Vancouver, B.C.--George Gilchrist happened to be in the right place at the right time. Actually, this is often the case for the award-winning photographer for National Geographic magazine. Photographers, the talented ones it seems, tend to have this uncanny streak of luck in common with their skilled colleagues. Wherever the action is that's where, unbelievably, they are too.
Gilchrist,56, had just returned home from the West African desert where he was on location for two grueling months photographing (or at least waiting to photograph) the three-winged loon--a desert bird so rare that it has been spotted just once collecting water from a lonely, refreshing oasis. That is, until Mr Gilchrist arrived.
"I got my gear and my pack and headed into the desert like I owned that desert," said Gilchrist in his fading British accent and who now calls Tacoma, WA home. "When the going got tough I said, 'Good on ya.' And then I just kept going until I photographed the crap out of that rare bird. It's an elusive little bugger, but bread crumbs and peanut butter will do the trick."
The loon is commonly known as a water bird, but the three-winged breed is able to store copious amounts of H2O under the third wing, which allows the bird to bury itself deep beneath the scorching, shifting desert sands. Air pockets below form comfortable habitats for the fowl who then feed off of unsuspecting baby scorpions. The three-winged loon can remain submerged under the desert for months, which makes a photograph of the crafty, duck-looking aviator priceless.
Could there be a photo even more priceless?
Gilchrist,56, had just returned home from the West African desert where he was on location for two grueling months photographing (or at least waiting to photograph) the three-winged loon--a desert bird so rare that it has been spotted just once collecting water from a lonely, refreshing oasis. That is, until Mr Gilchrist arrived.
"I got my gear and my pack and headed into the desert like I owned that desert," said Gilchrist in his fading British accent and who now calls Tacoma, WA home. "When the going got tough I said, 'Good on ya.' And then I just kept going until I photographed the crap out of that rare bird. It's an elusive little bugger, but bread crumbs and peanut butter will do the trick."The loon is commonly known as a water bird, but the three-winged breed is able to store copious amounts of H2O under the third wing, which allows the bird to bury itself deep beneath the scorching, shifting desert sands. Air pockets below form comfortable habitats for the fowl who then feed off of unsuspecting baby scorpions. The three-winged loon can remain submerged under the desert for months, which makes a photograph of the crafty, duck-looking aviator priceless.
Could there be a photo even more priceless?
For the past week, the camera-toting Gilchrist was seeking some much needed R and R in Vancouver, B.C., just a short distance north across the border from Washington state. Here, the eight-time Golden Photograph and Picture winner caught something even more rare than the three-winged loon.
"It was a beautiful afternoon last week and I was wandering the streets of downtown Vancouver looking for some good fish and chips and I noticed crowds beginning to gather in the CBD. I mean, these were large crowds," said the photographer. "I didn't really think anything of it at the time. I didn't know what was developing right before my very eyes."
Gilchrist casually, yet confidently, walked up to one member of the group and asked what was happening. After a derisive comment about living under a rock, the blue and green painted resident said the crowd was there to watch hockey.
"I phoned my editor straight away and told him that he would never believe what was happening in Vancouver. Large crowds were gathering to watch (you might want to sit down for this) hockey and displaying emotions that projected a deep caring for the outcome of the game. This was rare. I really have the craziest luck sometimes. I just began photographing like a madman."
The photos will be published in National Geographic magazine next month and could propel the Thames City, England native to the cover of the periodical in the next year.
"The rare hockey photos will definitely bump the story about the three-winged loons off the cover next month. I feel like we're always doing a story about the crazy loons and their weird sand-eating habits," said National Geographic senior editor Francine Horton. "The country, the continent and the world need to see these photos."
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