Are You Mocking Me, Gambini? Northern Mockingbird Three Ways. And Finding the Long Lost Brother I Never Had

Mr. Gambini, Are You Mocking Me With That Outfit?

My all-time favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption. Tied for second are Forrest Gump and My Cousin Vinny. What are you three all-time favorite movies?

What’s Up?

As the pool pump continues to die, I have been swimming my daily quarter mile in 70 to 74°F water. I get out shuddering but both my left knee and my right shoulder have been doing great, and the cold thermogenesis does wonders for my blood sugar.

I am happy to report that there is only one slot left on the San Diego IPT and that both Homer IPTs are sold out. Hooray. Anita North is flying home from Nairobi after spending four months photographing all over Africa.

Today is Sunday 8 December 2024. Bob Eastman and I will be heading down to the lake again before sunrise. Whatever you choose to do, we hope that like us, you choose to be happy and have fun.

Please remember to use the B&H 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!

If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Supporting My Efforts Here

If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.

If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.

In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.

It’s Safe to go in the Water Now

Sony a-1 Firmware Update Update

Last spring, Sony announced firmware update v2.00 for the a-1, its flagship camera body. In short order the firmware story became an embarrassing fiasco. Over time, they announced v2.01 that caused terrible problems when the camera was used with the hugely popular 200-600 G lens. After some time, they released v2.02. About six weeks ago, with some trepidation, I purchased a used a-1 and updated it to v.2.01, and then to 2.02. I am happy to report that it is now possible to go back into the water.

The last update, v2.02, offers some great stuff for bird photographers.

v.2.02 Benefits

Battery life with 2.02 is fine. There are no issues with the 200-600 G lens. Bird Face-Eye AF is significantly improved. Wide AF with Bid Face-Eye tracking has improved drastically. Formatting a card takes about two seconds as compared to 10 seconds or more with previous firmware versions. But the very best news is a brand new feature called Focus Recall. Huge thanks to Arash Hazeghi for pointing it out to me as we worked on an update to the Sony a-1 (a9 iii) flight guide. I took what he taught me about programming Preset Focus/Zoom to a single button for flight photography and turned it into what will surely turn out to be a huge game-changer for general bird photography.

I call it “double button focus recall.” I programmed two easy-to-reach (previously unassigned) buttons to PRESET Focus Distance. I can then register a close focusing distance to one button and a far focusing distance to the other. A tap of either button instantly brings me to either as needed.

I will be working on a new e-mail to my Sony a-1 Group today or tomorrow detailing a fabulous menu find by Bob Eastman that makes switching from Manual mode with ISO on the Thumb Dial to Shutter Priority with AUTO ISO and Exposure compensation on the Thumb Dial much easier than it had been previously.

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I created this image 30 November 2024 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Standing at full height near the base of the small hill just north of the parking lot by the pier, I used the 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 via Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation (EC) on the thumb dial. Shutter Priority +1.3 stops. AUTO ISO set ISO 1600: 1/1250 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open). AWB at 5:33:49pm on a clear afternoon with just a hint of haze in the low western sky. Tracking: Expand Spot S/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Bob Eastman with his trusty Sony 200-600mm G Lens Image by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

The Long Lost Brother I Never Had

Bob and I are out before sunrise pretty much every day and we both love staying till after sunset.

Bob drove down from Wisconsin for a visit. We have gotten along so well that not only is he extending his stay, he is joining me in San Diego for the whole trip. Actually, it is likely that we get along better than most brothers. Since Bob arrived on 25 October, we have been in the field early every morning. Sunday morning will be 44 straight crack-of-dawn photo sessions. We have probably taken five or six afternoons off. Zero arguments. Zero disagreements. Zero unpleasant comments. Nothing but appreciating life, friendly banter, and lots of laughing. That despite the fact that twice I have attempted to seriously injure my friend Mr. Eastman.

A few days ago, I was driving a bit too fast on the South Field and hit a pretty deep depression. As Bob has a plate with eight screws in his neck and three rods in his lower back, this was not a blessing. Having failed to finish him off going forward, I tried something new going in reverse. But first, a bit of a backstory. My $80,000 BMW X5 SUV has lots of bells and whistles. When I pull out of my garage, lots of red lights and a warning siren are constantly firing despite the fact that I am dead-centered and in no danger of hitting anything. At times, the brakes engage and keep me from backing up. Even worse, there are time when I am backing up in some 8-inch high grasses that the warning siren goes off and the brakes lock. I need to pull forward to escape.

This morning — me driving, I was backing up on the South Field along the edge of the south canal with the car pointed north, trying for a ridiculous long shot of a pair of cranes across the canal. I backed into a very solid 12-inch diameter cabbage palm trunk at about eight mph. What a thud. The back-radar that easily detects blades of grass failed to warn me of the tree. Until after I hit it 🙁

I looked in the rearview mirror to see if Bob survived and when I saw the look of pain and anguish on his face, I wanted to cry and felt like crawling under a rock. Saturday evening, Bob is still smiling and is ready to go dancing down at the lake on Sunday morning.

This image created on Thursday 5 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1600. 1/1600 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:31:16am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #1: Northern Mockingbird perched in berry bush

Challenging Mornings

The morning bird photography action has slowed down quite a bit the past few days, mostly because of the clear skies and a brisk wind from the north. December fifth was the last partly cloudy, still morning in these parts. We began with some dancing cranes in soft light. After that, we came up pretty much empty but for working some Northern Mockingbirds along the edge of the lakeshore marsh. When this particular bird took flight, I managed a frame or two with the whole bird in the frame but the flat-as-a-pancake wing positions were far from pleasing so I deleted them all. Not to mention that 1/1600 shutter speed is fat to slow for a songbird taking flight.

The next blog post will feature the long-promised, comprehensive YouTube Shutter Speeds for Bird Photography video. You will want to bookmark it for future study and reference as it will contain a wealth of information.

Note the classic rule of thirds image design.

This image was created by my friend Bob Eastman, also on Thursday 5 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Seated right behind me shooting hand held through the lowered window, he used the 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 via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:11:41am on a sunny morning. 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 #2: Northern Mockingbird taking flight Image courtesy of and copyright 2024 Bob Eastman Image optimization by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

200-600 vs. 600 +1.4X TC

While I am working in the front seat at 840mm with the big lens on a BLUBB-, Bob is almost always working in the back seat with the handheld 200-600 GM lens. Most folks would assume that I have some sort of gear advantage. But that is not always the case. While I will always have more reach, Bob has a huge hand-hold-ability advantage. It is much easier to follow flight and action when hand holding the 2-6 at 600mm than it is to be working with the larger, much heavier 600mm f/4 GM lens and a 1.4X teleconverter on the world’s best big lens beanbag. With the latter setup, following flight and action is extremely difficult at best (if not impossible). We are both using a Sony a-1 with Firmware 2.02 and its significantly improved AF.

As we continued to stalk the perched mockingbirds, I took the BLUBB off the window and went with my hand held 200-600. I had advised Bob to up his shutter speed and he did. I was on the bird for something like two minutes hoping that it would take flight. When fatigue set in, I lowered the lens just as the bird jumped right at us to flycatch. I got nothing while the younger man in the back seat nailed it. Way to go, Bro!

This image created on Friday 6 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 2000. 1/500 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:19:50am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #3: Northern Mockingbird perched in berry bush

Lead-Gray Skies

Early on Friday morning the light was gorgeous and the storm cloud sky in the west was a gun metal lead-gray. We were searching desperately for an avian subject but our three main perches were empty. We were glad to find another mockingbird to photograph.

Again, note the classic rule of thirds image design.

Typos

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