Retired police officer turned nature photographer goes undercover to bag best bird shots

Nature photography requires patience, dedication and a little luck. Being at the right place at the right time is important and getting up early is essential.

"The early bird definitely gets the worm — or in my case the picture of the bird getting the worm," said Wayne Oakes, 64, a former RCMP officer who took up the hobby after retiring from the force after 33 years.

As a kid, Oakes recalls poring over copies of National Geographic magazine at his grandma's house.

"I always had been interested in birds. In fact, I still have my very first bird book I bought in 1973," he said.

The book is decidedly out of date but the fact he still has it speaks to the fascination he had with his childhood hobby and his decision to dive back into it.

On an early foray, Oakes staked out a public trail in Whitemud Park in Edmonton's river valley. After a time, a juvenile northern goshawk landed in a tree right above him.

"It was so close that I couldn't get a picture of it," he said. "That got me hooked."

Wild nature photos

2 years ago

Duration 2:34

Tag along with nature photographer Wayne Oakes as he snaps close to 250,000 images and invests nearly 10,000 hours documenting the wildlife in Whitemud Park in Edmonton, Alta.

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After that, Oakes decided to spend a year photographing nature from that particular spot. He liked it so much he stayed. 

This November, he will mark seven years of his nature stakeout. He's shot close to 250,000 photos, depicting 185 unique species, subspecies and hybrids of birds as well as other flora and fauna. He posts his pictures on popular citizen science sites like iNaturalist and eBird.

"Probably not many people around can say that they've invested 10,000 hours in one location and documenting every aspect of nature they can get their eyes on," he said.

A fellow birder, Steve Forth, said Oakes has reached celebrity status in the stretch of Edmonton's river valley. 

"Anybody that spends any time here knows about Wayne," said Forth, who calls Oakes a positive influence and a knowledgeable birder.

Oakes spends four to five hours a day walking the trail, helping others with species identification or pointing them toward prime locations to take pictures. 

His efforts have hooked people like Helene Boule, who took in one of his free birding talks at a nearby seniors centre. 

"It was so informative that I started coming down into the river valley," said Boule.

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Boule said Oakes is easy to spot because he's always dressed in the same camouflage uniform.

"Initially I thought it was unusual but it makes total sense now," she said. 

Oakes said the camo has put a new spin on going undercover, allowing him to blend into his surroundings with surprising results. 

"I've had woodpeckers land and climb up my leg, thinking that I am, in fact, a tree," he said.

"And I guess with the last name of Oakes, that's fairly close."