Winter 2007-2008 has brought some exciting birds to Upstate New York: Pine Grosbeaks, Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins, and Evening Grosbeaks. It's all been part of one of the largest irruptions of winter finches seen in the Northeast USA for many years, as these birds have moved southward in high numbers from their normal ranges in the far north.



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Marie's photo essay Illuminating Australia's Elusive Birds is featured in the Winter 2008 issue of Nature's Best Photography magazine.

It's easier than ever to make technically perfect portraits of birds. How do you make powerful bird photos that stand out from the crowd? Try including the bird's habitat. A bird portrayed in its habitat tells the viewer something about the environmental forces with which it contends in its day-to-day life. Including the birds environment lets the photographer tell a story.

Here a male Harlequin Duck perches on a rock with crashing waves around it, keeping its composure while surrounded by the power of the ocean. This bird makes a living by diving to forage in intertidal and subtidal zones, prying crabs, mollusks, and other marine invertebrates from underwater rocks. In doing so, it is exposed to the intense buffeting of the surf against the rocky coastline.

Read more in Marie's article Birds in Habitat on Naturescapes.net

The August 2007 issue of Birder's World magazine features Marie's stunning cover shot of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Marie's sixth Birder's World cover.

In September 2006, wildlife photographer Marie Read and her biologist husband Peter Wrege embarked on a three-month photo trip to Australia. First on the destination list was Kakadu National Park in Northern Territory, where Marie photographed wildlife in the beautiful Yellow Waters wetland complex as well as dramatic Aboriginal rock art.


Next came two months driving the length of Queensland, following the austral spring and summer southward, and visiting numerous national parks along the way. Birdlife was the main goal, and they photographed a range of bird species from habitats as varied as the steamy rainforests of Daintree National Park in Queensland's Wet Tropics to the arid scrublands of Carnarvon Gorge National Park to the cooler subtropical forests of Bunya Mountains and Lamington National Parks. Finally, they headed to Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, known for its abundant mammals and spectacular coastal scenery. To see a selection of photographs, enter Australia in our Search Our Photos box.