Weekends with Yankee

NARRATOR: This week on Weekends with Yankee, Richard is on Lake Winnipesaukee with filmmaker and environmentalist Tomas Koeck to learn about New Hampshire's iconic loons.

- They were diving in and out.

They were moving all around us.

We had a loon come in and land right in front of us.

We had the loons feeding its chicks.

NARRATOR: Amy is in Tiverton, Rhode Island, where designer David Fierabend is sharing tips for throwing the perfect late summer garden party.

- How do you feel about these?

They're not even open yet.

AMY TRAVERSO: Oh, that?

I love that.

Yes, yes.

- I know, right?

NARRATOR: Back on Lake Winnipesaukee, Tomas teaches Richard the best ways to capture New Hampshire's birds on camera.

- You want to get eye-level and get really the character of that bird.

NARRATOR: So come along with us for a once-in-a-lifetime journey through New England as you've never experienced it before, a true insider's guide from the editors of Yankee magazine.

Join explorer and adventurer Richard Wiese and Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso for behind-the-scenes access to the unique attractions that define this region.

It's the ultimate travel guide from the people who know it best.

Weekends with Yankee.

RICHARD WIESE: Right now, I'm on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee.

If you come here around dusk, what they call the magic hour, you know, when the water has that silver sheen to it, there's a sound that pierces the night.

It's hypnotic, mysterious, and haunting.

(loon wailing) I call it the call of the Northwoods.

Others call it the loon.

NARRATOR: Richard's friend, Tomas Koeck, is a filmmaker focused on wildlife, and he has worked with loons on Lake Winnipesaukee.

Together, they are visiting the man responsible for restoring this majestic bird to its New Hampshire habitat, Harry Vogel, a wildlife biologist and director of The Loon Center in Moultonborough-- a place for public education, scientific research, and all things loon.

- Hey, Harry, I want to introduce you to Richard.

- Great.

WIESE: Harry.

I've heard so much about you.

- Hi, Richard.

How are you?

WIESE: I'm great.

Who's this?

- This is Lucy.

She's our Loon Center greeting dog.

WIESE: What do you love best about loons?

- This is an amazing bird.

So, you've got those blood red eyes, you've got that striking black and white plumage, you've got these distinctive far-ranging calls.

(loon calling) So, to me, it's no surprise that people have come to really adore these birds.

WIESE: So, when you meet people from other places, and you tell them about Lake Winnipesaukee and your center... - Yeah.

WIESE: What do you tell them about loons?

Like, how do you describe that call?

- You know, it's just, it's a call that evokes the wilderness.

(loon calling) It's the iconic... (loon trilling) ...you know, it's one of the main ways in which people experience loons.

And, and in fact, one of my very favorite quotes comes from a British researcher, and way back in the 1950s, he described the calling of loons as a chorus from all of the devils in hell.

- Wow.

WIESE: Wow.

- Right?

So whether you like it, or it sends chills up and down your spine, you're not likely to forget that call or the bird that made it.

(loon trilling) If you hear that, you know, life is good, and things are as it should be, and if that call is missing, then you have to start to wonder about what else is missing from our lakes.

WIESE: So, I understand we are going out on the lake.

- Yeah, yeah.

We've got some work for you to do.

- Oh, there we go.

- We've got a raft that's in need of a little bit of love.

So, we'll head out there and see what we can do.

WIESE: Hey... if there's work in need, that's why I brought Tomas.

- There we go.

- All right, okay.

- Extra pair of hands.

NARRATOR: Before heading out to the lake, Richard sits down with Tomas to learn more about his connection to birds and the challenges of filming elusive creatures like loons.

WIESE: Why do you love birds?

- So I love birds because they capture our imaginations.

When I see a bird flying, I think of freedom.

I think of being able to go anywhere.

So, it taps into all of us in a way.

And birds often connect all of us together.

Birds can be an ambassador for different environments and in the food chains with all these different ecosystems throughout the northeast, whether you're talking about New England or even beyond, internationally.

We can't have nature without birds, and we can't have birds without nature.

It goes hand in hand.

And in many ways, birds can help establish communities as well, because we all appreciate them in a certain way.

And the last thing I'll say is, loons are very interesting.

Owls are very interesting.

They come in all different shapes and sizes.

So you can pick your bird, and that can be the bird that you're looking to go and see, whether you're going bird watching or bird photography or what have you.

And that's been one of my favorite parts of it, is no matter what, there's a bird for everybody, and that's what helps bring all of us together.

WIESE: So, you have a new project that's just come out called Flyway of Life.

- Flyway of Life is a feature-length film.

It's a film about bird migration.

So, we followed bird migration from the cloud forests of Costa Rica and lush, lush jungle, all the way up the east coast along the Atlantic Flyway, all the way up to northern Manitoba and the subarctic.

WIESE: You were trying to convey a love letter, more or less, to loons and birds.

- Correct, yeah.

WIESE: What were some of the challenges and what were some of the best moments you had out there filming them?

- When it comes to birds, they're small, they're agile, they're quick, and they're moving in and out.

And they-- sometimes, like loons-- they'll get in the water and they'll pop out behind you.

So, it makes it very... it's a very interactive and can be a very challenging experience trying to film different species of birds, even like warblers, tiny little songbirds, that are moving around the twigs.

And it can make focusing on them very, very difficult.

When it comes to wildlife filmmaking, I really prioritize ethics.

And when it came to the loons, we would never go out there and chase them.

We'd kind of let them come up to us whenever they felt comfortable.

Um, they were diving in and out, they were moving all around us.

So it basically had me, you know, on this kayak with this huge lens, trying to capture all this footage.

So, loons popping up behind me, I have to pivot the kayak, and we're having to film low, so we're getting the perspective and trying to make the footage as special as you possibly can.

Fortunately, with our cases, we were filming loons doing lots of cool interactive behavior.

We had loons come down and chasing each other around.

We had a loon come in and land right in front of us.

We had the loons feeding its chicks.

So a lot of really interesting behavior that really made the Flyway of Life film very special in the loon segment.

WIESE: Best thing about making your film?

- We got to travel to a lot of amazing places.

We were filming polar bears and wolves in the subarctic, and we were also filming amazing tropical rainforests out in Costa Rica.

But what's great about traveling to all these great locations is you see how special our homes are.

New England is just as special as all these other environments are, and being able to travel and see that firsthand was something very, very rewarding.

WIESE: Can you do a loon call?

- Oh, God.

WIESE: I think I... (mimics loon call) - That's a great one.

I would say it's like... (higher pitched loon call) Kind of like that.

WIESE: Yeah.

- Yeah.

WIESE: That's really good.

- Yeah, that was-- that was my first try.

(laughs) WIESE: That was pretty good.

WIESE: What makes Lake Winnipesaukee special?

- Well, it's the biggest lake in New Hampshire, right?

So it's 44,000 acres in size.

So it's a, it's a whole different animal than any other lake here in New Hampshire.

The interesting thing about Winnipesaukee is that when LPC did its first statewide surveys of loons, we found only one chick hatched on Winnipesaukee.

This is back in 1976.

So we've come a long way, you know, since then.

We now-- we now number our nesting pairs of loons in the high 30s, but historically we think probably 50 pairs or more, you know, inhabited Winnipesaukee.

So it's an indication of how far we've come, but also that we have some room left for our loon population to grow as we attempt to really recover fully this population.

WIESE: And so, a lot of people always sort of lump them in with ducks.

And what's the big difference between a loon and a duck?

- Yeah, not ducks.

Not even close to ducks.

You know, the closest living relatives to loons are actually penguins and the tube-nosed swimmers, which are the albatrosses, the petrels, and the shearwaters.

And so, there are several, you know, distinct differences.

So... you know, a merganser is a very common duck that you'll see here in the Northeast, but a loon has a black bill instead of that bright red bill of the merganser.

It's got this striking black and white plumage and the checkerboard pattern along the back, it's got the necklace marking.

All of these things are very different than the ducks, but it runs much deeper as well, because there's differences in the skeleton and the musculature, all of which render loons really very distinct from ducks.

And so back in 1975, when loon populations were so diminished, you know, I always say that it was just an unnaturally quiet time here in New Hampshire.

And there's something about loons.

They're the soul of the lake.

You know, they bring life and song to these bodies of water.

And so, it's-- we've been working to bring that life and song back to our lakes for these 50 years.

NARRATOR: Richard, Tomas, Harry, and of course, Lucy, head out onto Lake Winnipesaukee.

They are checking on one of The Loon Center's rafts, a floating nest designed to offer protection from shoreline predators and development.

The rafts require maintenance and upkeep in order to remain enticing for loons.

- This is supposed to mimic as closely as possible, you know, a typical loon nesting site.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

- Hence the sod and the-- the moss and stuff.

- Yeah, absolutely.

We try and make it homey, you know, for them, and then the loons, you know, they'll go from here, and they'll either add more material or they'll take off all the stuff that we just put on.

- Wow.

- It can go either way, but we try and dress this up for them and give them a good spot.

WIESE: All right, let me take some of this.

- Sure, great.

- There we go.

- No, Lucy, you don't need to help.

WIESE: Lucy's choosing-- Lucy wants to help.

- (laughing) - Yep.

- Do they ever bring anything more out?

Or do they take it as it is?

- They do, yeah.

They can forage along the lake bottom for this grassy, sedgy kind of stuff, and they'll add material to it.

- Wow.

WIESE: Gonna add some water... - A loon-- yes, perfect.

Yeah, that just kind of helps to anchor it all in.

- How do you know where to place the rafts?

- So we want to place them as far, you know, far enough out from the shore that we're going to give a raccoon or another mammal that's just kind of working the shoreline, looking for... targets of opportunity, you know, to think twice about swimming out to it, but not so far that it gets caught up in wind and wave action.

So there's a little bit of an art, you know, to it as well.

WIESE: Thank you so much.

This has really been special.

You know, loons are perhaps a creature we take for granted, but when you learn a little more about them and you realize that they really are special.

So the next time you hear that... piercing sound in the night sky, you know, I'll think of this moment.

So, thank you very much.

And thank you, Lucy, for being such a patient dog.

- She's been such a star.

- (laughs) WIESE: All right, let's-- I think we're gonna head off into the sunset.

- Right.

- Right on.

(water sloshing) TRAVERSO: Good morning.

I just had the loveliest night here at the Stone House Inn in Little Compton, Rhode Island.

This area is part of the farm coast, a stunning stretch of farmland, coastline, farm stands, and wineries that runs between Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

It's one of New England's best-kept secrets, but I can't keep it to myself.

So I want to show you some of the beautiful locations and talented people here.

Now, this drive, Route 77, between Tiverton and Little Compton, is one of the most beautiful in New England.

It's got stone walls, it's got farmland that rolls down to the water, beautiful estates, apple orchards, farmhouses.

It's truly one of my favorite drives all over New England.

And when we get to Tiverton, we're going to stop at Groundswell Cafe, and that's owned by David Fierabend.

He's a multi-talented designer who owns two restaurants in the area.

And he's going to teach me about how to plant a beautiful container garden, how to set a gorgeous table, and then we'll have a lovely dinner party tonight.

David, hello.

- Hey, how are you?

TRAVERSO (laughing): Hi.

- Good to see you.

TRAVERSO: Good to see you, too.

- Everything good?

TRAVERSO: I love coming here.

- Thank you so much.

TRAVERSO: So beautiful.

- You're always welcome to have you here.

Come on in.

TRAVERSO: Do you do the design for these spaces?

- It-- it takes a village.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- So this came out of a concept of, like, all of my travels to Paris and France.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- But I do have a team.

We work out of Philadelphia and Detroit.

We design restaurants, hotels, and distilleries globally.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

- That's our main business.

- And this was kind of a culmination of everything we do, because I'm an urban planner.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

- So, we love... we love the idea of community, but we also love the idea of, like, coffee.

I'm obsessed with coffee.

(Traverso laughs) Literally, I was able to, like, pick all the things that I... TRAVERSO: Right.

- ...have taken pictures of through years, and just kind of brought it all to life here.

- Amy, your decaf cappuccino's ready.

TRAVERSO: Thank you.

- Thank you.

TRAVERSO: It's just so gorgeous.

- Thank you so much.

Yeah, it's also a great time of year.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

So, you bought this, and now you have sort of a whole lifestyle destination.

- In some weekends, we'll see 5,000 people.

TRAVERSO: Oh my gosh.

- So I think it's pretty impressive that we make everything in-house.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

NARRATOR: David and his husband John, the creative forces behind Groundswell, have made Tiverton their home.

Beyond the cafe and bakery, Groundswell also encapsulates a garden and home store and table and provision store all along the same street in Tiverton.

TRAVERSO: I want to hear about how you became the person who can do all this.

- Well, why don't we sit and chat and talk about it?

TRAVERSO: Oh, okay.

So, I noticed that my coffee cup says, "you'll figure it out" on it?

- That came from my mother, who's not here any longer.

TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

- So, when I was growing up, her advice-- I was a latchkey kid.

TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

- So both parents weren't really home a lot.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- And when I had problems or issues, I would go to my mom and say, you know, "I'm having this issue."

You know, I was like, three or four or five, whatever.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- And she would say, "you'll figure it out."

TRAVERSO: Right.

- So, not always the best advice for somebody four or five... TRAVERSO (laughing): Right?

- ...but it did stay with me.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

- So, that is our kind of motto here, because, I mean, in life, what are the choices?

You know, you have to figure it out.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

You do so many different things.

- Mm-hmm.

TRAVERSO: How did it all come together?

- I've always been interested in design, so, I came up with a label, and I was stupid enough to think that I could have my own store... TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

- ...and excited about it at 24, 25.

Did a shop in Princeton, where we were living at the time... TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

- ...and designed and manufactured knitwear.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

- So at a time when retail was, like, on fire.

Which brought me to this area.

TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

- So I got to understand the farm coast really well.

I'm not one that feels like you have to do the same thing your whole life.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- And I grew up in a family of horticulturists.

You know, I remember, you know, endearing moments with my father in the garden.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

- And we would be cutting roses and things like that.

So I really wanted to tap into that as like, my next iteration.

TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm.

- So, I went into landscape architecture.

TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

- Went back to school because I do love school, and I think you have to be true to your passions, and then you'll be successful.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

- I really believe that.

I know it sounds corny and ridiculous, but I actually do believe it... TRAVERSO: Yeah.

- ...because it's what gets me up in the morning.

TRAVERSO: Well, I wanted to come today because I know you are a man of many talents, and I love just coming here, but I wanted to learn something from you.

So what are we going to be doing today?

- So, I think first what we'll do is let's take a walk through the table and provision store.

After that, I'd love to take you to the garden shop, and we're going to do some late summer harvesting of flowers for our tablescape, then we're going to then break bread with some good friends.

TRAVERSO: Aw, that sounds perfect.

Oh, my gosh.

I don't even know where to land my eye.

It's so beautiful.

- It's an explosion of home goods, housewares.

TRAVERSO: Oh!

And you have some really nice local New England products, which is nice to see.

- We do, we do.

We try to stay on tap as close as possible with local.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

It's so overwhelming.

Like the marketplace, like the Internet is just-- it's everything.

- Wow.

TRAVERSO: And it's nice to come to a space where somebody's like, "I've picked this out for you."

Oh, and tea.

I love, love, love, love tea.

- So we are one of two of the folks that can carry Mariage Frres in the United States in a boutique store.

TRAVERSO: The world comes to Tiverton, you know.

- The world comes to Tiverton.

(Traverso laughs) Yeah, It's a lot of Parisian influence here, Of course.

This has been our biggest surprise, because we-- you can get anything online these days... TRAVERSO: Wow.

(gasps) - But we sell a ton of books.

TRAVERSO: You have my cookbook!

- Stop, wait, this is you?

TRAVERSO: Aw, that makes my day.

- I didn't even know that.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

The Apple Lover's Cookbook.

That's so cool.

- This is so great.

TRAVERSO: Oh... - This is our home and garden store.

TRAVERSO: I want to live in this home.

(both laugh) - Yeah, me too.

This is an old school house.

TRAVERSO: Wow-- oh, and there's your saying.

"You'll figure it out."

- There's our saying, yep.

Which is here in French.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

- "Vous comprendrez," it's a loose interpretation of "you'll figure it out."

TRAVERSO: Right.

- Which all comes around to my mom.

TRAVERSO: That's so cool.

- Thanks, Mom.

Let's go outside, and we can maybe play around a little bit with some of the flowers that we planted earlier in the spring.

TRAVERSO: Oh, I can't wait.

- And then we'll use them for our tablescape.

TRAVERSO: Oh, beautiful.

- Come on, let's do it.

TRAVERSO: Oh, my gosh.

Look at this.

- Check this out.

So, these I cut earlier, in prep for a little, like, you know, impromptu design class... TRAVERSO: Wow.

Lucky me!

- ...on making tablescape and arrangements.

And remember, there's no wrong.

Until it's wrong.

TRAVERSO: Okay, but I'm with an expert.

- Until it's wrong.

(Traverso laughs) I'm not-- I'm not an expert.

I just know what I like.

These I did pull for us if you want to use these.

TRAVERSO: Oh, herbs.

Lovely.

- All right.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- So we have some spearmint, you know, which is great.

TRAVERSO: Beautiful.

- And I just love the smell.

And it's nice to sit in front of, right?

TRAVERSO: Oh, I love that.

- And then we cut some great sprigs of tomato.

TRAVERSO: Oh, that's so nice.

I never thought of using that.

- That's kind of fun, right?

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

And they smell so good.

So for, you know, a vessel of this size, how high would you go with this?

- I mean, I would try to make it comfortable table talking height.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- So, if you think about-- You're gonna be sitting.

This is a normal table, 30 inches.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- So think about something that-- maybe here-ish.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- But I think you can go a little fuller.

I would say, you know, start with-- see, look, I don't want to say anything.

That looks pretty good.

TRAVERSO: Okay, okay.

- Yeah, but remember, you're gonna have a low story, too.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- So I'd maybe get rid of... No, it's not wrong.

I'm just, you know, helping.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

So that leaves room for the greenery.

- So maybe get rid of your little lower leaves just so it doesn't interfere.

TRAVERSO: Okay, okay.

- Because we can always add back in some of the lower greenery on some of these.

I'm gonna go heavy goldenrod a little bit.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- Because I'm kind of loving this.

TRAVERSO: That's beautiful.

- Yeah, it's springy, right?

TRAVERSO: Oh, that's so nice.

- Right?

TRAVERSO: Aw.

- So then I'll do a little bit of a lower tier here, just to kind of round it out, because you're... TRAVERSO: Okay.

So you're thinking of, like, different heights, different textures.

- Yeah.

And I love a million colors together.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- Like, sometimes you can get away with it.

Like, the zinnia is so nice right now.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

- So, by itself... TRAVERSO: Yeah.

- I think it's kind of fun, you know, with all the colors.

TRAVERSO: Maybe that is the place for that one.

- I don't want to say anything.

TRAVERSO: Yeah, no, that is.

That is.

And I think maybe I'll get rid of this one.

- How do you feel about these?

They're not even open yet.

TRAVERSO: Oh, that!

I love that!

- All right.

TRAVERSO: Yes, yes.

That's lovely.

- Aw, nice.

TRAVERSO: And it sort of speaks to the potential of a future flower.

- It does, yeah.

TRAVERSO: It tells a little story.

- It's a promise.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

- It's the promise of what it could be.

Now... TRAVERSO: Okay.

- Should we do a couple of the larger ones?

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

- It's like a new relationship.

We're going to start... (Traverso laughs) We're going to start over-- we're going to start over.

TRAVERSO: Well, I feel good about this.

- I feel really good about it.

TRAVERSO: I think it's going to be beautiful.

- Yeah.

TRAVERSO: And it's just got, it's like a rainbow of colors.

That's great.

- I know, we did great.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

So, David, it's early fall, and it's bulb planting season.

- It is.

TRAVERSO: I-- I never know how to plant bulbs properly, because I can't see what they're going to look like in six months, right?

- Right.

TRAVERSO: How do you plant it?

Do I do a circle of one color?

Do I do a line?

- (chuckles) TRAVERSO: You know, I never know.

- Well, you can, but, this is generally how I do it.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- I throw them in a basket, all the styles, and then just kind of sprinkle them around.

TRAVERSO: Ooh, okay!

I can do that.

- And then-- yeah.

I know enough about bulbs that I can tell you-- I would say you kind of start with your larger bulbs.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- Because, like, just common sense is like, this is going to be a little bigger and taller... TRAVERSO: Bigger.

All right, okay.

- So, I think, let's kind of throw these kind of around.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- So you kind of want to go down far enough that maybe it's like an inch or so below the soil.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- You know, you don't want your-- the little head peeking out.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- I gotta give it some nice protection over the winter.

TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

- Because, remember, these aren't coming up until the spring.

TRAVERSO: It's like a little gift you give yourself in fall.

- It is like a little gift.

It's fun because you do this, and then-- and, you know, you kind of forget.

And then the spring rolls around... TRAVERSO: Yeah.

- ...and you go "Oh.

You know, it's raining every day, but look, nice."

TRAVERSO: "Thank you, past Amy."

(both laugh) - Yeah.

Yeah, thank you.

Well, good.

We did it again.

TRAVERSO: Yeah, buddy.

- Should we go eat?

TRAVERSO (laughing): Yes.

- Yeah, let's go eat.

Here.

TRAVERSO (laughing): Thank you.

(both laugh) NARRATOR: Groundswell's executive chef, Amanda Geisler, has prepared food, featuring the best of the farm coast's produce for the perfect dinner party to cap off the day.

- So, right in front of you, you have a French meat pie.

In the middle, you have a melon salad with ginger vinaigrette, toasted prosciutto, candied almonds.

And then you have a tomato tartine in the far left corner with whipped ricotta, micro basil, and borage flowers on top.

TRAVERSO: Oh my gosh, beautiful.

- Yum, awesome.

Thank you, thank you.

- Well, here's to a great day.

- Cheers.

- Thank you.

TRAVERSO: Such a great day.

This has been the ultimate farm coast day.

Thank you so much.

- Thank you.

Thank you very much.

(glasses clinking) TRAVERSO: Cheers.

- Pleasure.

ALL: Cheers.

NARRATOR: Tomas leads Richard to the shoreline of Lake Winnipesaukee for a field lesson in wildlife photography.

- This is a great spot for photography, because we can get eye-level with birds or any other wildlife that go by, and you get a really nice backdrop.

So we have a nice little glade here, tons of nice white pine and other conifer species.

WIESE: This is a really beautiful spot.

- Yeah, and if we time this just right, as the sun keeps going down, we're going to get a nice, really good golden hour right in front of us here.

WIESE: Tomas... I have a little iPhone, and you have a really big camera.

Do I need that to be a good bird photographer?

- No, not necessarily.

Although having a nice telephoto like this will help you get closer to the bird, so you can take photos ethically, you can take great nature shots with any camera that you have.

You just have to set up and plan accordingly to what you're going out to photograph.

WIESE: And so what kind of equipment do you need?

- So, other than the cameras, a good pair of binoculars is just as important.

It enables you to see things that you might not otherwise if you didn't have your pair of binoculars.

And you can find things a lot farther away so you can creep up closer or get a sense of the landscape around you.

WIESE: I imagine time of day matters?

- It does.

So, you know, golden hour, which would be in the early morning and the evening, are important not only because you get the best lighting, but that's when most of the birds are feeding and they're going to be out and about.

So those are some of the best times of day to go out and take photos.

WIESE: Composition?

- Composition.

I like to take things eye level.

All too often you see shots of, you know, birds from-- maybe you're underneath, you're taking pictures to the sky.

You want to get eye-level and get really the character of that bird.

In order to do that, you want to get the eyes, and you want to have a nice composition where-- say you're taking a picture of a loon.

You want to go low, because they're right on the water.

But maybe you're taking a picture of something in a tree, you want to get on a cliff or try to get up to a higher elevation in order to take a picture of that bird.

WIESE: And, Tomas, what's the last secret ingredient?

- The most secret ingredient is going to be patience.

You know, patience is the most important thing when it comes to wildlife photography.

You may go out and it may be a long day, and you might not get anything, but other times you may go out and you might get a ton of things all at the same time.

Patience is the biggest thing that I can stress when it comes to wildlife photography.

WIESE: And listen, if you don't actually find the bird that you're out there for, you've spent time outside.

And to me, that's as valuable as anything.

- Yeah.

WIESE: Nature is nourishment.

- Exactly, and this is the best place to be, even when you're not doing anything.