Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

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If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. 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 instances, I can help you save some serious dollars.

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Join an Instructional Photo-Tour.

What’s Up?

It was as cold as promised on Saturday morning. I was dressed to the max and did not get really cold until we got out of the blinds at about 8:20am. The increasing wind was the culprit. Tomorrow morning is again looking at a frosty 24° F.

Today is Sunday 21 April 2024. We will again be headed early to two different sharp-tailed leks. Whatever you are doing, be sure to have fun.

If you plan on purchasing a Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera (or anything else for that matter), please remember to use or write for either my Bedfords discount code or my B&H affiliate link. Folks who use one of my two affiliate links to purchase the a9 III will receive my .DAT settings (the complete camera set-up) along with a Buttons and Dials Guide.

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.

Join me in Little Rock, Arkansas this May for a great weekend of learning and fun. You can check out any and all of the latest/greatest photo gear. If you know any good nearby spots for bird photography, and/or if you would like a free (5-image) portfolio review, shoot me an e-mail.

Little Rock Photo EXPO
A Bedford Event: Inspire, Learn, Discover
HUGE TWO DAY INTERACTIVE TRADE-SHOW
May 17-18, 2024
State House Convention Center
101 E. Markham St., Little Rock, Arkansas

​Don’t miss the Photo Expo in Little Rock! Regardless of your experience level, join hundreds of photographers, as we take over Little Rock on May 17-18, 2024. The Little Rock Photo Expo offers a remarkable experience packed with presentations, hands-on demonstrations, and a massive trade show featuring all the major photographic companies. Explore the latest gear, trade in your old camera equipment, and gain valuable insights from our experts. Get up close and personal with world-renowned keynote speakers and seize countless unique photo opportunities. Bring your camera and get ready for a weekend of fun, learning, and inspiration to elevate YOUR photography to new heights.

Click here to learn more and follow the links to see the schedule of events and/or register. Use this discount code at checkout to save $20.00: VIPEXPO24.

Save 15%!

If you’d like to try out a new lens or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.

I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.

Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 code in the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.

Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com

B&H

To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

Bedfords Simplified

Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Bedfords Amazing 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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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 20 April 2024 near Washburn, ND. Seated on the ground and working off the rear monitor in a large pop-up blind, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 1600. 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 7:28:54am on a cold, sunny morning. Tracking Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly even at 1200mm. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Sharp-tailed Grouse male displaying

Like Trying to Photograph a Herd of Frenetic Mice!

The sharp-tailed lek was tiny compared to the huge Greater Prairie Chicken lek that we photographed on near Pierre, SD. It is perhaps 20 yards wide by 30 yards deep. With more than 30 birds in such a small place, there were often too many birds in the frame, along with too many rocks. The GPCs in SD were spread out over many, many acres. That was the largest lek Kevin has ever seen. Since there were so many obstacles on the sharp-tailed lek this morning, framing a clean shot was difficult.

Not to mention that the Sharp-tailed Grouse are smaller and much faster moving than the Greater Prairie Chickens. When they display, the air sac is purple and smaller than the yellow/orange sac in GPC. Two male sharp-tails will often sit down on the prairie facing each other for minutes at a time before exploding into battle. As there were many birds on the lek at close range, Anita and Kevin were, for the most part, using shorter focal lengths than I was — 300mm and 400mm respectively. Seeing too many birds and too many rocks I quickly went to 840mm for greater isolating power and a lower angle of declination. In addition, I was able to get beyond the shadow of the blind and work birds at the back of the lek.

Working with both the a1 and the a9 iii on Saturday morning, I created 3675 Sharp-tailed Grouse images. After a second edit that afternoon, I wound up keeping only 28 raw files. That works out to .0076% keepers, less than 1%. Talk about challenging photography.

This image was created on 20 April 2024 near Washburn, ND. Seated on the ground and working off the rear monitor in a large pop-up blind, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted 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 via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 2500. 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 7:11:42am on a cold, sunny morning. Tracking Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Sharp-tailed Grouse — rear view of tail of male — a 96% crop!

Don’t Try This With Your Sony a9 iii

Image #2 represents slightly less than 4% of the pixels in the original capture. Sharp a1 images can stand up to relatively huge crops. I routinely execute small crops with my a9 iii images, but would never attempt anything like this.

Aptly Named

Sharp-tailed Grouse has a white-edged, wedge-shaped tail with two long central feathers that give it an elongated, spiky appearance. I actually rescued the raw file for this image from the trash. I brought up the detail in the WHITEs with a 15% linear burn layer after reducing the YELLOW Saturation.

Typos

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

Jax

If you are interested in sharing an AirBnB with me near Huguenot Memorial Park east of Jacksonville, FL during the second week of July, or in doing an IPT that week, please stop what you are doing and shoot me an e-mail. Big discount for the person who shares the AirBnB with me. IPT details below. Here’s wishing you great light and better photography.

Flight Photography at Jacksonville Till You Can’t Lift Your Lens!

Join me on the beach at Huguenot Memorial Park to learn about photographing terns in flight. 8,000 pairs of Royal Terns nest there and there are birds in the air all the time, often carrying all kinds of fish and crabs and other invertebrates for their young. Learn about how the relationship between the wind and the sun impacts flight photography and about the best gear for shooting birds in flight. Note that all the images in the video were created with the Sony a1 (and a variety of lenses). Join me on a workshop at Jacksonville this summer. See the details below.

What’s Up?

The high winds continue in west/central North Dakota. Thursday was another rest day and Friday will be more of the same. On Thursday afternoon we visited the home of Kevin’s friend, Lugene Gerber and her significant other, Doug Kitzan. Lujene loves to photograph birds but loves cooking great food and serving friends even more. Included were salad with a scrumptious homemade ranch dressing, a killer spinach dip, roasted smoked turkey that tasted like a Christmas ham, Italian shrimp, and olive and pickle plate, her aptly named “Funeral” potatoes, and tasty, greasy fried chicken that was much better than the colonels! Most folks ate two desserts one of which was the hugely popular lemon pudding cake. I limited myself to one slice of chocolate-drizzled coffee cheesecake (AKA Caramel Machiatto cheesecake). Suffice to say, I needed a lot of extra insulin after that amazing meal.

Today is Friday 19 April 2024. If the forecast does not change, it is likely that we will be transporting the blinds to the Sharp-tailed Grouse lek about 30 minutes from Kevin’s home.

Clockwise from upper left corner around to center: ink-stained Royal Tern with squid for chicks; fluffy white Royal Tern Chick about two weeks old; Royal Tern with shrimp for chicks; 3-4 week old Royal Tern chick; incoming adult Royal Tern with greenback; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi-mahi; large Brown Pelican chick preening; field guide portrait of fresh juvenile Laughing Gull; Royal Tern chick begging for fish from incoming adult. Join me at Huguenot Memorial Park this July

Join Me

I have an AirBnB checking in on the late afternoon of Saturday 13 July and checking out on Thursday 19 July 2024. If you are looking to improve your bird photography by leaps and bounds while sharing the place with me, please shoot me an e-mail. ASAP.

Clockwise from upper left corner around to center: Royal Tern chick feeding frenzy; Royal Tern nearly fledged chick; ink-stained Royal Tern with squid for chicks; Royal Tern chick begging; Brown Pelican immature tight flight; Royal Tern adult screaming — tight flight; Laughing Gulls mobbing Royal Tern to steal fish; Royal Tern with fish for chicks. Join me at Huguenot Memorial Park this July

Huguenot Memorial Park in Early Summer

Driving on the beach at Huguenot Memorial Park in early summer is a bird photographer’s delight. You park this side of the last rope on the beach and you are within 100 yards of the Royal Tern colony atop the dunes. There are also many thousand Laughing Gulls and a few Sandwich Terns breeding as well. In some years, there are some Brown Pelican nests on the ground! .

In early July, the tern chicks begin to make their way down to the flats to bathe and drink and get fed by the parents. On the way, they spend a lot of time on the face of the dune where they are easy to photograph at eye level. They may also gather in fairly large groups at the base of the dunes.

Flight photography both in the mornings and the afternoons can be quite excellent as the terns are carrying all manner of marine life to sustain the rapidly growing chicks: the adults are often seen flying around in search of their chicks with all sorts of small baitfish as well as immature fish, large shrimps, baby crabs, and even squid in their bills. The squid will squirt ink on the terns in protest. So if you see an adult Royal Tern flying around with a black necklace you can understand why.

2024 Jacksonville IPT: 4 1/2 DAY option Monday 15 July 2024 through the morning session on FRI 19 JULY — $2299.00 (Limit 4 photographers)

2024 Jacksonville IPT 3 1/2 DAY option: Monday 15 July 2024 through the morning session on THUR 18 July: $1799.00. (Limit 4 photographers)

I do not like to disappoint: each trip will run with only a single participant. If necessary.

I first visited the beach nesting bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or one of the many nw Z lenses. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.

Morning sessions will average about three hours, afternoon sessions at least 1 1/2. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon weather forecast is poor. Lunch is included on all but the last day of each IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. After lunch, we will do image review and Photoshop sessions. My AirBnB is the closest lodging to the park.

The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.

What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT

• 1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
• 2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
• 3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
• 4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
• 5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
• 6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
• 7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
• 9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
• 10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
• 12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
• 13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
• 14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
• 15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.

And the best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.

This image was created on 29 June 2021 at Huguenot Memorial Park on a Jacksonville, FL IPT. Standing at full height I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 640. 1/3200 second at f/7.1 (stopped down 2/3-stop) in Manual Mode. AWB at 9:16:26am on a sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be dead solid 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: Royal Tern screaming in flight

It’s Not Always Easy to Get it Exactly Right in Bird Photography

If you knew that I was using a zoom lens for Image #1, most would react by saying, “You should have zoomed out wider.” As we often get greedy as far as wanting to get as many pixels on the subject as possible, clipping wings and feet and heads is a common occurrence when photographing birds especially birds in flight and in action. Until yesterday, I had long stared at this image thinking of a way to salvage it; I love the bird’s expression. And I had long assumed that I had simply failed to zoom out. That was until I was working on this blog post and saw that the focal length was 200mm, the widest possible.

I gave up trying to think of a way to repair the badly clipped wing and instead, turned to a square crop. WDYT of Image #1?

This image was created on 29 June 2021 at Huguenot Memorial Park on a Jacksonville, FL IPT. I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 800. 1/2000 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 2/3-stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead solid perfect. AWB at 9:49:3am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Royal Tern with wings raised

What Do You Think of Square Crops?

Lots of folks think that the-out-of-the-camera 3X2 and 2X3 proportions are sacrosanct and that anything else is heresey. I disagree wholeheartedly. Many images scream out for a square copy, often images with two centered subjects like the Ospreys below. Strangely, I try to avoid boxy crops unless they are the only option.

Framing at 1200mm Ain’t Easy

Especially when you are standing atop an eight foot ladder. I badly mis-framed the original capture for Image #2; the bird on our left was almost touching the frame edge. A square crop resulted in a useable image.

How are Less than Perfect Images and Square Crops Related?

As we have seen in both Image #1 and Image #2, a square crop can often be used to save images that seem to be destined for the trash heap. Or a square crop might be perfect for perfectly executed images, as immediately below.

This image was created on 18 March 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Standing outside my vehicle near the old eagle nest, I used the handheld Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250: 1/3200 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was pretty darned good. AWB at 9:00:06 on a cloudy morning. Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Ospreys near nest: serendipitous synchronous flight

Bingo!

So, was this image the result of pure luck or the right gear?

Actually, it was a combination of both. And more. Note that I had the perfect lens in my hands and the perfect camera body with the perfect settings. But without knowledge of the wind and sky conditions and the necessary skills, I would have come up empty.

With the wind from the SW in the morning, I was lucky that it was totally overcast. If you are trying for flight on cloudy days, simply position yourself with the wind behind you. And I followed my own advice: if you are photographing a bird in flight and a second bird flies into the frame, press the shutter button and hold it down until they separate. But don’t quit entirely as one of the two might provide additional good chances. That is exactly what happened in this case; I kept nine additional images of the bird with the stick landing at the nest. None, however, were anywhere near as good as the “Bingo” shot.

I was lucky to witness the behavior; I had never seen anything remotely like it in 47 years of birding. But I was patient :-). And I was lucky that at the magic moment that the faces of both birds were on the exact same plane.

Note, however, that even if you are the luckiest bird photographer in the world and amazing behaviors happen often right in front of you, you will wind up with nothing unless you have mastered the basics needed to consistently create sharp, nicely designed, properly exposed images. Consider joining a BIRDS AS ART IPT.

Typos

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

Jax

If you are interested in sharing an AirBnB with me near Huguenot Memorial Park east of Jacksonville, FL during the second week of July, or in doing an IPT that week, please stop what you are doing and shoot me an e-mail. Big discount for the person who shares the AirBnB with me. IPT details below. Here’s wishing you great light and better photography.

Sony a-1 Mirrorless Camera Body

Arthur Morris, yours truly, is offering a Sony a-1 Mirrorless Camera Body in Excellent condition for a very low $4,500.00. The camera will have my settings on it and your purchase will include membership in my Sony a-1 Set-up and Info Group. I own three a-1 bodies; this one, the newest and least used, is the pick of the litter. The body has not been used since it was cleaned and checked by Sony LA a few months ago. The sale includes the original product box and everything that came in it, the front body cap, the strap, the original battery, and insured ground shipping to lower 48 addresses.

Flight Photography at Jacksonville Till You Can’t Lift Your Lens!

Join me on the beach at Huguenot Memorial Park to learn about photographing terns in flight. 8,000 pairs of Royal Terns nest there and there are birds in the air all the time, often carrying all kinds of fish and crabs and other invertebrates for their young. Learn about how the relationship between the wind and the sun impacts flight photography and about the best gear for shooting birds in flight. Note that all the images in the video were created with the Sony a1 (and a variety of lenses). Join me on a workshop at Jacksonville this summer. See the details below.

What’s Up?

Today is Wednesday 17 April 2024. After our great successes down in South Dakota, we are currently on a weather hold with winds of 25mph or more forecast through this coming Friday. It is impossible to use the large pop up blinds in high winds. We will be doing lots of image reviews along with some Photoshop. I will he headed to Underwood, ND about 15 minutes away to pick up my replacement a9 iii. As always, Steve Elkins of Bedfords takes care of his customers. Whatever you are doing, I hope that you too choose to have fun.

Don’t look now, but this blog post makes eleven days in a row with a new educational post just for you. You know the drill; please use my affiliate links or patronize the BAA Online Store.

Clockwise from upper left corner around to center: ink-stained Royal Tern with squid for chicks; fluffy white Royal Tern Chick about two weeks old; Royal Tern with shrimp for chicks; 3-4 week old Royal Tern chick; incoming adult Royal Tern with greenback; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi-mahi; large Brown Pelican chick preening; field guide portrait of fresh juvenile Laughing Gull; Royal Tern chick begging for fish from incoming adult. Join me at Huguenot Memorial Park this July

Join Me

I have an AirBnB checking in on the late afternoon of Saturday 13 July and checking out on Thursday 19 July 2024. If you are looking to improve your bird photography by leaps and bounds while sharing the place with me, please shoot me an e-mail. ASAP.

Clockwise from upper left corner around to center: Royal Tern chick feeding frenzy; Royal Tern nearly fledged chick; ink-stained Royal Tern with squid for chicks; Royal Tern chick begging; Brown Pelican immature tight flight; Royal Tern adult screaming — tight flight; Laughing Gulls mobbing Royal Tern to steal fish; Royal Tern with fish for chicks. Join me at Huguenot Memorial Park this July

Huguenot Memorial Park in Early Summer

Driving on the beach at Huguenot Memorial Park in early summer is a bird photographer’s delight. You park this side of the last rope on the beach and you are within 100 yards of the Royal Tern colony atop the dunes. There are also many thousand Laughing Gulls and a few Sandwich Terns breeding as well. In some years, there are some Brown Pelican nests on the ground! .

In early July, the tern chicks begin to make their way down to the flats to bathe and drink and get fed by the parents. On the way, they spend a lot of time on the face of the dune where they are easy to photograph at eye level. They may also gather in fairly large groups at the base of the dunes.

Flight photography both in the mornings and the afternoons can be quite excellent as the terns are carrying all manner of marine life to sustain the rapidly growing chicks: the adults are often seen flying around in search of their chicks with all sorts of small baitfish as well as immature fish, large shrimps, baby crabs, and even squid in their bills. The squid will squirt ink on the terns in protest. So if you see an adult Royal Tern flying around with a black necklace you can understand why.

2024 Jacksonville IPT: 4 1/2 DAY option Monday 15 July 2024 through the morning session on FRI 19 JULY — $2299.00 (Limit 4 photographers)

2024 Jacksonville IPT 3 1/2 DAY option: Monday 15 July 2024 through the morning session on THUR 18 July: $1799.00. (Limit 4 photographers)

I do not like to disappoint: each trip will run with only a single participant. If necessary.

I first visited the beach nesting bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or one of the many nw Z lenses. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.

Morning sessions will average about three hours, afternoon sessions at least 1 1/2. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon weather forecast is poor. Lunch is included on all but the last day of each IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. After lunch, we will do image review and Photoshop sessions. My AirBnB is the closest lodging to the park.

The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.

What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT

• 1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
• 2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
• 3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
• 4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
• 5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
• 6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
• 7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
• 9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
• 10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
• 12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
• 13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
• 14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
• 15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.

And the best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.

This image was created on 17 June 2021 at Huguenot Memorial Park east of Jacksonville, FL. Again, standing at full height, I used the handheld 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 500. 1/1250 second at f/7.1 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:36:07am on a mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Laughing Gull in freshjuvenal plumage on dune

Juvenile Laughing Gulls

Juvenile Laughing Gulls are quite handsome. Even in mid-July, we will see some smaller, unfledged chicks. Gulls are generally cooperative subjects and are fairly easy to approach. They make great practice subjects. When you point your lens at a gull, they will often do something neat. This one sat atop the dune and did not do much, but he was so handsome that I could not resist. I did get a nice frame of this bird preening and am not sure whether it was published here previously.

The Sony 200-600 is great at Jax for flight, action, and portraits.

This image was created on 16 July 2021 on a Jax IPT at Huguenot Memorial Park. I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 800. 1/2000 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 2/3-stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:59:16am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Expand Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #2: Royal Tern non-breeding adult calling

Long Focal Lengths

I’ve always loved going in clean, tight, and graphic, especially on sunny days. I’ve always been a head hunter, and always will be. If you sit on the beach and approach the birds carefully, you can often get close enough for head shots with shorter focal length lenses. And on sunny days, you can add a 1.4X TC to your intermediate telephoto zoom lenses for more reach.

This image was also created on 16 July 2021 on a Jax IPT at Huguenot Memorial Park. I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted 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.. ISO 500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/3200 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 10:12:29am on 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: Royal Tern with juvenile Mahi Mahi for chicks

Flight Photography at Jax

There is a ton of great flight photography at Huguenot. You can use a handheld intermediate telephoto lens or a faster, longer fixed focal length lens mounted on a tripod with a Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro. We will get to photograph the Royal and Sandwich Terns, Laughing and other gulls, and Brown Pelicans, all in flight on most days.

Lenses for Flight Photography at Jax

While a handheld or tripod mounted 500 or 600mm f/4 lens can be quite useful for flight photography on the beach, handhold-able intermediate and zoom telephoto lenses like the Sony 200-600mm G lens, the Canon RF 100-500, and any one of the Nikon intermediate telephotos are often the ticket to success when flight shooting. I did quite well on my last visit handholding the Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM lens usually with the 1.4X teleconverter. This year I will be shooting often with my new Sony 300mm f/2.8 lens with either the 1.4X or 2x TC. And my a9 iii will be there as well.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

On Saturday, I suggested that we erect two perches on the lek for the Greater Prairie Chickens (GPCs). With Kevin’s help, we put one low driftwood perch in place, and a larger vertical perch. That morning, the birds wanted nothing to do with our perches. Even worse, both perches got in our way often. The low perch was so lovely that I made some images of it without a bird on it. At the end of our session, we agreed to remove the vertical perch as it was quite obtrusive. Kevin said that he thought the birds would get up on the low perch “in a day or two.” So on Saturday night, I dreamed of the GPCs posing on the perch.

If you had asked me what were the chances of that happening the next day, I might have said, “I mean miracles can happen, so possibly.”

Early on Sunday morning, a few males were strutting quite close to the low perch, and once or twice they got up on it for a moment. As I was desperate for a shot, I tried a few at ISO 51,000. When the sun finally made an appearance, it turned out that we had gotten lucky; the low perch was perfectly placed between the very long shadows of my blind and Anita’s blind. Then my dreams were answered — several males got up on the handsome perch, and then several females took a liking to it. One hen posed there for about ten minutes; I shot her at 600, 840, and 1200mm. Some of the. males displayed, some of them jumped. By the time we quit at about 8:30am, I had created 8952 images, almost all with the a9 iii that Anita kindly loaned me after mine went on the fritz on Saturday. I kept 396 photos. 185 of those will be used to create an a9 iii “dancing Chicken” movie. Counting all of those as keepers left me with a success rate of 0.44%, less than 1/2 of one percent. Images below.

Today is Monday 15 April. Our plan is to shoot in the wind in the morning, pack up the blinds, vacate our AirBnB and head north to Kevin’s place in Washburn, ND, forty miles north of Bismarck. Whatever you are doing, have fun and breathe deeply.

If you plan on purchasing a Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera (or anything else for that matter), please remember to use or write for either my Bedfords discount code or my B&H affiliate link. Folks who use one of my two affiliate links to purchase the a9 III will receive my .DAT settings (the complete camera set-up) along with a Buttons and Dials Guide.

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.

Your Call?

Which of today’s four featured images do you think is the strongest. Those kind enough to leave a comment are asked to let us know why they made their choice.

“I Mean Miracles Can Happen, So Possibly”

When 12-year old Grace VanderWaal auditioned for America’s Got Talent in 2016, that was her response to Simon when he asked, So, “Do you think you can win?” Howie Mandel hit the Golden Buzzer advancing her to the live show and on September 14, 2016, she did in fact win Season 11.

This image was created on 14 April 2024 at Fort Pierre National Grasslands, SD. Seated on a small camp chair working off the rear monitor in a large pop-up blind, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/320 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 7:04:50am on yet a other clear sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Image #1: Greater Prairie Chicken — male jumping up.

Miracle at 1/320 Second!

Once the sun hit the low perch, I had enough light to make sharp images of the GPCs on it. When this bird jumped up to the highest spot, I followed my own advice and pressed the shutter button even though I had little chance of making a sharp image at 1/320 sec. Miracles, however, do come true. (Note: in good conditions I will usually shoot flight at 1/3200 or 1/4000 second, or faster if possible.)

This image was created on 14 April 2024 at Fort Pierre National Grasslands, SD. Seated on a small camp chair working off the rear monitor in a large pop-up blind, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/400 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 7:05:17am on yet a other clear sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Image #2: Greater Prairie Chicken — male on log.

Blind Shadow

In both of the first two images, a good part of the background was the shadow of Anita’s blind. Do you like the lighter treatment of the shadow in Image #1, or the darker treatment in Image #2? Note: Images #1 and #2 were created only 27 seconds apart.

This image was created on 14 April 2024 at Fort Pierre National Grasslands, SD. Seated on a small camp chair working off the rear monitor in a large pop-up blind, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 2000. 1/800 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be about perfect. AWB at 7:19:11am on sunny morning. Tracking Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly even at 1200mm. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Greater Prairie Chicken hen on log

1200mm

With lots of chickens getting up on the perch, I worked with the bare 600mm at times, or added the 1.4X TC for a bit more reach. When this hen posed for what seemed like an eternity, I went to the 2X TC. As expected, the sharpness at 1200mm is exceptional.

This image was created on 14 April 2024 at Fort Pierre National Grasslands, SD. Seated on a small camp chair working off the rear monitor in a large pop-up blind, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 2000. 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect. AWB at 7:48:42am on sunny morning. Tracking Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly even at 1200mm. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #4: Greater Prairie Chicken male on log

The Sun Rises Quickly on the Prairie

By 7:45am on sunny days, there is enough light to use fast shutter speeds for action with reasonable ISO settings.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

I continue having a great time with the chickens (as Kevin calls them) and learning a ton about the birds and about photographing them from a blind while working off the rear monitor. For those of you who were worried, we took Kevin out to Drifters, a popular Pierre restaurant right on the Missouri River. Both the food and the company were great.

The weatherman promised three days of east winds — none materialized. Today is Saturday 13 April 2024 and Kevin is driving us to the lek. The wind is gentle from the southeast (perfect) but is supposed to switch to south at about 7:30am. Despite the winds from the north and west, each of us have been making some truly fine images every session. Today’s featured image (two versions) was my single favorite from the more than 7500 images I made on Friday morning. Learn about shooting flight off the rear monitor below.

If you plan on purchasing a Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera (or anything else for that matter), please remember to use or write for either my Bedfords discount code or my B&H affiliate link. Folks who use one of my two affiliate links to purchase the a9 III will receive my .DAT settings (the complete camera set-up) along with a Buttons and Dials Guide.

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.

Join me in Little Rock, Arkansas this May for a great weekend of learning and fun. You can check out any and all of the latest/greatest photo gear. If you know any good nearby spots for bird photography, and/or if you would like a free (5-image) portfolio review, shoot me an e-mail.

Little Rock Photo EXPO
A Bedford Event: Inspire, Learn, Discover
HUGE TWO DAY INTERACTIVE TRADE-SHOW
May 17-18, 2024
State House Convention Center
101 E. Markham St., Little Rock, Arkansas

​Don’t miss the Photo Expo in Little Rock! Regardless of your experience level, join hundreds of photographers, as we take over Little Rock on May 17-18, 2024. The Little Rock Photo Expo offers a remarkable experience packed with presentations, hands-on demonstrations, and a massive trade show featuring all the major photographic companies. Explore the latest gear, trade in your old camera equipment, and gain valuable insights from our experts. Get up close and personal with world-renowned keynote speakers and seize countless unique photo opportunities. Bring your camera and get ready for a weekend of fun, learning, and inspiration to elevate YOUR photography to new heights.

Click here to learn more and follow the links to see the schedule of events and/or register. Use this discount code at checkout to save $20.00: VIPEXPO24.

Save 15%!

If you’d like to try out a new lens or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.

I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.

Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 code in the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.

Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com

B&H

To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

Bedfords Simplified

Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Bedfords Amazing 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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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 12 April 2024 at Fort Pierre National Grasslands, SD. Seated on a small camp chair working off the rear monitor in a large pop-up blind, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/4000 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 7:50:16am on another clear 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: Greater Prairie Chicken braking to land — warm version

Incoming 840mm Flight Off the Tilted a9 iii Rear Monitor!

I am not quite sure how I did it. For three mornings, there were virtually no birds flying at us. Then, just before 8:00am yesterday, I spotted a single chicken flying east over the hill. Working off the titled rear screen with the lens about a foot below my head, I figured, “Why not try?” In the first few images in the series, I cut the bird in half with the top frame edge. Then, I managed to get the incoming bird in the lower left portion of the frame without clipping anything. I kept three frames and this was the best of the lot with the underwings lit evenly and the head not merging with anything.

Image #1 is the warmer version.

This image was created on 12 April 2024 at Fort Pierre National Grasslands, SD. Seated on a small camp chair working off the rear monitor in a large pop-up blind, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/4000 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 7:50:16am on another clear 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: Greater Prairie Chicken braking to land — BLUER version

The BLUER Version

Image #2 is the same image as Image #1 but was processed cooler to make the sky bluer. Thanks to Anita North for persisting and teaching me to use ACR masks to protect the bird while chasing the color and tonality of the sky.

At first, I liked the bluer version better. After a few hours, I revisited the images and like the warmer version better. This morning, I went back to the cooler version, Image #2.

Which version to you like best, the warmer version, Image #1, or the cooler version, Image #2?

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Excitement on the Prairie

On Wednesday afternoon the wind picked up considerably so Kevin decided to take a ride to our shooting location to check on the blinds. He should have been back in about an hour. Two and a half hours later he walked into our AirBnB in his very wet underwear! “What happened?” we cried out. “Two of the blinds were pretty much wrecked. Anitas blind had disappeared. I secured the two damaged blinds, walked back to the truck, and drove downwind figuring that the third blind had to be somewhere. But it was not stuck on a fence line as I had hoped. It was in the middle of a fairly large farm pond. So I stripped down to my skivvies and got in the water — it was cold!, I dragged the blind to the shallow end of the pond. It weighed a ton! I wrestled it up onto the bank in the fierce wind and eventually got the blind into the truck.”

After Kevin showered and dressed, he and Anita set the blind up in the front yard. I finished cooking another great dinner. The blind was dry by morning. On Thursday morning we left 30 minutes earlier than we had on Wednesday and struggled the 1/2 mile in the dark carrying too much stuff including Anita’s now dry blind. Kevin had his repair kit — a roll of duct tape, and after 30 minutes of hard and skillful work, all three blinds were set up. We were all amply rewarded by a second consecutive great session with the prairie chickens. There was lots of fighting going on. We quit by 8:30am and were soon headed home for breakfast and rest. I have 5747 images to edit after I finish this blog post.

I wound up keeping 247 photos out of the 8923 that I made on Thursday morning. I share two of the better ones in today’s blog post.

Speaking of which, today is Thursday April 11 2024. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have half as much fun as I did this morning.

If you plan on purchasing a Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera (or anything else for that matter), please remember to use or write for either my Bedfords discount code or my B&H affiliate link. Folks who use one of my two affiliate links to purchase the a9 III will receive my .DAT settings (the complete camera set-up) along with a Buttons and Dials Guide.

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.

Join me in Little Rock, Arkansas this May for a great weekend of learning and fun. You can check out any and all of the latest/greatest photo gear. If you know any good nearby spots for bird photography, and/or if you would like a free (5-image) portfolio review, shoot me an e-mail.

Little Rock Photo EXPO
A Bedford Event: Inspire, Learn, Discover
HUGE TWO DAY INTERACTIVE TRADE-SHOW
May 17-18, 2024
State House Convention Center
101 E. Markham St., Little Rock, Arkansas

​Don’t miss the Photo Expo in Little Rock! Regardless of your experience level, join hundreds of photographers, as we take over Little Rock on May 17-18, 2024. The Little Rock Photo Expo offers a remarkable experience packed with presentations, hands-on demonstrations, and a massive trade show featuring all the major photographic companies. Explore the latest gear, trade in your old camera equipment, and gain valuable insights from our experts. Get up close and personal with world-renowned keynote speakers and seize countless unique photo opportunities. Bring your camera and get ready for a weekend of fun, learning, and inspiration to elevate YOUR photography to new heights.

Click here to learn more and follow the links to see the schedule of events and/or register. Use this discount code at checkout to save $20.00: VIPEXPO24.

Save 15%!

If you’d like to try out a new lens or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.

I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.

Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 code in the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.

Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com

B&H

To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

Bedfords Simplified

Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Bedfords Amazing 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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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 10 April 2024 at Fort Fort Pierre National Grasslands, SD. Seated in a large pop-up blind, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/2000 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:38:47am on a clear and sunny morning. Tracking: Expand Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. #1: Great Prairie Chicken displaying with pinnae erect

The Pinnate Feathers

The pinnated (symmetrical structure) feathers atop a grouse’s head are used as part of the male’s display. At time they might be erected to the front or to the rear. I love this image because it appears that the bird is using them for flight. That is, of course, both impossible and aerodynamically ridiculous.

This image was also created on 10 April 2024 at Fort Fort Pierre National Grasslands, SD. Again, seated in a large pop-up blind, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. ISO 1250. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/3200 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:11:28am on a clear and sunny morning. Tracking: Expand Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. #2: Great Prairie Chicken displaying

a9 iii AF. Or Not?

On Wednesday morning, I used the a9 iii for about two hours and then switched to the a-1. It was painfully clear that the Bird Face/Eye recognition AF with the a9 iii was absolutely better than with the a1. On Thursday there were many squabbles. Anita North had her brand new a9 iii with her but opted to use one of her a1 bodies. With all the fighting, Anita created dozens of spectacular images that left Kevin and I gasping and envious.

Go figure …

Typos

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

Your Call?

If anyone gives a rat’s ass, please leave a comment and let us know which you feel is the stronger image and why you made your choice. I have a clear winner that I will share with you here should anyone comment.

Recent Interesting Comments

From yesterday’s V-LOG: Picking My Keepers from a 5851 a9 iii Image Folder blog post here:

Adam. April 8, 2024 at 9:20pm

Fantastic video for a variety of reasons. It demonstrated your assertion of faster is better. Suddenly, 120 FPS is a must have, making 20-30 fps positively archaic. Importantly, it also illustrated an efficient and productive first pass culling process, yielding plenty of images worthy of further study. Ironically, the aspect that I found most interesting was your blooper admissions; crowding the frame, cutting off the virtual feet, and the oof sequences. Not only were they humanizing, they will inevitably inspire the legions of photographers with infinitely less experience who are always striving to improve. Kudos!

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. April 9, 2024 at 3:45am

Thanks, Adam. I am glad that you found the video helpful and educational. Note that my framing errors was more factual than admission 🙂

with love, artie

PS: It does solidify one of my main premises: stronger, experienced, (usually younger) bird photographers with fast reflexes and superior fine motor skills will get consistently better results than older, weaker, slower folks like me. They are in better position to utilize the amazing new technologies than us grandpas and grandmas.

John Storjohann. April 4, 2024 at 12:24pm

Artie, I really like the stronger catchlight on the image — job well done! And thank your for revisiting the topic of comments/suggestions/etc. on the series of images. I’ve been in the classroom as a teacher for 45 years…the best learning takes place when all parties are actively engaged in the conversation. This is a perfect example of that, and I appreciate it.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. April 9, 2024 at 4:48am

Thanks on all counts, John. Especially for your comments on teaching and learning. One thing is for sure, I am a much better teacher than I am a bird photographer. What continues to mystify me, as we have discussed via e-mail, is how few folks have signed up for IPTs over the last five years of so.

much love, artie

ps: I am baffled as well by the low number of comments and questions at most blog posts. It’s almost as if folks are too lazy to want to learn. Or possibly, many do not see any differences when comparing my images with their images … And, as I say here often, the more you comment and ask questions, the more you will learn. And that always includes me.

What’s Up?

Enjoy today’s post detailing the Eagle/Osprey midair chase and how I shot flight at 1200mm off the BLUBB- for the first time ever.

Today is Tuesday 9 April 2024. It is 3:57am as I type. Jim kindly woke at 3:00am to drive me to MCO for my 7:00am flight to Bismarck, ND to meet Kevin Hice and long time friend and student Anita North. We all have a date with Prairie Chickens and Sharp-tailed Grouse. My goal is to publish this before we get there 🙂

Don’t look now but this blog post makes ten days in a row with a new educational post just for you.

If you plan on purchasing a Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera (or anything else for that matter), please remember to use or write for either my Bedfords discount code or my B&H affiliate link. Folks who use one of my two affiliate links to purchase the a9 III will receive my .DAT settings (the complete camera set-up) along with a Buttons and Dials Guide.

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.

Join me in Little Rock, Arkansas this May for a great weekend of learning and fun. You can check out any and all of the latest/greatest photo gear. If you know any good nearby spots for bird photography, and/or if you would like a free (5-image) portfolio review, shoot me an e-mail.

Little Rock Photo EXPO
A Bedford Event: Inspire, Learn, Discover
HUGE TWO DAY INTERACTIVE TRADE-SHOW
May 17-18, 2024
State House Convention Center
101 E. Markham St., Little Rock, Arkansas

​Don’t miss the Photo Expo in Little Rock! Regardless of your experience level, join hundreds of photographers, as we take over Little Rock on May 17-18, 2024. The Little Rock Photo Expo offers a remarkable experience packed with presentations, hands-on demonstrations, and a massive trade show featuring all the major photographic companies. Explore the latest gear, trade in your old camera equipment, and gain valuable insights from our experts. Get up close and personal with world-renowned keynote speakers and seize countless unique photo opportunities. Bring your camera and get ready for a weekend of fun, learning, and inspiration to elevate YOUR photography to new heights.

Click here to learn more and follow the links to see the schedule of events and/or register. Use this discount code at checkout to save $20.00: VIPEXPO24.

Save 15%!

If you’d like to try out a new lens or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.

I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.

Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 code in the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.

Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com

B&H

To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

Bedfords Simplified

Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Bedfords Amazing 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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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.

For those who did not use my link to purchase their Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens, you can order your a copy here for $209.93. Click on the image to enlarge and to be able to read the fine print.

The BAA Sony 300mm f/2.8 Lens Guide

Impressed by my Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) images from the last three posts? Use either my Bedfords or B&H affiliate link to purchase your Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens and shoot me your receipt via e-mail and request a copy of the first-ever BAA Lens Guide. I thought that it would take only minutes to create this guide, but I was dead wrong. In the process of creating it, I learned a ton about the lens. And even better, I discovered a simple yet potentially fatal flaw that was resulting in sporadically unsharp flight images. The set-up fix is simple. Just be sure to use one of my affiliate links and get the guide for free.

If not, you can purchase a copy here for $209.93. Yes, it never hurts to use my links and it never costs you one penny more. And if you contact me via e-mail before you make a major purchase, I can often save you some money.

This image was created on 8 April 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 800. 1/2500 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be about 1/2 stop of perfect. AWB at 8:12:33am on sunny morning. Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly even at 1200mm. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Bald Eagle chasing Osprey with fish

There’s a First Time for Everything!

Several weeks ago an ILE neighbor lady named Lisa pointed out a Great Blue Heron nest to me in the tall pines on the east side of Banyan Drive. I had suspected them of breeding down by the lake but had never found a nest. Anyhoo, one of the very handsome adults gave me some decent chances yesterday morning. I was working on the BLUBB- at 1200mm from the car with the a9 iii when the GBH took flight, flew across the canal, and landed atop another pine tree.

Then out of nowhere, an adult Bald Eagle appeared on the tail of an Osprey with a fish. I knew that the exposure for the adult eagle was at least 1/3-stop under but did not want to risk blowing out the bird’s white head so I raised the shutter speed for flight and doubled the ISO. Still working on the BLUBB from the front seat, I attempted to frame the two birds and fire off a few frames. I had never shot flight off the BLUBB- at 1200mm before. It helped that the birds were a good distance away.

Seeing this image, you would be 100% sure that the eagle got the fish in the next second. But the next frame shows that the Osprey still had it breakfast catch. The eagle chased the Osprey north towards the pier so, by necessity, I got out of the car and made a few more images before they both disappeared.

This image was also created on 8 April 2024 nearly a minute after Image #1 was created. Now standing outside of my SUV, I used the handheld Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 800. 1/2500 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be about 1/2 stop of perfect. AWB at 8:13:26‚am on sunny morning. Wide/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly even at 1200mm. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Osprey chasing Bald Eagle after the midair theft

Roles Reversed

I was so excited as I relied the images that I could barely control jumping out of my desk chair. When I got to Image #1, I was sure that I had gotten the shot of the fish being stolen, but alas, I did not. As the birds turned and flew back at me I saw that the eagle had the fish and that the Osprey was in hot pursuit of the larger bird. No luck there for the fish hawk.

Typos

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

Anke Frohlich

Anke is a very good, very dedicated photographer who has been on many IPTs. She loves photographing birds in flight and in action. She often handholds the Sony 600mm f/4 for flight. Her style is to shoot wide and crop. She rarely uses even the 1.4X TC on her big lens. She spent a year photographing Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle Owl that was freed after living in captivity for many years in New York City’s Central Park Zoo. She worked almost exclusively at night most often using very long exposures and a cable release. You can see many of her excellent Flaco images on her Instagram account here. And you can check out related social media links and articles here.

Huge thanks to Anke for letting me share her fine work with you here on the blog.

Your Call?

Which two of Anke’s seven images are the strongest?

Which was the most challenging capture?

What’s Up?

I was down to the lake early today, Sunday 7 April 2024. After a very slow start, I located the three surviving crane chicks and worked them for a bit. I photographed an Osprey perched in the old eagle nest tree and one of the young eagles in flight. I will be creating the promised a9 iii picking your keepers video after breakfast. Whatever you opt to do, I hope that you also have a great day. Remember: happiness is a choice.

Don’t look now, but this blog post makes eight days in a row with a new educational post just for you.

Please, therefore, 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.

This image was created by Anke Frohlich on one of the 2024 BIRDS AS ART Homer IPTs. She used the used the handheldSony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 280mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 4000: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Image #1: Bald Eagle juvenile in flight by frozen waterfall

Frozen Waterfalls

In 2024, it had been warm for weeks when we arrived and our favorite frozen waterfalls were all melted and missing. The captain and I put our heads together, explored some likely spots, and did OK. Anke is a skilled flight photographer and in addition, she is relentless. When she visualizes an image that she wants, she will stick with the situation until she gets the shot.

This image was created by Anke Frohlich on one of the 2024 BIRDS AS ART Homer IPTs. She used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000: 1/6400 sec. at f/4 (wide open). Tracking: Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Image #2 Pine Grosbeak male wheeling in flight

The Real Thing

Anke created this image by tracking the bird in flight as it jumped off a perch. It is not one of those manually pre-focused spray and pray songbird flight shots. I do not think that images made with the latter technique should be considered photography as they are more like arts and crafts than art. Not that the spray and pray technique can produce some stunning images. Along with many thousands of instant-deletes.

This image was created by Anke Frohlich on one of the 2024 BIRDS AS ART Homer IPTs. She used the used the handheldSony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 3200: 1/2500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Image #3: Bald Eagle after a swing and a miss

The 70-200mm f/2.8 Lenses

The 70-200mm lenses are incredibly useful on a Homer IPT. You could actually do the whole trip with just that one lens. At times you may want to add the 1.4X TC or even a 2X TC. Note that the Canon RF 70-200mm does not accept any teleconverter.

This image was created by Anke Frohlich on one of the 2024 BIRDS AS ART Homer IPTs. She used the used the handheldSony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 178mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800: 1/3200 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Image #4: Bald Eagle jumping up

Listen to the Leader

I saw a really good situation with the snow-covered slope and a distant background and called everyone within earshot over. Several eagles cooperated nicely. Notice how beautifully and evenly the light reflected off the snow lit the eagle’s underwings.

This image was created by Anke Frohlich on one of the 2024 BIRDS AS ART Homer IPTs. She used the used the handheldSony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 153mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600: 1/2500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Image #5: Bald Eagle upside down before dive

Oh What Fun!

When the wind is just right, everyone enjoys the challenge of trying for the perfect upside-down eagle image. Even with my expert coaching :-), it takes some time to get the rhythm down pat. I urge folks to study the flight patterns of the birds. Those varied of course with the speed and direction of the wind. Folks in both groups had a ton of fun comparing their best upside down shots on their rear monitors and learned a lot in the process.

Best advice: don’t get greedy: zoom out to avoid clipping wings.

This image was created by Anke Frohlich on one of the 2024 BIRDS AS ART Homer IPTs. She used the used the handheldSony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 178mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 4000: 1/2500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Image #6: Bald Eagle in predawn flight with pink purple blue earth shadow sky background

Early to Rise

When the weather is decent, my boat is always the first out of the harbor. And if I see stars when I wake and peek out the window, I call the captain and we arrange to leave even earlier so that we can try for the blue/pink/purple earth shadow sky colors. Near the end of the first IPT, we had one perfect morning. Conditions with little to no wind are ideal as the calm water in the coves can reflect the sky colors.

This image was created by Anke Frohlich on one of the 2024 BIRDS AS ART Homer IPTs. She used the used the handheldSony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 280mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800: 1/2500 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Image #7: Sea Otter with pup

Sea Otters

Over the years, on occasion, we have had some good chances on Sea Otters in the various coves across Kachemak Bay from Homer. But our best chances almost always occur as we are returning to the dock on a cloudy day. Adults with pups resting on their breasts always get everyone excited. The pups often have their heads buried in mom’s fur; Anke, however, did well here with two good head angles.

No Homer IPT Price Increase!

Despite that fact that the hourly boat fee has been increased by 33%, I have decided not to raise the price of the 2025 Homer IPTs. Note that similar trips with 40% less time on the boat cost $5800!

2025 Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle IPTs

IPT #1: FRI 14 FEB 2025 through the full day on TUES 18 FEB 2025. Five days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings 2.

IPT #2: WED 19 FEB 2025 through the full day on SUN 23 FEB 2025. Five days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings 1.

Register for both trips to maximize your travel dollars and enjoy a $1000 discount while you are at it. In 2024, three of the five participants did both trips!

This trip features non-stop flight photography as well as many opportunities to create both environmental and point-blank portraits of one of North America’s most sought-after avian subjects: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Other reliable subjects will include Sea Otter, Glaucous-winged and Short-billed (formerly Mew) Gulls.

In addition, we should see Common Murre, Black Guillemot, Pelagic Cormorant, two or three species of loons, and a smattering of ducks including two species of merganser, all three scoters, Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, Harlequin, and Long-tailed Ducks. Close-range photographic chances for these species will require some good luck. Some of these species, especially when in flocks, can, however, often be used effectively when pleasing creating bird-scapes.

If we need to be out early, we will be the first boat out. If the conditions are great, we will stay out. And when there is a chance for sunset silhouettes, we will be in the right spot.

We will be traveling through gorgeous wilderness country; landscape and scenic opportunities abound.

Also featured is a professional leader, often referred to as the world’s most knowledgeable bird photography trip leader and instructor. He is conversant in Canon, Nikon, and Sony. You will learn practical and creative solutions to everyday photographic problems. You will learn to see the shot, to create dynamic images by fine-tuning your compositions, to best utilize your camera’s AF system, and how to analyze the wind, the sky conditions, and the direction and quality of the light. This is one of the very few trips Homer trips available where you will not be simply put on the birds and told to have fun. You will learn to be a better photographer.

All images from Kachemak Bay in 2022!

What You Will Learn

You will learn practical and creative solutions to everyday photographic problems. You will learn to see the shot, to create dynamic images by fine-tuning your compositions, to best utilize your camera’s AF system, and how to analyze the wind, the sky conditions, and the direction and quality of the light. This is one of the very few trips Homer trips available where you will not be simply put on the birds and told to have fun. You will learn to be a better photographer.

You will learn to get the right exposure when it is sunny, when it cloudy-bright, when it is cloudy, when it is cloudy-dark, or when it is foggy. Not to mention getting the right exposure when creating silhouettes. You will learn to make pleasing blurs working in manual mode and to create silhouettes working in Shutter Priority mode. Most importantly, you will learn to pick your best flight photographs from tens of thousands of images.

You will enjoy working with the best and most creative boat captain on his sturdy, photography-spacious, seaworthy, open-deck watercraft.

There will be only five photographers (not the usual six), plus the leader.

Small group Photoshop, Image Review, and Image Critiquing sessions most days.

All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK

What’s Included

One four hour or two two-hour boat trips every day (weather permitting), all boat fees and boat-related expenses (excluding tips), ground transportation to and from the dock and back to the hotel each day, in-the-field instruction and guidance, pre-trip gear advice, small group post-processing and image review sessions, and a thank you dinner for all well-behaved participants.

What’s Not Included

Your airfare to and from Homer, AK (via Anchorage), the cost of your room at Land’s End Resort, all personal items, all meals and beverages, and tips for the boat captain and/or the first mate.

Important Notes

We toss frozen herring chunks to bring the eagles into photographic range. The late Jean Keene, the Eagle Lady, fed the eagles in Homer for many decades and brought the population back from the brink of extinction.

On great days, the group may wish to photograph for more than four hours. If the total time on the boat exceeds 20 hours for the five-day trips the group will share the additional expense at a rate of $300.00/hour. The leader will pay for the bait.

Some folks may wish to rent their own vehicle to take advantage of local photographic opportunities around Homer. In 2024 those included Moose, Sea Otter, a variety of sea ducks in the harbor, and Great Grey and Short-eared Owl.

Deposit Information

A $3000 non-refundable deposit/trip is required. You may pay your deposit with credit card or by personal check (the latter made out to BIRDS AS ART) and sent via US mail only to Arthur Morris. PO Box 7245. Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Your balance, due 90 days before the date of departure, is payable only by check.

In Closing

I have been going to Homer off and on for close to two decades. Every trip has been nothing short of fantastic. Many folks go in mid-March. The earlier you go, the better the chances for snow. The only way to assure that you are on the best of these two trips is to sign up for both of them. If you have any questions, or are good to go for one or both of these great trips, please let me know via e-mail or give me a call on my cell phone at 863-221-2372.

Typos

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

Sony a9 iii Bird-Face/Eye Detection Autofocus

With bird’s flying from one side of the frame to the other in either direction, most of today’s high-end mirrorless bodies will occasionally (and understandably) grab the bird’s near wing. As you see in the short video, the a9 iii handles those situations “better than most.”

Better Than Most!

If you are in a hurry and wish to skip the lead-up and the drama, start watching from the 2:10 mark. Better than most for sure. Young Tiger’s confident smile as he was approaching his peak is one for the ages.

From the Jacksonville.com/Florida Times-Union article by Garry Smits of the Florida Times-Union here.

Be sure to watch the video and hear Gary Koch’s call!

“Better than most,” is the phrase NBC 17th-hole tower announcer Gary Koch uttered three times — twice when Woods’ 60-foot, triple-breaking, downhill putt at the par-3 17th hole was on its way and one more after it caught the right edge of the hole and dropped in, to the amazement, delight and unabashed joy of the thousands of fans ringing the Island Green.

The next day, Tiger Woods won his first Player’s Championship.

What’s Up?

I headed down to the lake on Thursday morning. It was clear and sunny and the wind was howling at 30+ MPH from the NW. I did not make a single image. On Friday morning, it was clear and sunny with a gentle breeze that swung around from the NE to the SW. As always, I learned a lot. And I created 2883 images. As is usually the case, understanding wind directions and sky conditions is the key to becoming a great bird photographer. Join me on an IPT toward that end.

Today is Friday 5 April, 2024. Whatever you are doing, I hope that you also have a great day. Be sure to watch the Sony a9 iii Bird-Face/Eye Detection Autofocus video that opens this post.

Don’t look now but this blog post makes six days in a row with a new educational post just for you.

If you plan on purchasing a Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera (or anything else for that matter), please remember to use or write for either my Bedfords discount code or my B&H affiliate link. Folks who use one of my two affiliate links to purchase the a9 III will receive my .DAT settings (the complete camera set-up) along with a Buttons and Dials Guide.

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.

B&H

To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

Bedfords Simplified

Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Bedfords Amazing 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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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.

For those who did not use my link to purchase their Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens, you can order your a copy here for $209.93. Click on the image to enlarge and to be able to read the fine print.

The BAA Sony 300mm f/2.8 Lens Guide

Impressed by my Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) images from the last three posts? Use either my Bedfords or B&H affiliate link to purchase your Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens and shoot me your receipt via e-mail and request a copy of the first-ever BAA Lens Guide. I thought that it would take only minutes to create this guide, but I was dead wrong. In the process of creating it, I learned a ton about the lens. And even better, I discovered a simple yet potentially fatal flaw that was resulting in sporadically unsharp flight images. The set-up fix is simple. Just be sure to use one of my affiliate links and get the guide for free.

If not, you can purchase a copy here for $209.93. Yes, it never hurts to use my links and it never costs you one penny more. And if you contact me via e-mail before you make a major purchase, I can often save you some money.

This image was also created on 3 April 2024 down by the lake near my home in Indian Lake Estates, FL. Standing at full height, I used the handheld Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2500: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be 1/3 stop short of perfect. With the sun going in and out I wanted to make sure to avoid toasting the TV’s white bill tip. AWB at 8:06:11am on a variably sunny morning. Wide/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Fly-by Turkey Vulture

Piece of Cake

I love walking around with the handheld 300mm f/2.8/1.4X/a9 iii rig down by the lakeshore. With the wind on Wednesday from the east/southeast, I approached the vultures by walking from south to north knowing that they would take off towards me. And this morning, I played around with the 2X while photographing Cattle Egrets foraging and in flight. Photos soon.

This image was also created on 3 April 2024 down by the lake near my home in Indian Lake Estates, FL. Standing at full height, I used the handheld Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2500: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be 1/3 stop short of perfect. With the sun going in and out I wanted to make sure to avoid toasting the TV’s white bill tip. AWB at 8:06:11am on a variably sunny morning. Wide/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. A7INFO screen capture for the Fly-by Turkey Vulture image

Thanks Wolfram!

When I first got my Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera, I opened a folder of images in A7INFO and noted that the program had not been updated for the a9 iii. I wrote Wolfram Söns and asked him if it would be updated. He replied that he was very busy. So I took the bull by the horns and sent him a few a9 iii raw files. He wrote back in ten minutes and told me that the deed was done. How’s that for service? A7INFO is the only program I know of that shows you the AF points for all or most Sony mirrorless cameras bodies.

While you can download A7INFO for free, do consider leaving a $10.00 donation to support Wolfram’s efforts.

The Image Optimization

The a7INFO screen capture immediately above shows the AF point squarely on the vulture’s eye. And it shows the original framing of the raw file. Note that I moved the bird back in the frame by adding canvas and re-crafted the marsh grasses. All of the techniques that I used are covered in detail in the Digital Basics III Video Series.

Typos

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

Sharing an AirBnB

On some IPTs, I offer AirBnB sharing for one or two folks or couples. There are many advantages:

1- The per person cost of lodging is reduced.
2- You do not have to eat dinner out everyday. This saves both time and money. And I am a pretty good cook. Do you like good beef or seafood?
3- You enjoy extra time with the leader. This maximizes your learning and allows you to ask questions (unless I am sleeping). Can you say image optimizations?

Consider joining me on Long Island this summer for an amazing photographic and educational experience. Remember that most photography tour leaders try to spend as little time with the participants as possible …

What’s Up

There was a ton of action at Stick Marsh on Tuesday morning. When the wind is strong from the south, you need to pray for clouds. My prayers were answered.

Today is Wednesday 3 April 2024. It is cloudy and windy (from the SW). David Pugsley is coming back for a second session with the chicks. There are two more than when he was here last week! Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too choose to have fun.

Don’t look now but this blog post makes four days in a row with a new post.

If you plan on purchasing a Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera (or anything else for that matter), please remember to use or write for either my Bedfords discount code or my B&H affiliate link. Folks who use one of my two affiliate links to purchase the a9 III will receive my .DAT settings (the complete camera set-up) along with a Buttons and Dials Guide.

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.

For those who did not use my link to purchase their Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens, this item should be in the store this afternoon. Click on the image to enlarge and to be able to read the fine print.

The First Ever BIRDS AS ART Lens Guide

Impressed by my Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) images from the last three posts? Use either my Bedfords or B&H affiliate link to purchase your Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens and shoot me your receipt via e-mail and request a copy of the first-ever BAA Lens Guide. This short guide will be published this afternoon. I thought that it would take only minutes to create this guide, but I was dead wrong. In the process of creating it, I learned a ton about the lens. And even better, I discovered a simple yet potentially fatal flaw that was resulting in sporadically unsharp flight images. The set-up fix is simple. Just be sure to use one of my affiliate links and get the guide for free.

Save 15%!

If you’d like to try out a new lens or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.

I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.

Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 code in the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.

Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com

B&H

To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

Bedfords Simplified

Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Bedfords Amazing 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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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 15 August 2023 at Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. Standing on the beach and crouching just a bit, I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted 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.. ISO 800. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 second at f/18 (stopped down 3 1/3 stops) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 10:39:33am on sunny morning with just a bit of haze in front of the sun. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. American Oystercatcher 3-egg clutch in nest scrape

Photographing American Oystercatcher Nests

At Nickerson Beach, most oystercatchers nests are on the open beach. Some pairs nest inside the ropes of the two very large tern and skimmer colonies. Nests on the beach are usually roped off before the eggs are even laid. Some pairs lay eggs in April (if not earlier) and thus there are fledged young in June most years. Failed nesters, however, are often on eggs in August. One of the wonderful things about Nickerson are the staggered breeding schedules of all three species. For example, you can have tiny tern chicks in July along with fledged and flying young, and tiny skimmer chicks in August just a few feet away from nests with fledged and flying young. In summer, Nickerson is almost overrun by beach-nesting birds.

In this case, the nest was roped off and neither parent was in the vicinity so I walked toward the scrape nest, stopped way down, made a few images of the eggs, and headed east. Join me on an IPT to learn how to photograph nests with chicks and young of various ages while minimizing disturbance.

Asynchronous Hatching

All of the nesting species at Nickerson hatch asynchronously, that is over a period of several weeks and even up to two months apart in some years. That is great for photography as it means that you might have nests with eggs, newborn chicks, small chicks, mid-sized chicks, large chicks, fledged young, and flying young (in fresh juvenal plumage) on a single summer day’s visit. The end of July into early August is prime time for skimmer chicks and the action continues until the beginning of September. Join me there this summer.

Join me to photograph Black Skimmers, Common Terns, American Oystercatchers, and more!

The Summer 2024 Nickerson Beach 3 1/2 day Terns, Skimmers, Oystercatchers, and more IPTs

July 29 – August 1, 2024. 3 1/2 days: Afternoon session on MON 29 July through the afternoon session on THURS 8 August: $2099.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5

August 5-8, 2024. 3 1/2 days: Afternoon session on MON 5 August through the afternoon session on THURS 1 August: $2099.00. Limit: 6.

Join me at Nickerson Beach Park this summer to photograph Black Skimmers, Common Terns, and American Oystercatchers. The trip is timed so that we should get to photograph tiny chicks as well as fledglings. There will be lots of flight photography including adults flying with baitfish and mole crabs. Creating great images of the chicks being fed is a challenge but I will do my best to help you toward that end. We will get to photograph a variety of breeding behaviors including courtship, sitting on (incubating) eggs, chick feeding, and more. We may get to photograph pre-dawn and early evening blastoffs. There is generally great afternoon skimmer flight photography that includes frequent midair battles sunny days. And with luck, we might even see a few tiny chicks in addition to fledged and flying young. We will also get to photograph the life cycle of American Oystercatcher. This will likely include nests with eggs and small chicks, young being fed, and surely a few fledglings.

Nesting Piping Plover is also possibly. There will be lots of gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few lesser black-backeds of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, and maybe even Red Knot.

Change Your Life!

Afternoon sessions will run from 5:30 till sunset (assuming that entry policies are as they were in 2023. Morning sessions will run from pre-dawn till about 9:00 or 9:30am, roughly 3 1/2 hours.

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps (or 120 fps!) camera bodies. And we will process a few images and distribute the screen capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. And all IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Adult American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise; Adult American Oystercatcher posing on clean sand; predawn skimmer flock blur; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer landing at nest on cloudy day; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer sunrise group blur; Black Skimmer adult with Atlantic Silversides; juvenile Semipalmated Plover, and photographer with oystercatcher family.

Some of What You Will Learn on a Nickerson Beach IPT

• 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before if you are using SONY gear).
• 2- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
• 3- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 4- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
• 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
• 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
• 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
• 10- More than you could ever imagine.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Black Skimmer pair with chick; Common Tern landing at nest with small baitfish; large Common Tern chick on pristine beach; American Oystercatchers courtship flight; Common Tern with pipefish; Common Tern fledgling; American Oystercatcher on eggs in high wind; American Oystercatcher nest with three eggs; and Black Skimmer midair battle.

The Details

We will be on the beach very early to enjoy sunrise. The morning sessions will run about 3 1/2 hours. Afternoon sessions will begin at 5:30 and run till sunset. There is never a set schedule on an IPT — we adapt to the conditions. On cloudy mornings with the right wind, we may opt to photograph till 11:30am or so and skip the afternoon session. That especially when the afternoon weather is looking iffy.

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session before and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. Each of these IPTs will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Islip (if you have lots of Southwest points). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $699 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Join me on the COMBO IPT this coming August to photograph adult and juvenile shorebirds at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY. Clockwise starting from the upper left back to center: juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs; adult Semipalmated Plover; fresh juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Least Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Stilt Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher; worn, molting adult Semipalmated Sandpiper; worn, molting adult White-rumped Sandpiper; and juvenile (left) and worn, molting adult Greater Yellowlegs.

The August 2024 JBWR-East Pond/Nickerson Beach 3 1/2 day Shorebirds, Skimmers, and more COMBO IPT

July 29 – SAT August 17 through the morning session on TUES 20 August 2024. 3 1/2 days: $2199.00. Limit: 6.

Join me for four mornings at the famed East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY (conditions permitting) to photograph southbound migrant shorebirds and for three afternoons to photograph beach nesting birds. The window for photographing juvenile shorebirds in fresh plumage is very narrow and this trip will of course get you to the right spot at the exact right time. You will learn to identify and age the shorebirds and to photograph them (at ground level). I will gladly share everything that I have learned during the 46 years I have been visiting the pond. Heck, I started late. After too many years of mismanagement, the gate valve at the north end of the East Pond has finally been repaired properly; water levels should be perfect this summer. If it is not, we will spend our mornings at Nickerson.

Afternoons (and mornings as well) at Nickerson Beach Park are superb in mid-August for photographing Black Skimmers, Common Terns, and American Oystercatchers with young of all ages. There will be lots of fledged chicks by mid-August, lots of flight including adults flying with baitfish and mole crabs, and excellent chances to photograph both chick feeding and predation by gulls. The Great Black-backed Gulls see the young skimmers as potato chips. We should get to photograph the evening skimmer blastoffs. On hot sunny days, there is still great afternoon skimmer flight photography that includes frequent midair battles.

There will be lots of terns (mostly commons) and gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and maybe even Red Knot. And we might encounter large, swirling flocks of Sanderling in flight over the ocean.

Join me this August to photograph at the East Pond at JBWR in the mornings (conditions permitting) and at Nickerson Beach in the afternoons. Clockwise starting from the upper left back to center: Marbled Godwit (likely in juvenal plumage); Wilson’s Phalarope in first winter plumage; Black Skimmer adult in flight over the Atlantic; juvenile American Oystercatcher foraging surf; adult Lesser Black-backed Gull; Black Skimmer attacking tiny chick; Killdeer in fresh juvenal plumage; Least Sandpiper in fresh juvenal plumage ruffling; and juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs and mixed shorebird flock.

Morning sessions at the East Pond will run from just before dawn till about 9:00 or 9:30am. If the afternoon weather forecast is looking ominous, we may decide to photograph until after 11:00am and cancel the afternoon session. Afternoon sessions at Nick will run from 5:30 till sunset (assuming that entry policies are as they were in 2023).

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps (or 120 fps!) camera bodies. In addition, we will process some participant images and distribute the screen-capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. All IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Some of What You Will Learn on the COMBO IPT

• 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before you make even a single image if you are using SONY gear).
• 2-How to get low and super low
• 3- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
• 4- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 5- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
• 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
• 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
• 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
• 10- To identify and age a variety of shorebird, tern, and gull species.
• 11- More than you could ever imagine.

The Details

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session during and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. This IPT will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Islip (if you have lots of Southwest points). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $699 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Typos

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