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Took this this afternoon, big flock of variable oystercatchers at a local park. I didn't get a good photo but thought I'd share anyway. Shutter speed and aperture were too low, leaves the majority of the action blurry and the eye doesn't really know where to focus but I think it looks slightly better in B&W for some reason.
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Apr 22, 2018 06:56
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 Sirius2 by B. B., on Flickr
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Apr 22, 2018 22:08
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Ok, pretty sure this is a starling.
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Apr 23, 2018 15:06
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President Beep posted:Ok, pretty sure this is a starling. And a lovely one, too! And silly me, their beaks ARE orange. I thought they had darker beaks, for some reason...  Anyway, those colors sure are lovely. LOOK AT THAT SIRIUS CHICKENFACE.  I love him, what breed is he/she?
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Apr 23, 2018 19:09
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my cat is norris posted:Anyway, those colors sure are lovely. It's really neat; ever since I started taking pictures of birds I'm noticing for the first time how interesting species I've been around my entire life truly are.
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Apr 23, 2018 19:17
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my cat is norris posted:And a lovely one, too! And silly me, their beaks ARE orange. I thought they had darker beaks, for some reason... No idea. A Big R chick purchase.
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Apr 23, 2018 20:45
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 I love how the defense mechanism of the turkey vulture is to projectile vomit on whatever is disturbing it. My spirit animal?
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Apr 26, 2018 01:14
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That is a gnarly loving bird. 
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Apr 26, 2018 01:17
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PREYING MANTITS posted:
Great shot. I don't think I've ever seen those white sections on their face before -- are those feathers or coloured skin?
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Apr 26, 2018 01:28
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InternetJunky posted:Do you also poo poo on your legs to stay cool? Thanks! I was wondering about that too and after a little reading it's said that they're wart/skin-tag like growths that can appear over time. That particular one towered over the others in the area so I'm sure it's up there in the years.
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Apr 26, 2018 02:07
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Not my best but I was happy with how these turned out for a bright noon-day birding stop. Yolo Bypass Peregrine-4094 on Flickr Yolo Bypass Least Sandpipers-3996 on Flickr Yolo Bypass Dowitcher-4038 on Flickr
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Apr 27, 2018 04:52
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Wow! The peregrine may not be in the best focus, but those yellow flowers sure make a striking background. What a shot!
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Apr 27, 2018 13:08
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Agreed, that background is killer. Peregrines look so cool in flight. Another juvenile eagle, since after a week or so of sunshine being a fleeting commodity we finally had a nice morning full of it. This eagle likely was forced down by a nearby nesting Osprey, it didn't hang out on the ground long and quickly took off in the opposite direction of where I had set up, unfortunately. 
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Apr 27, 2018 21:27
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Thanks! Yeah, the sharpness problem on that falcon comes from a combination of cropping in, heat shimmer, and I'm sure not laser tight focus. The peregrine was kind of annoying because I was there to look for a couple of vagrant sandpipers and he kept making passes over the wetland and shuffling everybody around. Missed the sandpipers, and he was definitely the coolest bird I saw that day.PREYING MANTITS posted:
How close were you? Dang- looks like he's right next to you!
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Apr 27, 2018 22:29
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BetterLekNextTime posted:How close were you? Dang- looks like he's right next to you! I had just finished loading my fishing gear into my car when I happened to see him standing in the middle of an access road towards a transmission tower some ospreys managed to build a nest on. He was maybe 45-50 yards away at that point. He sat there long enough for me to get my camera out and slowly creep over a bit to get a better background so by the time I got that shot I was roughly 35 yards away. He started to get jittery so I didn't want to push going closer, sat there watching for another 30 seconds or so before he took off deep into a tree line. Was pretty crazy watching him simply disappear into a row of trees despite that huge wingspan. PREYING MANTITS fucked around with this message at 00:49 on Apr 28, 2018 |
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Apr 28, 2018 00:16
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PREYING MANTITS posted:I had just finished loading my fishing gear into my car when I happened to see him standing in the middle of an access road towards a transmission tower some ospreys managed to build a nest on. He was maybe 45-50 yards away at that point. He sat there long enough for me to get my camera out and slowly creep over a bit to get a better background so by the time I got that shot I was roughly 35 yards away. He started to get jittery so I didn't want to push going closer, sat there watching for another 30 seconds or so before he took off deep into a tree line. Was pretty crazy watching him simply disappear into a row of trees despite that huge wingspan. The best birds for that are Goshawks. Amazingly manoeuvrable creatures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGuqAlTYw60
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Apr 28, 2018 09:22
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Back from a work trip to the eastern Sierras (no sage-grouse pictures booo). I didn't have much time for photography until today. To heck with sleep, I got up early to get out to Mono Lake (several other people had the same idea apparently- thankfully I wasn't the guy who's camera and tripod pitched forward into the lake). It was a pretty spectacular couple of hours of photography. Got some great shots after dawn- all the dawn photographers had cleared out but it was still way to early for the normal tourists to get there, and all these birds kept popping up out of the sage and singing in nice morning light. I think the lesson is to get my rear end out of the house earlier.  Let's Rock on Flickr South Tufa Green-tailed Towhee-5048 on Flickr South Tufa Brewers Sparrow-2 on Flickr South Tufa Sage Thrasher-2 on Flickr Tufa Osprey Nest-4594 on Flickr
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Apr 29, 2018 03:36
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Very nice!
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Apr 29, 2018 07:07
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Finally got a chance to go out and do normal birding yesterday. There's 6 White-Faced Ibis that have shown up in my neck of the woods that are causing quite a stir since they are expanding their range in Alberta like crazy right now. A few years ago I had to drive 5 hours south to see them. BetterLekNextTime posted:
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Apr 29, 2018 17:45
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Yard bird incoming: Bad Bird by B. B., on Flickr
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Apr 29, 2018 22:02
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I just got a DSLR. What is a good starter zoom lens that is cheap? I'm actually more interested in the birding piece, so I just want to be able to take half-way decent pictures for ID'ing.
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Apr 30, 2018 02:42
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Canon, Nikon or Pextax? (I'm guessing it's not one of the long discontinued Sigma, Fuji, Sony, Kodak, Minolta, Samsung, Panasonic DSLRs...)
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Apr 30, 2018 06:43
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You all take fantastic photos! Dark-eyed Juncos like coming to my bird feeder. They're beautiful little birds, but is there any way to attract other birds to the feeder?  
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May 1, 2018 07:43
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MayakovskyMarmite posted:I just got a DSLR. What is a good starter zoom lens that is cheap? I'm actually more interested in the birding piece, so I just want to be able to take half-way decent pictures for ID'ing. Note that the term "zoom" does NOT refer to long lenses used for birds and other far-away things. Zoom means the lens can move through a range of focal lengths without needing to adjust focus; there are plenty of wide and ultra-wide zooms that go from "fit the room in the shot" to "fit the whole world" but wouldn't be useful for that feathery noisy bastard at the top of the tree on the other side of the lake. The key term to search for is "telephoto". There are a few companies that make lenses to fit the major DSLR manufacturer's cameras - Sigma and Tamron both make good upgrades from that 50-200mm lens. I've got a (pretty crappy) Sigma 100-300mm for my Pentax that cost less than $100 when I bought it used, several years ago, for example. I think the Sigma 70-300mm is still well-regarded around here. Generally, more money means better lens, with no real upper limit but the point of diminishing returns depends more on the photographer's skill than industrial process or marketing by the manufacturer. Two questions: What camera did you get? and what does "cheap" mean to you? Pick a number - $10, $100, $1000, $10000 - and tell us which one you're close to (there are very few options down at the $10 range, but there are some possibilities at $100-200, and plenty of scope for discussion at $500). DorianGravy posted:Dark-eyed Juncos like coming to my bird feeder. They're beautiful little birds, but is there any way to attract other birds to the feeder? A mixture of food will help attract a broader variety of birds. Also, cover. Some species don't mind being way out in the open, or close to ground level, or whatever, but lots of birds appreciate a nice bush or tree they can hide in between visits to the feeder. And sometimes it just takes a while for the birds in your area to discover your feeder - maybe the Juncos just found it right away, and the others will show up soon even if you do nothing. ExecuDork fucked around with this message at 16:02 on May 1, 2018 |
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May 1, 2018 15:58
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ExecuDork posted:Each DSLR manufacturer has their own proprietary lens mount - a Nikon lens won't mount on a Canon camera, for example. However, each manufacturer makes an entry-level medium-tele zoom lens, something like 50-200mm. They're cheap (like under $200, second-hand) and plentiful for every brand, and they're good enough to get you fully infected with Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Warning: it's a very short jump from "just want to ID" to "just want the eye to be crisply in focus" and the decision that $2000 is "cheap in photography dollars!". This is pretty much exactly what happened to me. Started with a first gen ef-s 55-250, got hooked on birds, just shelled out $800 for a Sigma 150-600. This being said, my cheap Canon zoom did do an admirable job and still has utility. For less than $100 used, I got image stabilization and an effective focal length of 88-400mm. Stopped down I even got some decently sharp pictures. OP, from one neophyte to another: If you are shooting Canon, don't be bamboozled into buying the ef 75-300. Go for the 55-250 if you want first party. It's not as long, but it's much better optically as well as being stabilized. e: Oh, and I went from a T6i to a 7D as well. 
President Beep fucked around with this message at 16:14 on May 1, 2018 |
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May 1, 2018 16:07
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InternetJunky posted:Finally got a chance to go out and do normal birding yesterday. There's 6 White-Faced Ibis that have shown up in my neck of the woods that are causing quite a stir since they are expanding their range in Alberta like crazy right now. A few years ago I had to drive 5 hours south to see them. Nice- I have some ibis photos from the day I got the peregrine but haven't gotten to them yet. And thank you! I'm definitely going to play with some different crops from Mono. These are quite a bit tighter.  Mono Lake Wilson's Warbler-2 on Flickr Stick to it sage thrasher-2 on Flickr Violet-green flyby-4701 on Flickrtorgeaux posted:Yard bird incoming: DorianGravy posted:You all take fantastic photos! Cool color variant- is this somewhere in the Rockies? And to follow up on ExecuDork, thistle/niger feeders/socks will bring in goldfinches or siskins, suet is good for woodpeckers, wrens, chickadees, and then black oil sunflower is preferred by the larger finches, chickadees, jays. Mixed seed for the ground is great for sparrows and doves. I think the main thing is to make sure the ratio of birds to vermin is OK for you and your neighbors, that you aren't just making a cat buffet, and that you move your feeders if you end up getting a lot of window strikes.
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May 1, 2018 17:31
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ExecuDork posted:A mixture of food will help attract a broader variety of birds. Also, cover. Some species don't mind being way out in the open, or close to ground level, or whatever, but lots of birds appreciate a nice bush or tree they can hide in between visits to the feeder. And sometimes it just takes a while for the birds in your area to discover your feeder - maybe the Juncos just found it right away, and the others will show up soon even if you do nothing. BetterLekNextTime posted:Cool color variant- is this somewhere in the Rockies? And to follow up on ExecuDork, thistle/niger feeders/socks will bring in goldfinches or siskins, suet is good for woodpeckers, wrens, chickadees, and then black oil sunflower is preferred by the larger finches, chickadees, jays. Mixed seed for the ground is great for sparrows and doves. I think the main thing is to make sure the ratio of birds to vermin is OK for you and your neighbors, that you aren't just making a cat buffet, and that you move your feeders if you end up getting a lot of window strikes. Thanks! I'll try some other sorts of food. Currently I'm using a variety seed mix. As for the Juncos, yeah, I really like the colors too. Its not the Rockies, but not far away: high-altitude Arizona. For whatever reason, these are the only sort of Juncos I see here. Practically all winter, I've just been seeing Dark-eyed Juncos that look like this and Ravens (which I also like). Also, nice Wilson's Warbler! I love brightly-colored birds. Anyway, more pictures:   A Black Phoebe caught a bug.  What sort of Hummingbird is this? What should I look for when identifying hummingbirds?
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May 2, 2018 03:39
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I'm guessing it's a ruby-throated hummingbird. Anna's look pretty similar and are also in your region, but that guy has a very green head, so I think ruby-throated. Edit: Oh, wait. Rubies are rare in your parts. Uhh. Broad-tailed?
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May 2, 2018 13:17
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DorianGravy posted:Thanks! I'll try some other sorts of food. Currently I'm using a variety seed mix. Make sure that your seed mix isn't too millet-heavy, it's not actually very nutritious for the birds, just very tasty. If you have a feed store in your area, they usually have a lot better selection as far as different seed mixes go (or look for a bird food-specific store). Another thing to consider are different types of feeders, birds like cardinals and blue jays have trouble on small perch sticks, so they would benefit from a tray feeder. Doves like to feed on the ground, so you could sprinkle some food down there for them (I put out oats for mine, I have probably a dozen mourning doves throughout the day  ). Also think about adding a water source, like a small fountain or bird bath.
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May 2, 2018 15:04
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loving birds, for n00bs, using camera DSC_3163.jpg by Steven Sarginson, on Flickr DSC_3167.jpg by Steven Sarginson, on Flickr DSC_3175.jpg by Steven Sarginson, on Flickr
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May 4, 2018 05:17
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Paying the thread title tax. Haven't been able to bird too much the past couple of days because people won't stop shooting each other, but I did get another glance at an eagle on the hunt. One day I might see one catch something.. 
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May 5, 2018 00:19
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I've decided to rent a Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E lens for a week, to figure out whether I'd eventually like to invest in a long lens like this. I've only ever used my 55-200mm lens for birding, which I shoot handheld, so I'm wondering if people recommend a tripod/monopod for birding, or whether I'll be alright shooting handheld. The lens weights ~5 pounds, and I tend to walk a mile or two when I go birding, so I probably perfer mobility instead of image-quality-at-any-cost. I have a basic tripod. Should I look into a monopod or better tripod before the lens shows up? A Broad-tailed Hummingbird (thanks for the help IDing, my cat is norris): 
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May 5, 2018 16:59
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Haven’t used that particular lens, but it’s in the ballpark for weight of the big Tamron. My experience is that it’s definitely hand-holdable and carry-able over a couple of miles. Your keeper rate is higher on a tripod but don’t let that stop you from bringing it out on a hike. You may want to keep the ISO a little higher than you would normally to maintain a high shutter speed. And as some folks recommended a couple of pages back, if you are using a black rapid, probably a good idea to attach it to the lens and not the camera body. If you decide to rent a tripod, get a Wimberley head.
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May 5, 2018 17:16
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I’m looking for recommendations for a camera and lens for birding. My 7D died, and Canon wanted more to fix it than it’s worth. I don’t have much invested in glass, so I’m not really tied to Canon.
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May 5, 2018 17:23
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Budget? D500 is very cheap these days.
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May 5, 2018 17:47
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I’d be willing to drop up to $3000, but would probably break that up by a few months, body first for trips and pictures of the kid, then a long lens a bit later.
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May 5, 2018 18:03
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DorianGravy posted:I've decided to rent a Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E lens for a week, to figure out whether I'd eventually like to invest in a long lens like this. I've only ever used my 55-200mm lens for birding, which I shoot handheld, so I'm wondering if people recommend a tripod/monopod for birding, or whether I'll be alright shooting handheld. The lens weights ~5 pounds, and I tend to walk a mile or two when I go birding, so I probably perfer mobility instead of image-quality-at-any-cost. I have a basic tripod. Should I look into a monopod or better tripod before the lens shows up? Depending on your size and fitness level YMMV. Keep in mind that if the issue is just raw carrying-around weight adding a tripod or monopod isn't going to help. If the issue is the weight while you shoot, then maybe consider a carbon-fiber monopod. What body are you using out of curiosity? I've used my 200-500 on both my D7200 and D500 extensively. Kenshin fucked around with this message at 18:32 on May 5, 2018 |
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May 5, 2018 18:30
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EPICAC posted:I’m looking for recommendations for a camera and lens for birding. My 7D died, and Canon wanted more to fix it than it’s worth. I don’t have much invested in glass, so I’m not really tied to Canon. Lens-wise, I’ve been absolutely loving the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary that I recently got. It’s slow, but the build quality is very nice and the OS makes it very hand-holdable, even at 600mm and at least 1/1000 shutter speed.
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May 5, 2018 18:50
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Kenshin posted:I hand-hold mine in 98% of situations for photos. It's also a loving amazing lens. I'm using a Nikon d5100. How important is body vs. lens?
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May 5, 2018 20:39
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DorianGravy posted:I'm using a Nikon d5100. How important is body vs. lens? It can have autofocus accuracy effects (my D500 is much faster and more accurate in getting focus than my D7200) but the D5100 will do great with that lens. I tend to shoot in aperture priority with it wide open at 1/1000s or faster.
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May 6, 2018 00:07
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