Birds of Edmonds, WA. 2020
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I have been using the 1DxII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom for flight shots. I may experiment with the 7DII, which has the better 65 point auto focus system, when the sun is out and I am not worried about high ISO settings.
I try to find a swallow to track, then shoot rapid fire bursts as it flies across the view finder. The downside is that I have a lot of photos to review (and delete) in the hope of finding a single good one to post up.
A bridge over a creek should be a good place to photograph swallows as you will have many different angles to try. I once photographed swallows from a fishing pier on a lake and got eye level shots as they passed beside and beneath me.
For someone that lives in what I consider to be an urban area, my list of backyard raptors is getting quite impressive:
Peregrine falcon, merlin, barred owl, Cooper's (or maybe one was a sharp-shinned) hawk, red-tailed hawk, bald eagle, osprey, and turkey vulture. I don't really consider the turkey vulture to be a raptor, but they are still listed as such in bird books.
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Sometimes Daren helps by taking photos as well, but he was not on the back deck with me at the time.
The hummer was back Monday afternoon (6-8-2020). It made a pass at the feeder but did not stay.
Back at my neighbor's flowers. Note the pollen on its bill.
Back at my neighbor's flowers. Note the pollen on its bill.
The female pileated woodpecker returned later that afternoon to do some serious pounding on one of the habitat trees.
Saturday afternoon (6-13-2020) proved to be a very poor time to try to take photos from the back deck as it began to rain every time I even began to think about setting up the equipment. All I got was a few shots of a pair of house finches at the feeder between showers.
f/10
I had to switch to f/16 to get both birds in focus.
f/10
I had to switch to f/16 to get both birds in focus.
It was overcast which made for less than ideal ISO settings, but the light was very even with no shadows.
The Blues Brothers do not visit me like they used to once I quit leaving peanuts for them on the back deck. Tuesday afternoon (6-16-2020) I did catch an adult and juvie at my feeders.
Wednesday afternoon (6-17-2020) I practiced birds in flight shots from my back deck using the 1DxII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom.
Peregrine falcon. I saw two soaring in the distance, but only one flew past my house.
Violet-green swallows. One caught a bug and scratched its face in flight.
Peregrine falcon. I saw two soaring in the distance, but only one flew past my house.
Violet-green swallows. One caught a bug and scratched its face in flight.
I have been using the 1DxII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom for flight shots. I may experiment with the 7DII, which has the better 65 point auto focus system, when the sun is out and I am not worried about high ISO settings.
I try to find a swallow to track, then shoot rapid fire bursts as it flies across the view finder. The downside is that I have a lot of photos to review (and delete) in the hope of finding a single good one to post up.
A bridge over a creek should be a good place to photograph swallows as you will have many different angles to try. I once photographed swallows from a fishing pier on a lake and got eye level shots as they passed beside and beneath me.
Friday afternoon (6-19-2020) shots from the back deck. It was overcast, warm, and humid for the Puget Sound Region. I would not be surprised if we have thunderstorms tonight.
A male flicker was looking for insects in my neighbors' back yard. A female was checking out my empty suet feeders, so a trip to the bird feed store is in order.
One of the Blues Brothers was visiting my sunflower seed feeders.
House finches, absent for much of the year, have made a comeback to my feeders. I think a nest has fledged nearby.
A male flicker was looking for insects in my neighbors' back yard. A female was checking out my empty suet feeders, so a trip to the bird feed store is in order.
One of the Blues Brothers was visiting my sunflower seed feeders.
House finches, absent for much of the year, have made a comeback to my feeders. I think a nest has fledged nearby.
Back deck photos from Wednesday afternoon (6-24-2020).
For RickyRed. The first seven photos were taken in .jpeg with my 7DII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom using the 65 pt. auto focus setting. They were all taken at 1/1000 @ f/5.6 using auto ISO. I have posted the ISO setting above each photo so you can virtually "shop" that camera and lens combination.
A male house finch in my next door neighbor's tree.
ISO = 400
Resident Anna's hummer in my next door neighbor's flowers.
ISO = 800
ISO = 800
A dark-eyed junco is building a nest in my next door neighbor's shrubs.
ISO = 400
ISO = 1250
For RickyRed. The first seven photos were taken in .jpeg with my 7DII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom using the 65 pt. auto focus setting. They were all taken at 1/1000 @ f/5.6 using auto ISO. I have posted the ISO setting above each photo so you can virtually "shop" that camera and lens combination.
A male house finch in my next door neighbor's tree.
ISO = 400
Resident Anna's hummer in my next door neighbor's flowers.
ISO = 800
ISO = 800
A dark-eyed junco is building a nest in my next door neighbor's shrubs.
ISO = 400
ISO = 1250
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Continued.
Closeup of a male dark-eyed junco on my next door neighbor's roof. It is easy for me to get blase about juncos as they have been this year's primary backyard avian resident, but the males are very pretty.
ISO = 1000
Violet green swallow.
ISO = 160
Back to the 5DIII + 600L telephoto + 1.4x teleconverter.
Spotted towhee.
House finch.
Closeup of a male dark-eyed junco on my next door neighbor's roof. It is easy for me to get blase about juncos as they have been this year's primary backyard avian resident, but the males are very pretty.
ISO = 1000
Violet green swallow.
ISO = 160
Back to the 5DIII + 600L telephoto + 1.4x teleconverter.
Spotted towhee.
House finch.
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The birders in the audience are excused and may leave at this time. Thank you for your attendance and please come again.
Photo Techno Geek Speak.
Bearing in mind that I shoot .jpeg, I feel the 7DII + 100-400L telephoto zoom gives very good results as long the ISO settings are kept below 1000. The sensor of the 7DII has a crop factor of 1.7x, which gives the 100-400L II telephoto zoom an effective maximum "reach" of 680mm. This is good for photographing stationary objects, but it can be difficult to pick up and follow birds that are flying fairly close to the camera.
Terry and I have had several "discussions" as to whether you are better off with the added reach of the 7DII or just closer cropping of a camera with a full frame sensor like the 5D or 1Dx series.
The 7DII has Canon's advanced 65 point auto focus system. For me, I am not sure if the 65 point setting is any more effective for photographing birds in flight than the five point "cross hair" setting that I normally use. While the 65 point setting may be better in theory, I have been using the "cross hair" setting for so long that I am fairly good at picking up birds in flight with it.
The above are my opinions. Further discussion is welcome.
Photo Techno Geek Speak.
Bearing in mind that I shoot .jpeg, I feel the 7DII + 100-400L telephoto zoom gives very good results as long the ISO settings are kept below 1000. The sensor of the 7DII has a crop factor of 1.7x, which gives the 100-400L II telephoto zoom an effective maximum "reach" of 680mm. This is good for photographing stationary objects, but it can be difficult to pick up and follow birds that are flying fairly close to the camera.
Terry and I have had several "discussions" as to whether you are better off with the added reach of the 7DII or just closer cropping of a camera with a full frame sensor like the 5D or 1Dx series.
The 7DII has Canon's advanced 65 point auto focus system. For me, I am not sure if the 65 point setting is any more effective for photographing birds in flight than the five point "cross hair" setting that I normally use. While the 65 point setting may be better in theory, I have been using the "cross hair" setting for so long that I am fairly good at picking up birds in flight with it.
The above are my opinions. Further discussion is welcome.
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RickyRed2057
Member
Thanks for the info. I keep shutter speed between 1/800 and 1/1000 and F6.3 and f8 and float the ISO. Some times I will under expose by a stop to keep the ISO from getting to high. The 5D!V can go about a stop higher in ISO. This was my first winter season in the Skagit using the 5D and it has been a challenge. Not a whole lot of light to work with. the 100-400 has a stop of light over the Tamron and I think it makes a big difference using the 7DII in low light BIFS. Also the 7D much better AF in low light than the 5D, in tracking birds in flight. Enjoy the rest of Summer. R.J
From the back deck Sunday (7-5-2020) afternoon.
If by expanding the definition of a backyard bird to include those I can photograph from my back deck, I can add an osprey to the list. It was flying northeast from the direction of Puget Sound with a fish in tow. Taken with the 7DII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom using the 65 pt. auto focus setting.
I made some close crops for a better look at the fish. This osprey had not caught a small shark like the osprey in a video posted on the internet.
Photo-techno geek speak corner
I have stated that I like to shoot in M mode using auto ISO. My cameras' auto ISO ranges are no lower than 100. I have experienced over-exposed shots because the auto ISO was unable to drop below 100 when shooting birds in flight against a brightly lit sky. In an attempt to guard against this, I try to adjust the shutter speed and/or aperture setting so the ISO is 200. This gives me a little leeway against over-exposure by allowing the ISO to drop to 100 if the camera feels it is necessary.
If by expanding the definition of a backyard bird to include those I can photograph from my back deck, I can add an osprey to the list. It was flying northeast from the direction of Puget Sound with a fish in tow. Taken with the 7DII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom using the 65 pt. auto focus setting.
I made some close crops for a better look at the fish. This osprey had not caught a small shark like the osprey in a video posted on the internet.
Photo-techno geek speak corner
I have stated that I like to shoot in M mode using auto ISO. My cameras' auto ISO ranges are no lower than 100. I have experienced over-exposed shots because the auto ISO was unable to drop below 100 when shooting birds in flight against a brightly lit sky. In an attempt to guard against this, I try to adjust the shutter speed and/or aperture setting so the ISO is 200. This gives me a little leeway against over-exposure by allowing the ISO to drop to 100 if the camera feels it is necessary.
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Best shots of a violet-green swallow using the 7DII + 100-400L II using the 65 pt. auto focus setting.
A Bewick's wren calling from the roof of my shed. I would never have located it by sound alone. Its call was echoing off my neighbors house which made it sound as though the bird was located over 90* to the north of me.
Later that day I switched to the 5DIII + 600L telephoto + 1.4x teleconverter (tripod mounted) when it was raiding my seed feeder. It kept tossing out the seeds, which are later picked up by squirrels or other birds foraging in the grass below the feeders.
A Bewick's wren calling from the roof of my shed. I would never have located it by sound alone. Its call was echoing off my neighbors house which made it sound as though the bird was located over 90* to the north of me.
Later that day I switched to the 5DIII + 600L telephoto + 1.4x teleconverter (tripod mounted) when it was raiding my seed feeder. It kept tossing out the seeds, which are later picked up by squirrels or other birds foraging in the grass below the feeders.
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House finches, which have been absent most of the year, have been showing up in abundance. I suspect a pair nested nearby based on an earlier photo I posted up of an adult feeding a fledgling perched on my neighbor's back fence.
Some males appear more pale (orangier?) than others. I don't know if this is a function of genetics, age, diet, or a combination of all three. I have noticed this with my naked eye, so I don't think it is related to photographic factors.
Some males appear more pale (orangier?) than others. I don't know if this is a function of genetics, age, diet, or a combination of all three. I have noticed this with my naked eye, so I don't think it is related to photographic factors.
For someone that lives in what I consider to be an urban area, my list of backyard raptors is getting quite impressive:
Peregrine falcon, merlin, barred owl, Cooper's (or maybe one was a sharp-shinned) hawk, red-tailed hawk, bald eagle, osprey, and turkey vulture. I don't really consider the turkey vulture to be a raptor, but they are still listed as such in bird books.