
BIO
In the nineteen forties, fifties and into the sixties my father was a professional photographer so I was exposed to the art at an early age. In 1975 I took a photojournalism course as part of earning a degree in Journalism from St. Michael's College in Vermont and for several years afterwards photography was a major interest of mine. Frustrated with the poor equipment I owned at the time I put it aside to pursue a career as a musician and piano tuner while raising two great daughters, but after a thirty year hiatus I bought an inexpensive digital camera in 2012 and began to leap back in. Now I own a great camera and several lenses and take pictures on a near daily basis.
Birds and insects are my main subjects as I've been an active birder and naturalist for my entire adult life and, of course, Vermont presents beautiful vistas that we photographers can't ignore so landscapes have become part of my repertoire, too. Regular trips to Cape May, NJ and other destinations have added to my photo ops and, in a bit of a surprise, I'm being asked to run nature photography workshops in 2018, including one through the University of Vermont and one in Cape May.
I hope you'll take a little time to look at my photos and I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoy making them. If you're interested in owning a copy of any of my images please email me at priley55@msn.com. Thanks!
Peter Riley
BIRDS
A completely inverted Northern Harrier flipped over by a strong gust of wind.
A young Northern Harrier going upside down
Young male Northern Harrier on the dunes in Cape May
Great Blue Heron on Colchester Pond, VT
Male Surf (top) and Surf Scoters in Cape May
Black-throated Green Warbler at Higbee Beach, Cape May
Skimmers, gulls and terns
A true European Starling on the banks of the Clyde River in Glasgow, Scotland
Blue Tit near Loch Lomond, Scotland
Semi-palmated Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones near Reeds Beach, NJ
Short-billed Dowitchers and a photo bombing Semi-palmated Sandpiper
Black and White Warbler in Cape May
Nobody here but we pine cones...
Magnolia Warbler in Cape May
A male Yellow Warbler singing his heart out-Colchester Pond, VT
Evening light on a female Yellow Warbler
Female Yellow Warbler taking off-Colchester Pond, VT
Female Yellow Warbler checking me out-Colchester Pond, VT
Tennessee Warbler in a John J. Audubon pose-Essex Jct., VT
Tennessee Warbler among the apple blossoms-Essex Jct., VT
Palm Warbler in spring-Essex Jct., VT