On Friday morning, Bob Eastman enjoyed his first roadkill cafe experience with the ILE vultures. When he returned from Vero he showed up with a huge, very smelly dead raccoon that he shoveled up on SR 60 and placed in a large cooler. He did not have faith in the creature, but I did. We put it to the left of the pier and the Turkey Vultures found the stinking mess in about two minutes. When the sun broke through the clouds, however, I knew that we needed to move it to the South Peninsula. We did. Despite a brisk wind from the north, we did OK. Remember that as the sun rises it moves to the southeast presenting a wind-against-sun condition. Though not as bad as a northwest wind on a clear morning, a wind from the north at this time of the year is far less than ideal. Anyhoo, we had more than 80 vultures on the long dead raccoon in short order. The Turkey Vultures predominated at first, but when we left at 8:30, there were 30 Black Vultures finishing off the remains of Rocky.
We had a very few birds land the “wrong way” and did our best with those. As a side benefit, we had the first-ever birds landing on newly-planted-by-Bob The Perch III. After a harrowing day of trying and failing to pick up the new pool pump being shipped by UPS to older daughter Jennifer’s home in Babson Park, we headed down to the lake at our usual 5:00pm and did well with a pair of dancing cranes. I used one of my two a9 iii bodies all day. I had forgotten how incredible the AF system is with that mirrorless body.
Today is Saturday 14 December and Bob and I will be heading down to the lake at 6:55am as usual. Whatever you choose to do, we hope that like us, you choose to be happy and have fun.
Please remember to use the B&H links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn! Jacksonville in late June/early July 2026 and Nickerson Beach/JBWR August dates and details will be announced soon. You can always e-mail for advance notice with new trips.
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
Sony a-9 iii Mirrorless Camera Body
Sold in Less Than One Hour!
Yours truly, Arthur Morris, AKA artie, is offering one of his two a Sony a9iii Mirrorless camera bodies, this one in excellent plus condition for a ridiculously low $3998.00. The sale includes the original product box, the body cap, the battery charger, one battery, the strap, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Your purchase will also include my a9 iii Set-up e-mail, the new Buttons and Dials Guide coming soon in the next update. You will not be needing the Set-up e-mail as the body you purchase will be good to go with al of my current settings!
With the a-1 II being shipped in less than a week, I am no longer in need of a second a9 iii. But I want to have 120fps available when I need it as it gives you four times as many wing positions and flight poses as any other mirrorless camera body. With the incredible AF system that is even better than AF with the a-1 with Firmware v2.02, most every single image will be sharp on the eye. And the raw files can stand up to decent crops. A new one sells at B&H for $5,998.00. And B&H does not have a single used one in stock. KEH is offering a used like-new a9iii for $5823.00! Used Gear Page regular Karen McCormick sold a used a9 iii for $4298.00 last month. If you have been thinking of an a9 iii, grab my lightly used a9 iii right now and save a sweet $2,000.00. artie
This image was created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Standing on the beach to the left of the pier, I used the hand held 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 2000: 1/500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:06:24am in the shade with some clouds in the eastern sky.
Tracking: (upper center) Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #1: Sandhill Crane, female calling
Love the Soft Light and the Sand Background
As you learned in the Bird Photography Shutter Speed YouTube video in the blog post here, 1/500 sec. is borderline risky when photographing a calling crane. It worked perfectly for this image. Using Tracking: (upper center) Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection enabled, a9 iii grabbed the crane’s eye and stuck to it like glue.
This image was also created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Working from the front seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 6400. 1/4000 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 7:29:46am on a mostly sunny morning.
Tracking: (center) Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #2: Red-shouldered Hawk, adult screaming
Processing a9 iii Raw Files
I shoot my a9 iii bodies with Color Creative Look NT (neutral). The raw files do not look as richly colored as a-1 raws. The trick is to change the profile to Adobe Color, Adobe Standard, or Adobe Vivid during the raw file conversion in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). At times, Adobe Landscape looks even better. That is how each of today’s featured images wound up with rich, gorgeous, natural-looking colors.
This image was also created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Standing on the beach to the left of the pier, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 420mm) 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/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:44:12am on a partly sunny morning.
Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #3: Crested Caracara in flight — wings fully up
Just One Good Chance
This handsome adult Crested Caracara flew over Stinky Rocky when we placed it on the beach just to the left of the pier. As it flew left to right into the north wind, I was astounded at how the a9 iii’s AF system tracked the eye even during the downstroke. Working at only 60 fps, I created more than 60 images of this single flyby. I kept four with this one being my favorite.
This image was also created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Standing on the South Peninsula, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 420mm) and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800: 1/4000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:05:55am on a then sunny morning.
Tracking Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #4: Turkey Vulture adult taking flight from The Perch III
Pre-Capture
As noted above, I usually work with my a9 iii at 60 fps rather than at 120 fps, the max. I keep Pre-capture at 0.5 sec., one-half second. When I am positive that a bird is going to take flight, I will usually pay a very short visit to My Menu and increase that to 1.0 sec., one full seconds.
Remember that for Pre-capture to work you need keep the shutter button half pressed an see the tiny green box tracking the bird’s eye in order for the Pre-capture images to be saved to the card once you press the shutter button. As with this image, Pre-capture is most valuable in take-off situations.
This image was also created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Seated on the South Peninsula, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 420mm) and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800: 1/4000 sec. at f/5 (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 8:32:20 am on a then sunny morning.
Tracking Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #5: Black Vulture braking to land
Be On the Lookout for Wrong Way Birds
When trying to shoot flight in wind-against-sun situations, you must train yourself to look for birds that are not flying the right way, in this case, those that are not landing directly into the wind. By 8:30am, there was a bit of west in the north wind. This bird should have been landing away from us, but for whatever reason, it gave us a halfway decent chance. The a9 iii made the best of my good luck.
Twenty other Black Vultures landed facing away from us; butt shots only!
This image was also created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Sitting below the hill to the north of the parking circle, I used the hand held 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 Exposure Compensation (EC) on the thumb dial. Shutter Priority +1 stop. AUTO ISO set ISO 250: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (stopped down one stop). AWB at 5:21:17pm with some clouds in the western sky.
Wide AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #6: Sandhill Crane, male displaying at sunset
60 fps is Fast!
Even using the slowed down frame rate, I created nearly 8000 images of the silhouetted cranes on the small hill in less than 20 minutes. Most folks believe that that is just too many images. But, the truth be told, picking the 49 keepers took less than five minutes. How? Working in Photo Mechanic, I keep my finger on the right arrow key and pause only when an image jumps off the screen and screams, I am special, save me! When I come to a long series of static shots that I like, I will randomly tag two of them and continue on to the action shots.
This image was also created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Sitting below the hill to the north of the parking circle, I used the hand held 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 Exposure Compensation (EC) on the thumb dial. Shutter Priority +0.7 stop. AUTO ISO set ISO 250: 1/6400 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open). AWB at 5:25:06pm with some clouds in the western sky.
Wide AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #7: Sandhill Crane, female dancing at sunset
Your Calls?
Which of today’s featured images is the strongest? Why? Which of the two crane silhouettes do you like best? Why?
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
The dearth of birds on the perches and the overall lack of variety and action has left me concentrating on the cranes. Here is the question of the day:
Is it possible to create a special image of a crane standing there doing nothing (Images #1 or 2), or a group of cranes standing in the same spot preening (Image #3)? Please click on each of today’s three featured images to enlarge and then decide if any or all of them are in any way special. If yes, what factors make them special to you? Or should I have deleted them all as too ordinary? Perhaps the fact that I took the time to optimize each of them might be an indication of how I feel about them. Or perhaps I am trying to trick you.
Which (if any), is the strongest image? Which is the weakest of the three?
What’s Up?
Despite having put up three new perches recently, Bob Eastman and I have had to work hard for a few good images at most. On Wednesday I kept very few images — some nice vulture flight in the morning and some nice sunset tree silhouettes, all with the hand held 300mm f/2.8/1.4X TC/a-1 rig. I sent the Shutter Priority with AUTO ISO and Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Dial menu trick to both the a-1 Firmware Update group and the a9 iii group. Then I sent the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Notes e-Mail K (10 DEC 2024) to the a-1 Set-up and Info group.
Today is Thursday 12 December 2024. Bob will be back from Vero this afternoon. As we are waiting for the new pool pump to arrive, and another cold front came through last night, I doubt if I will be doing much swimming till Monday. I did my slow quarter mile yesterday with the pool at 70° F. I just checked the thermometer at 4:23am; it is down to 68°F …
I will be heading down to the lake for sunrise to try and improve on a vulture tree sunrise color image we have been working. Then I need to scoot into town do run some errands. Whatever you choose to do, we hope that like us, you choose to be happy and have fun.
Please remember to use the B&H links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
Fresh caught Alaskan seafood caught sustainably. Save $20 on your first order by clicking here.
Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood Company
Ever since my two daughters sent me a big box of salmon filets and sea scallops from Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood Company for my birthday a few years ago, I have been ordering salmon and scallops from them. Now that Junior’s Fish Market in Lake Wales is closing, I will be depending on Wild Alaska every month. I always order Sockeye filets and the Sea Scallops. The stuff comes frozen solid, is easy to prepare, and tastes pretty much as good as the fresh stuff would.
You can save $20 on your first order by clicking here. Eating wild caught seafood is about as healthy as you can go. The scallops are a real treat. When you sear them, be sure to cook them in the liquid that comes in the bag and be sure not to overcook them. I bake or broil the lightly seasoned salmon filets skin side down in olive or coconut oil.
Buy Direct from the Fisherman
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The stuff tastes great and is good for you. Internet orders to the continental United States are shipped from their fulfillment center in the Midwest allowing their seafood products to reach US customers in perfect condition. The flavor and texture of their salmon and other products remain fresher than fresh is because the stuff is frozen the same day it is caught.
I created this image 1 December 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 with the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1250. 1/1000 second at f/11 (stopped down one stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:07:27am on a sunny morning.
Tracking: (upper center) Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1: Sandhill Crane adult head and neck portrait
As noted here often, working on the world’s best beanbag at 1200mm is child’s play with a v2.02 Firmware a-1. With bright sun, I had more than enough light to employ a fast shutter speed despite stopping down one full stop. Note: stopping down to f/11 did not bring up any unwanted background detail because the distance to the background was great.
I created this image 1 December 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 with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 800. 1/400 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:58:54am on a rare cloudy morning.
Tracking: (upper center) Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #2: Sandhill Crane adult doing nothing
A Nothing Shot?
So, we have a single crane standing there doing nothing in relatively flat light. Do you see anything special about this image or was I pipe dreaming?
I created this image on 12 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Again, working from the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1600. 1/500 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:24:42am on another rare cloudy morning.
Tracking: Expand Spot S/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #3: Sandhill Cranes — a family preening session
A Family Preening Session
Here is another seemingly blah-on-the-surface photograph. Is there anything at all special about it? Either way, what are the negatives?
Note that the bird on our right is last year’s young, about eight or nine months old. How do you identify them? The feathers of the front cap on the young bird are more pink than the red front caps of the adult’s. I did need to use a few tricks to sharpen up the face of the adult in the back as it was beyond the depth of field.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
Nearly Comprehensive YouTube Video Guide: Shutter Speeds for Bird Photography
View, bookmark, and study this 46-minute video and learn about choosing a suitable shutter speed for all types of bird photography — for static subjects, for flight, and for various types of action. Not to mention for creating the pleasingly blurred images that I love. There is so much info in this 46 minutes video that serious bird photographers will wish to bookmark it for study. Scroll down to see the succinct summary below.
Note the Piping Plover image at the 31:40 mark was created by Clemens Van der Werf. It was inadvertently credited to David Pugsley.
What’s Up?
Today is Tuesday 10 December (can you believe it?) 2024. Bob and I will be headed down to the lake before 7:00am, but our streak of 46 in a row morning sessions together will end tomorrow as Mr. Eastman is headed to Vero Beach for 2 days to attend to some business. Despite perfect conditions on Monday morning, we pretty much wound up with squadoosh. On Monday evening we tried something new by working some backlit Boat-tailed Grackles bathing fifteen minutes before sunset. Whatever you choose to do, we hope that like us, you choose to be happy and have fun.
Please remember to use the B&H links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM Lens
Price reduced $500.00 on 10 December 2024
Multiple IPT veteran Geri Georg is offering a rarely used Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM lens in Excellent Plus to Near-mint condition for the might-a-well-be-giving-it-away price of $599.00 (was $1099.00).
The sale includes the original box, the front and back lens caps, the lens pouch, the lens hood, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Geri via e-mail or by phone at (970) 219-4493 (MTD).
This lens is a scenic photographer’s dream come true. It sells new at B&H for $2199.00. Grab Geri’s pretty much new lens and save an incredible $1600.00. artie
Characterized by a revamped optical design, the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM from Canon is a workhorse wide-angle zoom and member of the well-regarded L-series of lenses. Featuring a series of specialized elements, this lens utilizes a trio of aspherical elements and two ultra-low dispersion glass elements to control a variety of aberrations for high sharpness and clarity. Both SWC and ASC coatings have also been applied to the elements in order to reduce lens flare and ghosting for increased contrast and color accuracy.
Complementing its optical prowess, a ring-type Ultrasonic Motor offers fast, smooth, and near-silent autofocus performance, which is further benefitted by full-time manual focus operation and an internal focusing design. The lens is both water and dust-resistant, and fluorine coatings have also been applied to the front and rear elements to protect against fingerprints and smudges from affecting image quality. B&H and Canon
Shutter Speeds for Bird Photography
Below are my general recommendations for focal lengths up to 600mm. When adding teleconverters to long lenses you need to up your shutter speeds, unless you are on a sturdy tripod with a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro.
Exact shutter speeds will vary depending on the skill and sharpness techniques of the photographer, and again, on the focal length they are using. Again, in general, the longer the focal length the faster the shutter speed you will need (all else being equal).
Birds in flight
Ideal: 1/3200 or 1/4000 sec. or faster.
Usually acceptable: 1/2500 sec.
Sometimes you can get away with shutter speeds ranging from 1/1600 to 1/2000 sec.
On occasion, only when caught with your pants down, you might come up with something sharp at 1/1250, 1/1000, 1/800, 1/640, 1/500 sec., or even slower. But those are never recommended for flight.
Note: folks who want razor sharp wingtips when doing flight photography on small, fast species recommend a shutter speed of 1/8000 sec.
Birds in action
Ideal: 1/2000 or 1/2500 sec. is usually plenty unless the action is violent. With lots of light, go with 1/3200 or 1/4000 sec .
Usually acceptable: 1/1600 or 1/1250 sec.
In a pinch (such as in extreme low light conditions), you can often come up sharp at 1/1000, 1/800, 1/640, 1/500, or even 1/400 sec..
Birds moving slowly (as when preening, walking or swimming)
Ideal: 1/2000, 1/1600, 1/1250, or 1/1000 sec.
Usually acceptable: 1/800, 1/640, 1/500, or 1/400 sec. will often be sufficient.
Usually risky: 1/320 to 1/250 sec. You might get one or two sharp ones in a series.
Static Subjects/Lens Unsupported (hand holding, lens not braced)
Most folks can be assured of sharp results with a shutter speed of 1/1000 sec. or faster. Folks with superb hand holding sharpness techniques and do well at 1/800, 1/640, 1/500 sec. or even slower on occasion.
Static Subjects/Lens Supported (knee or foot pod technique, braced in some way as on a fence or with the lens hood on the ground, or best of all on a tripod).
1/500, 1/400, 1/320, or 1/250, or even 1/200 sec should work well (as long as the bird is not moving).
Folks with excellent sharpness technique should be fine down to 1/60 sec. or even slower (even when working at 1200mm).
Shutter Speeds for Pleasing Blurs
For decades, the classic blur speed has been 1/15th second. Remember that at a given shutter speed, the degree of blurring will increase as the distance to the subject decreases. All of that dependent of course on the speed and behavior of the subject and the skill of the person doing the panning. Faster shutter speeds ranging from 1/20 to 1/125 sec. (or faster) can work with birds flying or running by at close range. Slower shutter speeds in the range of 1/2 to 1/13 sec. can produce spectacular images on occasion. The slower the shutter speed you employ the fewer keepers you will have but your chances of creating a contest winner will increase.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
