Bird lovers strike it rich with Craig & Joy Johnson’s fourth photo book

Just when I had given up hope there would be any more books of wild bird photography from Craig and Joy Johnson, they sprang a surprise.

.

About half the photographs were taken on Whidbey.

Our Pacific Northwest Birds and Habitat: Featuring the Puget Sound Area rolled off the press last week at Printing Control in Tukwila. The 100-page, landscape-style volume depicts 196 species. That's 16 more than their previous book. Craig photographed at least half of them on Whidbey Island. 

First copies will start showing up in island shops this weekend, and within days the handsome book will be on sale for $24.95 throughout the Puget Sound area. But you can request an autographed copy now by ordering it right from their website, http://www.pugetsoundbackyardbirds.com/.

At home in their backyard bird sanctuary. Pedersen photo

As with all of Craig and Joy's books, this one will be sold exclusively in independent bookstores, gift shops and wild bird stores -- not box stores, cookie-cutter chains or discount websites. The dollars and sales taxes it generates will go to work directly in the local economy where they are most needed, benefiting the authors, printers and shopkeepers of our island community and Western Washington. Craig and Joy printed just 2,000 copies and I predict they will disappear fast.

The Freeland couple's goal for this book was to make it educational and inspirational, with more emphasis than ever on the habitats in which different species live, eat, hunt and nest.

Craig visits with Dennis Paulson in April. Pedersen photo

To make sure of that, Craig asked a renowned bird expert and biologist, Dennis Paulson, to review the text and photography. Paulson offered many helpful suggestions, which they incorporated into the final version. 

Craig admits he and Joy had not expected to publish this book because they're broke from medical bills and lost income. But they've sown a lot of goodwill in the community through their generosity over the years. Some of it flowed back to them when a friend, Coupeville businessman Karl King of Kingfisher Books, offered to loan them the money to print the book. 

Karl King

As always, the Johnsons hope readers will buy the book from local bookstores and shops. In  case you’d like get to your copy from Karl King himself, his shop, Kingfisher Books on Coupeville’s Front Street, is open from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. six days a week, but closed Thursdays.

Craig and Joy also hope many people will order autographed copies directly from their website.  The price to the buyer is the same either way. But, by skipping the extra step of wholesaling, the Johnsons can recoup their up-front costs much faster when people purchase the book directly from them.

Now, a bit about what it took to print this book.

“It was an insane amount of work,” Johnson freely admits. No one who hasn’t done it can imagine the planning and hours of computer time it takes to design such a project, let alone take thousands of extraordinary photographs of birds, all hand-held with a heavy, zoom lens, at exceptionally close range.
 

At the printing plant while the press was rolling.

Then there is the actual printing -- the crucial part no one ever mentions and everyone takes for granted. Printing Control, in Tukwila, Wash., deserves some big compliments.

Clearly, this book is gorgeous and the color is flawless. That doesn’t happen by accident. Craig is a graphic designer, photographer, artist and former print salesman for the commercial printing industry, which means he pushed the limits all the way. Printing Control measured up to the challenge.

"Rufous" features Craig's watercolors.

For a printing job even to be satisfactory, everything must go right including the binding. This is a landscape-format book, which puts extra stress on the spine. 

Building greater strength into the spine added significant cost to the job and Printing Control simply ate it to stay within Craig’s budget. That says a lot about the printer’s commitment to the job and to the client. Printing companies, like every other business, are struggling hard with the economic downturn.

I am proud that Printing Control is the same company that produced my book, Whidbey Island’s Special Places. Last year Craig chose them to print a children’s book he and Joy wrote that features his watercolor art, The Amazing Hummingbird Story of Red Rufous. It is on sale right now in many Puget Sound area shops.

The big Heidelberg press at Printing Control.

I am also proud that the president of Printing Control, Bob Bracht, is a friend from my past life when I managed a magazine and other publications for Safeco Corporation. At that time Bob was a sales representative for a large, Portland printer and won our annual report business several years in a row. Between then and now, Bob’s career apparently prospered, with him coming to Seattle and becoming president of Printing Control.

Bob is not only smart, likable and knowledgeable, but fun-loving and enthusiastic. And he loves the Northwest, which may have something to do with Printing Control being the greenest, most environmentally-conscious printer in the Greater Seattle area and the first to win the top, five-star rating from EnviroStars. That’s one of the reasons Printing Control was the right company to print my book and also a brilliant choice for Our Pacific Northwest Birds and Habitat.

Another Home Run for the Land Trust

Whidbey Camano Land Trust has just published its 2010 Annual Report and, once again, it is a beauty. Using a handful of extraordinary images, the report conveys the inspiration we islanders draw from our natural environment. It illustrates why we live here and feel such a strong connection to the land.

 Chestnut-backed Chickadee, by Craig Johnson. Click on images to enlarge.

By any measure 2010's blockbuster achievement was saving one square mile of Whidbey Island from development -- the Trillium Community Forest. That was far from the only work the Land Trust did. The  report tells the Trillium story and also highlights several other land protection successes on Whidbey and Camano islands.

If you did not receive the annual report in the mail, click here to visit the Land Trust's website, where you may download and view a PDF of it.

Hummingbirds in the nest in Freeland, ready to fledge. Craig Johnson photo.

If the name "Land Trust" sounds a bit intimidating, the organization is not. Its members and staff are just everyday people who love our island lifestyle and want to help keep some land in forests, farms and wetlands to sustain wildlife and provide places for the public to find peace and rejuvenation. Anyone may become a member simply by making a contribution. Those who contribute year-after-year soon find themselves part of an extended family with some very lovely people who share their great passion for these beautiful islands.

It's no surprise many Land Trust members are bird-lovers, because birds really bring home the importance of healthy habitat in sustaining diverse, highly specialized creatures. Besides, birds just make us happy. Virtually everything the Land Trust does in protecting forests, agricultural lands, shorelines and wetlands supports wild birds, many of whom travel immense distances every year in their continental or worldwide migrations.

For the second year running, Craig and Joy Johnson of Freeland donated wild bird images that make the report so visually stunning. "I just love birds," Craig says. "If my images can inspire someone to do something good for the birds, then I've been successful."

The annual report's graphic designer, Jen Pennington, chose Craig's image of a juvenile, Chestnut-backed Chickadee for the front cover. As a would-be photographer myself, I marvel at the exquisite detail of every feather in that image. Craig photographed the bird as it was being fed by a parent. "I had no way to conceal myself, so the birds knew I was there," he said. "The parent would call the young bird into the vegetation before feeding and I had only a brief window to snap the photo before the bird went deeper."

The report also prominently features Craig's gorgeous image of two newborn Rufous hummingbirds in their nest near Freeland. Craig found the nest when it contained two eggs. He carefully and respectfully documented the birds' development every day from birth until they fledged and flew away, always maintaining a safe distance so he did not interfere with the mother or juveniles in any way.

Northern Harrier (left). Western Tanager (right), by Craig Johnson.

Craig's phenomenal series of daily photographs of the nesting hummingbirds may be found on his website. After you go to the website, click on the link identified as "Rufous Hummingbird Nesting Show.

Craig and Joy Johnson published a children's book inspired by their experiences in photographing the baby hummingbirds in Freeland. The Amazing Hummingbird Story of Red Rufous is on sale in bookshops, gift shops and wild bird stores all over Whidbey Island, and may also be ordered by mail directly from the Johnsons. Click here for a preview of the book. To order, e-mail Joy Johnson at joyofwriting@whidbey.com.

For Craig Johnson and wild birds, the benefits flow both ways

Note: My best tip for anyone planning to attend Sound Waters University, Saturday, Feb. 5, at South Whidbey High School, is to sign up for any class taught by Craig and Joy Johnson. They photograph and paint wild birds, write about them, publish books and educate. This year they are teaching "The Woodpeckers of Whidbey Island." To get on the mailing list for Sound Waters enrollment, which opens Jan. 7, click here: Sound Waters University, and then click on the blue button marked "Join our Sound Waters Mailing List." For more about wild birds: Craig and Joy Johnson's website.

Craig Johnson with a little Downy Woodpecker on the screen saver.

By DAN PEDERSEN

Is it crazy to think that specific birds coming into Craig Johnson's yard in Freeland recognize and trust him? I don't think it is. The winged activity in Johnson's yard on any given afternoon is a complex drama with many sub-plots. In the middle of it all, studying every detail and loving it, sits Johnson.

Researchers have documented that crows recognize specific human beings and will hold onto a deep grudge against people who do them wrong -- even alerting their friends about these human enemies. Other crows learn second-hand to recognize these evil-doers and join in outbursts of angry scolding and mobbing in the future.

Male Pileated Woodpecker at Johnson's suet feeder.

So it may not be a stretch to assume it also works the other way. Some of the birds that approach Johnson on his deck know they can trust him -- that he's one of the gentle, non-threatening, good guys. Some of Johnson's regulars are even Steller's Jays, corvids closely related to the crows.

"Oh, yeah, I think the big Pileated Woodpecker recognizes me for sure, just because I see that individual bird so much," Johnson says. "He knows I'm here. As long as I am mindful and don't make any sudden moves he will stay on the tree and won't fly away."  The tree is just a few feet away.

"And I'm probably getting some of the same Northern Flickers over and over." Johnson is generous with treats, tossing peanuts to the normally-wary Steller's Jays that sneak closer and closer on the overhanging limbs and hop toward him on the deck. "I can tell the difference between the different ones. Certain individuals will come almost within arm's reach."

Northern Flicker

He laughs because the very shrewd jays and a gullible Douglas squirrel named G-Dog compete for those peanuts and steal from each other, but the jays always win. They watch G-Dog stash them. When he turns his back, they raid the cache.

All five species of Whidbey Island woodpeckers visit Johnson's yard, taking advantage of native landscaping, nearby conifers and a suet feeder. "The Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers can be very tolerant when you fill the feeder," Johnson says. "I'd say I've done more woodpecker photography in the yard than in the woods because our back yard is so uncontrolled. They come and bring their young. All the species have brought their fledglings here except possibly the Sapsucker."

Watching those juveniles is one of Johnson's great rewards. "I have many photos from our yard where the juvenile Northern Flickers are watching the dad -- very intently watching him -- and he's feeding them ants from the lawn. I mention this so that maybe a few people will decide they can get along without using insecticides. I've watched the juvenile Hairy Woodpeckers, watched the red nape patch move from the forehead to the back of the head as they grow. I love that, especially this year with my health."

Red-breasted Sapsucker

The proof of all this yard activity is some sensational close-ups Johnson has taken with a simple point-and-shoot camera while sitting on his deck on sunny days. But this is where the story gets harder to write. Many people know of Johnson's incredible hand-held images taken with a big Nikon, single-lens reflex camera and a 400mm telephoto lens. Fewer people know Johnson no longer has that camera, nor the reason.

An aggressive, untreatable, neurological disease in the MS family is attacking his body, muscular control, vision, balance, computer-use, livelihood and, at times, mental focus. He cannot carry that camera any more nor go into the field to photograph birds. So now the birds come to him and that is an immense blessing.

"When you're out in nature it's inspiring. It's rejuvenating for me. When the birds come I don't think about my jobs or problems, or even my back ache. We don't have a TV here and haven't had one for 20 years. During the daylight hours in the summer especially, the outdoors is our break. I come out from my drawing table and sit on the deck and admire the birds. I'm thankful to have a yard like this, land that has not been over-groomed or controlled. Without that I wouldn't have the connection to nature. I'm not mobile. I'm very thankful the people who own this house agree (the Johnsons rent).  They're on the same page."

Tiny, Downy Woodpecker on Madrone branch.

"People come over here -- birders -- and say my gosh this is perfect habitat. The birders acknowledge all the ocean spray, the thrushes coming out, woodpeckers . . .  This little madrona tree next to the railing here, most people would cut it down, but just in the last two months, every day, there have been Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Bushtits flitting about, sallying insects, and tons of Chickadees. Having a habitat in your back yard can be huge for just being able to look out your window and take a break from whatever you're doing."

"That's what I tell people. There is a lot going on and if you have a nice, groomed yard, you are missing out."

Johnson points out that in addition to the therapeutic, almost meditative benefits of watching birds, he also benefits in human relationships. As the Johnsons deal with Craig's illness, they are being showered with love and support by many members of Whidbey Audubon Society who cherish them for their years of generosity with photographic images, watercolor art and educational presentations.

Hairy Woodpecker drinking at a clean birdbath.

"If you care for birds, you care for people," Johnson says. "Whether you love whales, trees, birds, a clean lake -- if you care about any of those things, you're also about humanity."

Johnson says he has never thought of himself as a photographer. "Not really. I've done it, yeah, but I just love birds. I wanted to capture the images so I could show others who might not have the time to see what the birds were doing. Bird photography was never to make money. It makes me feel better to just give the images to Whidbey Camano Land Trust or use them in our books. I do it to help nature and promote learning."

For their woodpecker presentation at Sound Waters University on Saturday, Feb. 5, Johnson says he hopes to inspire his audience and perhaps encourage them to learn a little more about woodpeckers and about the environment. "Maybe someone will decide to keep an old, dead snag in their yard instead of cutting it down."

Craig and Joy Johnson are the authors of a new children's book, The Amazing Hummingbird Story of Red Rufous, available for $9.95 plus tax from many island bookstores and shops, and elsewhere in the Puget Sound region. The book features Craig's beautiful watercolor paintings of hummingbirds and is highly educational. To order a copy directly from Craig and Joy, visit their website: http://pugetsoundbackyardbirds.com/

Dec. 2nd - Meet the Remarkable People of Whidbey Island's Special Places

One of the great things about Whidbey Island is that almost everyone has a story. And any adventure is more fun when you're with a good story-teller. That is the premise behind Whidbey Island's Special Places And the People Who Love Them.  It's also why I'm excited about an event happening this Thursday evening in Clinton -- the first-ever gathering of many of the people I interviewed for my book.

Susan Berta and Howard Garrett

When I wrote the book, I kept in mind that many people fall in love with the island and take beautiful photographs of the views and wildlife. But beauty is only skin deep and pictures convey a shallow experience. I wanted to give readers something more meaningful that would convey why this island is worthy of our love, understanding and care.

So I built the book around interviews with local guides who could help readers experience the island through their own voices and eyes.

Ranger Rick Blaa

I chose 10 individuals and couples whose passions range from birds to orcas, to flying, diving, biology, forestry, cemeteries, lighthouses, land protection, recreation and small-town life.

Thanks to Clinton Librarian Debby Colfer, we will gather many of these people together for the first time at 7 pm, Thursday, Dec. 2.  She had the idea to invite them and you to an evening she calls, "Special Places, Special People," at Clinton Community Hall.

The event is to honor the community volunteers who help keep our library going, and Debby thought it would be fun to get her special people together with as many as possible of mine to talk about the things we love. We all think this is pretty cool.

Veronica von Allworden

So please join us. If you have a copy of Whidbey Island's Special Places, bring it along to collect a slew of autographs from people you'd be proud to know. I'll also have it available for purchase.

My good friends, Craig & Joy Johnson, will be there with The Amazing Hummingbird Story of Red Rufous, their brand new children's book, hot off the press. It is the story of a Whidbey Island hummingbird whose birth Craig documented from "egg" to "fledgling" in a remarkable series of daily photographs 1-1/2 years ago. Now, a little about "my" people:

Sarah Schmidt

Rick Blank of Coupeville is a park ranger at Deception Pass State Park, and he's nuts about owls and eagles, and doing interpretive education.  He loves "when the light bulbs come on" -- helping someone see for the first time the value of nature and how all life is connected.

Maribeth Crandell is environmental educator for the City of Oak Harbor. She loves trails and exercise, and creative ways of teaching.  The more she talks about exercise, the faster she walks, as I learned while interviewing and photographing her one beautiful spring day on Oak Harbor's impressive shoreline trail.

Howard Garrett and Susan Berta of Greenbank are the voice and conscience of orcas. As founders of The Orca Network, they have dedicated their lives to understanding and protecting these beautiful, bright, social animals that live alongside us in the waters of Whidbey Island and Puget Sound.

Maribeth Crandell

Roger Sherman of Coupeville is a farmer, historian, ship's captain and author whose land overlooks the historic homesteads of Ebey's Prairie. He's a walking encyclopedia of pioneer history and the go-to guy if you're wondering where the bodies are buried at Sunnyside Cemetery, and the story of each one.

Dick Malone of Oak Harbor is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer and school teacher who loves history, forts and lighthouses, so it's not surprising he wound up as a volunteer at Admiralty Head Lighthouse, leading tours of these cherished island landmarks, and sharing his love and insights with visitors.

Craig and Joy Johnson of Freeland are passionate about wild birds. Joy is a writer. Craig is an artist, photographer and graphic designer. Together they have published several stunning books of wild bird photography, some gorgeous greeting cards available in local shops, and most recently their first children's book, The Amazing Hummingbird Story of Red Rufous.

Patricia Powell of Coupeville is director of Whidbey Camano Land Trust. She loves wildlife, and wildlife habitat.  Her organization has saved thousands of acres of natural habitats, scenic vistas, and working farms and forests, in partnership with island landowners.  "It's all about love," she says.

Patricia Powell

Roger Sherman

Elliott Menashe of Clinton is an environmental consultant and forester who helps landowners, developers and government find better ways to work with nature, not against it.  He took me on a long walk in the old-growth of South Whidbey State Park and opened my eyes to why such places are so priceless, and what they can teach us.

Sarah Schmidt of Coupeville, my good friend and colleague on many projects, is a biologist, bat expert, birder and principal author of Getting to the Water's Edge on Whidbey and Camano Islands.  She once remarked, "I love every bug, bird, bat and snake." That's Sarah.

Elliott Menashe

Veronica von Allworden of Langley is a pilot, diver and photographer who views our island from "under" and "over." She shared with me the story of gray whales that surfaced beside her while she was swimming in front of her Langley home. She is a volunteer naturalist at the Seattle Aquarium, an engaged member of The Orca Network and Whidbey Camano Land Trust, and has studied and spoken about whales, sharks and other marine life. Many island shops carry Veronica's gorgeous greeting cards of local aerial and underwater subjects.

Any community is as strong as the people who give something back. On Whidbey we are blessed with caring, gifted and engaged neighbors who build up their community in countless personal ways.

Dick Malone

On December 2, let's all get together and celebrate that spirit, and say thank you to our good friends for a job well done.

Special Places, Special People
Thursday, Dec. 2
7 - 8:30 pm
Clinton Community Hall 

Look Out for Red Rufous

The proud parents of a new book, Craig and Joy Johnson

No one has inspired me more to love the wild birds of Whidbey Island than our cherished friends, Craig and Joy Johnson of Freeland. Their books of wild bird photography are a local legend, and now they've branched into something new with a children's book that showcases Craig's gorgeous watercolor paintings.

The Amazing Hummingbird Story of Red Rufous follows a hummingbird from birth at Earth Sanctuary in Freeland on its long migration to Mexico and then back again the next spring to Whidbey Island. It is based on several weeks of daily photography a year-and-a-half ago in which Craig documented the incubation of two eggs, the birth and then the early development of two hummingbirds in their tiny nest.

Not only is this the "amazing story" of a creature that fascinates us all, it is also the amazing story of a talented artist and bird-lover battling some tough health issues that make it very challenging to paint. You would never know it from the finished product. Craig and Joy are hoping that modest income from the book will help pay some daunting medical bills.

If you have children or grandchildren, this $9.95 book would make a marvelous gift that will open their eyes to the wonder of birds. It is just starting to show up in island bookstores and shops, but I hope you'll consider mail-ordering your autographed copy directly from Craig and Joy. Order from Craig & Joy.  Or talk to me and I will get it for you.

If you order the book or a bunch of them from Craig and Joy, they will get the $9.95 apiece. If you purchase the book at a shop, only about $6.00 will go to Craig and Joy because the shop, of course, must be paid for stocking and selling the book.

You will want to sit and read this book to the children in your life and have a good conversation as you do. Then, go to Craig and Joy's website and click on "Red Rufous Book Section" to see actual photographs of hummingbird eggs in the nest on Whidbey Island and the young birds getting ready to head out on their own. Learn how hummingbirds survive the night.  See a hummingbird skeleton!

Some of the watercolors in the book.

As with everything Craig and Joy do, this book is much more than just a simple, charming story. It is an eye-opener and it is true to life. For children and adults both, it could be the start of a great, new adventure in bird-watching and a deeper love of nature.

And what a perfect Whidbey Island story.