photoartflightPelican Eyes
Posted on December 31, 2013
An evening photo of a group of American White Pelicans settling down for the evening on a little dune of sand surrounded by water. I thought it was interesting most of them were still keeping an eye open for what was going on around them. Canon EOS 1D MkIV, Sigma 300-800 f/5.6 zoom @ 800mm, f/7.1, 1/1600 sec, ISO 800
Red-Winged Blackbird Flocks at Blackwater NWR
Posted on December 11, 2013
In the colder months there are huge flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds flying through the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge outside of Cambridge Maryland. The number of Bald Eagles increase also during the colder months to approximately 150. When the water freezes over the Eagles sometimes are seen taking Red-winged Blackbirds or Canada Geese for their meals. Here are some photos of the flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds flying through the refuge and also photos of Eagles guarding their lunch.
Canon 20D, Sigma 300-800 f/5.6 zoom @ 731mm (1170mm with 1.6 crop factor of 20D sensor), 1/2000 sec @ f/8, ISO 400, aperture priority, -0.33 exposure compensation.
Canon 7D, EF400mm f/4 DO IS USM +1.4x teleconverter, 560mm (896mm with 1.6 crop factor of 7D sensor), @ f/8, 1/2500 sec, ISO 400, Aperture Priority, -0.33 exposure compensation.
Eagle w/Red-winged blackbird, Canon EOS 7D, Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 zoom @ 1023mm with 1.6X crop factor of 7D sensor), 1/2500 sec, f/8, ISO 400.
Red-winged blackbirds flying by the snag at sunset.
Red-winged Blackbirds scattering after Eagle swooped in for a meal.
800mm Fly By
Posted on December 4, 2013
Again from the archives, This Osprey had just hit the water, missed his catch and flew across in front of me. I was tracking him hoping he would come up with a fish, but I liked the small water droplets in his wake and the wing position even without his catch. I was using a Sigma 300-800mm zoom at 800mm, with a Canon EOS 1Ds MkII on a Wimberly Gimbel head. The Sigma is a non stabilized lens so you have to be careful and use long lens techniques, especially at 800mm, to get sharp images. I have a series of images, but was my favorite.
Swan Babies
Posted on December 3, 2013
It is getting colder here in New Jersey, so I was going back through the archives to clean out files. I found these images of this Mute Swan nest and the Swan Cygnets from the Celery Farm Natural Area in Allendale NJ. I used a Canon 20D with a 1.6X crop with the Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 zoom which gave the reach I needed to photograph the Swan Babies on the nest. With the 1.6 crop sensor it has an effective focal length of 1280mm. I used a -0.33 exposure compensation with aperture priority so I would not blow out the whites on the Swans. In some of the photos you can see the egg pieces from a freshly hatched cygnet. Hope ou enjoy them.
Canon 20D, Canon 100-400mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, effective focal length 160mm
Roseate Spoonbills at J.N. Ding Darling NWR
Posted on October 24, 2013
One of my favorite birds to photograph at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is the Roseate Spoonbill. They are colorful and quite animated large bird which gives photographers a host of photo opportunities. Also being a large bird helps in photography in the vast areas of Ding Darling. Most of the images here were with the Sigma 300 – 800mm lens at 800mm. The photo at the top of the page shows a Roseate Spoonbill montage in a landing sequence. The others are just random shots around the refuge. If you are ever in Sanibel look for them. They are entertaining and fun to watch.
Spreading its wings, Canon 1D MkIV @800mm, effective 1040mm
Napping Canon 1D MkIV @ 800mm, effective 1040mm
Flyby, Canon 1D MkIV @ 400mm w/ 1.4X Teleconverter, effective 728mm
Coming In, Canon 1D MkIV @ 400mm w/ 1.4X Teleconverter, effective 728mm
Splashing, Canon 1D MkIV @ 400mm w/ 1.4X Teleconverter, effective 728mm
Great Blue Herons at the Celery Farm
Posted on September 24, 2013
I was going through some of my old files and found this series taken with my then new Sigma 300 – 800mm DG f/5.6 zoom at a local Nature Area, The Celery Farm in Allendale, NJ. These were some of my first images with this lens and I was quite pleased with the results. It was a challenge to get shots of the Herons flying, especially close in with a 800mm lens. I found zooming out a little to find them in the viewfinder, then zooming in for the actual shot worked well. It also helped that the Great Blue Herons are a LARGE and fairly slow flying bird. It was a fun day watching them fly around the small lake and interacting with each other. A little bit about the Celery Farm. It is a Nature Area right in the middle of densely populated Northern New Jersey. It is a little over 100 acres with a small lake and a path around the lake. The path is a little over a mile long. a few years ago there was a large variety of birds present. The last few years it seems to have quieted down some, but is still a nice quiet area to photograph nature and wildlife.
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