From Kestrels to Sakers in over 20,000 shots

Oct. 22, 2024
Dragos Plaesu
Although the Saker Falcon is still considered rare in the southern part of Romania, and any birdwatcher would consider themself lucky to notice the bird, let alone to photograph it, Dragoș Plăeșu, SOR member, managed to gather a collection of photos of these magnificent birds. We asked him to tell us in a short interview about how „one makes their own luck”and his two passions.

Mihaela Simion: What came first – the passion for birds or the one for photography?
Dragoș Plăeșu: At the beginning I was interested in photography, I first had an analogue camera and then, in 2001, I bought my first digital one, a 6 Megapixel Trust, without optical zoom. It was taking some extremely poor-quality pictures, but they turned into beautiful memories from over 20 years ago. I started photographing birds in 2019, becoming fascinated by Kestrels.
MS: How often do you go out on the field? And how did you learn to know and recognize wild birds?
DP: About once or twice a week, depends on my work schedule. I learned a lot of them first in the field, then I bought a field guide, but to be honest, it sits on the book shelf. For me it is much easier to find what I am looking for using my phone and various applications (of course you need to read and filter the results, otherwise you will get wrong IDs). It also helps me a lot to talk to a couple people I know, very good in identifying species based on a single pixel.
MS: How much time do you dedicate to editing your photos and why is this activity important?
DP: Not as much as I should, I usually just edit them quickly and put them on the social media groups I follow. 
MS: From your point of view, in what order would you place the following three essential aspects in making a successful photo: the camera and the lens, the photographer's eye, the moment?
DP: The moment is the first, yet the camera is extremely important, too. With the one I currently own, I have about a 70% photo retention rate, with the previous one, only about 30%. The photographer's eye is important for the compositions, not for the documentation of the species, in which case any picture showing the individual is enough.
MS: Although it’s a rare bird, you managed to have a whole collection of photos of Saker Falcons. What was your first encounter with this species?
DP: One flew over me on the 11th of April, in 2021 – I missed all 50 shots, they were not sharp at all. After that I saw them about 2 times a year, and this year I had better luck with the pair with three chicks.

     

MS: There are species that ”pose for photos” and there are species that challenge passionate bird photographers, eager to capture them in pictures. How would you describe the Saker Falcon?
DP: Usually, the saker does not stay at all. They are also very fast and hard to catch in focus without bird detection. However, juveniles are more trusting, they don’t take off immediately. And of course, the car is the best hide – birds tolerate you closer when in a car. The moment you get out, they take off.
MS: You offered your photos to the Life for Falcons team to use them in promoting the conservation of the Saker Falcon, a species classified as Threatened and included on the Red List in Romania and Bulgaria, also providing valuable data on the presence of this species in South-Eastern Romania. This is not the only time you have volunteered for wildlife conservation projects. What motivates you?
DP: There are two reasons, first, personal - it's very good for one’s mental health to stay in nature. And if I can contribute to data collection, so much the better. In addition, I am an engineer and I like graphics of any kind, I really regret that there isn’t more data published regarding the distribution of different species of birds and mammals in Romania. The second reason is that I would like the people around us to be more responsible, to worry even a little bit about saving bird species, at least by collecting their own garbage instead of leaving it in nature.  I think this can be done with education. My co-workers became interested in birds too, sending me various pictures to identify what they see around them, in nature.



MS: You offered your photos to the Life for Falcons team to use them in promoting the conservation of the Saker Falcon, a species classified as Threatened and included on the Red List in Romania and Bulgaria, also providing valuable data on the presence of this species in South-Eastern Romania. This is not the only time you have volunteered for wildlife conservation projects. What motivates you?
DP: There are two reasons, first, personal – it's very good for one’s mental health to stay in nature. And if I can contribute to data collection, so much the better. In addition, I am an engineer and I like graphics of any kind, I really regret that there isn’t more data published regarding the distribution of different species of birds and mammals in Romania. The second reason is that I would like the people around us to be more responsible, to worry even a little bit about saving bird species, at least by collecting their own garbage instead of leaving it in nature.  I think this can be done with education. My co-workers became interested in birds too, sending me various pictures to identify what they see around them, in nature.
MS: Finally, one last question. What would you recommend a beginner, be it in photography or a passion for birds?
DP: To read as much as possible or to watch tutorials about photography on YouTube and then try to reproduce what they learned. One should not be discouraged, the first 20,000 shots will probably be disappointing, but the next ones will be much better.

Photos: Dragoș Plăeșu