Four days into my Vermont vacation, and rain has been the rule rather than the exception.  We managed to dodge showers long enough for our Independence Day activities, and again yesterday for a trip up-state (see yesterday’s post with the Mt. Philo panorama), but today was a washout.

Planning on needing umbrellas, we headed to Quechee – a town best described as “touristy” which I remember visiting as a child, although I doubt I ever approached it with as much excitement as I did today.  It’s funny how that happens – places you found boring and dreaded as a kid become interesting as you grow older.  At any rate, our first stop was VINS – the Vermont Institute of Natural Science.

VINS is an exceptional organization, dedicated to education and protection of the natural wonders of Vermont, but most especially in regards to avian species, from song birds to raptors.  Their facility serves as a rehabilitation center for injured birds from across the state, and each year they manage to release hundreds of birds back into the wild.  When birds are found injured, hit by cars, attached by cats, this is the place to call – you’d be hard pressed to find a more dedicated group than this.

Of course, not all the rescued birds are fit for release back to the wild, sometimes due to the severity of their injuries, and sometimes because the birds no longer have a fear of humans, or worse, have come to depend on humans for survival.  This mainly occurs with raptors, and when it does, some of them become permanent residents at VINS, either as display examples of the species, or as educational birds who undergo specialized falconry training so that they can perform during educational presentations.

When I say “perform,” don’t think the circus; the birds respond to falconry commands, moving to and from their handler.  If you’re not familiar with falconry, it is the ancient art of training birds-of-prey for hunting, and is still widely practiced today.

The show we watched was fascinating, and at the end I photographed the display birds in their enclosures.  I left the 50D home for the day and shot with the G10; today was a day where I wanted the ability to stuff it in my jacket pocket.  Add to which, the birds are in enclosures – it’s not like I needed 400mm to reach them, the G10’s zoom was plenty.  All were shot at f/4.5 (full zoom), ISO 200, and between 1/10 & 1/60 sec.

Notice that I’m not trying to hide the enclosures – no drastic out-of-focus backgrounds, no fancy compositions that hide the fencing.  These are captive birds and it’s only right to show them as such – taking captive critters and portraying them as wild shows a severe lack of photographic integrity, and furthermore, is rather silly.  Captive animals may well be easier to shoot, but that doesn’t make them any less valid as subjects.

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After lunch – amid the promised downpour that forced us to cancel our hike down into Quechee Gorge – we stopped at Simon Pierce Pottery & Glass.  Glass blowing is a fascinating art, and after you look through the sale floor and feel your wallet wheeze just thinking about buying anything ($50 for a single wine glass!), you can head downstairs to see how it’s all done.  All the workers are craftsmen and watching them at work is captivating.  The conditions are tough for image making; subdued lighting vs. the intense glow of the furnaces.  Instead of trying to fight the motion blur, I chose to work with it.

Again, all shot with the Canon G10 at the lowest possible aperture, 1/8 – 1/30 sec., ISO 400.