Unique photo of a lifer

March 21, 2013: A few hours in Edinburgh
March 22, 2013: Oban, Scotland
March 26, 2013: Rare duck in Scotland!
March 26, 2013: Aberlady Bay, Scotland
March 30, 2013: Unique photo of a lifer (Paris, France)
March 31, 2013: Photos d'oiseaux de France (Paris, France)
April 2, 2013: Seabird die-off on the east coast of Scotland


I often find it difficult to find motivation to photograph famous buildings/landmarks. Usually, whatever photos I end up with are ones that are identical to the photos taken by thousands (or even millions) of people before me. It is really hard to get a unique photo, and so I often don't bother.

Yesterday, I was exploring Paris with Laura and our friend Jared, on exchange in France for a year. When we stopped to view the La Tour Eiffel, things were not lining up for me to be able to take some unique photos of it. It was hazy, the lighting wasn't the greatest, we were short on time, I had no tripod, and there were many tourists around. 

However, just as we were approaching, a small brown bird alighted on a nearby tree. A Short-toed Treecreeper! I had seen several Eurasian Treecreepers in Scotland, but this similar species (that isn't found in the U.K.) was a lifer for me. It also provided a unique opportunity to photograph the Eiffel Tower. 

Short-toed Treecreeper and Eiffel Tower

That little bump on the right side of the tree is the Short-toed Treecreeper (taken with my 18-55 mm lens). I wonder if it is the first time that a birder has photographed a life bird as well as the Eiffel Tower at the same time.

Anyways, Laura and I are back in Edinburgh after 4 or 5 days in France. It wasn't a birding trip, but I did see a few things including several life birds. I'll go through my photos and make some posts in the upcoming days.