Back to the same nature place as before. Multiple trips all in a row, keep giving me opportunities for great photography. Other places I’ve gone have been to have had more space, but less actual wildlife. I also imagine the fact that this place is very human active acclimates the wildlife to humans. Allowing me to be closer without disturbing them. Still, big long lens to keep my distance.
I also would mention, as I look over my Amazon order history. One of the biggest problems I was facing was the fact that pretty much every time I moved, I had to take the lens off the tripod and tighten the mount plate. I eventually ordered different ones, trying a few different kinds before I would discover one with a lip. Which the lip securely holds the mount plate against the mounting bracket from the lens. So it doesn’t twist and turn and come loose when you’re moving around. Learn from my mistakes.
The first little guy that caught my eye was this Carolina Wren. Who would hop up to the tops of branches and proudly sing from there. The shots that came out from this day are just fantastic.
Canon 7D w/Tamron 150-600mm @400 - 1/640 - F8 - ISO 1000
I’ll also mention I’m not entirely sure if this bird looks ragged because it’s molting feathers, or if it’s older and just looks weary with age. I’d like to hope the first one, but just because that makes for a more pleasant thought doesn’t make it accurate. The molting I’ve noticed before doesn’t have big patches of missing feathers.
Canon 7D w/Tamron 150-600mm @600 - 1/800 Sec - F8 - ISO 1600
Canon 7D w/Tamron 150-600mm @600 - 1/1000 Sec - F8 - ISO 1250
Just so good. Finally what I wanted was coming together. I wasn’t going too far on the zoom length so the images were getting a bit sharper. And I physically was getting better with practice between what my eye sees and being able to get the camera pointed there quickly. I’ve read a lot about people who do this type of photography keeping both eyes open when they look through the viewfinder. I can’t do that. It fucks up my vision and gives me a headache. But I’ve always had extra sensitive eyes unfortunately, just now typing this they’re starting to water as I imagine anything to do with an eyeball.
Phew, done. Anyway.
Next I would spot would be this little flash of orange on a bird. Orange is one of my favorite colors so that’s an excitement. The Eastern Towhee would be the next subject I photograph.
Canon 7D w/Tamron 150-600mm @500 - 1/800 - F8 - ISO 1000
And amazingly, like in the last post I would manage to capture a split second where the third eyelid would be in view.
Canon 7D w/Tamron 150-600mm @450 - 1/800 Sec - F8 - ISO 2000
The next few I would photograph would be regulars I had seen. But nonetheless much better images than I had gotten before.
Canon 7D w/Tamron 150-600mm @375 - 1/500 Sec - F8 - ISO 1000
Canon 7D w/Tamron 150-600mm @483 - 1/800 Sec - F8 - ISO 1250
Canon 7D w/Tamron 150-600mm @483 - 1/640 - F8 - ISO 2000
Canon 7D w/Tamron 150-600mm @483 - 1/400 Sec - F6.3 - ISO 800
Before I left that morning I had two more strokes of luck. Both with new birds for me to photograph. The first would be the Common Yellowthroat. Not so common to me, as this was the first time I had spotted one before. I managed to get two shots of them before moving on.
Canon 7D w/Tamron 150-600mm @483 - 1/640 Sec - F8 - ISO 1250
Canon 7D w/Tamron 150-600mm @428 - 1/640 Sec - F8 - ISO 1600
The last image came early on in the day, but as usual I do like to save the one I’ll talk about the most for last. When I arrived at this location, by car this trip, I went on a different path than I had been going to get to the walking trails. I found a little spot where I could stand in the shade of a tree, looking out towards some low wooded area in front. Being able to see over the top towards the branches that would stick up out of this place. I stood there a while taking pictures, the first few images of this post came from that spot. Being high enough to see over the tops of the branches and small trees.
But what happened next came by so quickly I almost missed it. I had turned around to look back towards the buildings and parking lot and see if there were any birds on the lampposts and other tall things behind me. Flying right in past me to land on the branches of trees I was now facing away from was the fastest bird I had seen. Tiny little thing.
Canon 7D w/Tamron 150-600mm @428 - 1/640 Sec - F8 - ISO 1250
The Ruby Throated-Hummingbird.
And I only just managed to get a halfway decent picture of one before it took off. Not a great picture mind you, it was in the dark shade with the sun behind it. But I was thrilled. The luck that I would be standing there, at that moment when a hummingbird would fly right past me. And land too! I had seen hummingbirds before, we had a feeder growing up and my dad has one currently. But I had only seen them flying up to flowers and flying off. Never seen one sitting before.
I remember after it flew off I pulled up the picture on the DSLR and took another picture of it with my phone to immediately send to my family. I was ecstatic.