Especially on a full zoom. This was my first day birding with my new camera. All in all I am happy with some of the shots, but they will soon get even better. I learned so much today. One of the main factors for me today was focusing on birds through dence branches and/or folliage. The auto-focus is rendered useless because the camera has no clue what you're trying to photograph. You may luck out from time to time, but that's it. The next issue pertained to focusing manually. At first I thought I was focusing well, but was just off. My eye soon became more critical and aware of detail, was a great feeling. Photographing birds and wildlife is very meditative. You must try and travel quietly and become part of the landscape. You must tune in your senses to be most successful. On a calm day I often walk looking at the ground in front of me, trying to crack as few twigs as possible, glancing up ahead now and then. Meanwhile I am most focused on the slightest of sounds that my ear may pick up. I often hear birds and then stealthily seek them out. My fondest memory of hearing, then spotting happened resently. I heard the absolute faintest of peeps, only to see a Brown Creeper. Had I not heard it I probably would not have seen it, too small, camouflaged ect. Who knows I may never see a Brown Creeper again.? Hearing not just calls, you can hear birds flying and foraging. The best method is to move quietly and pause every so often to listen intently. If you notice, animals always move through the forrest this way as to best sense any luming dangers. When I pause and listen I also look at the area 360 degrees around me slowly. If you are to spot an American Woodcock other than just watching it fly away because you almost stepped on it, you need to take your time. When looking for things that are not moving it is best to not focus on smaller things. Like a camera you can focus your eyes to a certain depth of field where you may notice things. You may notice patterns, shapes, lines, colours and/or light reflections that don't quite belong; turning out to be an animal. Remember that your senses can take in way more information than your brain can process, give it time. Aswell the concious mind can only process a minut amount of the information coming in. When preparing to take a shot one must balance themselves, relax, breath deeply and slowly while searching with the eyes, and brains interpretation of the events, for the perfect moment of capture. Or you can just run around frantically pressing click!!! lol
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Gilded Flicker
Too bad I couldn't get closer to this Gilded Flicker for a better photo, maybe next time. He was over 100 meters from me, maybe just out of the reach of my 70-300mm. I only got one picture, then he flew away. Man I love my new lense. It might have helped, aswell, if I realized I didn't have the Vibration Reduction on, hehe.
Especially on a full zoom. This was my first day birding with my new camera. All in all I am happy with some of the shots, but they will soon get even better. I learned so much today. One of the main factors for me today was focusing on birds through dence branches and/or folliage. The auto-focus is rendered useless because the camera has no clue what you're trying to photograph. You may luck out from time to time, but that's it. The next issue pertained to focusing manually. At first I thought I was focusing well, but was just off. My eye soon became more critical and aware of detail, was a great feeling. Photographing birds and wildlife is very meditative. You must try and travel quietly and become part of the landscape. You must tune in your senses to be most successful. On a calm day I often walk looking at the ground in front of me, trying to crack as few twigs as possible, glancing up ahead now and then. Meanwhile I am most focused on the slightest of sounds that my ear may pick up. I often hear birds and then stealthily seek them out. My fondest memory of hearing, then spotting happened resently. I heard the absolute faintest of peeps, only to see a Brown Creeper. Had I not heard it I probably would not have seen it, too small, camouflaged ect. Who knows I may never see a Brown Creeper again.? Hearing not just calls, you can hear birds flying and foraging. The best method is to move quietly and pause every so often to listen intently. If you notice, animals always move through the forrest this way as to best sense any luming dangers. When I pause and listen I also look at the area 360 degrees around me slowly. If you are to spot an American Woodcock other than just watching it fly away because you almost stepped on it, you need to take your time. When looking for things that are not moving it is best to not focus on smaller things. Like a camera you can focus your eyes to a certain depth of field where you may notice things. You may notice patterns, shapes, lines, colours and/or light reflections that don't quite belong; turning out to be an animal. Remember that your senses can take in way more information than your brain can process, give it time. Aswell the concious mind can only process a minut amount of the information coming in. When preparing to take a shot one must balance themselves, relax, breath deeply and slowly while searching with the eyes, and brains interpretation of the events, for the perfect moment of capture. Or you can just run around frantically pressing click!!! lol
Especially on a full zoom. This was my first day birding with my new camera. All in all I am happy with some of the shots, but they will soon get even better. I learned so much today. One of the main factors for me today was focusing on birds through dence branches and/or folliage. The auto-focus is rendered useless because the camera has no clue what you're trying to photograph. You may luck out from time to time, but that's it. The next issue pertained to focusing manually. At first I thought I was focusing well, but was just off. My eye soon became more critical and aware of detail, was a great feeling. Photographing birds and wildlife is very meditative. You must try and travel quietly and become part of the landscape. You must tune in your senses to be most successful. On a calm day I often walk looking at the ground in front of me, trying to crack as few twigs as possible, glancing up ahead now and then. Meanwhile I am most focused on the slightest of sounds that my ear may pick up. I often hear birds and then stealthily seek them out. My fondest memory of hearing, then spotting happened resently. I heard the absolute faintest of peeps, only to see a Brown Creeper. Had I not heard it I probably would not have seen it, too small, camouflaged ect. Who knows I may never see a Brown Creeper again.? Hearing not just calls, you can hear birds flying and foraging. The best method is to move quietly and pause every so often to listen intently. If you notice, animals always move through the forrest this way as to best sense any luming dangers. When I pause and listen I also look at the area 360 degrees around me slowly. If you are to spot an American Woodcock other than just watching it fly away because you almost stepped on it, you need to take your time. When looking for things that are not moving it is best to not focus on smaller things. Like a camera you can focus your eyes to a certain depth of field where you may notice things. You may notice patterns, shapes, lines, colours and/or light reflections that don't quite belong; turning out to be an animal. Remember that your senses can take in way more information than your brain can process, give it time. Aswell the concious mind can only process a minut amount of the information coming in. When preparing to take a shot one must balance themselves, relax, breath deeply and slowly while searching with the eyes, and brains interpretation of the events, for the perfect moment of capture. Or you can just run around frantically pressing click!!! lol
A What Flicker?
This is interesting!! This is a Flicker, but if you look in your bird book you won't find any pictures of this guy!! There are two forms of Northern Flicker, the Red-shafted Flicker and the Yellow-shafted Flicker. The Yellow-shafted Flicker has a red cresent on it's crown, while the male Red-shafted Flicker has a red moustache. Because there is a lot of hybridization the two species are lumped together and called the Northern Flicker. This is obviously a male who has got the best of both worlds. Cool eh!! I wonder if he's proud of his double red spots, or if the female Flickers think he's the Brad Pitt of Flickers, lol.
Black-capped Chickadee
Hmmmm....Gee....I wonder if these chickadee's have been hand fed. Ummm, ya. They followed me around all day, mobbing me, lol. Tsts-psh-psh-psh!!! One even landed on my lense as I was shooting, lol. I had no food and they followed me around for several hours, while they should have been foraging. This is one of the reasons you shouldn't hand feed the birds!
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
American Dipper
Shot in low light conditions from about 60' with new telephoto zoom lense, not too bad concidering. These little guys use their wings like penguins to fly under water. They eat aquatic insects/larvae, minnows and stuff. I suppose in the middle of winter they are eating crustaceans.? They can dive 6 meters and even walk on the bottom while foraging!!
I can see a slight brown hue to most of the head, in several shots, on more than one bird. Can't find any mention of it in the detailed bird book desciptions. Hmm, it should be noted.
It's head is fully submersed, between two rocks, probably gleaning.
How's my camouflauge while I forage? Lol, play spot the dipper.
This is the cave where I'm sure they are nesting. There is a better prospective shot further down the blog. I could hear them loud and clear, over the rumble of the falls. Long warbles, buzzes and trills.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Feeding the Deer
Nice rack Mr. Mule deer! Let me know where you're gonna drop them. hehe
Hey little buddy.
Want some oats?
Gotta share now, lots to go around. lol I wanna pet 'em.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Chickadee Haven
Boreal Chickadee. The only Chickadee with a brown cap. Mixed amongst the Black-capped Chickadees. At first I thought it was a Grey-capped Chickadee who had come down from the arctic and I had made a discovery. Oh well, I'll have to wait to make my grand entrance into the "scientific community", lol.
Mountain Chickadee. Rare bird, easily identified by it's white eyebrow. Mixed amongst the Black-capped Chickadees. Looks a lot like a Red-breasted Nuthatch, but notice the black bibb. Man I would love a job doing this, hehe. Probably could if I worked hard enough. That whole "work" thing again, damnit! lol
Splitting a seed held between it's feet. Soon to be photographed: Black-capped Chickadee, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and I'll swing by the arctic and snap a shot of the Grey-capped Chickadee, haha.
Ronin
Ronins first ride in the back of a truck. I think he liked it. They like all the smells that pass by. Once that became old news he curled up in the corner, comfy husky.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The Neighbour's birdfeeders at lunch, lots of action.
Male Redpoll up top and, I think, a male Cassin's Finch below. It could be a male Purple Finch, need help on this one.
White-throated Sparrow
Looks like a Hoary Redpoll to me! That's cool they're rare, the odd one sneaks around following the Common Redpolls. Not many overwinter.
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