Although IT professional Albert Golubev describes himself as an amateur photographer, the breathtaking photos he has captured of beautiful birds in Mill Basin, Marine Park and Sheepshead Bay have absolutely captivated the users of the local Nextdoor app, where he shares some of his best work.
For many Brooklynites, accustomed to seeing mostly common pigeons and sparrows, spotting a robin or cardinal is a pretty big deal, but on his frequent nature walks, Golubev captures photos of birds the likes of which most of us have never seen or even heard of. If he’s lucky, and a bird is preoccupied with food, sometimes he even gets to see them up close and personal.
Since he began birding three years ago, Golubev has captured some 50 different kinds of birds with his Canon R7 equipped with a Canon RF 100-500 lens, the most rare of which was a northern red bishop in the garden, near Aviator Sports, of all places. “If I’m birding around Marine Park Salt Marsh, bird locations are predictable like an osprey in the nest, snowy egret or mallard duck near the bridge, red-winged blackbirds flying across the field,” he explained. “However, the element of surprise in bird-watching and not knowing what bird might appear is also great,” he said of the adrenaline rush that he and other nature enthusiasts enjoy so much.
It isn’t only the rarity of the birds that make Golubev’s work so impressive, but some of the things he catches birds doing, like a tern in flight, whipping around, beading water off its wings, a gloriously feathered pheasant staring proudly into the camera or a majestic osprey mid-flight carrying a freshly caught fish in its claws. His advice to other bird lovers is to follow Brooklyn Bird Alert on Twitter @BirdBrklyn to receive notifications when rare interesting birds are spotted.
Sometimes living in such a busy metropolis, we overlook the beauty of nature, but a wide body of research is forming that suggests being in nature and seeing or hearing birds can improve overall health and well-being. So if you are looking for a new hobby, why not consider birding?
To see more of his photos, follow Albert Golubev on Instagram @Wingsfan91.
