever visit Brooklyn. A female was spotted visiting Brooklyn at 1999.  Since Randall found this bird, every day, at least 100 enthusiasts birders and locals came to see the latest celebrity in NYC.

The first time I went to see this little rainbow, I saw more reporters than birders. Channel 2, Channel 5, reporters and photographers from the New York Times were all surrounded the little celebrity, while the birders took a step back. Some of the reporters interviewed the birders and I overheard some parts of the conversation, including: "People are losing their s--t over this bird" and "It is like a unicorn emerging from the fog". After that day, the news about the most colorful bird in North America were making waves outside of the US and made it all the way to London and even (with a little help from my Hebrew blog) to Israel.

Surprisingly, the flying rainbow didn't care too much about all the commotion around him. He was hopping on the ground gathering food. This is probably his first year of migrating, which can somewhat explain his unusual route.

Even though the reporters got the upper hand on viewing this guy, I defiantly got my fair share of view. Not once, but twice, he flew right towards me and set on a branch in a tree next to me. He made me feel very special. Usually he spends his time on the ground and completely blends in with the autumn leaf colors and vegetation. His favorite spot is the new grassy wildlife habitat by Lakeside Brooklyn, which was once a parking lot.

I took his photo while he was posing on the branch and then when he stood on the fence. It was a beautiful sight to behold. I was admiring his beauty until a Northern Mockingbird decided to chase him away from the scene.
The Painted Bunting is completely oblivious to his beauty and the happiness he brings to people hearts. I got very emotional the first (and second) time I saw him and I wasn't the only one. Although he is of small size he was able to bring people together as if they were one big happy family. Good luck little rainbow, I hope you will find your safe way to Florida soon!
    

Boo York

After watching the Village Halloween Parade for the first time last year, I knew I have to join them this year. About a month ago, I started sensing the Halloween atmosphere when the leaves changed their colors to yellow and the streets covered up with pumpkins and skeletons.

To get into the Halloween spirit, before the parade, I had to go through several milestones. The first was to get a costume for Paxon. Obviously, with no kids in the house, I just have to practice on my cat, so I got him a lion's mane. Being such a good cat, Paxon didn't care about his new "hair extension" and was happy to model for the camera in exchange for a treat. The photos, however, wouldn't be complete without a pumpkin. Therefore, I went to the farmers market at Union Square to find myself a nice looking pumpkin.

Having the pumpkin, I couldn't resist carving it. My talented friend Alex drew a face on the pumpkin and we carved it together. It was very messy and cutting it is harder than you would expect, but after an hour or so I had a jack o'lantern in my apartment. I placed it next to the window and lit it. Without any candles, the nearest cellphone was sacrificed for this, as I placed it, flash on, inside the carved pumpkin. Paxon always likes to sit next to the window and the combination of the two represented a true Halloween spirit.

This year, first Halloween event was Shoshi's Halloween party. She was dressed as a football player and brought to the dog run at Washington Square Park. A lot of dogs showed up for the costume competition, but Shoshi did a great job chasing her football and won a price for most interactive costume. This is an upgrade from last year when she was dressed as a "working girl" and won the "most inappropriate but funny costume" category. 

Paxon, Shoshi and even jack o'lantern were all ready for the big day. I however still needed to find a costume that will keep me warm and comfortable to operate the camera during the parade. I choose to be a viking and the only things needed were a furry horned hood and leg warmers. More importantly, I wanted a new camera. Don't get me wrong, Canon 7D is amazing but it was getting old and cranky. Also, the 7D was always pretty terrible in taking photos under low light. For a long time I was debating between 5D Mark III, 6D and 7D mark II. Eventually, I found a nice deal and decided to go for the 6D. I received it just a day prior to the parade. The same night, I went to Times Square to practice, knowing I would find some cosplayers there. I wasn't disappointed.

Finally the big day arrived. Learning from previous parades in the city, I got a press pass and arrived at the location a few hours before it started. Getting there early with a costume proved to be a minor nuisance, as quite often I had to stop and pose for other photographers. An hour later the place was packed with cosplayers, professional artists and amateurs alike. The costumes and makeup I saw were phenomenal and the people in the costumes were very cooperative. Still having daylight during the preparations provided for lots of great photo opportunities. Another advantage of showing up early was meeting fellow photographers. The scene however was not complete until the sun set down.

When the darkness came the drums began to roll and the puppeteers with their huge skeletons and pumpkins opened the parade. Some of the photographers were also in costumes. I particularly liked a TV crew that stood in the opening line catching cosplayers for interviews; the two cameramen and the sound man dressed up as Super Mario and the reporter was dressed up as Princess Peach.   

I however did not stand still. I was walking with the skeletons, looking for the best place to take photos, a spot that will capture the atmosphere of the parade. Then I saw the Empire State Building.

Getting what I was looking for, I walked back to the parade's starting point, only to find myself in the middle of a big group of random cosplayers. I couldn't pass through them, I couldn't even lift my arm up to snap a photo. I was stuck. There was nowhere to go. Whenever I found an opening I squeezed myself in and half an hour later I was out! Looking behind my shoulder to avoid meeting this group again, I bumped into a zombie that tried to eat me alive. As a viking I had my own weapons and I managed to chase the zombie away to the cheering of the crowd. Unfortunately, no one recorded the event so I can't share it with you. I do however have a photo of some scary people from the parade.

Face to face with the zombie was one of the evening's highlights, but also the ending cue for me. Happy and exhausted, I left the parade, although the night was not over yet. Union Square, the subway and Times Square are also great photo spots for Halloween. I went to each and every one of them and stayed there until I got my moments. The new camera definitely stood up to the challenge. The night of Halloween was concluded after eight hours and 1222 photos of amazing encounters. This was easily one of the best nights I had in the city and I can't wait to see everyone again next year.

                  

Fall Road Trip to Hudson Valley

I have been waiting for the best opportunity to get out from the city. The perfect time came this weekend, when autumn delivered peak fall foliage around Hudson Valley. Saturday morning, before my friends and I went on our trip, I checked the foliage map to make sure that we will catch peak time. First stop on our way upstate New York was Muscoot Farm, an hour away from the city. Last year, I found the place by mistake and this year I couldn't resist the temptation of visiting again. Growing up at the Kibbutz, I was surrounded by farm animals. Visiting the farm, smelling the hay and watching the cows, sheep and horses reminded me of home. The pumpkin patch was a nice addition and the trails surrounding the farm are absolutely gorgeous.     

From the farm we headed to Anthony's Nose. The place was so beautiful I couldn't wait to get out of the car. The minute we stopped I ran up the mountain and by the time I've reached it, I realized that I left all my friends behind. I took a deep breath and a couple of pictures, ran down and found them climbing up. The view from the top was spectacular but we were all extremely hungry at this point so we rushed back down to get some food. Driving to the diner, we took a quick stop near Bear Mountain Bridge for an overlook at Popolopen Creek. This late afternoon, food at the Barnstormer Barbeque was highly appreciated and we enjoyed every bite. Finally, we gained up enough energy for the grand finale at Seven Lakes Drive.  

5 Tips for Capturing Beautiful Photos at the Zoo

If you ever photographed animals at a zoo, you probably know that it is far harder than it seems. When taking photos at the zoo, you need to avoid bars and fences, dirty, stained and reflective glass, people that block the view and also bushes, trees and logs inside the exhibit. Sometimes you can’t even see the animals because they are hiding. Even with a clear view, the animals are most likely to be resting or sleeping, often facing direction opposite from the human spectators. On the other hand, the admission fee is much cheaper than a flight ticket to Kenya, and in one visit to a large zoo you can see more species of animals than you would if you took a trip around the globe. With that in mind, I compiled some tips that will be helpful if you want to get the best of your visit to the zoo.

1. Overcoming barriers

To avoid the bars and the glasses, get as close as you can to them. When I’m shooting through glass, I take off the lens’s hood and place the lens against the glass. To avoid bars in the photos I open the aperture as wide as possible, usually f/5.6 and wider.

As for the crowd, I strongly suggest to get to the zoo during an ordinary week day. Although it is possible to get nice photos during weekends, holidays or pay-what-you-wish days, you should try your very best to avoid them. Another possibility is to buy a membership, which (in some zoos) allows you to enter before or after official opening hours.

2. Stay in one exhibit

Zoo visitors tend to move around very quickly between the exhibits. They will spend less than a few minutes looking at a specific animal. When I go to the zoo, I choose one exhibit and stay there for most of the day. Of course, choosing the right exhibit is crucial and following the next tip on this article will be extremely helpful for you.

After studying the animals for a while, you can learn about their favorite resting spots and walking paths, group hierarchy and daily schedule – when they are sleeping, feeding and playing. Soon enough, patterns emerge, and it is becoming easier to predict what the animals will be doing next. With experience, you can also predict the location where it is going to happen. This information is crucial because it allows you to set up the gear and be prepared when the action begins.

3. Babies are always a safe bet

Babies are cute, lovable and are more likely to move around the exhibit and play. They are also very curious and will investigate every inch of their exhibit. If there is a baby in the exhibit, odds are that the adults will also be more active and display natural behavior. Among the different animals at the zoo, baby apes are extremely lovable because of their resemblance to humans and because they display a wide variety of facial expressions and emotions. I for one, can never get enough of watching the great apes.

4. Telephoto lens

Not applicable for all exhibits, but in the right place and the right time, a telephoto lens can give you a great advantage over “civilians” with their point-and-shoot cameras (and, of course, their iPhones). It will allow you to get a nice close-up portrait, even if the animal is keeping its distance.

Long focal length, together with wide aperture will overcome some of the barriers and soften the artifacts in the background into a nice-looking bokeh.

5. Love and be emotional

I have a deep, profound love and respect for wildlife. I only go to modern zoos, like the Bronx Zoo, which I know spends a lot of efforts in wildlife conservation and education. When I photograph, I let my emotions go through the lens and translate them in the photos. If you feel that emotion when looking at my photos then I’ve reached my goal.

The article was published in 500px Prime

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I dream of Colorado

After dreaming about it for so long, I finally made it to Colorado and this time I took my parents with me. My first goal was the Rocky Mountain National Park. The fall greeted us as we drove up the mountains. Patches of yellow, orange and red escorted us along the way. Yellow grass, blue sky and sheep-like clouds formed the view wherever we turned.

The first sign for what we were about to encounter next was literally at the entrance sign. As soon as we stepped out from the car we were surrounded by cute little squirrels like this Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel, beautiful jays and magpies. It seems that all these little creatures associate humans and food so they come right out to see if they are going to be lucky. One man standing next to me told me that the minute he opened the door a magpie immediately jumped in it to look for food.

It is very tempting to feed the wild animals, especially when they are begging for food. However, feeding wildlife is illegal and dangerous to the animals, as well as humans. One of the things one should always keep in mind is that different animals have different reactions to the same type of food. For example, most humans love avocados but it is extremely toxic to birds and also to horses, cattle and goats. Sometimes, feeding wildlife can be lethal. 

During our first day at the park we roamed around Horseshoe Park and Bear Lake. Around sunset we saw dozens of elks; bulls, cows and calves, coming from the mountain's forest toward the meadows. We heard the studs call and saw them rounding up their harems and chasing away satellite bulls who were fighting in the background.    

After seeing all the elks I was desperately looking for moose. When the sun set down I found one, but it was already too dark to take a photo. Meeting some of the locals, I ask them about the best places to see moose. They laughed and told me that the best place to see them is in their backyard. They also said that "moose are mean animals, they will stomp you to death. Mothers with calves are especially protective and you should keep away from them. You know, our old mayor was killed by a moose".

Early morning, two hours before sunrise we drove into the park. The moon, or should I say super-moon, was over the mountains looking very impressive. The sun began to rise and colored the meadows and the elks with gold.

After the sun came out we took the "Trail Ridge Road" up to the sky. During our first stop on the trail, we were again surrounded with squirrels and birds looking for food. This time, the Clark's Nutcracker, also appeared. The squirrels were fearless and they climb the humans as if there were rocks. One of them was climbing my hand while I was taking their photos. 

The weather and landscape changed dramatically as we drove to the top. It was freezing cold and occasionally snowing. At the top of the trail I was looking for pikas. If the pika looks familiar it is probably because of the pokemon Pikachu which is basically a pika. We started walking and found some elks and bighorn sheep. After a few minutes of sitting near the rocks and staring at them they finally showed up, running between the rocks and collecting food for the upcoming winter.

Stopping at the Alpine Visitor Center along the way we saw two yellow bellied marmot as we were walking through the back door of the center. They were collecting food and couldn't care less about all the people that gathered around to watch them. 

At this point we all had mild symptoms of  mountain sickness in the form of a headache, so we headed down the mountain. The Rocky Mountains were breathtaking, the view was spectacular and looking back it all felt like a dream. I only wish I could dream this dream forever.    

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