60+ year old thread.

It's been pretty interesting, watching how eagles have repopulated after DDT. Golden eagles too. Several places have been devoid of their presence when we moved there... and then we see a single bird... and then after a couple of years several. Our present location/valley has had only a few show up in the northern area and this year is the first they seem spread end to end.

 

What lens and what camera?

 

Just a Cannon SX240 HS digital pocket camera with a built in 20X optical zoom. Amazing camera for the price.

 

I have never seen a Golden here in Mo.
Funny story -once when going out to get the eagle shots, I was traveling heavy -tripod, camera, boots, and heavy clothes. I had to go through a farmer's cattle "feed lot" (think muddy, sloppy cow crap) this farmer asked me specifically NOT to climb over his fenc. He had electric fences around this lot. Not wanting to lay my stuff in cow shit, I decided to slither under the fence. WRONG --I bumped the hot wire with my -wet with sweat - hat and it felt I had been kicked by one of his feeder calves. WOW what a jolt - this farmer did things right, and I am sure the voltage was at max, and combined with my sweaty head, I gained a lot more respect for electric fencing.
Ended up getting some nice shots, but came back to my truck via a different path

 

Sure was. Couple of years back there was a guy that shot with a little canon "point and shoot" . he would post on a web site: Photography-on-the.net Digital Photography Forums
His shots were so fantastic nobody could believe what he shot with -- big diff -he ALWAYS used a tripod with a remote release

 

Golden eagles tend to stay in higher elevations. We're at 4500 feet here and they are mostly higher but come down in the winter, I suppose following the deer.

Gotta love those electric fences...lol

 

This was on the local CBS news yesterday, my phone started getting text messages "where you out riding in this weather?" Not me, but hats off to the brave sole out there riding.

Sunny and 35 today, so I might get out for a ride yet!

 

I am all for the biking and exercising thing. I'm thinking that would be dangerous riding spot in IDEAL WEATHER. Trusting the driving public today with the cell/texting distractions -he might as well do rock climbing with no saftey ropes -at least the scenery would be better.

 

I always had a Canon point n shoot. My old one crapped out after 20 years and it's replacement is even smaller and better.

Exhibit A...

 

And without foundation as Perry Mason would say.

 

I object…

LOL..

 

Took that shot with one hand as other hand was holding dog on leash. I think the eagle was eyeing her for lunch. There was another adult eagle and three juveniles close by.

 

Well, not the way I figured we'd find out, but our neighbor came over just after I got the mail to let me know the spigot pipe out front had burst! Their daughter is in the hospital with aspirating pneumonia (as I understood it). Apparently, she had something settle in her lungs, and that caused it.

Shut the water off, got it capped. Turned it on, and had another leak in the valve. So, went and got another cap, and capped it again. Big bags of mulch now in front of all the spigots!

 

Aperture changes depth of field relative to focus

 

The lower the f/stop—the larger the opening in the lens—the less depth of field—the blurrier the background. The higher the f/stop—the smaller the opening in the lens—the greater the depth of field—the sharper the background.

 

That story reminds me of the one about our son’s flooded house. He mowed the lawn the day before going on a trip, and accidentally hit and broke one of the sprinklers in the lawn. Came home the following week to a flood in the house, and was puzzled until the automatic timer started the sprinkler going. That broken sprinkler shot straight up into the attic through a vent in the eaves, collapsed the ceiling Sheetrock, ruined carpets, some furniture, and portions of two walls. The insurance company paid without a whimper, I guess they hear stories worse than that every day.

 

Thanks for sharing the pics Mike. You and your team do a great job of stewardship for the historic Toyota GT's. Is this your Car Tacoma Mike?

OK is this the one going up for auction I saw on the internet? 1967 Toyota 2000GT prepped by Carroll Shelby headed to auction (autoblog.com)

 

If you are talking background out of or in focus, you are correct, that is called "bokeh. You did mention changing the focus on the Bird itself (my main point of interest and where the best possible focus should be) by varying the aperture. I stick with what I said about the focus on the bird, knowing quite well the focus of anything in the background can be changed by varying the lens opening. In this case my aim is/was to have the best possible focus on the bird, and I looked at the image closer and I saw where the camera 1DX MK3 focused on the snow particles. probably due to the operator (me).
Here is one from 10 years ago -- better focus -and I like the "bokeh" better
my (now gone) 7Dmk1 and my 400mm at 5.6 800 ISO

 

Good morning fellow Porchatonians!!

We had freezing rain/sleet all night Thursday into Friday and it continued until about 2, then changed to light snow. Our driveway is now a solid dense ice coated mess with snow over top. Fortunately, it's not slick so we can get out but it's going to take some time to clear - no way to get a plow blade under it now.

Be safe and warm!!

 

We've been upgraded from level 3 to level 2, whatever that means. USPS doesn't seem to have much trouble delivering mail, but UPS, FedEx are both no-shows, two days so far. Few cars and a logging truck out and about this am. Lost a circuit breaker in our generator electric setup. Still works but it will be on manual, until the new one arrives in a week, hopefully. Supposed to be 37° today, should be a good day to dig out.