A big part of creating great photographs is simply being in the right place at the right time. As a photographer you can play a big role in this by just choosing to be present. But everything is not always in your control. This is especially true when photographing wildlife.

For several days now I have been watching as Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks have been visiting our bird feeders. I don’t often see Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks and I was anxious to have an opportunity to photograph them. I was struggling to find a chance to photograph the birds. When the weather was nice I did’t have time and when I had time the weather didn’t cooperate.

I continued to watch them from inside my house and hope that they would continue to show up until I could get out my camera and create some bird images. I was going to be so disappointed if they moved on and I did not capture a single photo. But, they continued to show up.

Keep Showing Up

And that is what we have to do as photographers. Continue to show up until you create that image you have been thinking about.

I came home from a run, changed my clothes, cracked open a beer, and then went outside and stood on the deck. I watched my dog play in the yard and watched the birds as I enjoyed the nice weather and a beer. Then it happened. The Grosbeak arrived while I was outside. I was happy to see it, but of course I did not have my camera with me. I was not planning to do any photography at the time.

I was afraid that if I went inside to get my camera I would scare the bird away and miss out both on the enjoyment of simply watching it and miss out on photographing it. So, I stood on the deck and watched. The Grosbeak seemed very comfortable so I decided to see if I could go inside without scaring it.

Be Patient | Take Your Time

I slowly and quietly backed away from the deck railing and back towards the house. I slowly slid open the sliding glass door. And I cautiously stepped back into the house. And yet, the bird remained in the tree.

I was able to go get my camera and carefully return to the deck and continue watching the birds, including the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. I don’t think he even left while I went to get my camera. I was able to stand there and photograph the Grosbeak for at least ten minutes around 6 pm.

I eventually went inside and ate some dinner and then went back outside around 7 pm and while I was out there the Red-Breasted Grosebeak returned and I was able to capture some more images of this magnificent bird.

I was fortunate to capture these images because on a day I wasn’t even planning to do any photography I kept showing up and that is really all you can do.

If you want to see more of theses photos I added a few more photographs of the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak to my Song Bird Gallery.

If you enjoy birding or photogrpahy join the community at KRNaturalPhoto to share in the fun together.