Do Sandhill Cranes on diving boards cast shadows?

Posted Wed, Nov 30 2011 11:46 AM by Chuck Hagner

Our December 2011 issue, on newsstands now, has plenty of fascinating, provocative material that's worthy of a letter to the editor.

D. Dekker's profile of the majestic Gyrfalcon (Ultimate Falcon, page 18), for example, includes lists of Christmas Bird Count circles where the falcon has been recorded most often over the past decade. Are you hoping to see a Gyr this winter?

Johann Schumacher's article (Picturing the Unexpected, page 26) not only tells a gripping story about what can happen when a Peregrine Falcon attacks a Snowy Owl but includes a not-too-subtle criticism of photographers who use mice and other bait to manipulate wild owls' behavior. What would you do to get an owl photo?

And as part of our year-end roundup of notable bird books (Bird Books We Like, page 38), we interviewed Jonathan Alderfer, lead illustrator of the sixth edition of National Geographic's venerable field guide. (Read the entire interview.) Will you upgrade from the fifth edition?

See the contents of the December issue.

But to date, the only part of the magazine that has driven readers to their computer keyboards is "Your View," our regular showcase of readers' photographs.

The December showcase included the Photo of the Week contest winner for July and August (Roseate Spoonbill by John Phillips Jr.) and reader photos of Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Common Tern, Tricolored Heron, Northern Cardinal, Great Horned Owl, Atlantic Puffin, Spotted Sandpiper, Bald Eagle, American Woodcock, and Northern Shoveler. And on page 50, it included a photo of a contented-looking Sandhill Crane standing on the diving board of the swimming pool in the Florida backyard of reader Tom Wronski (above). It's the part of the December issue that provoked the letters.

Here are samples of what readers wrote:

"I always enjoy your magazine, especially the photos, but the one on page 50 of the most recent issue disturbs me. How can there be such a sharp shadow of the diving board and none of the crane?"

"A bird that casts no shadow! Amazing!"

"We think this must be a particularly rare subspecies of the Sandhill Crane, as it does not have a shadow, whereas there is a very distinct shadow from the diving board. Such a rare capability in a bird, no wonder it was given a full-page photograph."

A few words are in order:

First, it is and always has been the policy of this magazine not to publish digitally altered photographs. Not only do we expect photographers to follow the North American Nature Photography Association's Principles of Ethical Field Practices and the American Birding Association's Code of Birding Ethics, but we instruct photographers to refrain from digitally retouching images to alter reality. Just as we expect a fellow birdwatcher to report honestly what he or she saw in the field, we expect the digital images we receive to reflect what the camera recorded at the moment the picture was made.

You can read all of this in our guidelines for photographers, which are available on this website.

Second, as you can read in every issue of BirdWatching, we offer no compensation for the photos we publish in "Your View," so there's no financial incentive for photographers to cheat.

Third, we contacted Tom Wronski, the photographer, and asked him about his diving-board photo. He says that he understands why readers might be suspicious but categorically rejects suggestions that he fabricated the image. "The photo was not digitally altered in any way," he tells us. "I didn't even make any simple adjustments to brightness, contrast, etc."

Since I've overexposed more than one photo of loved ones digging in brightly lit sand and standing on glistening white snow, I could offer my own theories about the missing shadow but won't. If Tom says he didn't mess with the photo, that's enough for me. I believe him. --Chuck Hagner, Editor

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