By MICHELLE BEAHM
mbeahm@soundpublishing.com

During the latter part of May, that’s when eagles and herons come out to play.

That’s according to Kingston-based nature photographer Bonnie Block, explaining the story behind a photograph she submitted to the 2016 Audubon Photography Awards for consideration.

Block earned the grand prize for her photo of eagles and herons feeding in a Seabeck oyster bed.

“It’s been kind of an amazing ride,” Block said. “It’s quite an honor. It’s one of the largest wildlife contests in the United States.”

She said she took the photo when plainfin midshipman, a species of toadfish, swim to the shallow oyster beds to spawn. When the tide goes out, the fish, which can breathe air, are trapped in the oyster beds, and eagles and herons swarm the area for the easy pickings, she said.

“Although both species of those are able to catch their own fish there, they literally just walk around and pick them up,” Block said. “The eagles seem to want to play games with the herons a little bit.”

She said eagles can regularly be seen rushing at herons who have already picked up fish.

“The heron always squawks and drops the fish, and that’s what’s going on in the photograph,” Block said. “It’s sort of a tag and chase thing with the eagles and the herons.”

Block has been photographing wildlife in her retirement, but has always had a soft spot for animals. She’s also worked as a horse trainer.

“Now that I’m retired, I’m able to get out there, and wildlife photography is what I want to do,” she said. “It’s taken me all over the world. Africa, Costa Rica, Iceland … It’s kind of been an amazing time for me.”

She’s been photographing for about 10 years, she said, and is self-taught. This was the first time she’s entered a photograph in the Audubon Photography contest. According to Audubon.org, more than 1,700 people submitted photos for the contest, for a total of nearly 7,000 submissions. Photos needed to be of birds, of course, and be untouched by photo editing programs like Adobe Photoshop. Block said the only touch-ups allowed were cropping and level adjustment (how bright highlighting colors are, how dark shadows are, that sort of thing).

And, “The image has to tell a story,” Block said. “It’s not the easiest thing. I have thousands and thousands of beautiful images, but they’re not going to the Audubon. They’re just beautiful images; they don’t tell a story.”

Grand prize was $5,000 and her winning photograph will be displayed, starting in October, at the Smithsonian Institution Museum in Washington, D.C. as part of the Nature’s Best Photography exhibit. The exhibit is a permanent feature of the museum that rotates out the winners of the Audubon Photography Award winners and Nature’s Best Photography winners.

It’s a perfect exhibit for Block’s work to be featured in, as being out in nature is what inspires her as a photographer.

“There’s something about photography when you get into it. There’s always a quest to get the next best shot,” Block said. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s fun to be out there and hope you get something really cool to go home and look at on the computer.

“Just getting out in nature (inspires me), and I’ve seen things that I never thought I would. Africa and things like that are just amazing. I love the outdoors.”

Block’s photography is available for viewing and purchase online at www.fieldandfarmphoto.com. Block is also August’s featured artist at Liberty Bay Gallery in Poulsbo.