NYBG for the Wildlife Photographer: Part Three

Posted in Around the Garden on June 27 2011, by Patricia Gonzalez

Patricia Gonzalez is an NYBG Member and avid amateur wildlife photographer. She is especially fond of taking photographs at the Garden.

In previous posts, I encouraged my fellow wildlife photographers to visit The New York Botanical Garden, shared one of my red-tailed hawk encounters, and gave tips on how to make the most out of your visit.

Today’s topic is the one thing that I think every New York City wildlife photographer should consider investing in. With this, not only will you have access to the grounds and great attractions the Garden offers year round, but you’ll also be able to enter the Garden before the public does. What is it? It’s an Annual Supporting Membership.

As a Supporting Member, not only will you get a neat membership card for yourself and one other person (which in turn, gets you into the Conservatory, Rock Garden, Everett Children‘s Adventure Garden, and more) both of you will get what I like to call “the golden ticket:” An early-morning grounds pass which grants you access to the Garden’s stunningly beautiful 250-acres before they open to the public at 10:00 a.m. With this pass, you can arrive as early as 6:00 a.m. and shoot till your heart’s content.

Birdwatchers will tell you that some of the best activity takes place in the morning. Think about it … With this one pass you gain the opportunity to shoot red-tailed hawks, owls, muskrats, rabbits, turtles, frogs, and way too many other species of birds to list, 52-weeks a year.

An annual supporting membership is $250. Yes, that might seem a bit steep, especially in today’s economy, but you can cut the cost in half if you join with another person. I convinced my best friend who is also an amateur photographer to join with me, which brings the cost down to $125 each. Although the membership is in my name, we both got individual membership cards and early morning grounds passes.

I look at it this way; the money is going to keep a place that I love operating. Just the opportunity to photograph hawks, owls, and other wildlife with only a few folks around 52-weeks a year is enough to get me to re-up every year. My last four close-up encounters happened before 7:30 a.m.!

You just show your pass to the security guard at either entrance and you’re in. During one of my more recent adventures, I came across two young great-horned owls and one of their parents in the native forest around 6:45 a.m. I was able to get some great shots and video.

If you just want to go solo and don’t care about the pass, then join as an individual at $75. You can check out all the different levels of membership here.

If you still need convincing, then go to my photo site and see for yourself. Look into the eyes of the owls, hawks and other wildlife and imagine yourself in the Native Forest, camera in hand, the smell of damp earth in the air and the sounds of the natural world around you. It doesn’t get any better than this.