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Welcome! This is the place for you to share photos for the May 2025 photo assignment, participate in discussion with your fellow photographers, and ask questions to Lenspiration team members!
Click here to read the current Assignment Details, learn how to shoot the assignment, submit your high-resolution photos, and register for the next webinar!
I did not photograph all 5 types of birds on the day I filmed the demonstration video so I do not have a batch of 5 to submit yet . . .
Our family just finished a “bird count” for Nature Friend magazine so we’re more aware of bird. This assignment will fit right in!
I had a question about how we know what “kind” the bird is in. Is it when they have the same “family”? For example; would Blue Jays and Magpies be in the same kind because they are both in the Corvidae family?
What kind would cowbirds be in? (A bird we have around our place).We’re novice birders, so thank you the education!
-Hannah
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Hey @blessingscaptured, I just did the bird count for Nature friend, too!! We actually went on a Whaling/ Spring wildlife cruise on the first of May with our homeschool program, so I saw a lot of birds that I don’t normally see, and decided it would be an awesome excuse to do that challenge! I didn’t do much for the other days, except for seeing a Chickadee and a robin.
But I really love photographing birds! There’s a chance some of the pictures I took of Kittiwakes or Bald Eagles will work for this assignment! I shot pictures of other birds too, but they weren’t good ones, mostly just for identification.Hi, I’m Donald with NicheFinder.
With the questions sparked here so far, I hope I can be of some help. First off though, please accept a thank you for the kind of service that you provide with Shoot to Serve. Everything I’ve seen so far, last month and this, has been a blessing.
The questions are excellent; enjoy the field work; we’ll see what God brings.
@BlessingsCaptured, it’s good to hear that this assignment is turning out to be an educational one.
Thank you for your question. It was interesting that you asked about the Crow or Raven kind. It is fascinating to compare current classifications with Scripture to find the original created kinds (https://answersresearchjournal.org/avian-ark-kinds/). However, identifying every species of bird (or animal) in the field can become quite tedious quite quickly so, as you’ve found, it’s a breath of fresh air to “zoom out” and sort instead by Families, or the next level up, by Orders.
With only five birds named in the New Testament, this assignment is zooming out even more. Defining the project forced me to ask: “Under which of only 5 umbrella categories would all of the many created kinds/families/orders best fit?”–Even if they’re unrelated, how do I group them based on more general characteristics?
So the general rule of thumb is that by default a bird will fall under the Sparrow category unless it is specified elsewhere on the details page. (Worldwide they say there are about 250 bird families, and 150 of those, three-fifths, belong to the single Order called Passeriformes; most common birds then are the small Sparrow kind also known as Perching Birds or Songbirds.) Examples would be yes, Cowbirds, Blackbirds, Orioles, Cardinals, Wrens, Thrushes and Bluebirds, Mimic Thrushes (Mockingbird, Catbird, Thrasher), Finches, Flycatchers, Warblers and Vireos.
That’s thrilling that you could be a part of the Nature Friend Bird Count. As it says in Matthew 6:26, the birds are there if we notice them. Learning their calls proves educational as well if you can strap that on.
@Loewen Family, this is interesting that you were able to experience true offshore birding.
Let me take the opportunity to say I’m aware that the seabirds have not been specifically spelled out in the project details, but photos of seabirds are good candidates for those of you who have occasion to get those. They illustrate variety that much more. Gulls (Kittiwakes!) and Terns could even qualify as Doves, which may help. Gulls and Terns are in the same Order as Puffins and Murres, of which one species is called the Dovekie, as if to say a “Dove of the sea”. Cormorants, along with sea ducks, fall closer to the Chicken type. I suppose there could be maritime eagle substitutes as well if you manage to photograph one of those famous Albatrosses or infamous Frigatebirds.
Speaking of oceans and islands, I am also aware that the Crow of Hawaii has recently gone extinct. My condolences … but perhaps that is where you can substitute your Parrot! Birds of Prey might be a challenge as well in Hawaii, but I see you have Ospreys at least. I know this is a challenge for you. Blessed birding.
Ok! That is helpful to know that a seagull/kittiwake would qualify for the dove category. It was looking like that category would be a harder one to shoot.
LeanneThank you, Mr. Donald for answering our question about kinds and about the cowbird. It is interesting to view most birds as being in five categories.
I live in New Zealand, and the only birds of prey we have are hawks. Where i live it is very difficult to even see a hawk let alone take a good photo of one. I’m wondering if you have any advice on how to go about this. I know I could go to a regional park, with the potential to spot a hawk, but the likelihood is still quite low. Do you have any tips and tricks on how to go about this? Any help would be much appreciated, thank you. 😊
Frankly @Tahliaco I was surprised to learn that even the Osprey doesn’t occur in New Zealand. They range almost worldwide … but not the poles, Patagonia (southern South America), or several islands. (https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/pandio1/cur/introduction)
So what to do. Remember that Owls and Falcons count. Even though there are only a couple of species each, New Zealand does have those. I would be thrilled to have a silhouette of an owl on a fence post. By the way, a silhouette of a stuffed bird of prey could work just as well as a live one as far as the impression it gives. Last but not least, as has been brought up previously, there could be oceanic versions in all 5 categories. This is an interesting development and returns to the original question and the purpose behind the 5-part collage.
Classification questions bring us back to the Word of God.
Thinking of “Eagles”, what are the characteristics of the type in Scripture? The summary of their 30 references is that while their sharp eyesight, their taste for carrion, and their lofty nests are mentioned, the overwhelming majority of references point to their powerful wings–and it isn’t merely Isaiah 40:31. Lord-willing you can find something similar to an Eagle, whether an Albatross that soars, a cruising Frigatebird, an owl, a falcon, or the elusive hawk.
Let me know if it would help to post a list categorizing all of the bird orders and I may be able to find a way to do that.
Hello, everyone!
I am so excited about this assignment; photographing birds is my top favorite thing in the world to do!!!
Mr. Donald, I have a question — Would Ibis qualify for the hen category? I am not an expert on birds, and I wasn’t sure about that.
THANK YOU for this assignment!!!
– Tabitha ParrisYes they would @parrisfamily!
They are good examples of marsh birds. Plus Rails and Coots, Egrets, Bitterns, Pelicans, and Cormorants, or down south, the Anhinga, Storks, Spoonbills, and Gallinules. They are less common than the Herons and Cranes mentioned in the Details, but that makes them more fulfilling to find and photograph. I still remember seeing my first Rail. We were actually at a marsh in the Mount Vernon/Washington DC area but there was a fearless King Rail that came right up to the boardwalk. It was a surprise from the Lord for me as a young birder. I haven’t seen another one for many years.
A discussion of marsh birds leads to what @kujiaaa was mentioning on the Q & A:
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