Black Vultures Wheeling and Dealing in Flight!

The Best?

Which of today’s four featured images do you think is the best? Please leave a comment letting know why you made your choice. (Though I love all of them, I will share my clear favorite with you here fairly soon).

What’s Up?

After the stellar photo session at sunset on Saturday, I fully expected to be sharing some wading bird silhouettes with you here today, but Sunday morning was even more phenomenal. With clear skies and a fairly brisk wind from the east/northeast, conditions were perfect for setting out a road kill cafe. So I did. Be sure to click on each Black Vulture image to better note the sharpness and fine detail in each of the larger, high-res versions. And the flight poses are not bad either!

It was totally cloudy on Sunday afternoon and early evening. With no chance of sunset, I stayed home and watched football. Amazingly, I had enjoyed 15 consecutive decent sunsets going back to Christmas Eve. As usual, I have been quite blessed.

Today is Monday 10 January 2022. The forecast for this morning is for cloudy and still. You know where I will be early. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare including the time spent on the four image optimizations and makes 61 consecutive days with a new one.

Please remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

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Sony Alpha 1 Bodies in Stock at Bedfords/free card offer!

Steve Elkins of Bedfords let me know recently that he had several Sony a1 bodies in stock. If one of them has your name on it, please click here and be sure to enter the BIRDSASART coupon code check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. Right now, in lieu of the 3% credit refunded to the card you used for your purchase, you will receive a Sony 160GB CFexpress Type A TOUGH Memory Card, a $399.99 value!

Brand New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

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Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 9 January 2022 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates. Standing at full height down by the edge of the canal put me just about eye level with the birds on the ground. I used the no-longer-available Induro GIT 304L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). IS 800. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:15:42am on a mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C performed very well. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a higher-res version. Image #1: Black Vulture feet out-stretched for landing

The Road Kill Cafe

Saturday’s road kill cafe consisted of the fresh rabbit that I picked up on Park Drive last Thursday and the carcasses of six small Red Snappers that had been filleted by Mike at Junior’s Fish Store in Lake Wales. After shooting a spot that would yield pleasing backgrounds, First, I set up the tripod down by the canal and mounted my rig on it. As always, I made sure to seat the tripod firmly in the damp soil and then leveled the silver ball of the Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro by centering the bubble in the scribed circle. Then I rotated the lens in the lens barrel to the horizontal click stop with the electronic level activated. That done, the lens could be pointed in any direction and produce square-to-the-world images.

Then I repositioned my SUV so that I could get some work down on the laptop and shoot from the driver’s seat with the 200-600 G lens/a1 rig (if necessary). I was in the process of plugging in my MacBook Pro so that I could start consolidating the 26 SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Notes e-mails into two user-friendly files. I glanced out the window and saw a Turkey Vulture voraciously chowing down on the rabbit. As I risked scaring the bird away, I opened the door very slowly and did the same as I moved down the slope to my tripod-mounted lens.

Then more vultures flew in. And more. And more. The rabbit was devoured in less than five minutes! But with a good supply of fish carcasses, the birds kept coming. At one point, I counted more than 100 vultures on the ground. Two of the locally-nesting birds got in on the action as a Bald Eagle and a Crested Caracara landed at the fray. The action lasted about 45 minutes. There were still a few birds flying in when I left at 8:45am just after it began to cloud up.

This image was created on 9 January 2022 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates. Standing at full height down by the edge of the canal put me just about eye level with the birds on the ground. I used the no-longer-available Induro GIT 304L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). IS) 640. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:21:30am on a mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C performed very well. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a higher-res version. Image #2: Black Vulture turning in flight while being chased

The Cast of Characters

First to dine was a single Turkey Vulture (TV). Most of the early arrivals were TVs. Then the Black Vultures (BVs) began to fly in to feast. Because the birds fly so differently, nearly all of my best images were of BVs. The TVs flap slowly and teeter-totter in flight often circling before landing. And when they do land, they tend to land behind the mass of birds and — being a bit shyer than the BVs, on the slope that leads down to the lake. Thus, their feet and lower bodies are often obscured. The BVs fly much more directly. The ones that approached from the east, from somewhere behind me, would come in and fast and hard and then turn to land into the wind. This gave me lots of chances to create images featuring some really neat wing positions and flight postures. At times, the action was beyond frantic with birds coming in three, four, five, and even six at a time. All in all, it was the best-ever Black Vulture flight photography session. With the results to prove it.

Had there been an east wind forecast for this morning, I would have defrosted the raccoon that has been resting in the freezer for several months …

Note

Image #2 was created from a horizontal original. I executed a 2X3 crop and in the process, added just a bit of blue sky canvas using the Content-Aware Crop Tool.

This image was created on 9 January 2022 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates. Standing at full height down by the edge of the canal put me just about eye level with the birds on the ground. I used the no-longer-available Induro GIT 304L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). IS) 800. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:29:45am on a mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C performed very well. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a higher-res version. Image #3: Black Vulture incoming flight/dorsal view

Sony a1 AF System Learning

Careful regular readers may note that on Sunday, I began experimenting with a different AF Method for flight photography. I was thrilled by what I learned. I will be sharing the how, the what, the why, and the when with the folks in the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Notes group this week via e-mail.

This image was created on 9 January 2022 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates. Standing at full height down by the edge of the canal put me just about eye level with the birds on the ground. I used the no-longer-available Induro GIT 304L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). IS) 800. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:31:51am on a mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C performed very well. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a higher-res version. Image #4: Black Vulture braking to land

Learning About Flight Photography

As you view each flight image, consider the wing position and the flight pose. Note the even lighting. Note the position and the visibility of the vulture’s heads. And note that the feet play an important role in the success of three of today’s four images.

With Image #4, I love the inclusion of the marsh and a bit of the lake in the frame.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. This week, two folks in the group ordered their third a1! I am envious. The group is now up to an astounding 102 lucky and blessed folks. Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. The best news is that all who wish, can request an e-mail that includes a .DAT file with my a1 settings on it, and explicit directions on how to load my settings onto your a1; talk about convenience! (Note: I am now offering updated .DAT files).

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates group after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info & Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.