Ring-necked Pheasant, Green Island Wetlands, Upper Mississippi Valley, Iowa
Any time you think, I have seen it all, when you frequently go to a certain wildlife area, nature may prove you wrong. After two other photographers told me they had seen some Ring-necked Pheasants in the Green Island Wetlands I opened my eyes a little more yesterday evening. Sure enough, I spotted a colorful male bird walking through the reeds and grasses in the wetlands. I never saw one before in the Green Island Wildlife Management Area, didn’t know they were there.
And here is why I like this shot. In late winter or early spring the vegetation from the year before doesn’t look very pretty anymore. It’s all dried up or laying in the mud and is in process of decay. This can often ruin a perfect sharp and well lit shot because the background or surrounding of the animal just look very distracting. In this picture the pheasant is in his habitat, tries to hide behind the grass, and the light of the low sitting sun is reflected by the feathers of the bird and throws the beautiful colors right between your eyes. I waited until this guy was about to walk through the gap in the grass. Suddenly the pheasant stopped and stood even still for a few seconds and allowed me to make this environmental portrait of a Ring-necked Pheasant.
Well, the ”eyeball photographers” among us may turn up their nose because the bird is partly hidden, but the storytelling aspect of the photo wins and is much preferred, at least in my books. More to come…