Birding and Bird Photography

And I would print that too, what a beautiful shot! As are all of yours. And thank you very much for the encouragement

Went to town this afternoon to pick up some gloves that allow dexterity to operate the camera yet still warm. Saw 2 bald eagles on the way in and was thinking that the flock of geese in town would make good practice targets. Very few ducks around right now no open water but lots of geese, so at least I'm thinking on the right track. Got home and when I got out of the truck 2 flocks of geese flew over and the sun was going down, they had sunlight on their backs and shadows on the underside. Hit me how the lighting would make great pictures so I grabbed the camera and went to the end of the driveway to wait for more. None came but a few crows were around flying in to roost. A lot of trees on the skyline where I was standing and didn't have much luck getting shots in the small windows between the trees but kept trying. All of a sudden a bald eagle flew down the tree line and I snapped 4 pictures. And have 4 pictures of tree tops LOL. Those pictures of yours are absolutely stunning, what great work!

 

When you figure out how to get close to those hawks and kestrels let me know! The Red Tails have gone South of here for the winter but there are a few kestrels around yet and they are spooky to say the least. It is hard getting close when they have the advantage of the high ground and eyesight that is beyond belief. I can stalk within kissing distance of mulies, elk and whitetail but raptors are another story.

Have a pair of Northern Cardinals and Blue Jays that stayed around this winter. They almost hibernate, very seldom see them when it is this cold. Warmed up yesterday into the teens above zero and managed to get a picture of the male Cardinal through a tight window in the trees. The bright red color really stands out against the snow and is a welcome change to the black and white landscape of winter.

 

Nice shot! I love it when that window in the branches is just perfect for the bird!
I've found that raptors won't fly if you're in a vehicle, depending on where you are. The last Kestrel I saw was on a telephone line on the side of the road and I basically pulled up maybe 100ft from him and was able to stop. He never left. I've also been able to drive right up next to telephone poles with Red-tails and Red-shoulders but whenever I'm walking the hawks leave if I come within 500ft. Give that a shot if you can. I know that being confined to a vehicle is quite limiting, but check around for local wildlife refuge or other auto tours.

Edit: Just remembered another way to get close. Try walking not directly at the bird without looking at it. There was a journal article I read about geese that would fly away sooner (at a greater distance between you and the bird) if you walked directly at it and it would fly away later (you could get closer) if didn't walk or look directly at the bird. I've tried that with raptors, too. Most of them are on power lines out here, so I'll walk parallel to the power line and look straight ahead (not up at the bird) and I'll be able to get pretty close. I'll watch the bird out of my peripheral vision with occasional eye glances, not moving my head. You can see them swiveling their heads, following you as you walk. Then once you're close you can try moving slowly to bring your camera up or have it up already maybe? I haven't tried with a large camera recently.

 

I do think you are on to something here....

Anyone that has spent time in the woods or fields around any wildlife knows not to look an animal in the eye, even if they are not looking at you because they sense it. The dog in my avatar is my Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever back when he was a pup. Although I do not hunt wildfowl I have played around with Tolling a little bit with him. Tolling is where the dog runs back and forth along the shore and ducks and geese are attracted to the dog which was breed to look like a red fox. As long as the dog doesn't pay attention to the birds they will keep coming closer. The second the dog stops and pays attention to the birds they all fly off. The best picture of tolling I have ever seen was a gentleman in SC and a rather large flock of ducks his Toller brought in.



Quartering through fields and woods is the best way to cover ground but as long as you keep the same pace the birds do not seem to spook. Most of the time it is when you change direction or suddenly change pace that they flush wild. I do believe you are correct in your thinking of how to approach them.... I can't wait until it warms up some and the hawks come back to give it a try. In the meantime the idea of driving around looking for eagles doesn't sound so bad. Just heard the weather report and the announcer said he just checked the temperature and there is none, it is zero. I really would like to get a shot of a Golden Eagle before they head back to Northern Ontario. There is still a lot of unknowns about the Golden's yet. Thanks, great idea!

 

Last summer I had a pair of Carolina Chickadees lay eggs on my front porch. As the babies got older, they started dropping out of the nest and sitting on my porch. Sometimes, a my kids would go out the front door, they would hop and hang on to their shirts.

As the days went on, we would sit on the steps and the babies would come out of the nest and land on our hands.

The last morning I saw the babies (at this point there were 2 left), I spent about 45 minutes watching them fly the nest to different places in my yard. Then they would fly back to the nest or to my knee or shoulder. The whole time singing "chickadeedee chickadeedeee chickadeedee"

I didn't want to go to work. I just wanted to keep watching them. Eventually, they got enough courage and flew till I couldn't see them anymore.

I hope they come back this year and lay more eggs. It was an amazing bonding experience for both my children and myself.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3-Lb6IECHg&feature=youtu.be

I have more pictures on my laptop at home.

 

Whoooaaa, that's super cool! The closest I've come to something like that is watching a nest of White-tailed Hawks grow and fledge in the back edge of my parent's backyard. You could see them pretty well from my bedroom window, so we pretty much just had a spotting scope on a tripod set up in my bedroom the entire time. We only looked, though, I'm super jealous of your bond with the chicks!

That's really cool! I've never even heard of tolling. Why would the ducks be attracted to a Red Fox?
Good luck with finding the Golden Eagles, I hope that works out for you!

 

Ive never heard of the tolling either, but by the looks of that pic, it seems to work. Good question shawman, i wonder why they are attracted to the red fox, atleast enough to not fly off. Thats an awesome picture cold iron

Well when the weather gets tough, the tough go take pictures. Its blowin 20mph 33 degrees with a windchill in the 20`s (thats cold for us south tx folks by the way lol) and i seem to be the only one at all my hot spots today. I had the birds all to myself today. Saw lots of awesome species, pics to come hopefully tonight!!

 

DSC_4926 by medic2230, on Flickr


DSC_4922 by medic2230, on Flickr


DSC_4915 by medic2230, on Flickr


DSC_4941 by medic2230, on Flickr

 

Way cool...great learning experience for the kids as well...

 

Thanks Ben!

 

Pics from my cold adventure yesterday. It was really overcast unfortunately.ovwrall it was still a fun productive trip!

 

Nice shots guys!

 

Nice shots Murph and Mark!
Murph, where'd you take those photos? I had a devil of a time trying to figure out what species the goose was, finally just googled "goose with bump on head" and got Chinese Goose, a domestic goose. Those eyes look so weird, too! Same with the goose that Ben photographed a while ago with his flash.
Mark, Awesome Teal shots! Especially that Cinnamon Teal. Nice job working with your conditions!

 

Thanks shawman

 

X2! The pictures on here are inspirational to say the least.

 

Thanks man! I went to a local park where there are literally dozens of ducks and geese. There are about 6 Buffleheads out there, Mallard hens and drakes, Canada's, a few Toulouse Geese and the one you're talking about, a Chinese Goose. I saw a banded goose last year out there.

Most of these were taken less than 8 feet from them. I sat down and they would just walk right up to me and look. They are used to people feeding them and the geese aren't scared of anything. You can pretty much almost pet them. They will eat out of your hand.

 

Yeah, They are curious birds.

 

Hey ben, what settings did u say u usually set your camera on again...and do u have a 400mm lens?

 

Ya i definately need to learn all about how to use f stop, iso, and shutter speed settings on my camera..right now its all greek to me but im slowly reading up on it. I know it will help me out in the long run.

 

I'm no expert and like you still learning the triangle because I know it is worth it. I have bounced around different articles on the internet but I am working though

$11 Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera

Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition and feel it is more helpful than anything else I have read so far. Although I still have a ways to go before I finish it things are starting to come together and make sense, including depth of field. I actually have a concept of what Ben is talking about now LOL.

One of the things that I love about birds is that they change as the seasons do. A few months off yet but it will not be long before the migrations begin and new birds pass through on their way North. But I am afraid that I will not be able to capture all the ones here now before they leave. Hopefully you have seasonal migrations passing near you too!