Terria Clay Photography

19/02/2026

Visitors from the Arctic

3700+miles (6000 kilometers). That’s the round trip distance these Tundra Swans fly each year during their migrations. These large, elegant birds migrate from the Arctic tundra each fall to spend their winters along favored areas of the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the United States. Upwards of 65,000 Tundra Swans can be seen concentrating in certain wintering grounds at the peak of the season. While these birds have historically relied on marshes and wetland vegetation as their winter food sources, they’ve been forced to adapt to wetland destruction and have shifted some of their wintering areas to agriculture fields to feed on waste grain products. Without wintering grounds to rely on in our coastal climates, these Arctic birds have no ability to survive their migration.

It’s so very easy to assume our actions in our immediate environments affect only that which lives around us, but we are but a small part of a much larger ecosystem and even the smallest ripples can have far-reaching impacts.

23/12/2025

Last week, after hours (and hours) of patience, waiting, and a full day of no sightings, I was so fortunate to finally see one of the world’s most endangered wild cat species, the Iberian Lynx. Two decades ago, there were fewer than 100 of these animals remaining in the wild. This decline was a direct result of human activity and behavior. After intensive conservation efforts, breeding programs, and the work of many individuals, today there are more than 2000 Iberian Lynx across Spain & Portugal and they have gone from Critically Endangered to the Vulnerable category on the IUCN threatened species list. While a positive trend, these incredible cats remain at risk with highly fragmented populations and a great need for more suitable habitat. There is still much work to be done in protecting the Iberian Lynx. Like many wild cats, they are apex predators and fulfill critical roles balancing and shaping their local ecosystems. Absence of Lynx would have cascading effects on many species, including humans, and it would truly be an irreplaceable loss to never again see such a remarkably beautiful cat species. I am hopeful that the work to rebound this species can continue as we as a people take responsibility for our destructive actions on this planet.

It’s been a big challenge to feel positive in 2025 for many reasons, but I so appreciate the gift it is to see and photograph these cats in their native, wild, habitat as I close out the year.

06/11/2025

Eyes Part II
What is their point of view?

Can we truly live harmoniously with the world around us if we only see things from our point of view?
It’s human nature to center the world based on your experience. We get lost in a world consisting of only our story, only our way, but every thing exists in this space, living an experience different from our own.
How might your relationship with the space around you change when you remember it’s shared with all living things?
How might your relationship with the life around you change when you no longer project your experience onto those whose perception of the world is entirely different from your own?
Swipe to see who each eye belongs to,
All animals photographed on exhibit at , , and
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03/11/2025

Final Flight
Millions of migrating birds fly over New York City each year from August to November, during what is known as Fall Migration season.
Approximately 90,000 to 230,000 of those migrating birds are victims of fatal glass collisions.

The and their team of Project Safe Flight volunteers have been monitoring, recording, and assisting bird collision victims for more than two decades. Currently, over 100 volunteers across the city walk building perimeters in the early morning hours in search of stunned, injured, or deceased birds. In all 5 boroughs, from Staten Island to the Bronx, deceased birds are logged and collected, while injured birds are placed in bags and taken to a local rehabilitation center. While some of these injured birds recover and are released, others never return to the sky. The most unfortunate aspect? Window collisions are incredibly preventable. While humans can identify glass as a barrier and understand man-made light sources, birds cannot. Reflective glass presents as a clear and open flight path. Artificial nighttime lights disorient and even attract migrating birds. The solutions are simple: Dimming or turning off unnecessary indoor/outdoor lighting, and installing glass window markers drastically reduce window collisions in high-risk areas. We cannot continue to pretend that urban and developed environments are strictly bubbles of human existence. We share this space and are connected to the world around us, it’s critical that we pay attention to the ways in which we impact it.

11/04/2019

Central Park, sun, spring, and Shake Shack with the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Sun 🌤️

16/10/2017

06/09/2017

Old Stone House, Brooklyn NY

14/12/2016