Wildlife of Edmonds, WA. 2016

[Bill Anderson]

Harlequin duck off Sunset Ave. Tuesday morning (4/5). Taken with the 5DIII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom. I need to return when I have more time and set up the 500L telephoto + 1.4x TC.


Later that afternoon I did set up the 5DIII + 500L telephoto + 1.4x TC for photos from the #4 viewing platform of a new heron nest in the abandoned rookery on the south side of the marsh.


I took advantage of the big lens to get shots from the #1 viewing platform of a snipe....


red-winged blackbird....


and a kingfisher.

 

[Terry O]

Great sleuthing, Bill!

Terry

 

[Bill Anderson]

Thursday morning (4/7) a marsh wren was busy making a nest near the #2 viewing platform at the marsh.









I followed the wren to the nest under construction, which you can barely make out in this photo.

 

[Bill Anderson]

I then went up to the fish hatchery, where I found the brown creeper bringing in material to line its burrow. I need to mount the 500L telephoto + 1.4TC on a tripod to capture the bird flying into the burrow.

 

[squirl033]

good stuff, Bill! i need to get down to the hatchery apparently... i don't have any good creeper shots. nice work with the marsh wren, too... i know how hard they are to get good shots of!

 

[Bill Anderson]

Friday afternoon (4/8) was bright and sunny, so I attached the 100-400L II zoom to the 7DII and set out for some action shots. Rufus, a male rufous hummingbird, has taken up summer residence in a tree at the very end of the Pt. Edwards walkway, past the retention pond. So far I have not seen any of our year-round resident male Anna's hummingbirds trying to expel Rufus from his seasonal territory.







Rufus is about to chomp down on a bug.


Coming in for a landing.


These photos were taken in the afternoon looking into the sun. The best time to photograph Rufus is in the morning when the sun is behind you.

 

[Bill Anderson]

With the opening of the tide gate in mid March, the water level at the marsh fluctuates greatly between high and low tides. Usually I only see snipes off the #1 viewing platform when just an inch or two of mud is exposed. This week two snipes have been making a liar out of me by coming out of the grass when the water level has been quite low.

I shot with positive exposure compensation because I was looking into the sun.




Hiding in the grass.

 

[squirl033]

i may have to stop by the retention pond to see if i can get Rufus... i have never even SEEN a rufous, much less got photos of one! i'll hit the hatchery on the same trip and maybe get the creeper as well...

 

[Bill Anderson]

i may have to stop by the retention pond to see if i can get Rufus... i have never even SEEN a rufous, much less got photos of one! i'll hit the hatchery on the same trip and maybe get the creeper as well...

Other than Terry's hummingbird feeder, Pt. Edwards is the only place in town where I have seen rufous hummers.

 

[Terry O]

I haven't seen a rufous at our feeders for a couple of weeks now - maybe they 'migrated' to the retention pond....

Terry

 

[Bill Anderson]

Daren and I went to the marsh Sunday (4-10) after the Mariners game. The bushes below the #3 viewing platform are starting to bloom, which draws the hummers. One (McInroe?) was feeding on the flowers while we were there.

These were shot at 1/1600, which was still not fast enough to freeze the wings.








It returned later to check out a spider web and something on a branch.

 

[squirl033]

nice shots, Bill!

 

[Terry O]

Nice work, Bill....Tough lighting!

Terry

 

[Bill Anderson]

Nice work, Bill....Tough lighting!
Terry

Three snipes were in the mud off the #1 viewing platform. Lighting was tough there as well. The snipes have been coming out around 4:30-5:00pm even though the water has been very low. If this morning's overcast hangs on into the afternoon, it may be worthwhile to try photographing them with the 500L telephoto.


These photos show just how low the water is, but the snipes have come out anyway.




A pair of North American green-winged teals were in the water just off the boardwalk. Here are shots of the male.

 

[squirl033]

nice shots, Bill... but unless you plan on using the 1.4x with the 500, or mounting the 500 on your 7DII, you won't get any "closer" than with the 400 on the crop body. actually, the best bet would be the 500 on the 7DII, which would give you effectively 800mm... not as good at high ISO as the 5DIII, but more "reach" than the other combos...

 

[Bill Anderson]

nice shots, Bill... but unless you plan on using the 1.4x with the 500, or mounting the 500 on your 7DII, you won't get any "closer" than with the 400 on the crop body. actually, the best bet would be the 500 on the 7DII, which would give you effectively 800mm... not as good at high ISO as the 5DIII, but more "reach" than the other combos...

My usual long range set up is the 5DIII + 500L telephoto + 1.4x TC mounted on my heavy duty tripod. I keep the 7DII + 100-400L II zoom around my neck for the inevitable shots of a bird flying behind me that I cannot track with the 500L. After missing wide angle shots of the snow geese flying over me at Eide Road, I see the value of having the 7D + 17-35L or 24-105L wide angle zooms close at hand as well. You can't have to many cameras.

 

[squirl033]

My usual long range set up is the 5DIII + 500L telephoto + 1.4x TC mounted on my heavy duty tripod. I keep the 7DII + 100-400L II zoom around my neck for the inevitable shots of a bird flying behind me that I cannot track with the 500L. After missing wide angle shots of the snow geese flying over me at Eide Road, I see the value of having the 7D + 17-35L or 24-105L wide angle zooms close at hand as well. You can't have to many cameras.

i can see where using the 500 and the 1.4x on the 5DIII appeals, but it still gives you 100mm less "reach" than just the 500 on the 7DII. plus you'd get clearer, sharper images without the TC. only downside is you wouldn't have the flexibility of the zoom. still, for snipes at the marsh it'd be a better setup... and the 100-400 on the 5DIII would be just the ticket for those shorter-range "pop-up" opportunities.

 

[Bill Anderson]

Monday (4/11) was overcast, so I went down to the marsh hoping to find the snipes without the glare of the past sunny days.

I found two snipes in the usual spot off the #1 viewing platform and took a few shots with the 5DIII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom.


I returned to the pickup and brought back the 500L + 1.4x TC. I mounted the 5DIII to this combo and took more shots off a tripod.

 

[Bill Anderson]

SQUATTERS

Two black-capped chickadees were carrying nesting material into one of the nest boxes that were set out for tree swallows.

One chickadee posed with moss on the fence where Wesley hangs out.






It returned to the fence after a trip to the nest box in order to shake off moss that had stuck to its feathers.

 

[squirl033]

love the chickadees, Bill... good stuff!