|
BetterLekNextTime posted:Either that or "Welcome to Crop-land" Cropping is for n00bs 
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2011 08:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 11:22 |
|
|
ExecuDork posted:This exact thing has happened to me so many times I don't even try with hawks anymore. I see them landing, I see them taking off, I see them in trees and on posts and lurking in the ditch right at the side of the road. Ditto with Eagles. Bald eagle sitting in a tree 20 feet away, beautiful vista of the Penobscott River behind him, I watch for 5 minutes, then raise the camera... BAM, he flops off the branch, dives behind the tree, and gets lost in the foliage. HookShot posted:Someone really should change the thread title to Shooting Birds Because They're Assholes Yeah, see above.
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2011 15:10
|
|
|
BetterLekNextTime posted:Either that or "Welcome to Crop-land" You receive a bonus point.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 00:32
|
|
|
HookShot posted:Someone really should change the thread title to Shooting Birds Because They're Assholes Other times they are so very co-operative. This guy was more concerned about the crows stealing his breakfast, so let me get real drat close. Of course, the crows being assholes is what allowed me to sneak in tight... I believe it's a rough-legged hawk, but not 100% sure. He's taken out what looks like two starlings in two days, so hoping he sticks around a bit to get some more photos. Happy with this one though.  backyard hawk by scottch, on Flickr
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 20:25
|
|
|
scottch posted:Other times they are so very co-operative. This guy was more concerned about the crows stealing his breakfast, so let me get real drat close. Of course, the crows being assholes is what allowed me to sneak in tight... Wow, that's a really nice shot. It's not a rough-legged. Definitely a juvenile accipiter, either Sharp-shinned or Coopers. I'm fairly certain it is sharp-shinned, although those two are notoriously hard to tell apart.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 20:45
|
|
|
Sharp-shinned looks right, thanks. I'm finding myself dangerously close to enjoying spotting & shooting birds too much and I really can't afford a proper lens. Oh God. :|
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 20:51
|
|
|
Just looked at your exif- 200mm! That's pretty amazing to get so close.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 20:53
|
|
|
scottch posted:Other times they are so very co-operative. This guy was more concerned about the crows stealing his breakfast, so let me get real drat close. Of course, the crows being assholes is what allowed me to sneak in tight... I'm going to guess either a female Northern Gosshawk or female Coopers Hawk. Another possibility would be a Sharp-Shinned hawk, but they're only about the a little bigger than a robin so a starling would be pretty big prey for them. I wish they would all kill starlings with no mercy. e: Wow, beaten a little bit. My point about the size of the Sharp Shinned still stands though. I saw one over the summer pretty close and couldn't believe how small they are. Apparently the tell tale sign that it's a coopers is the the end of their tale feathers are white, but it's hard to tell in that photo due to the snow. BeastOfExmoor fucked around with this message at 20:56 on Dec 22, 2011 |
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 20:53
|
|
|
scottch posted:Other times they are so very co-operative. This guy was more concerned about the crows stealing his breakfast, so let me get real drat close. Of course, the crows being assholes is what allowed me to sneak in tight...
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 20:54
|
|
|
Additionally, someone has been steadily dropping their price on a 100-400mm on my local craigslist for a month now. I could pretty much sell my 70-200mm F/2.8 non-is and buy this for only $100 more. Not sure why I'm even hesitant, honestly, since I shoot mostly birds/wildlife photos with the zoom already and rarely open it up to F/2.8 due to sharpness issues.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 21:00
|
|
|
scottch posted:
The one thing starlings are good for.  Very nice catch, count me in with the crowd that's impressed with how close you got.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 21:02
|
|
|
BeastOfExmoor posted:I'm going to guess either a female Northern Gosshawk or female Coopers Hawk. Another possibility would be a Sharp-Shinned hawk, but they're only about the a little bigger than a robin so a starling would be pretty big prey for them. I wish they would all kill starlings with no mercy. There is a bit of overlap between small (male) Coops and big (female) Sharpies. I was going by the fairly prominent eyebrow, and the fact the eye looks kind of big (meaning head is kind of small in proportion). I heard about a study out of Golden Gate Raptor Observatory where they caught and banded hawks, then released them with some expert birders nearby to see how they did- they were only about 80% right. And I'm far from an expert.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 21:08
|
|
|
BeastOfExmoor posted:Additionally, someone has been steadily dropping their price on a 100-400mm on my local craigslist for a month now. I could pretty much sell my 70-200mm F/2.8 non-is and buy this for only $100 more. Not sure why I'm even hesitant, honestly, since I shoot mostly birds/wildlife photos with the zoom already and rarely open it up to F/2.8 due to sharpness issues.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2011 00:36
|
|
|
InternetJunky posted:...I'd much rather have something like the 400/f5.6 if I was planning to shoot mostly at 400mm. I just made this decision. It's a great lens for the price, really sharp even open to 5.6. Pretty lightweight compared even to a 70-200 2.8, so easy for handheld shots. The AF dies when I use the Canon 1.4x on it, unless I'm in live view mode for some reason, but I didn't find that horribly annoying since 400mm seems to be more than enough by itself on my 7D.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2011 00:47
|
|
|
InternetJunky posted:For what it's worth, I find myself saying "I rarely open up my 100-400 to F/5.6 due to sharpness issues". Under the right conditions I get some great shots with my 100-400, but I'd much rather have something like the 400/f5.6 if I was planning to shoot mostly at 400mm. I've heard people say this before, but I just can't understand it. I would certainly be shooting a lot of 400mm, but not exclusively by any means. It would, end up being my only lens over 50mm (Tamron 17-50 and nifty fifty) and I'd miss an awful lot of range. I've also never seen any good examples that indicate the 400mm prime is much sharper than the 100-400 and I've read at least one birder say he switched from the prime to the zoom after noticing no appreciable quality loss. The Digital Picture sure doesn't show a major difference. The prime is missing IS which is certainly a nice to have, even if it is easier to hand hold. The final nail in the coffin to me is that I rarely see 400mm primes locally on Craigslist and when I do they go for $1000 minimum which is actually more than I'd be paying for this 100-400mm. I guess I just don't quite get the love for the 400mm prime. I'd be more likely to do the 300mm IS f/4 w/ a 1.4x teleconverter. edit: Did a little searching and it does appear that the 400mm is noticably sharper when pixel peeping, but I just can't justify it for all the other reasons above. Additionally I noticed that the 100-400mm is smaller and the prime wouldn't even fit in my bags. BeastOfExmoor fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Dec 23, 2011 |
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2011 02:11
|
|
|
BeastOfExmoor posted:I've heard people say this before, but I just can't understand it. I would certainly be shooting a lot of 400mm, but not exclusively by any means. It would, end up being my only lens over 50mm (Tamron 17-50 and nifty fifty) and I'd miss an awful lot of range. You aren't going to buy the zoom and then regret it. Especially if you're able to get it for <$1000.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2011 15:21
|
|
|
InternetJunky posted:I'm not trying to talk you out of the 100-400, for what it's worth. I love mine, and use it quite often. You will figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the lens after a little while. All I was suggesting was that if you're going to be taking 90% of your shots at 400mm with the thing then I'd also start considering the prime. Yea, $900 with only some minor cosmetic damage. I've wanted this lens since I started photography so can't pass it up at that price. I only wish I'd been able to get it before my trip to Yellowstone last summer.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2011 20:53
|
|
|
BeastOfExmoor posted:Yea, $900 with only some minor cosmetic damage. I've wanted this lens since I started photography so can't pass it up at that price. I only wish I'd been able to get it before my trip to Yellowstone last summer. I just bought one. Went thru the whole range of options first. 300mm f/4IS was the only other real struggle. But, in the end, the zoom beat the prime for function, and the IS beat the 400mm. A 400mm 5.6 IS would be a nice prime.
|
|
#
?
Dec 23, 2011 23:17
|
|
|
Snowy Owls are great. They don't spook as easily as other big birds, they're active in the daytime much more than most owls, and they're clearly visible from far away. SD 83 16 by Execudork, on Flickr "Hey, Owl! Look at me!"  SD 83 17 by Execudork, on Flickr He didn't leave, despite my verbal abuse.  SD 83 18 by Execudork, on Flickr
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2011 01:57
|
|
|
BirdsAreAssholes.jpg Birds suck. by MrDespair, on Flickr
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2011 02:12
|
|
|
 2011-1077 by Tom Rintjema, on Flickr
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2011 02:21
|
|
|
Mr. Despair posted:BirdsAreAssholes.jpg More like Birdsatonefifteenthofasecond.jpg. ExecuDork posted:Snowy Owls are great. They don't spook as easily as other big birds, they're active in the daytime much more than most owls, and they're clearly visible from far away. Wow. I've really only seen photos of the Snowy Owls that have come farther south than usual, which are mostly first or second year birds and have a lot more black on them. I forgot that they got completely white as they matured. BeastOfExmoor fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Dec 28, 2011 |
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2011 04:14
|
|
|
The discussion in the Rules thread seems to encourage cross-posting, so here goes.  
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2011 00:41
|
|
|
I went out with my new 135 and a bag of bird seed for a new year's walk:   
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2012 00:46
|
|
|
There are a lot of geese around here right now. 2012-6 by Tom Rintjema, on Flickr
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2012 01:21
|
|
|
No photos to post, but I want to share a "birds are assholes" story. My mom left out some seeds and water for the birds when it was really cold out a few weeks ago, but they seem to have eaten all of it. Now it's warmed up a bit my mom thinks we shouldn't feed them any more because they will become worse hunters in the wild and shouldn't depend on us. So today we wake up to a tiny, tiny finch tapping on the side of the house by our bedroom over and over. And over and over. And over and over and over. It kept tapping until we got up and took it some food.
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2012 07:08
|
|
|
 Saw a jay be an rear end in a top hat this weekend- I was at a monarch butterfly wintering refuge and a stellar's jay flew at a branch with a couple hundred butterflies and scared them all. I think it might have grabbed one, but I thought they were supposed to be poisonous so it may have been an rear end in a top hat just for fun.
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2012 07:36
|
|
|
HookShot posted:No photos to post, but I want to share a "birds are assholes" story. I wish I had your birds. All I ever see anymore are the same 5 sparrows and 9 doves that spook when they hear my door open because they're so on edge from winter.
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2012 08:25
|
|
|
InternetJunky posted:I went out with my new 135 and a bag of bird seed for a new year's walk: When I bought my 100-400mm I pretty much thought, "Well this is it, I have every lens I've wanted, a good body and good tripod. Pretty much set for a long time." Then, about 10 minutes later I thought about how it'd be nice to have a longer, fast lens like the 135 F/2. I don't think I ever will, but thanks for fueling my bad habit. Great shots, btw. I really need to give hand feeding a shot with my Chickadees.
|
|
#
?
Jan 3, 2012 03:06
|
|
|
A friend/co-worker has started helping me with my wildlife (specifically bird) photography, which until recently was just a byproduct of landscape work. Went out in search of birds, and I realized that you can find a lot of cool wildlife within city parks (at least, in Calgary). Here's a juvenile Bald Eagle. Bald Eagle 003 by Mark Langridge, on Flickr (Canon 60D w/ Sigma 70-200 2.8) And here's an adult Bald Eagle, whom I believe to be the mother of the juvenile above. She made me lie in the snow for about 20-30 minutes before flying from her perch, allowing me to grab the shot. The lighting looks strangely artificial, but it's just the mid-day winter sun.  Bald Eagle 005 by Mark Langridge, on Flickr (Canon 60D w/ Canon 400 5.6) Buying the poo poo out of that Canon 400 f/5.6 (And the 1.4x tele) next month. drat.
|
|
#
?
Jan 3, 2012 07:25
|
|
|
William T. Hornaday posted:Got drat. I went to SeaWorld.   also, penguins are birds too!  
|
|
#
?
Jan 3, 2012 07:55
|
|
|
Lots of birds hanging out at a local lake, but I need to try going there in the morning next time.  DSC_1305.jpg by MrDespair, on Flickr I mean look at this, could have been amazing if this was 8am instead of 3pm.  DSC_1327.jpg by MrDespair, on Flickr Still, some birds let me get into a good position.  DSC_1333.jpg by MrDespair, on Flickr DSC_1305.jpg by MrDespair, on Flickr  DSC_1282.jpg by MrDespair, on Flickr Of course not all of the birds were healthy looking.  DSC_1255.jpg by MrDespair, on Flickr  Duck Duck Duck by MrDespair, on Flickr
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2012 02:22
|
|
|
I had heard there was a large number of Snowy Owls in Boundary Bay just across the BC border so I talked my wife into going up yesterday. I wasn't prepared for how close many of them would be. In all we saw at least 23 owls, possibly as many as 25. If you are anywhere within driving distance, I would highly recommend making the trip.  Snowy Owls 3 by beastofexmoor, on Flickr  Snowy Owl by beastofexmoor, on Flickr  O RLY by beastofexmoor, on Flickr  Three Snowy Owls by beastofexmoor, on Flickr If you look closely in this one there's actually three more owls well behind the three in the foreground.  Snowy Owl in Flight by beastofexmoor, on Flickr  Snowy Owls 2 by beastofexmoor, on Flickr Three more shots from the 100-400 since Christmas:  20111226-20111226-_MG_3154.jpg by beastofexmoor, on Flickr  20111226-20111226-_MG_3150.jpg by beastofexmoor, on Flickr  Song Sparrow by beastofexmoor, on Flickr
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2012 07:01
|
|
|
I have been really tempted to go see the owls...
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2012 08:11
|
|
|
Yes, please send some down to California! Do you normally get hummingbirds wintering up there? And how many pounds of seed are your evening grosbeaks going through each day?
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2012 16:33
|
|
|
Dread Head posted:I have been really tempted to go see the owls... You should. You probably know, but it's only a couple km from the Tsawwassen Ferry terminal. Plenty of other birds in the area as well, albeit slightly less easy to shoot than a stationary owl. BetterLekNextTime posted:Yes, please send some down to California! One actually ended up on the runway of Honolulu airport earlier this year, but was shot so it didn't end up going into an engine intake. We have Anna's Hummingbirds where I live all winter long. They actually spend a huge amount of time near feeders due to easy food so they become very easy to photograph. I would say I can usually find one in my yard (either on the feeder or in a nearby tree) about 50% of the time. The Evening Grosbeaks, sadly, only show up at my parents house so I don't know how much food they go through.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2012 16:45
|
|
|
BeastOfExmoor posted:You should. You probably know, but it's only a couple km from the Tsawwassen Ferry terminal. Plenty of other birds in the area as well, albeit slightly less easy to shoot than a stationary owl.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2012 17:04
|
|
|
InternetJunky posted:Are they obvious and easy to find? Any extra details you could provide would be most welcome! I've driven around in Alberta now for 2 weekends looking for snowys without luck. They are the top of my bucket list, so your post is making me consider an extended weekend trip to BC. I think they are pretty easy to find, seems like you just need to find the huge crowd out in the area and you will find them...
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2012 17:28
|
|
|
InternetJunky posted:Are they obvious and easy to find? Any extra details you could provide would be most welcome! I've driven around in Alberta now for 2 weekends looking for snowys without luck. They are the top of my bucket list, so your post is making me consider an extended weekend trip to BC. Dread Head posted:I think they are pretty easy to find, seems like you just need to find the huge crowd out in the area and you will find them... Somewhat what Dread Head said. My photos are all tagged in the same location, which is a strip of public park with a trail running along a dike at the end of 72nd St. just south of the Boundary Bay Airport. Plenty of parking on a dirt road and if you got a good sport it'd be about a 100m walk from parking lot until you started seeing owls. It has certainly been well reported around the area, but I went on Jan 2nd (a holiday in both the US and Canada for many people) and there were probably only 100 people along the quarter mile area. It was a lot better, for instance, than the crazy bear-chasing crowds I experienced at Yellowstone, for instance. To my knowledge they have been there for at least a few weeks and are expected to stay for a while longer. Photo of bird watchers on the trail:  A Gathering of Owl Watchers by beastofexmoor, on Flickr
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2012 19:06
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 11:22 |
|
|
InternetJunky posted:Are they obvious and easy to find? Any extra details you could provide would be most welcome! I've driven around in Alberta now for 2 weekends looking for snowys without luck. They are the top of my bucket list, so your post is making me consider an extended weekend trip to BC. BeastOfExmoor posted:Awesome Owl shots
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2012 02:45
|
|