Photography: Spot Wildlife Without The Drive
You don't have to go far to find unique and interesting wildlife on trails near you. See what you can find in your neighborhood park.
One of the most rewarding sights when hiking is catching sight of wildlife in its natural habitat. There’s something incredibly honest and genuine about taking in moments like that where we’re simply observers, rather than actors.
Photographers can capture incredible moments like this from safe distances using ethical wildlife photography practices. Photo by Karen York.
Birds fly about, building their nests and pecking at moss and lichen. Otters play, beavers build, and bears lumber. It’s like we’ve been invited into their world for a brief moment to take part in something almost arcane, or magical.
That’s the beauty of trails close to home. They transport us far away and put us in places that make us forget where we are for a time, and when we stop to look and listen, we find so much more than just the trail we’re hiking on.
Where Can I Find Wildlife?
Wildlife is all around us in local parks and green spaces, and we don't have to travel far to see it.
It’s easy for our minds to immediately drift to the classic nature photography scene where a bear is set against a snow-capped mountain, but incredible and often more intimate wildlife sightings can be found in parks and on trails near home.
In fact, a good portion of the wildlife photographs entered into our Northwest Exposure Photo Contest are taken in urban parks or on trails within city limits. Several of these have even won!
Owls, while sometimes difficult to spot, are a really rewarding find in local parks. Photo by Glenn Nelson from Seward Park, Seattle.
Urban parks and trails provide a chance for the whole family to see wildlife in a day or less. I personally use WTA's Hike Finder Map to see what's near me and accessible for my four year old. My daughter and I have had a lot of fun identifying the random critters we come across in the parks near our house, and we still talk about the time that we saw a deer in Point Defiance Park all these months later.
A number of parks across the state offer habitats that allow wildlife to thrive. If you visit, you’ll likely see more than insects or birds. Hikers have seen moose from Riverside State Park in Spokane, and otters and owls in parks across Puget Sound feature heavily in our photo contest each year.
This incredible frog was spotted in the The Mercer Slough Nature Park in Bellevue. Talk about a good find! Photo by Tom Giardino.
How Do I Take Wildlife Photos?
You don't have to own expensive photography equipment to capture unique and fun moments of wildlife in their natural habitat. A number of winners in the flora and fauna category of our photo contest have captured beautiful shots using their phones, but it's important to remember that we're the ones visiting their homes and ensuring their well-being and safety should be a priority for every photographer.
Keep our ethical wildlife photography tips in mind if you decide to head out to spot animals. The key to spotting wildlife is being patient, treading quietly so as to not disturb any resting animals, and keeping your eyes out for critters big and small. Not every animal will be easy to spot!
Have you seen any wildlife on a hike close to home recently? What did you see? Let us know in a trip report, and be sure to enter the Northwest Exposure Photo Contest starting August 17!
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