Thistle Hunter

May 18

Photographer: Mark Noll

In November 2024, a vagrant Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was found in the same patch of prairie in the Chicago suburbs for several days straight, apparently finding a plentiful supply of grasshoppers to eat. I took this photo as the flycatcher tilted his head to investigate a potential meal, shortly after it started to drizzle. I especially love the mirrored colors in the bird and background, created by the light overcast sky and variety of fall foliage.

1/1000 • f/4 • ISO 2000 • Nikon Z8 • 500mm • Nikon 500mm f/4E FL

@mark.noll.photography

Ray Hennessy

Starting in 2007 my fascination with nature photography began. In the years since, wildlife photography with a focus on birds has gone from a very passionate hobby of mine to become my career. I spend much of my free time in natural areas searching for birds and any other wildlife that comes along. I concentrate on using creative natural lighting and interesting compositions to capture unique images of common and rare wildlife. My favorite style is a more scenic photo that includes some of the habitat wildlife lives in. I also enjoy passing along the knowledge and experience that I have gathered over the years to other photographers who are eager to learn.

Thistle Hunter

Photographer: Mark Noll

Nesting Great Egrets

Grebe in the Spotlight