What’s Up?
It seems to me that the number of nesting pairs of wading birds along the swamp boardwalk at Gatorland is down 90% from the worst season in recent memory — last season. There are less than a dozen Great Egret nests — several with eggs and one with two fairly large chicks. I noted a grand total of one Snowy Egret nest. The Wood Storks in the big tree opposite the tower seemed to be holding their own but there were no other stork nests across the moat. There were half a dozen spiffy Tricolored Herons flitting about but few other wading birds were present including zero Cattle Egrets and a single fly-by Little Blue Heron. That said, there were a few good photographic opportunities for those willing to see and think outside the box.
Coronavirus Prevention Tips From a Non-Doctor
Yes, we should avoid large crowds. And yes, we should do everything possible to boost our immune systems. And yes, for sure, the best way to contract the coronavirus is to get sneezed upon at close range by someone who is carrying the virus or is currently infected. One of the first lessons that I learned when I began working with Dr. Cliff Oliver nearly 25 years ago is that viruses and bacteria are often spread by touch, and then by self-inoculation. First, you touch a surface that has been touched by an infected person, and then we — all humans — touch our eyes, our noses, or our lips or mouthes involuntarily dozens of times each hour thus transmitting the disease to ourselves.
My suggestion is that when you do go out in public that you touch as few things as possible and that when you do touch something, you do so with a paper towel, a tissue, or a plastic bag protecting your hands. Understand that whatever you are using needs to be discarded and replaced lest the infectious agent live on in your pocket. Open doors with your shoulders. Replace handshakes with elbow bumps. And be sure to take great care when using public bathrooms. Lastly, when you do wash your hands, use soap and warm water for a least twenty seconds.
When I went into Publix yesterday to pick up a few essentials I grabbed one of the conveniently provided long, skinny plastic “wet umbrella” bags and used it to cover the push bar on my cart. The above, for what it’s worth …
Canon Used Gear Bargains
Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM Lens
BIRDS AS ART record low price!
Rob Heifner is offering a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens in mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $10,799.00. The sale includes the original product box, the lens trunk, the rear lens cap, the lens strap, the tough front lens cover, an Aquatech soft rubber front lens cap, a Realtree Max-5 LensCoat, a Really Right Stuff dedicated lens plate (LCF-53B), and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Rob via via e-mail or by phone at 1-281-967-9178 (Central time zone).
The 600 III is the latest Canon version of my favorite weapon of mass destruction for bird photography. With its super balance, light weight, incredible sharpness, and a five-stop Image Stabilization system, the 600 III is a technological marvel. The lens tips the scales at a relatively svelte 6.71 lb — about one ounce heavier than the SONY 600mm f/4GM OSS lens. It is a fraction under two pounds lighter than the 600 II. Thus, it is eminently hand-holdable for many folks. As this lens sells new for $12,999.00, you can save a neat $2,200.00 by being the one to grab Rob’s pretty much new lens (plus extras!) right now. This lens is super-sharp with either TC, one of the great advantages of Canon over Nikon. artie
Canon EF400mm f/4 IS DO II USM Lens
BIRDS AS ART record low price!
Rob Heifner is offering a Canon EF 400mm DO f/4 IS II USM lens in mint condition for a BAA record-low $3999.00. The sale includes the original product box, the lens trunk, the tough front lens cover, the rear lens cap, the lens strap, an Aquatech soft rubber front lens cap, Realtree Max-5 LensCoat, a RRS lens plate (LCF-52B), and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Rob via via e-mail or by phone at 1-281-967-9178 (Central time zone).
I owned and used and loved the 400 DO II when I shot with Canon and found a way to take it on most trips. I took it to Scotland and Nickerson Beach and San Diego. It served me well as my (lighter!) big gun several Galapagos and Southern Ocean (the Falklands and South Georgia) trips. It is a killer for flight photography with or without the 1.4X III TC. It is razor-sharp with the 2X on static subjects and skilled folks have had amazing success hand holding it with the 2X III TC for flight and for action. artie
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II
Sold First Day of Listing
Kevin Spencer is offering a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II body in near-mint condition for a BAA record-low $2,699.00. The body has only 25,914 shutter clicks. The camera was cleaned and checked by CPS on 2-20-20 and the firmware was updated as well. The sale includes the front lens cover, the strap, the CDs, cables and manuals, the original product box, one extra battery with the charger, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Kevin via e-mail or by phone at 1-410.984.3361 (Eastern time zone).
The EOS-1DX Mark II is Canon’s flagship professional camera body. I made many fine images with mine. It is rugged and fast and featured Canon’s best AF system for years. The 1DX II sells new for $5499.00 so you can save a very cool $2800.00 by grabbing Kevin’s camera right now. artie
Canon 800mm f/5.6L ISUSM Lens/with extras!
BAA Record-low Price!
Kevin Spencer is offering a Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM lens in excellent condition for $6,799.00. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk and key, the original tough front lens cover, a Real Tree LensCoat, drop-in polarizing filter (PL-C52), and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. The lens was cleaned and checked by CPS on 2-12-20. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Kevin via e-mail or by phone at 1-410.984.3361 (Eastern time zone).
I used this lens, often with a 1.4X TC, as my main super-telephoto lens for close to five years. It is a superb lens that offers lots of reach for those working with birds that are skittish. It is great from the car. I was astounded that about 15 of the 67 images in the San Diego exhibit (and in the 100 Best CD as well) were created with my 800. I missed it terribly for years. As the lens sells new at B&H for $12,999, Kevin’s lens is a superb buy; grab it now and save a very sweet $6200.00! artie
Canon 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4X Extender with Extras!
$1000.00 Price Drop on 11 MAAR 2020!
Multiple IPT veteran Larry Master is offering a Canon 200-400 f/4L IS USM lens with internal 1.4X Extender in excellent condition for $4,999.00 (was $5999.00). The lens has very minor nicks and other blemishes on the finish and the lens foot. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the front lens cover, an Aquatech SoftCap, a Realtree Max4 LensCoat, an Arca-Swiss lens plate, the lens strap, the lens trunk, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Photos are available upon request. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Larry via e-mail or by phone at 1-518-645-1545 (Eastern time zone).
This is the world’s best lens for a trip to Africa. It kills also in the Galapagos and in South Georgia, the Falklands, and Antarctica. And I used mine a lot at Bosque and other dusty places where the built-in TC helps to keep your sensor clean. And I love it in the Palouse for its versatility. At one point, I found myself wishing that I had taken the 200-400 rather than my 500 II on the Bear Boat Cubs IPT. Many nature photographers use this lens as their workhorse telephoto as it offers 784mm at f/8 with an external 1.4X TC added. The lens sells new at B&H right now for $10,999; can save an amazing $6000.00 by grabbing Larry’s excellent lens along with all the great extras right now. artie
Hi Artie, sagely advice regarding preventing the acquisition of covid-19 which is largely spread by droplets rather than aerosols. The best things people can do, as you observed are wash their hands frequently, avoid touching eyes, ears, nose, or mouth (it enters mucous membranes), don’t eat raw, cold foods (cook/heat when possible), wash produce, and maintain social distance. Wearing masks provides no protection other than making it harder for the user to touch the nose or mouth as the droplets can land on your face, eyes, etc. and eventually enter the body. Real personal protection requires full body covering with a disposable suit, hair covering, goggles, face shield, gloves, and attention to donning and doffing the equipment. Better yet are isolation suits aka PAPR’s. Masks may reduce the risks for others when worn by people who are ill as they would reduce the number of droplets when one sneezes or coughs. Unfortunately there are no homeopathic remedies which have been proven effective including zinc, vitamin D, etc.
One of the things which makes this Covid-19 “novel” is that unlike other related Coronaviruses it has an expressed cleavage site called “Furin” which is seen on viruses such as HIV, Ebola, etc. Furin facilitates entry into human cells where it wreaks havoc. Additionally, this virus is directly cytotoxic meaning that it destroys cells and most of the complications are related to direct toxicity rather than the result of the body’s inflammatory response such as seen in influenza. Worse yet, is that even with medical support of the pulmonary complications, patients frequently die from the virus’ effect on the heart – myositis.
The true number of cases is probably 1000x higher in the US than what is being reported – were not testing everyone – and given a death toll of approximately 100 people and a more likely mortality rate between 0.5-1% (optimistically) it would suggest a minimum of 50-100k Americans infected and that will only accelerate in the coming days. A vaccine just started Phase I trials but that is at least 9mo- 1yr away. The retro viral drugs used in HIV have shown some promise though they have to be given early befor people are sick. That’s in a nutshell and I wish that I had better news.
Hi Adam,
A few things:
1- Are not droplets and aerosols the same thing? If not, what is the difference?
2- Isolation suits are obviously not practical for the populace.
3- Are you a doctor?
thanks with love, a
ps: how do you know all of this stuff?
Hi Artie, Found the observation of Gatorland interesting. I have noticed the same conditions at Viera Wetlands and Black Point Drive. Have seen very few nests at Viera and the bird numbers are way down. The wading birds at Black Point have all but disappeared. Even the number of Coots and duck seems lower than year past. This appears to be a trend. Any idea what it means?
John Patton
No clue.
with love, artie
Hi Artie and all BAA readers,
Passing on details of Dr. John Campbell’s video on the use of vitamin D supplements to reduce likelihood and severity of respiratory tract infections (bacterial and viral). The research he refers to was a study published in the British Medical Journal in 2017.
The study concluded that Vitamin D supplements do reduce the likelihood of respiratory tract infection, significantly. Also that taking supplements of vitamin D is safe. In the linked video Dr. Campbell takes you through the study and the role of vitamin D in the immune system.
I was able to find the study that he refers to on the British Medical Journal website and verify that the points he makes are present in the document. You can easily do the same to satisfy yourselves.
Link to Dr. Campbell’s vitamin d video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5yVGmfivAk&t=0s
VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTS REDUCE LIKELIHOOD AND SEVERITY OF CHEST INFECTIONS – (relevant to CORONAVIRUS)
DOSE SHOULD BE 400IU / 10 UG (micrograms) or more. It is not recemmended to exceed 4000ui (British NHS recommendation)
Also – an American Virologist (James Robb, MD UC San Diego) has suggested that if you have Coronavirus – you should suck Zinc Lozenges. This may reduce the amount of virus in the throat.
Best wishes to all – please take care to help slow the spread of this virus and protect the vulnerable among us.
Clive Bushnell
Hi Clive, Thanks for the above. I currently am taking vitamin D — D3 5000 IU/day. My levels are within normal range; do you know if I should increase the dosage? Seems like a no.
thanks with lovee, artie
Thanks, Artie. As we say in New Mexico, wash your hands as though you’d just peeled a sack of green chilies and needed to take your contact lenses out. And I add, treat every surface as if it were covered in chili powder and you need to take your contact lenses out. I hope we geezers (and everyone else) can stay safe.
David, While hand-washing well and a lot is good, avoiding touching public surfaces is better.
with love, artie