October 12th, 2024 What’s Up?
In the last post, I commented on Thursday morning at 8:01am as follows:
Thanks, all, (for the good wishes).
I slept through the night. I walked around the house at 6am with my iPhone flashlight; we are unscathed. We never lost power here at ILE. Jennifer did lose power at her home in nearby Babson Park.
As is often the case, the storm was pretty much a big fizzle with the usual trees and power lines down. It certainly was not the 100-year storm they were predicting. Unless you lived on the coast below Sarasota, there was not much damage. The storm surge at Tampa, St. Pete, and Clearwater was approximately “1-3 feet.” There was and is lots of local flooding.
with love, artie
ps: And yes, I will be heading down to the lake soon.
As it turns out, by pooh-poohing the storm, I spoke much too soon.
While Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Pete fared much better than they did with Helene, there was some damaging storm surge well to the south, though not as severe as predicted. The storm, however, claimed at least 17 lives, none by drowning. The deaths included at least five due to tornadoes in St. Lucie County on the East Coast (!) just 70 miles from my front door. Floodwaters rose to more than six feet in Lithia, near the Alafia River, about 20 miles southeast of Tampa. There were 3.4 million power outages, and early estimates are that Hurricane Milton caused $50 billion in damage.
While the Amazing Mets will be playing for the National League pennant soon, the roof blew off Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays’ in St. Petersburg. I had no internet for 26 hours, and Jennifer in Babson Park still has no power. But all in all, I and my friends were blessedly lucky. Again.
Even though I was amazed at the sharpness of the young Great Egret in flight at only 1/640 sec., my favorite of the two images in the last blog post was the Cattle Egret in the rain for the rain streaks, the shallow blue puddle, and the layers of color.
On Thursday, a two first-ever-for-ILE Royal Terns were flying over the pier, surely brought here by Milton. The day before, I had a first-ever-for-ILE fly-by Merlin. With north winds and cloudy skies, photography down by the lake has not been consistently good. With more of the same forecast for this morning, Saturday 12 October 2024, I will head down to the lake at about 8am. Whatever the heck you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
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.
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This image was created on 10 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estaates, FL. I used the hand held Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens (at 15 mm) and The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera.. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/250 second at f/5.6 (stopped down two stops) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:23:16am on a cloudy morning.
Lower center Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1: The 2021/22 Bald Eagle nest
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The 2022/23 Bald Eagle Nest
At about 9:15am on Thursday, well after Hurricane Milton had departed to the northeast, I drove down to the lake to see what was up and about. As I turned left onto Banyan Drive, a thought entered my mind: “The two big nests are likely on the ground.” Within a minute, I learned that I had been correct. This nest, just past the boat ramp, was the first lakefront Bald Eagle nest at ILE. A single eaglet fledged there in the late winter of 2022. The next year, the adults raised two young in it.
It was huge. It fell straight down from the tree, perhaps because the very large, very heavy branch that supported it snapped in the high winds. Last season, after the eagles left for a different nest in the same field, a pair of Ospreys hung around for months, courted and copulated, but never laid eggs.
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This image was also created on 10 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Again, I used the hand held Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens (at 24mm) and The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera.. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/250 second at f/4.5 (stopped down 1 1/3 stops) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:18:48am on a cloudy morning.
Lower center Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #2: The 2023 Bald Eagle nest
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The 2024 Bald Eagle Nest
Though the same pair fledged two eaglets from this nest in the very early spring of 2023, I don’t think that I made a single image of that family as the top of the dead pine tree was quite cluttered. Lots of branches were cleared away by winds. On two occasions over the past few weeks, I saw the birds adding branches to the nest. Things were looking good for photography. Until Milton came along.
This nest, much smaller and lighter than the original nest, was blown more than 40 feet to the west of the nest tree.
Both nest trees were practically reduced to the trunks by Milton, so I have no idea if the eagles will attempt to rebuild or will move on. Time will tell. At least two natural Osprey nests came down in the storm as well.
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This image was also created on 10 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from the driver’s seat on my SUV I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600. 1/2500 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 9:59:11am on a cloudy morning. RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be perfect.
Tracking: Expand Spot AF-C AF with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #3: Little Blue Heron juvenile on fallen log
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New Opportunities
The diagonal log in Image #3 was toppled by Hurricane Milton. I think that it is an Australian Pine, a Florida alien. I was glad that I drove down to the end of Palmetto Drive to make my u-turn in the driveway of the last house, the tangerine one, formerly owned by my late friend Bob. When I see the juvie LBH the wide shot jumped out at me.
High Level Image Design Question
Why was it vitally important to the success of this image that I moved my car up three feet before I went to work?
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Do not click on the composite image; simply scroll down for the best viewing.
While Sebastian Inlet is justifiably famous around the world for the Ospreys diving for migrating saltwater fish each fall, there are a variety of desirable avian subjects there as well in October and November. Keep reading if you would like to join me on what will surely be a memorable photographic and learning experience.
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Pick Your Own Dates Short-notice Sebastian Inlet Ospreys and More BAA Personalized Instructional Workshops
Ridiculously Inexpensive!
Dates: October 29 (arrive on the afternoon of Monday the 28th) thru the morning session on Saturday 22 November
Right now I have four folks for the last week, 17-22 NOV. So any few days (or a week!) after 28 OCT and before mid-NOV would be fabulous.
As BIRDS AS ART lost more than $100,000 in tax year 2023, I am moving forward looking more at sharing expenses than at making money. Simply put, for more reasons than I will list here, sharing an AirBnB or VRBO place maximizes learning while reducing your overall travel costs.
Consider joining me at Sebastian Inlet this fall for some great bird photography and a ton of learning. Life is short; what are you waiting for? While a 600mm f/4 lens is ideal, you could do the whole trip with a variety of other lenses including a 500mm f/4, a 400mm f/2.8, a 400mm DO, a 200-600, a 100-500, a 300mm f/2.8 with TCs, or one of the great new Nikon Z telephoto or telephoto zoom lenses.
Bob Eastman is driving from Wisconsin and doing all 26 days, from 28 OCT thru the morning session on 22 NOV, prime time for Ospreys diving and catching a variety of saltwater fish. There are four bedrooms in this great AirBnB property that is just 22 minutes from the south jetty at the State Park, 24 minutes from the northwest pool where the Ospreys spent a lot of time last year. Please note that NOV 21-22 are sold out.
Hopefully, those who come would stay for a week or ten days (or all 26 days!) to maximize the opportunities. As above, fewer days would work also. Fly to Melbourne (MEL) or Orlando (MCO) and rent a car. Local folks who would like to arrange a morning or two of In-the-Field Instruction during October should get in touch via e-mail.
Here, if you stay in the AirBnB with me, are the ridiculous low rates for the in-the-field sessions (that include the daily Image Review and Photoshop sessions).
$250 for a morning session
$150 for an afternoon session.
Brunch and dinners at the AirBnB will cost you $20/day.
If you are interested, let me know your preferred dates via e-mail and I will get back to you with the per/night price for the lodging.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
October 9th, 2024 What’s Up
As of 2pm on Wednesday 9 October 2024, Hurricane Milton was scheduled to make landfall somewhere between Tampa and Sarasota this evening. At the least, it is supposed to be one of the most powerful storms ever to strike Florida.
Many storm tracks show the eye of the hurricane passing directly over my home at Indian Lake Estates at 8am on Thursday morning. At best, we’ll get a ton of rain and lots of wind up to 70mph. At worst, we might have a pine tree or two come down on the house or on my newly redone pool cage. And maybe some windows blown out. Jim is riding out the storm here, and I do not believe that we are in any great danger. My new generator should kick in the moment we lose power tonight. Older daughter Jennifer is in nearby Babson Park and is nervously waiting to see what Milton has in store. I wish her and Erik the best tonight.
It was raining here when I woke at 6:00am, but quit by nine. At 11:30am I walked 1.3 miles and then swam 24 lengths in my lap pool, a bit more than 1/4 mile. Between noon and 1pm there was lots of thunder in the neighborhood and some heavy rain. Our phones lit up with Polk County tornado warnings. So far, all is fine.
In 2004, five years after I moved here, the eyes of Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne all crossed right over Indian Lake Estates. Charley brought the strongest winds, and moved quickly, not officially reducing power to Category 1 status until after passing by Polk County. When the 2004 hurricane season started, it had been 44 years since Polk County saw major damage from a hurricane. In 1960, Hurricane Donna crossed over Florida, leaving behind a swath of destruction in its path. The three storms did $29.8 billion worth of damage total across many states. I think that I lost power for almost two weeks after Charley.
Right now, I am most concerned for friends (and everyone else) living in Southwest Florida. David and Michele Pugsley in Plant City, accountant Chip Jackson in Clearwater (evacuated to Alabama), old friend Linda Robbins in Sarasota — I have no idea where she might be, Cliff Beittel and Susan, and Pat Fishburne, in Fort Myers — the moment Pat heard of the new storm, she flew to North Carolina, and John Johnson huddled up on the ninth floor of his Condo in Naples. I told John — we both attended Brooklyn Technical High School — to evacuate once the water reached the ninth floor.
I am hoping against hope at least to some degree that the storm weakens considerably. There is always the possibility of reverse storm surge in Tampa Bay as occurred with during Hurricanes Irma and Ian not long ago. All the water emptied out of the bay. Check it out here.
By 2:30pm, it was raining hard here at ILE and the wind is picking up. I hope to head down to the lake for a look see in a few minutes. By the time I finished the previous sentence the wind was ripping through the trees.
I have been hard at work with Arash Hazeghi updating The Art and Science of Photographing Birds in Flight. We should have some news to share soon.
I continue working with the v2.02 and v2.02 Sony a-1 Firmware updates and will begin work on announcing the 2025 January San Diego IPT tomorrow.
Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you are well and safe.
Update: I added two nice images created in the rain at 5:20pm.
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This image was created on 9 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated in 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 One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 2000. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/200 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 3:31:45pm on rainy afternoon.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1: Cattle Egret in rain
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Just In Case …
Just in case you thought I was kidding about going down to the lake in the pouring rain, I offer two of my 16 keepers from my hour-long session during which I created 435 photographs.
Just in case you don’t know me, you will now at least know that I am addicted to bird photography and that I am certifiably nuts. I would have stayed longer but my phone was screaming out tornado warnings so I headed home, had a nice dinner, and worked on these two images and added them to today’s blog post.
It has been pouring rain for several hours, that after several days of on and off rain. I have never seen so much water down by the lake as I did this afternoon. By morning, I am pretty sure that the entire North Field will look like part of the lake. It is likely that it will make the rainfall from Hurricane Ian look like a drought.
Anyhoo, as I mentioned here recently, the key to shooting from your vehicle in a hard rain is to have the driver’s side in the lee. With a strong wind from the northeast, I did my best to point the car to the northwest so that I was 90° to the rain. My lens got a bit wet, but the camera stayed perfectly dry. Best of all, I had fun.
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This image was also created on 9 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated in 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 One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 2500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/640 second (!) at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 3:42:21pm on rainy afternoon.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #2: Great Egret juvenile taking flight in rain
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Beyond Lucky
I am getting much better at following my own advice: When unexpected action occurs, press and hold the shutter button. Do not attempt to change the shutter speed or the ISO or you will miss everything.
This bird took fight several times without warning. Each time it did, I fired off a sequence of images expecting nothing sharp at 1/640 second. Surprise. All but one of the images showed considerable motion blur on the head. This un-cropped image was inexplicably razor sharp on the eye. Go figure.
In any case, I am 100% positive that I could not have made either of these images had I chosen to sit safely in my office and watch baseball.
Your Call?
Which image do you like best? Why? My choice just might surprise you.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
October 8th, 2024 What’s Up?
Today is Tuesday 8 October. Hurricane Milton is on its way to Florida. It is currently aimed right at Tampa and should make landfall some time on Wednesday. With this storm following close on the heels of Hurricane Helene, the potential for catastrophic, double-barreled damage along the coast of Southwest Florida boggles the mind. My prayers are with everyone in the path of the storm. At the very least, Lakes Wales and ILE should get lots of rain and high winds, the latter on Thursday.
You can check out the latest on Milton here.
Right now it is cloudy and still so I am headed down to the lake the moment I hit Publish. Whatever the heck you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
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.
Need a New Laptop?
Need a new laptop for photography? Consider the Apple 16″ MacBook Pro (M3 Max, Space Black).
Key Features
Apple M3 Max 16-Core Chip
128GB Unified RAM | 8TB SSD
16″ 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR Screen
40-Core GPU | 16-Core Neural Engine
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Bluetooth 5.3
Thunderbolt 4 | HDMI | MagSafe 3
SDXC Slot | FaceTime HD 1080p Camera
Backlit Magic Keyboard
Force Touch Trackpad | Touch ID Sensor
macOS
In other words, the bomb. Looking to spend a bit less? Click here and search for Apple MacBook Pro M3. Feel free to e-mail or call (863-221-23720 for laptop advice.
Why Not Buy Your MacBook Pro From Apple?
If you purchase a laptop from Apple and have a problem right off the bat they will fix it for you in a few days or a week after you send it to them. They will not replace it. If you purchase a laptop from B&H and have a problem right out of the box, they will send you a new one no questions asked.
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Image #1: The tight face crop is from the converted raw file
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Bird Pupils versus Human Pupils
Check out the different size of the bird’s pupils. As we saw in the previous blog post here, the pupil of the bird’s left eye, the one on our right, is relatively huge. The pupil of the right eye, however, is relatively tiny. Several readers noted properly with regard to the previously shared image from that same morning (created 3 minutes later), that the pupil of the eye in the shade was opened wide to let in more light, while the pupil of the sunlit eye was much smaller.
Dr. Eugen Dolan, neurosurgeon, was the first to let me know (via e-mail) that human eyes are different. He wrote:
Arthur,
With regard to your Osprey pupil question, you have posed a VERY complex question.
The pupils of a bird’s eye are controlled by striated muscles that can be controlled voluntarily. Thus, they can control each pupil independently.
In humans, to have one pupil noticeably larger than the other does not normally occur.
Human pupils shrink symmetrically in bright light and dilate symmetrically in dim light. If the light is different on each eye, the brain averages the amount of light as there is a central control processor of the smooth muscles of the pupil; both pupils will pretty much always be the same size and always dependent on the average amount of light.
There is a congenital condition in which one pupil is larger than the other; it can sometimes be seen in family photos.
Uneven pupil dilation in humans can be caused by some medications, a lens dislocation, or severe head trauma that results in an epidural hemorrhage.
I found an article entitled Bird pupils behave unexpectedly differently. It surprised me. You might want to check it out.
Eugen
I followed the link to the MP Neuro (Max Planck Neuroscience) website that Eugen sent and read the article with interest. You can find it here.
In response to some of the comments at that same blog post, I asked a leading question. Then, two folks, including blog regular Dr. Adam Rubenstein, left comments confirming what Eugen had told me.
I am constantly amazed by the incredible length and breadth of the knowledge base of the folks reading the BIRDS AS ART Blog.
Not the Same Bird; Not the Same Fish!
This image is quite similar to the 8:29:59am image originally posted in the A Ton of Learning From a Single Osprey Image blog post here. But it was created roughly three minutes earlier than that image and thus, could surely not be the same individual fish, and it almost surely was not the same Osprey.
The reason that the shaded side of the bird’s face was much darker than the shaded side of the bird’s face in the image created 3 minutes three seconds after this one, is that the action took place about 20 yards further to the west. Thus, the bird was further off sun angle and the shadows on the left side of its face were darker.
Just another reason to strive to stay on sun angle.
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Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1B: A tight square crop of the optimized version of the Osprey with fresh caught Yellowfin Menhaden 8:26:56am image
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By Popular Demand
Folks were so impressed with the tight square crop of the 8:29:59am image that I decided to go that route with today’s 8:26:56am photo. Again, the image quality of sharp a-1 raw files allows for relatively huge crops.
Again here, I lightened the shaded side of the Osprey’s face using Tim Grey Dodge and Burn and followed that up with some fancy Eye Doctor work. As detailed in both DB II and in the DB III Video Series.
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Do not click on the composite image; simply scroll down for the best viewing.
While Sebastian Inlet is justifiably famous around the world for the Ospreys diving for migrating saltwater fish each fall, there are a variety of desirable avian subjects there as well in October and November. Keep reading if you would like to join me on what will surely be a memorable photographic and learning experience.
|
Pick Your Own Dates Short-notice Sebastian Inlet Ospreys and More BAA Personalized Instructional Workshops
Ridiculously Inexpensive!
Dates: October 29 (arrive on the afternoon of Monday the 28th) thru the morning session on Saturday 22 November
Right now I have four folks for the last week, 17-22 NOV. So any few days (or a week!) after 28 OCT and before mid-NOV would be fabulous.
As BIRDS AS ART lost more than $100,000 in tax year 2023, I am moving forward looking more at sharing expenses than at making money. Simply put, for more reasons than I will list here, sharing an AirBnB or VRBO place maximizes learning while reducing your overall travel costs.
Consider joining me at Sebastian Inlet this fall for some great bird photography and a ton of learning. Life is short; what are you waiting for? While a 600mm f/4 lens is ideal, you could do the whole trip with a variety of other lenses including a 500mm f/4, a 400mm f/2.8, a 400mm DO, a 200-600, a 100-500, a 300mm f/2.8 with TCs, or one of the great new Nikon Z telephoto or telephoto zoom lenses.
Bob Eastman is driving from Wisconsin and doing all 26 days, from 28 OCT thru the morning session on 22 NOV, prime time for Ospreys diving and catching a variety of saltwater fish. There are four bedrooms in this great AirBnB property that is just 22 minutes from the south jetty at the State Park, 24 minutes from the northwest pool where the Ospreys spent a lot of time last year. Please note that NOV 21-22 are sold out.
Hopefully, those who come would stay for a week or ten days (or all 26 days!) to maximize the opportunities. As above, fewer days would work also. Fly to Melbourne (MEL) or Orlando (MCO) and rent a car. Local folks who would like to arrange a morning or two of In-the-Field Instruction during October should get in touch via e-mail.
Here, if you stay in the AirBnB with me, are the ridiculous low rates for the in-the-field sessions (that include the daily Image Review and Photoshop sessions).
$250 for a morning session
$150 for an afternoon session.
Brunch and dinners at the AirBnB will cost you $20/day.
If you are interested, let me know your preferred dates via e-mail and I will get back to you with the per/night price for the lodging.
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There is no need to travel an hour by car to get to Sebastian Inlet from Vero Beach.
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Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
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