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CommonwealthofVirginia TimothyM.Kaine,Governor I LHUNTING & FISHING (^ ICENSEFEEb A Subsidizedthispublication Picture PerfectJourney SecretaryofNaturalResources oraslongasIcanrememberIliavehadafascina- wildlifeandoutdoormagazinesinthecountryanda L. PrestonBryant,Jr. tionwithtlieartofphotography. Ihavetoadmit pricelesshistoricalrecordofthoseactivitiesandman- DepartmentofGameand I'm a bit ofa gadget person and peoplewho enjoy agementprograms. InlandFisheries photographyhavelotsofneattoolstoworkwithwhen As fatewould have it mylove for the outdoors G.MichaelBise takingpictures.WhatItliinkreallycapturedmyimagi- wouldeventuallyleadme, some40yearslater,tobe- ActingDirector nationwas theabilityto take amomentin time, in- comethe editorofVirginia WiMife. Forthelast 10 stantlyfreezeit,andthenshareitwithfiiendsandfam- years,Ihavehadthegreatpleasureofhelpingtoselect MembersoftheBoard ily the articles, photographs and artwork thatyou have WardBurton, Halifax My first exposure to really good photography cometoenjoyIhavealsohadtheopportunitytomeet SherrySmithCrumley,Buchanan came in the form ofa magazine called Virginia andbecomefiiendswithmanyofyouwhosharealike WilliamT. Greer,Jr., Norfolk Wildlife.Iwasveryyoungatthetimeandawide-eyed interestoftheoutdoors. JamesW. Hazel,Oakton kidwho couldn't get enough ofplaying in the out- OnoccasionIhavehadthepleasureofhearing C. T Hill,Midlothian dinogorms.eMtyoftahtehegrrteaaktesoumtudcoohrosf.thIeccarnedisttilflorrienmtermodbuecr- fcroommmmenatnyonofhoouwrlmouyaclhatnhdeyloenngjtoiymtehseumbascgraizbienres,—wheso- JRMoaahnrndyyWL.Jo.uMKioosnzatugPcoohlm,leaArrldy,e,xIaJrrn.v,dirSniagantodnston waitingfor dad's copyof Virginia Wildlifeto arrive peciallythephotographyMuchofthesuccessofVir- RichardE. Railey, Courtland eachmonthinthemail.Aftermyfatherfinishedread- ginia Wildlife goes to those same peoplewho have ThomasA.Stroup, Fairfax ing it he would take the time to share with me tlie takenthefrtimetosharewithallofusthefrstoriesand CharlesS.Yates, Cleveland wealthofinformationfoundineachissue. Itbecame photographs. anindispensableoutdoorguideforthebothofusin This year's Armual Photography Contest Show- Magazine Staff ouradventuresafieldandafloat. caseisagoodexampleofwhathappenswhenwehear LeeWalker, Editor AsIlookbacknowIwouldberemissifIdidn't fromenoughofyou.Thisspecialissuehasquicklybe- RonMessina,JuliaDixon,ContributingEditors! warnsomeofoiu*readersthattheremightbeadown- comeoneofthemostpopularissues, andoneofthe EmilyPels,ArtDirector Carol Kushlak, ProductionEditor side to introducing a youngster to a great outdoor most diffiailtto assemble. From die countlesshours magazineatsuchanearlyage.Whilereadingthrough spentbythemâzinestafi'inreviewing, judgingand Colorseparationsandprintingby thepagesofVirginia WildlifeIwouldoftenfindmy- design,tothehundredsofpeoplewhohavesubmitted ProgressPrinting,Lynchburg,VA. selfdaydreaming about some secret fishinghole or photographs, tliis issue has truly become a labor of himtingadark, deep forestsomewhereinVirginia's love,aswellasastunning,visualjourneyintoVfrginia's VirginiaWildlife(ISSN00426792)ispubUshedmonth BlueRidgeMountains.Sometimesthisenjoyablepas- outdoors. Hopefully thiswill inspire many ofyou to ly by theVirginia Department ofGame and Inlanc timewouldtakeplaceduringmyschooldays.Unfor- spendmoretimeintheoutdoors,whetheritishunting, Fcihsahnegrieess.toSVeinrdginaillasWiulbdslcifrei,ptP.ioOn.oBrodxer7s47a7n,dReadddOreask; tunately,tliisledonmorethanoneoccasiontoasharp fishing,boatingortakingphotographs. Iowa51591-0477.Addressallothercommunicalioni reprimand fromawellmeaningteacherwhowould NextmonthIwillbeginanewjoiuneywithinthe cBoonxce1r1n1i0n4g,th4i0s1p0ubWliecsattioBnrotaodVirSgtirneieat,WilRdilicfeh,moP.nOd askmeinfrontofthewholeclass,whatwassointer- Departmentandyouwillonceagainbeintroducedtoa Virginia23230-1104.Subscriptionratesare$12.95fo estingthatitwouldcompletelydistractme from my neweditor,wholikemyself,wiUbegiventhechanceto one year, $23.95 for two years; $2.00 pereachbad studies. captureandsharesomeoftinebestthatVirginiahasto $is2s4u.e9,5sfuobrjeocntetyoeaarvaialnadbilmiutys.tObuet-poafi-dcoiinmUt.rSy.rfautnedsi: For more than 70years Virginia Wildlife has offerAsIstepasideaseditorIwouldlikeforeachof No refunds for amounts less than $5.00. To sub beenentertainingandeducatingpeoplewholovethe you to do me a fcivor. Share your copy of Virginia scribe, call toll-free (800) 710-9369. Postmaster Please send all address changes to Virginia Wildlife outdoors.NotonlyhereinVfrginia,butthroughoutthe Wildlifemjâzine—orpurchaseasubscriptionforyour V.O.Box7477,RedOak,Iowa51591-0477.Postagefo UnitedStates,andevenoverseaswheremanymenand son or daughter especially a wide-eyed youngster periodicalspaidatRichmond,Virginiaandaddition womenservinginthemilitaryfind,throughitspages,a whofiindsmorefiminaitchingcrawdadsinanearby alentryoffices. way to bring them a fittle closer to home. From its creek, than sitting at home playing video games or Copyright2008bytheVirginiaDepartmentofGarni humblebeginningsthegoalofVirginia Wildlifehas watcliingtelevision.Whoknows, thatyoungster,fiOlled andInlandFisheries.Allrightsreserved. beentoenlightenpeopleontheaccomplishementsof with hopesanddreams ofpreserving andprotecting TheDepartmentofGameand InlandFisheriessha! afford toall persons anequal access toDepartmen theVh-giniaDepartmentofGameandInlandFisheries. Virginia'swildlifeandnatiu-alresources,mightbecome programsandfacilitieswithoutregardtorace,coloi Italsohelpstospreadthewordabouttheworkbeing editorofVirginiaWildlifemagazineoneday religion,nationalorigin,disability,sex,orage.Ifyoi donebyothergroupsandorganizationsinpreserving believethatyouhavebeendiscriminatedagainstii any program, activity or facility, please write to andprotectingVfrginia'soutdoorheritê.Indoingso Naturallyyours, Virginia DepartmentofGame and Inland Fisheries Virginia Wildlife has become one of the leading LeeWalker ATTN:ComplianceOfficer,(4010V^'estBroadStreet. PO,Box11104,Richmond,Virginia23230-1104. "This publication is intended for general informa tionalpurposesonlyandeveryefforthasbeenmadi to ensure its accuracy. The information containec hereindoesnotserveasalegalrepresentationoffisl Statement and wildlife laws or regulations. The Virgini TomanageVirginia'swildlifeandinlandfishtomaint•ainoptimumpopulationsofallspeciestoservetheneeds DaespsaurmtemreenstpoonfsiGbialmiteyafonrdaInnylacnhdanFgiesheinrideastedso,esrengou oftheCommonwealth;toprovideopportunityforalltoenjoywildlife, inlandfish,boatingandrelatedoutdoor lations, orinformationthatmayoccurafterpublica recreation; topromotesafetyforpersonsandpropertyinconnectionwithboating,huntingandfishing. don." Dedicated to the Conservation ofVir^nia's Wildlife and l>iatural Resources VOLUME 69 NUMBER 3 )NTENTS FrontCover: SCENICSEASONS Grand Prize Thisyear'swinnerof thecoveted Grand Prize spotgoesto Marie MajarovofWinchester, forhersupercloseup of COLDAND CLAMMY theelusivebelted king- fisher, a bird well CRITTERS knownforbeing diffi- cultto photograph. Mariewasabletocatch thisimagealongthe beach roadatChin- coteague NationalWildlife Refugeasthe bird was hunting forfish. THESPORTING LIFE Canon EOS 20Ddigitalcamera. Canon 100- 400mm ISlensat400mm, ISO400, l/250th, f.7.1 using a Canon 580 EXflash forfilllight. BackCover: Grand PrizeforKids Thisyear'swinnerofthecoveted Kid'sGrand MARVELOUS Prizeis Dillion Rapalee, age 14, ofGooch- MAMMALS land. Dillion'sdelightfulclose lookata gray treefrog getting readyto leapfrom its perch ^^ reallygrabbedthejudgesattention. Ofall the photographs he'staken sofar, Dillon mentionsthatthisis probablyhis most favorite. A BUG'S LIFE NikonCoolpix P4digitalcamera, ISO 50, noshutterspeed recorded, f.3.0. BIRDSOFA FEATHER Magazine Subscriptions Forsubscriptions and FANTASTICFLOWERS addresschangesonlycall 1'800'710'9369 12 issuesfor$12.95 24 issuesfor$23.95 36 issuesfor$29.95 KIDSANDCAMERAS % ichmond amera VirginiaisforLovers'^ '.kodak.com www.virginia.org www.richmondcamera.com Annual "(Pfiotograpfiij ta/(esan Photography Contest instantoutoftime, alter- Showcase ingfifeByfiofdingitstiff" Dorothea Lange byLyndaRichardson Hoveringaroundthecomputer,wesatindai-k- their own backyards. Big Meadows in Shenan- dressingsomeoftheproblemswenoticedduring ness, our onlylight the soft and sometimes doah National Park and Chincoteague National thisyear'scontest. colorfiilglowofthemonitorAslowbutconsistent Wildlife Refuge were the favorite "away from Somephotographersreallygotitright!How "click,chck,click"ofthemousemarkedtime,and home"locations. aboutthe fantastic covershot ofafemale belted was punctuated by an occasioniil "ohhhh man, Judgingthecompetition,LeeWiilker,editor kingfishercaptijredbyMarieMajarovofWinches- that'sagoodone."'Tliisyear,weweredoingtilings ofVirginiaWildlifemagazine,andEmilyPels,art ter?Doyou knowhowdifiicultakingfisheristo verydifferently! directorofthemagazine,and1,carefiillyreviewed photograph? Look how sharp it is and how the TherewerenointimidatingvolumesofFedE\ and discussed the entries. It took us two whole beautifi.llfiglitreallyaddstotheimagequafity.And packagesandmanilaenvelopesliningthewiillstliis daysjusttoreviewtheworkandmakeaselection check out our back cover taken by 14-year-old yearhistead,wesataroundatiiblewitha17"Mac- ofourfavoriteimages.Duringthattime,Ilistened DillonRapalee.Dillonreportsthatthisisthebest BookProlaptopinfrontofusandviewednearlyall closelyto Lee and Emily's comments. Tliere are photograph he's ever taken. Yes sir-ree Dillon, oftheentries.Tln-ougliouttheyear;usentriesforthe differentways to lookat iuid judge photographs goodenoughforthecovetedbackcover! contestpouredin,KimCrockett,officeniiuiagerfor anditalldependsonwhereyou"comefrom."Lee Well,acontestwouldn'tbeacontestwithout VDGIF Infonnation Division, recorded their re- has an editoriiil and wildlife photography back- prizes,sothisyearI'dliketothankourwondeiful ceipt,loadedthedigitalfilesontothecomputer,re- ground so despite his fantastic eye for artistic contestsponsors:EastniiuiKodiikCompanyRich- namedthefilesbyphotographer'sname,andthen quality in an inline, he tended to lean towards mondCamera, and, ofcourse, Virginia Wildlife placedeachentiyintofoldersbycategories. Prints photographsthatcapti^n-edamomentorahardto magiizine.EastmanKodakisdonatingprofession- andsfides,ofwliichtherewereveryfew,wereheld find;mimal even ifthe photograph mightnot be alInkjetphotopaperforiUlthefirstplacewinners. tothesideforcarefiilreviewaswejudgedeachcat- technicallyperfect. Asjm artdirector, Emilypre- Forsecondplace, RichmondCameraisdonating egory. fen'edimagesthatshefeltweremoreartisticand $50giftcertificatestowardsprocessing, and Vir- Folks,itreallyhasbecome"ADIGITALAGE." wellcomposed.Asanartmajorwithaneditorial ginia WildlifeisofferingofiicialVirginiaWildfife WehadveryfewslidesorprinLsfromnegativessub- andwildlife photographybackground, Iwastry- ball caps for third. Again, we'd Uke to extend a mitted.Butitwasn'tsuqirising.Digitalphotography ingtolookateverythingbutwhenitcamedownto GREATBIGTHANKYOUtoourdedicatedandgen- is tiiking over! Because of this, we have decided it, Ileanedtowards"themoment."Soasyoucan eroussponsors! therewillbesomerulechanges,sobesuretoread imagine,forthefinaljudgingweneededhelpfrom So,pickupthisveiyspecialissueofViiginia the niles for the next contest. For example, next CarolKushlak,productioneditor,andKimCrock- Wildlife magazine, find a nice comfy chair, sit year, we will only take digital files, no prints or etttoevenoutthescore. down,relaxandenjoy!Wlietlieryouplacedinthis slides. Butdon'tletthatscareawayourfilmshoot- There were many entries that just didn't year'scompetition, ornot,youarestillawinner! ers! You folks can still have your slides and make the cut because ofthe s;une reoccurring Because ofyour love for photography, beautifiil prints/negativesscimnedintodigitiilfonnat. problems. Some photographs simply were not imagery, iuid diegreatoutdoors,youwill always Because of the e;ise of digitiil photography, shaq),othersweretoopixelatedorthecolorwas have a fifetime of enjoyment surrounding you. morefolksth;uieversubmittedtothecompetition. overlysatiu-ated. Inothers,backgroundsorfore- Congratiîlations;uidHappyShooting! This year, we had 307 individu;il photographers groundswere too busy, competingwith thesub- enterasopposedtol;tstyear's212.Thenumberof ject.Andwearestillevenseeingimageswiththe entriesdecreasedtoaround 1,500fromlitstyear's timeanddiitestampsontiiem.Tlimthatfimction Pleasenotechangeson "HowtoEnter" 3,300butthatw;isbecausewelimitedthenumber off!So, inacontinuedefi'orttohelpyouimprove the 2008Annual Photography ofentriesperentnmt. your photography, please watch for upcoming ContestShowcase. Another thing we noticed is that photogra- "PhotoTips"columnsin ViiginiaWildlifemaga- http://w^\w.dgif.virginia.gov/events/ phers submitted m;uiy more photographs from zine. Infuturecolumns,lookforinformationad- photo-contest.pdf VIRGINIAWILDLIFE www.HuntFishVA.com ^ksI lemctrMwaijtnto ^. the universeisthrougfia êstuitdermssl John Muir FIRST PLACE WhiteOakfiretrailjustabovethe falls, Shenandoah NationalPark. Billy wins first place for his gor- geous photograph of a stream along a fire road. The judges loved this image because it had so many positive elements going for it; beautiful, soft overcast light, great color leading your eye from the frontto the back of the image creating a wonderful composition, mist captured well but still retaining detail in the background, and lastly, a slow exposureto blurthe waterin the foreground, really adding to the overall feeling of the shot. Billy mentions that he had been to this site before and decided to return in the fall on a wet day. After hours ofshooting hundreds ofphotographs, Billy left onlyto be caught in a torrential down- pour. Nikon D70 digital camera, Nikkor 17-35mmf.2.8lens, ISO, 1.6sec- onds, f.22.0. SECOND PLACE Douglas Graham Bluemont Aviewfrom theAppalachian Trailand Bears Den Lodgeat Route 7, Bluemont. Nikon D200 digitalcamera, Nikkor28-70mm f.2.8 lens, ISO none recorded, l/125th, f.8.0. 'Ihosewfiocontempfate tfie Seauiyoftheearthfind reservesofstrength thatzviH endureaslongasffe[asts" RachelCarson Scenic Seasons VIRGINIAWILDLIFE wwwHuntFishVA.com ± THIRD PLACE Marie Majarov Winchester Assateague ChannelSunset, from Chincoteague NationalWildlife Refuge. Canon EOS 20D digitalcamera, Canon 100-400 mm lens, ISO400, l/320th, f.5.0. a HONORABLE MENTION Andrea Ferguson AltaVista Secluded barn de-saturatedto appearasa black and white. No location mentioned. Canon RebelXTdigitalcamera, Canon 24-70mm lens, ISO 200, 1/lOOth, f.7.1. MARCH 2008 a HONORABLE MENTION Jene Smith Richmond Sunrisealong Beach Road, Chin- coteague NationalWildlife Refuge. Canon RebelXTdigitalcamera. Canon 100-400mm lens, ISO400, l/60th, f.8.0. HONORABLE MENTION David L. Everette Richmond Crabtree Falls, Shenandoah National Park. Mamiya 6454.5x6 largeformatfilm camera, 45mm lens, Fuji Previa film, settings unrecorded. HONORABLE MENTION Douglas Graham Bluemont A standing poolofwater, western view, Blandy Experimental Farm, Clarke County. Nikon D200 digitalcamera, Nikkor28-70mm f2.8 lens, ISO none recorded, l/30th, f.11.0. Cold ritters "LifeisdeartoamuW&EinSftasitistoman.Justasone asonewantstofiveandnotdie,sodoothercreutures." His HolinessThe Dalai Lama FIRST PLACE Northern copperhead. Blue HoleoutsideWhite Hall, Shenandoah County. Roland winsfirstplaceforhisstrikingimageofa copperhead sunningitselfon a mossyrock.Thejudges lovedthis photographforits unusualnature (Howoften doyouseea copperhead sunning inthe middleofa creek?) andfora nicecomposition showingtheanimalin its beautifulenvironment. Canon EOS 20Ddigitalcamera, 18-200mm lens, ISO400, 0.5sec, f.7.1. MARCH 2008 SECOND PLACE ± Dennis Jordan Powhatan American toads breedingin a backyard pond, Powhatan. Fuji FinepixS2Pro digitalcamera, Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 100, l/60th, f.8.0. 10 VIRGINIAWILDLIFE www.HuntFishVA.com