Wildlife of Edmonds, WA. 2016

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Tuesday (4/12) morning at the marsh I experimented with different camera/lens combinations for telephoto shots of an evil minion of the Dark Lord perched on the post that used to hold the martin gourds. All of these were taken off a tripod and are uncropped. The numbers in parenthesis are the 35mm equivalents.

1) 5DIII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter (700 mm).
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2) 7DII + 500L (800 mm).
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3) 7DII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter (1,120 mm).
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Here is the same sequence cropped. I tried to make all the crops the same size.

1) 5DIII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter (700 mm).
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2) 7DII + 500L (800 mm).
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3) 7DII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter (1,120 mm).
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Were these all at the same ISO, Bill?. I agree, the 7DII because of the crop factor, the image is larger. My question is if you were to make the equivalent crop in, say Picassa, as the 7DII/500/1.4 combo but using the 5DIII/500/1.4 combo image, would the image quality be same, worse, or better?

Terry
 
Wednesday morning (4/13) I did more experimenting with the 7DII + 500L + 1.4x TC at the Edmonds marsh.

Two dunlin in mating plumage were in the large mudflat in the center of the marsh. Taken at the #2 viewing platform, where the sun is behind you in the morning.
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Wesley on his perch off the #1 platform.
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Snipe in the mudflat off the #1 platform.
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Chickadees continue to squat in the nest box intended for tree swallows off the #1 platform.
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Although this combination (35 mm equiv. = 1,120 mm) really reaches out there, I am not happy with the resolution after cropping. There is also the problem of the focal point getting very small. The next sunny morning out I'll try the 7DII + 500L without the teleconverter.
 
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The snipes continue to dabble in the mud off the #1 viewing platform. Late afternoon shots are brutal as you are looking directly into the sun. I recommend morning photo sessions if the water level in the marsh is low enough to expose the mud.

5DIII + 100-400L II zoom @ 100mm. Can you find the snipe?
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7DII + 500L (tripod mounted).
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Following Rocky's lead, Sunday afternoon (4/17) Daren and I checked out the osprey nests in Lynnwood. First stop was the nest at City Wide Fence. This nest was relocated last year from a nearby cellphone tower near Dunn Lumber by Osprey Solutions, LLC. Free plug: http://www.osprey-solutions.com/

Both osprey are back.
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An evil minion of the Dark Lord tried harassing one of the birds and quickly found out that osprey do not tolerate crows like eagles and hawks do.
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I got a few shots of the osprey coming and going from the nest.
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Continued.
 
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Next stop was the nest in the light tower at the Meadowdale Playfields. The original nest was built in the light fixture. It was torn down out a few years ago and replaced with a nesting platform that the birds have been using since then.

One bird was perched on a light tower where a small cellphone tower was recently installed. I got shots of it flying back to the nest.
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It does not appear the birds are sitting on eggs yet, as both were flying to and from the nest. I met a lady who said the osprey always return around her son's birthday, April 11th.
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Both nests are easy to find and photograph. The City Wide Fence nest is best photographed in the afternoon while the Meadowdale Playfields nest is best photographed in the morning.
 
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Monday morning (4/18/16) I discovered another marsh wren nest off the boardwalk between the #1 and #2 viewing platforms of the marsh. This nest is unique in that it is visible (until the sprouting cattails grow around it) and the entrance faces the boardwalk.
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I took shots of Marshal, its owner, entering and leaving.
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Entering with a mouthful of cattail fuzz to line the nest.
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Marshal taking a break. I have read that a male marsh wren will build several nests to entice a female.
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very cool, Bill! how far from the boardwalk is it?

I think less than 20 feet. I took those shots handheld with my 7DII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom. I think the 500L telephoto would have been too much lens. Your 150-600 should be perfect.

I found the nest just scanning the area, but you could probably find it by following Marshal back to it.
 
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While I was standing on the boardwalk waiting for Marshal to return to his nest, an adult Cooper's hawk flew into the shrubs behind the boardwalk about 15 feet to my left. A robin came flying full speed out of the shrubs and a crow flew to a nearby tree to investigate. I slowly moved past the spot where I saw the hawk enter the shrubs. I saw the hawk in the shrubs, but it moved before I could get a photo.

I positioned myself on the #2 platform in the hope of getting some shots of the hawk flying out of the shrubs. The hawk was too fast and all I got were some butt shots as it flew south across the marsh.
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I went to the #3 platform and took two shots of a dunlin and a pair of green-winged teals out in the mud. I think the male green-winged teal might have been a North American-Eurasian hybrid. It had the vertical shoulder stripe of the North American green-winged teal but the wider, more pronounced yellow pinstripes on its head like the Eurasian green-winged teal.
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I think less than 20 feet. I took those shots handheld with my 7DII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom. I think the 500L telephoto would have been too much lens. Your 150-600 should be perfect.
I found the nest just scanning the area, but you could probably find it by following Marshal back to it.

stopped down there this afternoon, found the nest... Marshal wasn't much in evidence, only saw him a couple of times in half an hour or so, but did get a couple of shots of the nest.
 
stopped down there this afternoon, found the nest... Marshal wasn't much in evidence, only saw him a couple of times in half an hour or so, but did get a couple of shots of the nest.

Marshal works in spurts. I think the best time to catch him is in the morning as the light is better at that time. Tuesday morning (4/19) I caught him doing his thing.
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I returned in the evening, but he was not as active. I set up the 5DIII + 500L telephoto + 1.4x TC and took this uncropped photo from the boardwalk.
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Some Wednesday (4/20) shots from the marsh and fish hatchery.

I read that hummers flap their wings at 70 beats/sec. I shot this at 1/2000 and Wesley's wings are still a blur. Some photographers prefer the blur as it creates an illusion of motion and speed.
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The brown creepers at the fish hatchery have new neighbors as a black-capped chickadee is moving into the penthouse suite. It is excavating and removing material from the cavity, which may have been started by a woodpecker.
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The creepers were too busy making deliveries to their ground floor unit to notice their new neighbor.
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The red stuff in the creeper's bill is fine, filamentous bark pulled off a nearby redwood tree. This is the third year I have seen the creepers doing this. I have real problems photographing creepers. The camera does not want to focus sharply on their back feathers, which blend into the bark of the trees they are crawling on. I'll have to experiment with different techniques.
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The photos at the fish hatchery were taken with the 5DIII + 100-400L II using +1 and +2 exposure compensation due to the low light under the tree canopy.
 
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i've found i have to shoot at least 1/3200 to freeze a hummer's wings. they may only flap 70-80 beats/sec, but the tips of their wings are moving much faster than that to cover the entire arc of movement that quickly...

i'm clearly gonna have to make another attempt at the creeper. it never showed up last time i went, i need to go have another look...
 
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