Nickerson Referendum/Nikon Does Not Suck.../Neither Does Mr. Dave
The Streak Continues: 266
This blog was published just before 3:30am from my Mom’s home at Holbrook, Long Island, NY. I am meeting two clients at 5:55am at my old stomping grounds, the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, NY. I will be teaching them the shorebird ropes of the East Pond. It took me about 4 1/2 hours over the course of 3 days to assemble this post which makes 266 consecutive days with a brand new effort. I am in NY for a week of visiting my elderly (gonna be 92 soon) Mom, my younger sister Arna, my younger daughter Alissa and her wonderful family, and doing some late summer bird photography.
As always, I would appreciate your using the BIRDS AS ART B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases, using our Amazon logo-link for all of your household purchases, and visiting the BAA Online Store for your tripod, tripod head, LensCoat, miscellaneous, accessories, and eGuide purchases as well.
JBWR and Nickerson Beach Short-Notice In-the-field Workshop Morning Sessions
Scroll down for info on both.
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Sales for the first half of August, 2014 via our BIRDS AS ART B&H affiliate links have been microscopically abysmal at best. If you need to purchase some new camera gear, please remember to use either our B&H logo link below or one of the product-specific links in the blog or the Bulletins. All should feel free to write me via e-mail
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This image was created by participant Dave Klein on the mid-July Nickerson Beach IPT that I co-led with Denise Ippolito. Dave used the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR lens (Black) (hand held at 500mm/digital zoom 1.5X = 750mm) and the Nikon D7100 DSLR . ISO 800. Matrix metering +2/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f8 in Av mode. AWB.
Black Skimmer in flight. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014 Dave Klein
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Nickerson Referendum
Today I present 7 images created by Dave Klein. Mr. Dave created all of them on the July Nickerson Beach IPT that I co-led with Denise Ippolito. I ask each of you to list your three favorites and rate them in order with 3 being the strongest image, 2 your second favorite, and 1 the next strongest. Feel free to let us know why you made your choices. Place the strongest image at the top of your list, and so on down the line. Tips: click on each image to see a larger version; cut and paste the titles of your three favorites.
Like this:
3: American Oystercatcher over-the-shoulder glance
2: Adult Common Tern fishing in the surf
1: Piping Plover running
Remember, the strongest images gets the 3 points and should be placed at the top of the list. Please do not let the list above influence your choices as they were selected arbitrarily.
At some point I will share the results of the referendum :), rank all seven images, and share my thoughts with you here.
Again, all of these images were created by Dave Klein. The inevitable comments praising me for my great photographs will be deleted. 🙂 Yeah, you gotta actually read what I write….
Nikon Does Not Suck…
As regular readers know, it ain’t the lens and it ain’t the camera body. “It” is the heart, soul, determination, creative vision, and skill of the guy or gal holding the lens. Many folks incorrectly assume that I have a problem with folks who use Nikon gear. Nothing could be further from the truth. Two of my very best friends, Todd Gustafson and James Shadle, have been using Nikon for as long as they have been photographing. And both are amazingly skilled at capturing images depicting dramatic behaviors and frantic action. About 20-30% of the folks who attend IPTs use Nikon Gear. Denise knows a lot more about the camera bodies than I do but that may change in the future. I am working with B&H on a plan that would put some of the best Nikon lenses and camera bodies in my hand for my nearly 3-week stay at Bosque: mid November through the first week of December. We shall see how it goes. And if it does you will be seeing some of my Nikon images here. Along with my thoughts on the system.
As you can see in this blog post, Nikon gear does not suck, and neither does Dave Klein….
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This image was also created by Dave Klein on the mid-July Nickerson Beach IPT, this one with the
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (hand held at 400mm/digital zoom 1.5X = 600mm) and the Nikon D600 (now replaced by the Nikon D610 ).
ISO 640. Matrix metering +2/3 stop: 1/80 sec. at f/10 in Av mode. AWB.
American Oystercatcher over-the-shoulder glance. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014 Dave Klein
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An E-mail From Dave
Hi Artie,
I am following up with you with some images from Nickerson and my contact information for the prizes won from the international photo contest, I hope this e-mail finds you well with minimal issues with your shoulder or any other joints for that matter 🙂 I wish I were able to turn around again and head to New York for the JBWR and Nickerson IPTs but work and my boys’ schedules call. That said I want to thank you again for the time spent with you and Denise, particularly the first night I arrived and you guys graciously took me to dinner. When I first learned of you in the 1990’s through your books I never thought I would be fortunate enough to sit at a table and dine with you on Long Island. I have heard it said that when the student is ready the teacher will appear. As always, I hope to find time again to work with you and learn from you. I will look for such an opportunity when circumstances allow. Included is my best skimmer copulation image. Be well and safe travels. Best. Dave
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Like all of the images in this blog post, this one was also created by Dave Klein on the mid-July Nickerson Beach IPT, this one also with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (hand held at 400mm/digital zoom 1.5X = 600mm) and the Nikon D600 (now replaced by the Nikon D610 ).
ISO 500. Matrix metering -1 stop: 1/4000 sec. at f/6.3 in Av mode. AWB.
Least Tern double overhead landing wingstretch. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014 Dave Klein
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Hand Holding Can Save the Day
I was mounting my 600 II on the tripod when this bird landed in right front of the group. Both Dave and denise who were hand holding and nailed it. You snooze, you lose. Hand holding is great for flight and action….
Getting Lucky
I photographed this same bird; that image was featured in the “Three Tern Species/Three Fledged Young” blog post here. We were photographing an adult Least Tern on sitting on one egg when this bird walked right up to us. It is very possible that it was a bird from an earlier clutch with the same parents….
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This image was also created by Dave Klein on the mid-July Nickerson Beach IPT, this one with the
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (hand held at 400mm/digital zoom 1.5X = 600mm) and the Nikon D600 (now replaced by the Nikon D610 ).
ISO 1000. Matrix metering +1/3 stop: 1/1600 sec. at f/8 in Av mode. AWB.
Adult Common Tern fishing in the surf. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014 Dave Klein
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Surf Fishing
Dave saw and created this wonderful habitat shot at Jones Beach. I made a few similar images but none were as successful as this one. The terns from Nickerson were fishing right in the wash. From Jones Beach back to Nickerson was probably about 2 1/2 miles as the crow flies. (Glad that I caught that typo: “about 2 1/2 miles as the cow flies.”)
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More by Dave from Nickerson, this one created with the tripod-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR lens (500mm full frame) with the Nikon D600 (now replaced by the Nikon D610).
ISO 400. Matrix metering -1 stop: 1/2000 sec. at f/9 in Av mode. AWB.
Black Skimmers copulating. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014 Dave Klein
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Kill Me Dave Why Don’tcha?
It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon with a nice south wind. (Southwest or west would have been better.) Dave was seated about 40 yards to my right doing flight. I saw the female skimmer sitting on the clean white sand and when the male landed behind her with a freshly caught needle fish I knew exactly what was going to happen. As I picked up my tripod–I need to get to sun angle and I would not photograph them from behind, the male fed its mate. Within seconds he mounted her and they copulated. I ran as fast as I could and got there just as they finished….
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For me, the coolest thing about learning to identify shorebirds is that once you learn the basics it is actually easier to age a shorebird, that is, to tell if it an adult or a juvenile, than it is to identify it as to species. And with a bit of experience, study, and practice, identifying the common North American migrant shorebirds is nowhere as difficult as it is reputed to be. Advice: get yourself a copy of my Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers, study, and get out to local ponds, estuaries, beaches, and mudflats as much as possible for the next month. Mid-August through early September is the best time of year to see both adult and fresh juvenile shorebirds together on migration. Better yet, join me at JBWR for two great mornings of shorebird photography while honing your identification and ageing skills and learning a ton about my favorite bird family. See below for details.
For the correct ageing and ID of each of the birds in the composite above, see the comments here.
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JBWR Short-Notice Shorebird Photography and ID In-the-Field Morning Workshop Session
Sunday August 24: sunrise till 10am followed by brunch and image review at a local diner: $299. Limit 6/Openings 4.
Join me at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, NY this coming Sunday a morning of shorebird photography in the mud. You will learn to age and identify the common shorebirds that we will encounter. You will learn the best times, tides, and locations to visit for the very best shorebird photography on the east coast and why only a very few days each year offer the best chances for success. I will teach you how to get close; we will either be sitting in or lying on the hard mud. This morning session offers you a chance to learn from someone who has spent more time studying and photographing the shorebirds of JBWR than anyone alive. Join me and you are invited to pick my brain; as is usual, I will share everything that I know. Some folks may wish to join me for a JBWR/Nickerson Beach double header. See below for Nickerson Beach details.
If you would like to join us on Sunday, please call my cell at 863-221-2372 and leave a message if I do not pick up. In addition please shoot me an e-mail. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot us a scanned copy via e-mail or bring a hard copy with you.
Nickerson Beach Short-notice Weekday Beach-nesting Birds In-the-Field Workshop Morning Sessions
Please note the new schedule: Tuesday & Wednesday mornings, AUG 26 or 27; $299 with lunch and image review.
Join me on Long Island, NY soon to photograph Black Skimmers with chicks and young of all sizes and American Oystercatchers with grown young. The skimmers will be the stars of the show. Mid- to late August is prime time for photographing young skimmers. Parking in the morning is free.
If you would like to join me on Tuesday or Wednesday morning please call my cell at 863-221-2372 and leave a message if I do not pick up. In addition please shoot me an e-mail. Or, you can Jim on Monday or Tuesday in which case payment in full is due when you register and is non-refundable. Otherwise it will be cash on the barrelhead at the beach. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot us a scanned copy via e-mail or bring a hard copy with you.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me via e-mail or by phone this weekend at 863-221-2372 and leave a message.
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Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂
3: American Oystercatcher over-the-shoulder glance
2: Adult Common Tern fishing in the surf
1: Least Tern double overhead landing wingstretch
I like the over-the-shoulder glance, the legs look like (a wrinkly version of:) a supermodel walking away then coyly posing. I like the contrast/pop in the fishing tern shot. Great photos Dave, thanks for allowing Artie to share with us.
Fantastic shots Dave!
I like the 3. Tern Fishing in the Surf best
then 2. matting skimmers
then 1. oystercatcher over the shoulder.
keep up the great work.
Hi Dave, Great job with all of them!! Too hard to pic a fave 🙂
3. Black skimmers copulating.
2. American oystercatcher over the shoulder
1. Fresh juv plumage least tern.
3:Black Skimmers copulating
2:Black Skimmer in flight
1:American Oystercatcher Over-The-Shoulder
I picked Black Skimmers copulating because it was a perfectly timed shot and Dave was in the perfect position.
#3 American Oystercatcher Over-The-Shoulder
#2 Black Skimmers Copulating
#1 Adult Common Tern Fishing In The Surf
3: Black Skimmer in flight
2: Adult Common Tern fishing in the surf
1: Black Skimmers copulating
Congratulations on your stunning images, Dave. My picks reflect a preference for action.