Mitchell Pruitt Photography

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United States
Santa Barbara, CA
Mitchell Pruitt Photography

I am a birder and nature photographer working to capture the great outdoors through my camera. Everything seen here is for sale. Click for more details. Enjoy!

I am a bird watcher and photographer from the beautiful state of Arkansas. I work to capture the wonders of our natural world through my camera, specializing in birds and other wildlife. On this page I will post my most recent and/or favorite photos. Everything you see here is available for sale. My most popular image size is 8"x10", but they are available in other, larger sizes as well. Metallic

is also the most popular finish and works VERY well in bringing out the colors in an image.

8"x10" gloss finish--$18.00
8"x10" metallic finish--$20.00

Prints are also available in custom size AND metal prints. The metal printing method is very cool and the image is actually printed on metal. Contact me through email or by messaging this page for pricing and info regarding other sizes and metal prints.

07/30/2024

Legs for days. On a recent trip to Santa Barbara, I had a chance to get out to a local beach

After trying and failing to beat walkers and off-leash dogs to the best birds, I finally found a protected cove where birds were congregating

I was able to spend inspiring time getting typical “golden hour” shots of some of the big fellas, like this Long-billed Curlew

When I finally turned to head back down the beach, I was dazzled by an atypical shot. A good reminder of how important it is to look behind us sometimes

Long-billed Curlews are not small—one of the largest shorebirds at almost 2 feet tall. I wonder how many people don’t really see them as bird and human go about their morning beach routine

07/08/2024

The rare non-bird! Iberian Ibex from southern Spain, coming in hot for a Mammal Monday. These were so cool to watch climb precarious precipices

We caught this one off guard while exploring an old quarry for eagle-owls. It was interesting to watch it climb at close range, as it carefully made choices that could quickly become life-threatening

A few minutes later, we spotted several buddies watching us from high above

06/30/2024

Eastern Screech-Owls are a special bird to me—the first owl I ever saw when I started birding as a kid

Local birders have been enjoying a pair all summer, right along the road into one of Arkansas’ busiest state parks. I was finally able to get out there this week…twice!

Both nights they began calling as the sun disappeared and put on quite a show

Eastern Screech-Owls typically come in 2 color morphs: red (most common in my region) and gray. One of this pair is red (pictured) and the other is a rarer red-gray morph, which I had never seen before!

06/26/2024

Still can’t believe I finally got to see flamingos in the wild! Southern Spain has a healthy population of Greater Flamingos and I was able to see >1100 of them at several different spots. They were so fun to watch!

If you look closely, you can see a couple of Pied Avocets feeding around their legs

06/23/2024

On my first night in Spain, dead tired but unable to sleep, I went on a solo evening drive through the Steppes to enjoy flamingos and all kinds of other cool birds.

I came across this Common Buzzard actively hunting from some ruins in the evening light.

This species is widespread in the Old World and variable—much like our Red-tailed Hawks in the Americas

05/28/2024

Standing on a cliff above the Mediterranean, listening to its rich melody is how my first encounter with a Blue Rock-Thrush played out. I eventually spotted the bird on an inaccessible precipice.

Such a picturesque environment is the steroetpe of this species’ habitat, but it’s known to live alongside humans too.

I happened across this one in a “Pueblo Blanco” of Andalucía. These stunning villages and their namesake whitewashed buildings are set into some of the region’s most rugged terrain. As I climbed to the village’s watch tower, a remnant of Islamic rule, I spotted it sitting silently on a chimney.

05/22/2024

Common Redstart from the Sierra de las Nieves! This beautiful species is found throughout Europe and beyond.

The scenery around this bird was absolutely stunning—alpine mountains surrounded by craggy rock outcroppings and panoramic views.

05/16/2024

When I started undergrad 12 years ago, I never thought my journey through a university would end here, all these years later, with a PhD. Not just any PhD, but a PhD in biology and the ability to work with birds—a passion that has been present in my life through thick and thin. I feel brand new again!

AND how about these grad photos?? I’m surrounded by such talent with

05/13/2024

Arguably one of the coolest looking shrikes, the colorful Woodchat Shrike is found across the Mediterranean. While this species has declined in some regions, the Iberian Peninsula is estimated to have 70% of the total population, or ~600,000 breeding pairs!

This was the first of several on a trip to Spain last month. It snuck up on me while dazed and jet lagged on my first night in country!

05/06/2024

Another HUGE Spain highlight! I was so excited to get to see a “real” Old World vulture. This Eurasian Griffon was so cool!

I was able to watch it for 30 minutes as it soared along a craggy mountainside before settling into its roost somewhere below. These birds are massive and majestic, if you can use that word to describe something that eats dead stuff

05/04/2024

In the last month I’ve turned 30, gone to Spain, and finished a PhD. You may call me doctor!

Starting off trip photos with an owl seems fitting. Here’s a Little Owl, called mochuelo in Spain. This species is related to our American Burrowing Owls and is widespread across the Old World, as their cousins are in the New.

They inhabit open areas including rocky, open woodlands where I saw them in Spain—first spotted by non-birder friend , which seems to always be how it works 😆.

03/07/2024

For 4+ years, we’ve had a Red-shouldered Hawk nest visible from our backyard, but sometime in the last month, the nest has blown down

The pair is still around, I just haven’t found a new nest site yet

But, about a mile away, I spotted this nest while at a stoplight along one of the busiest roads in town!

It’s next to an apartment complex and a popular greenway access

While I still took this shot from a respectful distance, they’re clearly used to people and cars nearby. At least 10 people walked past the tree without even looking up in the short time I was there!

No doubt thanks to green space priorities in NWAR, several raptor species seem to be doing quite well here

Address

Santa Barbara, CA
93101–93103, 93105–93111, 93116–93118, 93120–93121, 93130, 93140, 93150,

Website

http://www.pbase.com/mpruitt

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