Wildlife photographer a finalist in state contest

ERNIE COWAN OUTDOORS

Wildlife photographer a finalist in state contest



It began as a world tour for a young Scottish lad, but he only got as far as Del Dios, which is hardly an international travel destination.

But in this tiny enclave, tucked away against the reedy shores of Lake Hodges, Brian Caldwell found several passions that changed his life’s direction.

He left Glasgow after earning a degree in information engineering, but today, if Del Dios had one, Caldwell might be considered the local artist-in-residence for his broad talents as a nature and wildlife photographer, environmental activist and popular musician.

His latest honor was notification recently that one of his bird photographs is a contender for California Wildlife Photo of the Year.

This annual contest is conducted by the California Watchable Wildlife Committee, a coalition of federal and state agencies, nonprofits, destination marketing organizations and private-sector businesses.

Each quarter, two or three images are selected as winners that will compete for the annual Wildlife Photo of the Year title that will be announced in January. Winning images will be published in Outdoor California.

For many active in the outdoor community, it was no surprise that Caldwell was in the running since he has earned a reputation for his beautiful images of wild grebes on Lake Hodges, where they have established a significant breeding population.

Caldwell is passionate about these birds and has become a champion in efforts to preserve their nesting habitat. Water level fluctuations during nesting season can severely impact grebe nest sites.

And when Caldwell is excited, it’s hard to understand him through his thick Glaswegian accent.

He’s even first to make fun of it by suggesting voice recognition devices won’t work in Scotland because they can’t understand the language.

Caldwell was pretty matter of fact about the news he was a finalist in the photo contest, but excited that it will help spread the word about the importance of maintaining water levels at Lake Hodges to protect the nesting grebes.

He diverted from his world tour in the early 1990s after being offered a job as a windsurfing instructor at Lake Hodges.

He fell in love with the area, and with Kim, his future wife. He also discovered his musical talents and today manages the popular musical group Highland Way.

But the allure of dense oak groves and the tiny Del Dios community was strong.

“We bought the first place we saw, and we’ve been fixing it up ever since,” Caldwell said.

He spends a lot of time on the lake and nearly every morning hiking along the shoreline watching wildlife and capturing images of breathtaking sunrises.

Soon, he became aware of how significant the lake was for the grebe population. A friend loaned him some telephoto equipment, and he began documenting the birds and their nesting cycles.

His artistic eye and his wife’s knowledge as a wildlife care supervisor for birds at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park gave him a natural gateway to establishing Lake Hodges Photo Tours, where he shares his love and respect for the grebes and other wildlife found there.

During the grebe nesting season, his tours are in demand aboard his Wee Boat.

“Kim taught me to respect the birds and to not go overboard trying to get the shot. It’s more about enjoying the moment as it is about getting the photo,” Caldwell said.

Grebes build their nest by attaching them to plants growing out of the water. If water levels rise or fall significantly, it can flood the nests or leave them high and dry, and chicks will die because the parent birds cannot reach them.

Caldwell has been working to raise awareness of this issue, since Lake Hodges is a domestic water source and water levels can be adjusted dramatically as weather conditions and demands change.

“I’ve been pushing the city of San Diego for nesting platforms for our grebes in anticipation of water fluctuations when the new dam is built and the pump station goes back into operation,” Caldwell said.

His idea is an artificial floating platform that would rise and fall as water levels change, allowing grebes access to the nests.

This past winter, Caldwell monitored the grebe nesting activity and identified 80 nests with eggs.

Fortunately, the city had no plans to significantly adjust water levels, and the first chick successfully hatched May 24.

If you would like to enter the California Wildlife Photo of the Year Contest, visit cawatchablewildlife.org.

Cowan is a freelance columnist. Email ernie@packtrain.com or visit erniesoutdoors.blogspot.com.

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