Wings competition: 48 hours for bird photography - Walla! Tourism

2020-09-26T15:21:01.692Z

The photography competition of Tzafraton KKL-JNF will be held on Sukkot, in collaboration between the Jewish National Fund and the Israeli Nature Photography Association. As part of the restrictions, all photography will be held near the house. 10 photographers who competed last year, share the special experience

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Wing competition: 48 hours for bird photography

"Photography has the power to preserve nature"

"The important community of photographers and nature photographers, which is expanding in Israel, is a very important component in making our birds and nature accessible to the general public. This is a very significant component in our ability to protect and preserve nature in Israel," adds Cherka.

"Only recently in the fight against sport hunting, we have come to know how one picture is worth a thousand words. When pictures of common queues eventually led the Minister of Environmental Protection, Gila Gamliel, to ban the hunting of common queues and of wandering quail. I invite you to go out and take pictures. What is happening in your living environment. "

Along with a competition that carries valuable prizes for the purchase of photography equipment, Walla surfers will be able to choose the audience-favorite photo from among the photos that will make it to the finals.

The results of the ceremony and the opening of the voting will be announced at the graduation ceremony that will be broadcast on the KKL-JNF website on October 8 at 4:00 PM. All the winning photos will be presented in a special article in Walla and at the Hula Reed Center

(Photo: Shachar Cohen)

A battle in the forest between two hawks

Shachar Cohen,

a nature photographer and photography teacher from Neve Tzof in the Binyamin area, won first place in the 2019 Tzafraton photography competition, thanks to a spectacular photo of two hawks found in a battle in the Deir Nazam forest in the Binyamin region.

"The quarreling pair of hawks, each threatening the other, was photographed in a split second, but is the result of years of strenuous surveillance work," says Cohen (52).

"I have been following and photographing the hawks for the past six years and investing a lot of time in field observations, surveillance and setting up hiding places that will allow me to photograph them at a number of points."

Cohen's ongoing monitoring of birds of prey and his deep familiarity with their way of life, allowed him to document them throughout their life cycle in the wild, from the stages of courtship, mating, nest building and caring for chicks until they blossom into independent living.

When he joined Tsafraton he decided to spend his time documenting the hawks in order to send to the competition a photo of one of his favorite predators.

"I knew there was a pair of hawks in the forest territory and I had a hiding place in the field. It was a hard day with strong easterly winds and I did not know if they would appear," he recalled of the experience in the field.

The common hawk is a small, fast raptor and is considered a skilled hunter.

At the end of the 1980s, the first nest of a hawk was discovered in the JNF forest in Ramat Menashe, and since then it has become a common species in Israel all year round, nesting in the JNF forests throughout the country.

In addition, there are many hawks that pass through Israel during their migration, and spend the winter there.

After hours of waiting, Cohen admits he could have given up and left, but did not give up on himself.

"At one point that morning a number of hawks landed in the water pool to drink and shower. What surprised me and in the photo is clearly seen, because the local hawk, with the yellow eyes on the right, threatens another hawk, with dark eyes, which was probably migrating or coming from another territory." He concludes.

"The meeting between them is for me a connection of all the right elements in nature photography: planning, perseverance and getting to know the wildlife."

A winning tip for photographing birds:

Get to know the place where you want to photograph and the animals that are in it, identify where they like to stand, drink and eat.

During the day it is difficult to watch the birds because they are hiding, so it is recommended to take photos during the golden hours, to settle before sunrise or before sunset and to wait patiently quietly from a safe distance.

(Photo: Chen Ein-Dor)

An ambush at sunrise to the swamp

Chen Ein-Dor

from Ramat Gan won the title of "audience favorite" last year thanks to a photo of the swamp looking for food in a small puddle in a pool that dried up in a water reservoir in the Hefer Valley.

Ein Dor (33), a nature photographer for the past five years, joined the Tsafraton competition last year and chose a water reservoir in the Hefer Valley as his main photography focus.

"The remaining puddle suited me to photograph waterfowl and there is a lot of activity in it," he says.

"It has an interesting background with green grasses that have started to grow at the end of the pond and you can also shoot reflections in it. I set up a reclining shelter that includes a camouflage net and allows me not to stand out in the field and shoot from a low angle."

Khartoum him was the subject of photographs new and only last year managed to first shoot it several times and one of them was during Htzfrton of JNF. Ein-Dor arrived about an hour before sunrise and organized hiding near the waterline, as he waits in anticipation of sunrise and the arrival of the birds.

Khartoum marshes Equipped with a huge and long source that allows her to look for food in the thick mud in swamps and waterways, she is a common freeman who passes and spends the winter in Israel, usually in small flocks.

"In such hiding places I often wait for birds and do not photograph a single frame," he recalls meeting the bow. "This time I was lucky.

The swamp nose appeared for one minute and allowed me to photograph it in an interesting way, close with appropriate lighting.

For me, the feeling in hiding is to be connected to nature at the highest level and when I manage to photograph interesting bird, then the experience is upgraded many times. "

Tip winning photography Birds:

If you want to increase the level of photography and get good results, you have to invest, whether in identifying suitable locations, learning The area and the object being photographed, and whether it requires getting up early to get to the location you have chosen to set up in the mud before sunrise.

(Photo: Micha Auerbach)

The field of surprises in the Ayalon Valley

Micha Orbach

, a resident of Maccabim, is a day manager of a high-tech company and an industrialist, but spends his free time in nature photography.

Orbach participated in Tzafraton last year and the jury awarded him second place in the competition thanks to a photo of a common apple, a songbird, standing on a field of thorns in the Ayalon Valley.

“Before the Corona, I would go out almost every day after working with the camera and travel to take pictures before sunset in the valley fields,” he says.

"In the fields of sunflowers, vineyards and corn, many birds come to eat grains, including apples, buns, turtles and even deer that crack the seeds."

The treasures with the wings in the fields he discovered after finding a pool of water between the fields, which originated from an inner spring or a leaking pipe.

"The water flowed there all the time and it attracted masses of birds to the area. It exposed me during the October migration season to birds I didn't know and I got to take pictures," he notes.

Orbach arrived at the scene with his vehicle before sunset, covered it with a camouflage net and used the vines as another hiding place.

"I was almost at their height due to the ground conditions and at a distance of about ten meters, I was able to photograph them through the window of the vehicle at a low altitude, and so I was able to photograph the birds coming to drink water and eat."

Once some of the birds landed on the thorns, he was able to document the apple.

He said he recently discovered that large amounts of dirt had been spilled on the site and the water hope had been destroyed, but he was still looking in the fields for corners with water where it would be possible to photograph permanent and migratory birds.

Although he has photographed countless wildlife in remote and exotic places around the world, "the photograph of the little apple on the bark thorns, excites me the most," he concludes.

"She brought me to the nearby fields near the house and the migration season is a great time to keep an eye out, to see the beautiful things that come to us."

Tip for photographing birds:

Go out in the yard or for a walk in the neighborhood or in the natural environment and look for the birds, especially in the early morning or before sunset.

(Photo: Daniel Berkowitz)

The Saipan stroking the water

Daniel Berkowitz

, a bird researcher and doctoral student at Tel Aviv University at the School of Zoology, lives in Talal in the Galilee, photographing birds and nature for about 12 years.

Saifan's photograph in the Zevulun Valley Reservoir came in second place in the JNF's Audience Favorite 'competition last year.

"My zoological and scientific love for the animal world attracts me to research and document natural animal behavior.

I am looking for the unique behaviors that each animal has.

For raptors it is an air war, soaring and diving.

Berkowitz set up a hiding tent in a reservoir of water and settled in the dark before sunrise. It was the last day of the bird's eye contest and he hoped to succeed in photographing the Saifan.

" And I kept my gear.

I waited for the idiots to gather around me.

I knew that siphons were landing there, but I did not know when or if they would arrive.

Luckily, a Saifan landed there who broke up with a group of a few dozen and I photographed him in various behaviors, "he reveals.

The photo shoot ended at 12 noon during which he took hundreds of pictures, but the Saifan caught his attention." His, "he concludes." The Saifan is a fearful chicken.

It was a big challenge to learn it and watch it. "A

winning tip for bird photography:

Spend time learning the birds with observations in the distance and with a lot of patience. Do not be afraid to get dirty and be part of the environment to the end. Cover yourself with things and in the end it will pay off. The naturalness of the birds and an observation that will not change the behavior of the birds.

(Photo: Moshe Cohen)

A colorful surprise on a dry tree in the desert

Moshe Cohen

from Kibbutz Hatzor, a nature photographer for about 15 years and a member of the Israeli Nature Photography Association, won third place in the bird photography competition in Tzipraton.

"The nail for me is a test of a photographer's ultimate ability to go out into the field for a short period of time and take a picture. To me, that's the real thing," he says.

Cohen was injured in a self-inflicted accident after being hit by a mechanical saw and spent the day before the competition at the hospital with a deep cut in his knee.

"26 stitches in the leg and I would not give up participating in the competition," he laughs.

"I dressed myself on all sides and drove to Nitzana in the south, where I lay in hiding, holding my leg crooked so that it would not get wet and enter the water. Finally I could not take proper pictures and drove with the vehicle in the field, where I found the dwarf squirrels."

In the area of Beer Milka, Cohen spotted squirrels on a dry tree branch and he approached them slowly by a few inches every few minutes, so that they would not escape.

The dwarf crickets are considered one of the most colorful birds in the prairie area and they are considered a stable bird in our area.

"I know the behavior of the birds, but every time there are individuals who run away immediately and there are those who are not afraid," he explains.

"It was my lucky day as a photographer where I was able to get close to the bird and photograph its connection to the environment."

A winning tip for bird photography:

get to know the environment and know the safety ranges of the birds, when they will fly and when not.

Walk around the area a lot and identify where the birds are standing and how you can reach them that day and get closer, without disturbing them.

(Photo: Michal Giladi)

Shower on a hot day

As part of the crowd-pleasing competition, additional photos qualified for the final, including the common hawk that arrived at the morning shower in Dolev.

Michal Giladi

, a photographer from the town of Dolev, has been a nature camera for about a decade and she follows a family of hawks found in her area of residence.

"Occasionally they flicker for a visit and do not have certain arrival hours, so during the birdie I tried my luck," she reveals.

A lagoon artificially constructed by the spouse of a container as a birthday present and is intended to provide a water source for birds that they can drink and wade in it, used it to shoot. By the pool, established a small cache which allows Gilead to shoot without disturbing the birds.

"I'm a fan of nature than I Photographer Nature, "she says." And photography for me is a way of expressing love for nature. "After finding the territory of the hawks, she makes sure to arrive in the hours before sunrise and listen to what is happening in silence.

" The hawks know I am there and do not shy away from camera noise.

That's how I was able to document them with the next generation and follow their lifestyle, "she concludes." The hawk's shower moment in the water needed full concentration so as not to be missed. "

Winning Tip for Bird Photography:

Learning photography is done through nature and not through books and the Internet. The area and connect to it.Stending from a quiet walk, wearing non-flashy clothes and looking for signs and traces of animals.So you can learn about the animals that are in the area.

(Photo: Marlene Noy)

Gray reflection in water

Marlen Noy

from Moshav Merhavia in the Jezreel Valley, has been photographing wildlife and nature in Israel and around the world for the past eight years.

"In the past I was a nature teacher and educator, so I am connected to the natural world," she says.

During the birdie last year, she traveled before sunrise to the Valley of the Springs and waited for the birds in the pools.

"For three hours I was in a hidden vehicle with a camouflage cloth and photographed many birds. The gray heron, a large chicken, caught my attention as she was busy combing her own feathers and looking for fish to eat," Noy explains.

"I loved the reflection of the heron in the water along with the orange color of the morning."

While Noy routinely goes out once a week or twice a week for nature photography, the competition motivated her to spend every day in nature.

"Getting up for three days at sunrise, going out into the field, taking pictures and coming back every day with other pictures, was fun, but there were also moments when I couldn't take pictures and came home disappointed," she concludes.

"The clapperboard pushes you forward in terms of photography skills and it's a huge satisfaction, because there is motivation to shoot better than usual."

A winning tip for bird photography: the

animals will not wait for you, so you should come to photography with a lot of patience and wait.

If you do not disturb them and do not get too close, the birds will arrive and should be ready to click at the right time and capture the decisive moment.

(Photo: Avi Hirschfeld)

Moon cranes

Nature photographer

Avi Hirschfeld

, a resident of Kfar Vradim, has been making a living from photography for the past fifty years, fulfilling a long-standing dream during last year's Tsafraton competition.

"There are only a few times a year when you can see the moon over the Naftali Mountains in the Hula Reservoir and I dreamed of photographing cranes that would pass against the background of the moon," he reveals.

For two consecutive days he arrived at six in the morning in October and searched for the right angle for photographing the cranes.

"There were still a lot of cranes in the sky and in order to carry out the photography I had in mind, they had to fly at a certain height so that I could photograph them against the background of the moon," he details.

"It took me a few years to get to the photo I wanted with a beautiful and striking moon."

Winning Tip for Bird Photography: The

corona has restored calm to the area and there is less noise, so many animals are also getting closer to the human environment.

Combined with bird migration, look for a water source in the park or area, and even bring water to the area so birds can drink and shower to freshen up.

This way you can take photos close to home.

All it takes is to raise your head, observe and be quiet.

No need for more.

(Photo: Ofek Teitler Regev)

Surprise at the beach

Ofek Teitler Regev

, a 16.5-year-old student from Moshav Sharona in the Galilee, photographed a dwarf fish and his picture qualified for third place in the audience favorite category in Tzafraton.

"During a tour of Shikmona beach I did not find any birds and an hour before I was due to return home, I landed on the rocks about five meters away from me, a dwarf fish," he describes the encounter.

"I photographed him standing up and approaching him until I reached a distance of about three meters from him and spent about ten minutes next to him at the beach. He rested on the rock and I knelt down to equal height to him," explains Regev.

"In photography of wandering and searching for birds, one should maintain concentration and try to photograph them even with a beautiful background."

Winning Tip for Bird Photography:

Do not despair and be prepared for the right moment.

Be optimistic and look for the birds you want to photograph.

The more you open your eyes, the more you will see.

(Photo: Yifat Jan)

A surprise at Maagan Michael

Yifat Jan from

Petah Tikva, an amateur photographer (34), started photographing insects and birds about a year and a half ago.

For her, it is a "hobby that enlightens the soul and recharges the sources of power for dealing with the everyday."

She made her first steps in bird photography shortly before she decided to take part in the Capernaum Challenge last year.

During the competition she came to the area of the fish ponds and Maagan Michael beach, where she watched dozens of birds, but one caught her attention.

"Suddenly I noticed something running around in front of the camera, on the ground, back and forth. I lifted my head from the peephole and a few meters away, there were three collars of the collar type. Two of them played with each other, ran from side to side, jumped, inflated and contracted feathers. They were Nimble and noisy when they tweeted ", she recalls the meeting.

"It would have looked like a game and after I laughed, I kept filming them. I like that the collars of the collar are puffy and playful. This is a behavior that can only be noticed with patience."

A winning tip for bird photography: When

going out into nature, whether to observe and enjoy it or to take a picture, it is important to arrive with humility and understanding that nature has its magic.

As long as we arrive as guests and do not disturb him, we will be privileged to observe special and impressive moments.

To the competition website