Jeffrey Kauffman has lived in Lancaster all of his life, but he is anything but a homebody. Although the longtime hiker and nature enthusiast has kayaked along the Susquehanna River and covered every trail in the Pequea Valley, his love for the outdoors has led him to extraordinary places around the globe. Kauffman has seen wild horses on Assateague Island, grizzly bears in Alaska and coyotes at Yellowstone, and he plans on taking a polar bear tour in Antarctica this fall. His passion for photography, however, began five years ago at Conowingo Dam.

"I've always loved wildlife," said Kauffman. "Five years ago, I bought a camera to take pictures of the eagles at Conowingo Dam and I just fell in love with it." Although Kauffman primarily worked in commercial refrigeration for the last 20 years, his passion for photography and observing wildlife has yielded him several awards and hundreds of breathtaking shots. Last year, he won the Conowingo eagle photography contest, and his entry for the 2022 Audubon Photography Awards landed at No. 12 among the top 100 pictures. This was Kauffman's second year entering the contest, which received close to 10,000 entries from over 2,000 photographers and videographers. Submissions were received from contestants globally and were judged by three panels containing professional wildlife photographers, conservationists and nature educators.

Kauffman captured the acclaimed shot of two Northern flickers right in his own backyard after spending months learning about their routines and observing their behavior. "I had a pair of flickers mating and building a nest on my property, so I was able to spend four months getting a good idea of how they go about their business," Kauffman said. "It was really eye-opening how they raise their chicks. I was trying to capture all aspects of the process from building the nest to when the chicks become fledglings."

The featured image depicts the male and female flickers' technique in feeding their young; the birds would take turns retrieving food while the other stood guard by the entrance to the nest, ready to resume feeding. "The process they had to go through to feed their chicks was amazing. There were several hawks in the area preying on other birds, so they needed to be vigilant," Kauffman said.

He took several hundred shots over the course of a couple weeks before capturing both birds in one frame, utilizing a special technique to add a unique flair to the image. A new camera, equipped with a rolling shutter, gives a curved appearance to objects in motion, a method Kauffman likes to use when portraying the fluid motion of the subject's wings.

Kauffman also emphasized the ease with which anyone can look out for wildlife in their local areas. "Wherever you live, the internet makes it easy to get connected and help out," Kauffman said. "When I was in Maryland, I came across an injured raccoon on the road. I didn't know anything about the area but searched for the nearest rescue center. After I called, they were able to send someone out right away."

For more information on Kauffman and his photography, visit https://kauffman.photo/.