Understanding the Ever-changing Qualities of Light. And Working What Used to Be a Very Rare Gull

Your Favorite Image?

All are invited to leave a comment letting us know which of today’s seven featured images is their favorite. Please do not choose #2 as it is intended for comparative ID purpose only. And please let us know why you made your choice.

Canon 100-400mm EF f/4.5-5.6L IS II Zoom Lens

Multiple IPT veteran Geri Georg is offering a Canon 100-400mm EF f/4.5-5.6L IS II zoom lens in excellent-plus to near-mint condition for a very low $1399.00 The sale includes the original box, the front and rear lens caps, the carrying case with strap, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-40 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Geri via e-mail or by phone at 1-970-219-4493 (Mountain time zone).

This incredibly versatile zoom lens — with its amazing .98 meter close focus — was my favorite Canon telephoto zoom lens ever. By far. It is easy to hand hold, great for tight portraits, for birds in flight, for quasi-macro stuff, and lots more. For flight, it is fabulous with an EOS R, R5, R6, or R7! This lens sells new for $2399.00 so you can save a handsome $1000.00 by grabbing Geri’s lens right now. artie

What’s Up?

Saturday began with quite a bit of cloud cover. There was some lovely color right on the horizon that resulted in some pink reflections on the wash* and the wet sand. I tried some blurs. Once it clouded over completely, I photographed some young Black-backed Gulls standing on the beach at the edge of the Atlantic. Then I ran into student/friend Muhammad Arif and his Mom on the beach. He told me that there was an un-banded juvenile Piping Plover foraging just inside the first jetty. It was a long walk, but I was well rewarded. Photos soon. On the long walk back to the car I tried to make some nice images of the adult Great Black-backed Gulls up on the berm but did not do too well. Nonetheless, it was a great morning, in part because it was so different from what you might expect at Nickerson Beach.

Wash, swash, or forewash, in geography: a turbulent layer of water that washes up on the beach after an incoming wave has broken.*

With a southeast wind and blue skies at Nickerson in the afternoon, I sat on the sand well back from the colony ropes and shot the midair skimmer fights. I have high hopes for a few that I saw while peeking at a few with Playback. I ran down to the western colony for what was a spectacular sunset but might have arrived just a bit too late.

Today is Sunday 21 August. The forecast for Lido Beach is for cloudy with a SE breeze. Not great, not terrible. I will be heading back to Nickerson to see what’s around and maybe find something different. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about two hours to prepare (including the time spent on the seven new image optimizations) and makes one hundred fifty days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

Time is Running Out

Many folks are scheduled to join me at either Nickerson or JBWR in the next two weeks for an In-the-Field session or two. The first window for doing shorebirds at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge has closed. The second window is from 24-26 August. I have a private client on the 26th. See the additional details below. Muhammad Arif enjoyed three In-the-Field sessions and made lots of great images with his R5. I hope to share some of them with you here soon. Carlotta Grenier came for her third session recently and Sanjeev Nagrath learned a ton during his three Nickerson Beach sessions. Sandy Brown will be flying in from Seattle for an afternoon at Nickerson and a morning at JBWR this coming week. I head south to catch the Auto train on 31 August.

Clockwise from the upper left corner back around to the center: Wilson’s Phalarope, JBWR; just fledged Common Tern, Nickerson; Black Skimmer, adult skimming, Nickerson; Black Skimmer killing tiny skimmer chick, Nickerson; American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise, Nickerson; Common Tern chick swallowing baby bluefish, Nickerson; Short-billed Dowitcher, juvenile, double overhead wing stretch, JBWR; Black Skimmers, predawn flock blur, Nickerson; Black Skimmer, 10-day old chick, Nickerson. Click on the card to view a larger version. Nickerson Beach/East Pond JBWR composite

Nickerson Beach/East Pond at Jamaica Bay (JBWR) In-the Field Workshops

Both Nickerson Beach and the East Pond at JBWR offer some of the best midsummer bird photography on the planet. Hundreds of pairs or Black Skimmers and Common Terns along with dozens of pairs of American Oystercatchers breed at Nickerson each season so there are lots of chicks of all sizes and handsome fledged young birds to photograph. Provided that the water levels are low, hundreds of young shorebirds in their handsome fresh juvenile plumages stop by the pond each August on their way south.

Nickerson often reveals nature at it rawest, most basic level. Most days we get to photograph all sorts of dramatic behaviors ranging from skimmers and terns fishing and feeding (and tending) their young. There are often chances to shoot a variety of predatory encounters — gulls eating large skimmer chicks, skimmers attacking (and sometimes killing) skimmer babies, and Peregrine Falcons hunting. And rarely, if we are lucky, Peregrine Falcons catching! Consider joining me to learn a ton both about bird photography and the birds.

I head south on 31 August and should be back home on 1 September (barring anything unforeseen). I am offering In-the-Field sessions at both Nickerson Beach and the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. If you are interested, please get in touch via e-mail or text me at 863-221-2372.

Whether you are a local or would like to fly in for several days of instruction — a sort of private, or small group. — at worst, IPT, LMK via e-mail so that we can work on a schedule that could possibly include both Nickerson and Jamaica Bay.

Instagram

Follow me on Instagram here. I am trying to feature both new and old images, especially images that have not appeared recently on the blog. Or search for birds_as_art.

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

Send a PayPal for $62.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net or call Jim at 863-692-0906 and put $62.00 on your credit card. Pick one of your best images and upload the raw file using a large file sending service like Hightail or DropBox and then send me the link via e-mail. I will download and save your raw file, evaluate the exposure and sharpness, and optimize the image as if it were my own after converting the raw file in Adobe Camera Raw. Best of all, I will make a screen recording of the entire process and send you a link to the video to download, save and study.

Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

Amazingly, we have two, brand-new-in-the-box Induro GIT 304L tripods in stock. They are $699.00 each (were $799.00) and the price now includes the insured ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906. Order yours here while they last.

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

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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 18 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. While standing, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 563mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 4000 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:06:54am on a sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Lesser Black-backed Gull in relatively cold light

Wind-Against-Sun Birds on the Ground

With the sun a bit north of east and coming over your shoulder and the wind blowing in your face from the west/southwest, most birds will be facing away from you mosts of the time. Foraging birds may occasionally turn toward you so that they are square to the sensor. Then you just need to check that the head is not turned away from you. Note that the bird in image #1 is angled a bit away from me and the plane of the sensor. The trick then is to wait for the look-back head turn. When this bird obliged, I pressed the shutter button.

Note the quality of the light at nine in the morning and compare it with the quality of light in Images # 4, 5, and 6, those all made before seven am on a sunny morning. What differences are you seeing?

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull is slimmer and smaller than its larger and more robust cousin, Great Black-backed Gull. Adults like this bird have yellow legs. The long wings protruding well beyond the tail give it is slimmer, elongated look. Five decades ago, lesser was extremely rare anywhere in North America but it can now be found regularly in many locations in eastern North America. There are dozens to hundreds of Great Black-backed Gulls on the beach at Nickerson for most of the year. Lessers are uncommon but fairly regular. On rare occasion, I’ve seen multiple lessers on the beach at once.

This image was created on 20 August 2022 at at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. While standing, I used the no-longer available except from BIRDS AS ART, Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 640: 1/800 sec. at f/7.1. AWB at 8:28:55am on a partly sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Image #2: Great Black-backed Gull worn adult

Great Black-backed Gull

Image #2 is presented for comparative identification purposes. Note that great black-backeds are large, stocky gulls that dwarf their smaller cousins, the lesser black-backeds. In the northeastern US, they are the second most common large gull species aside from Herring Gull. Note the flesh-colored legs and that the wings protrude just a bit beyond the end of the tail.

This image was created on 18 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. While standing, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 4000 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:08:47am on a sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Lesser Black-backed Gull flying away in relatively cold light

Wind-Against-Sun Flight

With the sun a bit north of east and the wind blowing in your face from the west/southwest, most birds will be flying away from you into the wind. Sometimes, it pays to push the shutter button. Or not? I like this one.

This image was created on 19 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. While seated on damp sand, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm)) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Dial. Shutter Priority + 1.3-stops. Auto ISO set ISO 500. 1/500 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open). AWB at 6:24:23am just after sunrise. RawDigger showed the exposure to be dead-solid perfect. Tracking: Spot S — AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #4: Lesser Black-backed Gull backlit at sunrise

Backlight at Sunrise

I have been working hard on the backlit at sunrise images at Nickerson. I stumbled upon a great one in 2014, but never followed up on the concept. This year, I have been hammering it on every clear or mostly sunny sunrise. My recent successes were published in the Sleep-deprived at Nickerson Beach for Good Reason blog post here. And another was featured yesterday’s miracle-card-came-back post.

The more I try for them, the more I learn. Want to learn what I know? Join me for an In-the-Field Session at Nickerson on a clear morning when I am not at JBWR.

This image was created on 19 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. While standing, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800 second. 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual mode. AWB at 6:36:58am on a sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #5: Lesser Black-backed Gull drinking in surf

Going for Behavior: Drinking

After I make the desired portrait image, I strive to create some decent images of various behaviors. Here, the bird has taken a sip of salt water. The salt is extruded through the nares, the nasal opening in the bill.

This image was created on 19 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. While standing, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800 second. 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual mode. AWB at 6:40:22am on a sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be 1/3-stop under. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #6: Lesser Black-backed Gull hunting sand crabs

Going for Behavior: Foraging

Here, the gull is hunting for the same sand crabs that the terns cherish. Whenever the bird caught a crab — they were usually successful when the rushed out to the base of a wave, they turned away from me into the wind. Bummer.

This image was created on 19 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. While standing, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800 second. 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual mode. AWB at 6:44:17am on a sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be 1/3-stop under. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #7: Lesser Black-backed Gull posing

The Sweetest Background and the Most Elegant Pose?

The square-to-the-sensor subject, the perfect head angle, the sweet light, the raised foot, the tiny bit of seaweed on one leg, and the still blue water combine to make this one special. Is it the best of the lot?

Typos

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