Pfeiffer Nature Center & Foundation » photography

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind

naturalist — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:54:14 +0000

I have always enjoyed watching birds. They would fascinate me as a young child. I would spend time watching them eat from our feeder outside of our kitchen window. One of my fondest memories of my grandfather is when he “taught” me how to feed the chickadees from my hand. It was an amazing experience for me as a young girl.

Do you have a memorable experience with birds? Did you happen to get a picture of it? The Cornel Lab of Ornithology is looking for some unique pictures of birds.

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
New contest spotlights bird interactions

American Goldfinches go beak-to-beak. Photo by Cheryl Sotelo.

Ithaca, NY—The Celebrate Urban Birds project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is launching a contest to capture memorable encounters with birds. The goal is to show some of the ways birds interact with each other, with humans, or with other creatures.

Entries can be in the form of a story, a photo, artwork, video, poetry, sculpture or any other creative art. Participants just need to show birds interacting in fun, interesting, or captivating ways.

“For example, you might see a House Sparrow trying to grab a sandwich at the park,” says project leader Karen Purcell. “Maybe a crow is teasing your dog or hummingbirds are dueling over who gets dibs on the nectar feeder. That’s the sort of close encounter we’d like to see.”

Prizes include binoculars, bird feeders, sound CDs, books, and much more. The first 50 entrants receive a copy of the Cornell Lab’s “Doves and Pigeons” poster by Julie Zickefoose. Selected entries will also be featured in the 2012 Celebrate Urban Birds calendar.

This Mountain Chickadee enjoys some seed atop its human perch. Photo by Destiny Mink.

How to enter:

1. Email entries to urbanbirds@cornell.edu. If you submit a video, post it on YouTube and send the link.

2. Write “CloseEncounter_yourfirstname yourlastname_yourstate” in the subject line.

3. Include both your mailing address and the location where you saw the bird(s) in your email.

4. Explain why you submitted your entry and what it shows.

5. One entry per person, please.

6. Read the terms of agreement.

Deadline for entries is November 15, 2011

Visit the Celebrate Urban Birds website for more information.

Project Contact: Karen Purcell, Project Leader, (607) 254-2455, urbanbirds@cornell.edu

Media Contact: Pat Leonard, (607) 254-2137, pel27@cornell.edu

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Cornell Lab’s website at http://www.birds.cornell.edu.

DEC New York Forests Photo Contest

naturalist — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:11:21 +0000

Do you enjoy taking photographs?

Do you have some great shots ofPfeifferNatureCenter(orNew York’s forests) that you want to share?

Photography is one of our country’s most popular pastimes. This is your chance to share your photographs ofPfeifferNatureCenterandNew York’s forests.

In honor of International Year of Forests, The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Division of Lands and Forests is holding the Celebrating New York’s Forests Photo Contest. This contest is an effort to increase awareness of and appreciation for all types of forests, urban and rural, large and small, public and privately owned, across the state.

They are looking for the best photos in the following categories:

Nature (wildlife, plants, or natural landscapes, etc. with a forest-related theme)
Enjoying the forest (hunting, fishing, trails, camping, hiking, etc.)
Trees where we live (parks, streets, yards, etc.)
Forestproducts (maple syrup, lumber, baseball bats, furniture, etc.)
State-owned forests (StateForests, Forest Preserve lands, forested Wildlife Management Areas, Campgrounds)

Is there a better place to take pictures for those first two categories thanPfeifferNatureCenter?

So sort through shots you already have, and take a hike on our hills to shoot some great fall scenes.

All submissions must be received by close of business on November 1, 2011. For more information about the contest and the official rules, please see http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/75396.html.

Do not forget to let us know if you win!

Do Nature Shots

Peg Cherre — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:00:09 +0000

Fritillary on Echinacea

By nature shots we don’t mean anything like jello shots.

Instead, point your camera at all things natural. Shoot video or stills. Edit and organize your work, and submit it into our third annual Pfeiffer Nature Center Film Festival!

Puff Balls

We’re looking for amateur photography buffs (regardless of whether you take your pictures in the buff) to submit short videos or automated PowerPoint presentations. And we do mean short – from 30 seconds to five minutes. Give us your interpretation of this year’s theme: naturescapes. You can use new photos, or pix you took years ago.

Mama Bear & Cubs

The guidelines are simple, and there’s no entry fee, so there’s no reason not to enter!

The deadline is approaching, but you still have four weeks to get your entry in.

Grab your camera and get outside!

Pfeiffer Nature Center & Foundation » photography

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind New contest spotlights bird interactions

DEC New York Forests Photo Contest

Do Nature Shots

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
New contest spotlights bird interactions