Nature photography in the big city

[paul_ashton]

Living in the center of a green city - Houston, Texas - there is a lot

of wild life on my doorstep. Some animals and birds are quite

tame. I have been spending some time in the parks and have

been surprised at the diversity of wildlife around me, including a

small blue heron feeding in Heritage Park and a group of black

bellied whistling ducks in Hermann Park. Am I in a minority in

seeking out wildlife within a city's limits? Are there similar

experiences to be shared?

[doug herr]

The American River parkway through Sacramento is in the river's floodplain. 99% of it is left wild, where turkeys, fox, coyote, deer, otter and beaver are common, Osprey are regular visitors, and rarely Bald Eagle or Mountain Lion are spotted. I reserve Sunday morning while my wife and kids sleep in for my wildlife photo treks, all within the American River parkway.

 

I'll be travelling to Atlanta in June and I'd like to hear of any urban wildlife there.

[billballardphotography]

In Atlanta, there are actually quite a few choices. Perhaps the best are in the various units of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, all located on the northern side of the city. I'm particulalrly fond of the Island Ford and Palisades units. Stone Mountain Park offers some opportunities, and Sweetwater State Park, just west of downtown can be nice.

 

Of course, we're talking mostly birds and small mammals - squirrels, chipmunks, and the like. Around dawn or dusk, rabbits, raccoons and opossum. There is a possibility of seeing deer, but it would be very unusual. Way out in the suburbs, there are coyote, and the occasional errant black bear. Along the Chattahoochee River, there will probably be a few geese and ducks, and in Stone Mountain there are a few resident waders.

 

To Douglas - if you haven't been here before, a friendly word of caution: don't understimate distances in relation to traffic. If you ask someone how far it is to a particular place, you'll most likely get your answer in minutes as opposed to miles. For example, the lab where I procces my film is a 50 minute (sometimes 1 hour) round trip drive, door to door, in "non-congested" drive time. The total, round trip distance? Just under 15 miles!

[larry h.]

To add to Bill's response, in Atlanta you definitely want to check out the wetlands of the Chattahoochee Nature Center, north of town. But areas outside town are better. Email me if you're interested.

[jeff_nadler2]

How about wildlife on a train going to a big city? One would never think of an Amtrak ride to New York City in the populated Hudson Valley as a wilderness drive. However, the abundance of wildlife was simply amazing on a recent trip. Now obviously, you can not photograph thru windows of a moving train, so the key is noting what areas you are going through and re-visitng by car. On a recent train ride- we saw 6 bald eagles, 2 osprey, 10 deer, dozens of waterfowl species, swans, muskrats, great blue heron, and cormorants. This over a hundred mile stretch. I will return by car to some of the marsh areas soon with gear

[sean_noonan]

Paul,

 

<p>Within spitting distance to NYC (it may even be within the boundary?) is Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge which is a real hotspot for migrating birds. I did an <a href="http://stnphotography.com/ipt.html">IPT with Arthur Morris</a> there and it is a real spectacle of birds.

 

<p>Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA is also a major bird haven in early spring through summer. This is a great site because there is literally no green space around the cemetery so the birds are all attracted there.

 

<p>Nature right outside your door indeed!

 

<p>Sean

<br><a href="http://stnphotography.com">www.stnphotography.com</a>

[kferris575]

Paul,

 

I live in New Your City (Manhattan) and I have found several areas in and around the city to photograph. Jamacia Bay is within NYC (out by Kennedy Airport) and can be reached by subway. I often visit some small local parks that are 30 to 40 minutes from the city. These areas can be great practice for the trips to the exotic locations. Many of the photos on my website (www.ozarkimages.com) were taken within 40 minutes of NYC. I have also met several other photographers who live in NYC and I have learned of many other local areas to photograph from them.

 

Kevin Ferris

[david_goldfarb]

Central Park in Manhattan is quite a mecca for migratory birds and for birdwatchers. One won't get many photographs that don't show the "hand of man" in such a setting (hardcore nature photographers will probably be amused by the line of scopes set up in the summer to watch the red-tailed hawks who live on the side of a building around 74th St. and 5th Avenue along the Park), but the juxtaposition of nature and the city is precisely the attraction.