Washington State became my home at 55, and it was here that I found my home patch — the same trees, the same wetland edge, the same light at the same hour, returned to again and again. Birds had already run been part of my life for decades by then, binoculars in hand long before I ever settled anywhere. But something about staying put here turned the habit into a practice.

It was 30 years ago that I picked up a camera. The work since has taken me from that home patch to wetlands and forests on several continents, but the method never changed. There's no trick to it beyond time — sit still in the same place through enough seasons, and the birds and other wildlife stop treating you as a threat. They go back to their lives. You're just there.

Every image in this collection came out of that patience. Nothing here was baited, called in, or photographed in captivity — just the birds, the place, and enough hours logged to be forgotten by them.