Pros/Cons

Dateline: 26 April 2023

 Long Haired Squirrel, c. 1841, by John James Audubon – Private collection, public domain

Another year come and gone, with today the 238th anniversary of the birth of famous ornithologist and generally bad human being John James Audubon. Time for pros/cons:

John James Audubon:

  • Pros:
    • Important contributions to ornithology and popularizing the birds/nature of North America
    • Liked squirrels
  • Cons:
    • Owned slaves and was anti-abolitionist
    • “Audubon developed his own methods for drawing birds. First, he killed them using fine shot. …” (Wikipedia.)

Bird photography:

  • Pros:
    • Fun and rewarding; easier than painting
    • Easier to ID birds than ‘real birding’
  • Cons:
    • Expensive/heavy equipment
    • Giant cameras somewhat pretentious

Swallow photography;

  • Pros:
    • Beautiful birds
    • Fly around a lot in the same area
  • Cons:
    • Small
    • Fly erratically

And with that out of the way, happy to see BirdingPI.com’s favorite swallow, the lovely Northern Rough-winged Swallow, back in Erie at Presque Isle State Park. (Also seen at this spot: Barn Swallow.) These shots adjacent the main park road by Niagara Pond, 23 April 2023.

[Nikon Z9 + Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 lens, cloudy conditions]