With her keen eye for nature – and her love of all things aviary – local photographer Janet Markman has quietly yet forcefully created a large, detailed group of images of local birds.

Her first solo exhibit, ‘NJ Birds Behaving Boldly’ is now being shown at the West Caldwell Public Library in West Caldwell.

But this eagle eyed artist didn’t discover her gift for capturing the nuances of local birds until a few years ago, when she joined the Montclair Bird Club.

“It was about 5 years ago when I joined the Montclair Bird Club,” said Markman. “I starting watching the birds, and decided to start taking some photographs.”

The club hosts walks and meetings for bird enthusiasts, and once Markman joined, she was hooked.

“The camera came after I joined the club,” she said. “I really started to enjoy watching the birds and decided to see if I could photograph them.”

As her pictures clearly show, she was onto something.

In the show, she has managed to capture 22 birds as they preen, fluff and relax in local parks.

Some of her delightful bird photos include the Northern Mockingbird at Great Swamp; the Baltimore Oriole at Verona Park; the American Goldfinch at Verona Park; the Great Egret at Verona Park; the Solitary Sandpiper at Garret Mountain and the Great Blue Heron at Grover Cleveland Park.

When asked how she sneaks up on these birds to get such detailed photos, Markman laughed.

“I just walk very quietly,” she said. “I like to capture them preening and watch their total behavior.”

The artist added she had a hard time narrowing down which photos to include in the show.

“It was a tough decision,” she said. “I wanted to try to show different kinds of birds. I included a variety of warblers, sparrows, song birds, and wading birds like the hawks.”

In order to get her bird fix, Markman traveled to Garret Mountain, Verona Park, Grover Cleveland Park and Hilltop Conservancy.

A few years ago, true bird lovers,Markman and her husband Bob also adopted a stray parakeet, ‘Hasbro’.

“Three months later we got him a partner, ‘Freckles’,” said Janet Markman.

Bob Markman said his wife has a true talent for catching the spirit of the birds, and that to him, this is truly important not only for the artwork created but also for the message it sends.

“Janet is able to capture the personality, the disposition, and the true essence of her subjects,” said Bob Markman. “You would think they were being photographed and were simply mugging it up for the camera. If a picture is worth a thousand words, Janet’s nature photos speak volumes.”

One important lesson this couple would like to teach viewers is that nature is precious, and in order to preserve the creatures found in nature, it is important to safeguard their environment.

“I want to bring environmental consciousness to people,” explained Janet Markman. “We can’t be destroying the environment. You lose habitat.”

If you would like to see ‘N.J. Bird Behaving Boldly’ the show is running through the end of March at the West Caldwell Public Library, located at 30 Clinton Road in West Caldwell.

Markman is also the Montclair Bird Club, the New Jersey Audubon, the Essex Nature Photographers Club at the Essex County Environmental Center and the Essex Photo Club.