Autobiography

Featured Photographer

November 17, 2006

Hi everyone. This is David Dilworth from Vaughn Bay, Washington. I have only been birding since July 13, 2006. The reason I remember the exact date is because that’s my son-in-law’s birthday. He is the one that got me interested in birding, so I decided I would honor him by becoming a bird nerd on his birthday. That was the day I started keeping a bird log. A bird log is a list of all the birds I see and where I saw them.

I have always liked birds. I was in the Junior Audubon Society in elementary school, and I have had an African Gray Parrot for about 6 years. After a month of birding, I decided to try to take pictures of them. You can take pictures with a camera attached to a telescope and a tripod, or you can use a camera with a telephoto lens. Either way you need a way to bring the view of the bird up as close as possible.

A telescope used for viewing nature rather than stars is called a spotting scope. When you attach a camera to a spotting scope it is called digiscoping. This is the method I chose. You have to take many photos of each bird and hope that at least one of them is in good focus and shows the bird at a good angle and in good light. It is not easy, but it certainly is a lot of fun, especially when you get a great photo.

I have been taking bird pictures for over one month now. I think I’m getting better and better at it, but even the experts have their bad days and good days. I just bought a camera that can have a telephoto lens, so I’m going to try this way of taking pictures too. Wish me luck!

My favorite bird is a Song Sparrow. They don’t have a lot of pretty colors, but they sing a very nice song. I guess that’s how they got their name. The Song Sparrows in my backyard have gotten so friendly that they fly very close to me and sing their song for me.

Since I have only been birding for a short time, I have not been to that many places. All of them are near where I live – Belfair, Tacoma, Olympia, Washington. One day my wife and I went up to an island on the Olympic Peninsula. We visited Fort Flagler State Park. Fort Flagler was built to protect Seattle during World War II. It was a fun place to explore, and we saw a lot of cool birds.

To see some of my bird photos, check them out right here on this website.

Featured Photographer November 17, 2006 Hi everyone. This is David Dilworth from Vaughn Bay, Washington. I have only been birding since July 13, 2006. The reason I remember the exact date is because that’s my son-in-law’s birthday. He is the one that got me interested in birding, so I decided I would honor him by becoming a bird nerd on his birthday. That was the day I started keeping a bird log. A bird log is a list of all the birds I see and where I saw them. I have always liked birds. I was in the Junior Audubon Society in elementary school, and I have had an African Gray Parrot for about 6 years. After a month of birding, I decided to try to take pictures of them. You can take pictures with a camera attached to a telescope and a tripod, or you can use a camera with a telephoto lens. Either way you need a way to bring the view of the bird up as close as possible. A telescope used for viewing nature rather than stars is called a spotting scope. When you attach a camera to a spotting scope it is called digiscoping. This is the method I chose. You have to take many photos of each bird and hope that at least one of them is in good focus and shows the bird at a good angle and in good light. It is not easy, but it certainly is a lot of fun, especially when you get a great photo. I have been taking bird pictures for over one month now. I think I’m getting better and better at it, but even the experts have their bad days and good days. I just bought a camera that can have a telephoto lens, so I’m going to try this way of taking pictures too. Wish me luck! My favorite bird is a Song Sparrow. They don’t have a lot of pretty colors, but they sing a very nice song. I guess that’s how they got their name. The Song Sparrows in my backyard have gotten so friendly that they fly very close to me and sing their song for me. Since I have only been birding for a short time, I have not been to that many places. All of them are near where I live – Belfair, Tacoma, Olympia, Washington. One day my wife and I went up to an island on the Olympic Peninsula. We visited Fort Flagler State Park. Fort Flagler was built to protect Seattle during World War II. It was a fun place to explore, and we saw a lot of cool birds. To see some of my bird photos, check them out right here on this website.