You’ve almost certainly seen gorgeous photographs and videos of local birds by Nicolas Bamberski, AKA Checkthetechnick on his social media accounts and on the Alameda Post. Bamberski’s striking images and videos of pelicans preening at Crab Cove, bald eagles swooping at Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline as they head back to Bay Farm Island, and herons nesting at Seaplane Lagoon capture the stunning beauty of our local marine birds. It comes as no surprise that his work was chosen for the prestigious 2022 Audubon Photography Award.
Bamberski, a French photographer who currently calls Alameda home, captured Great Blue Herons building their nests at Alameda Point, with stunning views of the San Francisco skyline in the background.
“Capturing a single, revealing moment with a photograph is always a challenge—especially when birds and nature are involved,” Audubon Magazine editors wrote. “Capturing compelling video of bird behavior can be an entirely different but equally tall task, one in which the videographer must be ready to record and able to stay trained on their often unpredictable subject for an extended period. But when everything goes just right, the result is an elongated glimpse into the fascinating lives of birds.”
Bamberski’s winning video was sixth among the top 12 selected from all entries across the country. He used a Panasonic Lumix G9 with a Lumix Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm at ~300mm; 1/125 sec at f/8; ISO auto.
He explained the story behind his shot. “The Great Blue Heron is a year-round resident of California and a frequent sight along our shores,” he wrote. “The cypress tree in the video, in the fenced-off wetland of the old Navy base at Alameda Point, has served as a secluded nesting site for herons for many years. The tree is now dead and will not stand much longer.
“This winter I intended to capture a video of the herons’ captivating nest-building activity in the best possible light conditions, which proved to be at sunrise on a cold Friday morning, when the light rose behind me and illuminated both the tree and downtown San Francisco, miles across the bay yet seeming so close. The fence protecting this wetland is a few hundred feet away from the tree, and I set up my tripod far enough from that fence to compose the shot above it. Having to use a long focal length brought some nice compression in the image and really highlighted the contrast, yet compatibility, between nature and civilization.
“I feel the composition itself shows the benefits of dedicating some urban habitat to wildlife. I was expecting more nest building like in previous weeks, with herons bringing branches and twigs back, but instead I was greeted with this magical mating scene!”
From all of your fans here at the Alameda Post, congratulations, Nick!
