Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
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March 19th, 2022

Announcing the 2022 Jacksonville IPTs!

2 comments

What’s Up?

When I rolled by the eagle nest on a very foggy Friday morning, the eaglet was not present. At 5:30pm, it was in the nest getting fed a big juicy fish by one of the adults. Can you say fledged, flying young?

That morning I almost headed home without making a single image. But as the sun was struggling to break through, I spotted the crane colt family at the south end of the South Peninsula and worked them with the hand held 600mm f/4. I got some really nice stuff. Then I did some Cattle Egrets foraging on tiny insects. And headed home to work on the first GNPA keynote.

Today is Saturday 19 March 2022. Happy birthday to older daughter Jennifer! I went to Gatorland early. The forecast for called for clear with a breeze from the south switching to the southwest after 9am. I was anxious to see how the birds are doing; last year was the poorest year ever … Report soon. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took more than two hours to prepare and makes nine days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links on most blog pages and always in the right column or to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords. And please consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn …

JAX-2021-CARD

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG.

Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern chick on beach; Royal Tern in flight with shrimp for young; Royal Tern chick — double overhead wing stretch; Royal Tern landing with greenback for chick; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi mahi for chick; Brown Pelican — large chick preening; Laughing Gull in fresh juvenal plumage; Royal Tern chick begging; Many Royal Terns with many chicks on face of dune.

Jacksonville IPT: #1: 4 FULL DAYS — the afternoon of 16 June thru the morning of MON 20 June 2022: $2,099.00. (Limit 6 photographers)

Jacksonville IPT #2: the afternoon of FRI 1 JULY thru the morning of TUES 5 July 2022: $2099.00 (Limit 6 photographers)

Jacksonville IPT #3: the afternoon of FRI 15 JULY thru the morning of TUES 19 July 2022: $2099.00 (Limit 6 photographers)

Ride with me: add $200.00. I do not like to disappoint: each trip will run with one participant. If necessary.

I first visited the breeding 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 200-500 VR. 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 about 1 1/2 hours. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon forecast is poor. Lunch is included on the first three days of the IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. After the first lunch there will be an introductory program. On days two and three we will do image review and Photoshop after lunch.

We will be based somewhere west and a bit north of Jacksonville where there are many AirBnB possibilities. 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.
  • 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..
  • 2- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you are scared of it.
  • 3- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
  • 4- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
  • 5- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
  • 6- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
  • 7- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
  • 8- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
  • 9- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
  • 10- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
  • 11- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
  • 12- You will learn to see and understand the light.
  • 12- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
  • 12- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event (at all times).

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.

Typos

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

March 19th, 2022 | Category: 2019 | 2 comments
March 18th, 2022

Spectacular! Clemens Van der Werf and the Canon EOS R3

22 comments

What’s Up?

Despite the cloudy forecast, Thursday morning dawned still and clear with a light mist in the air that cleared quickly. The crane in the North Marsh sat steadfastly on her nest with two eggs and the branched eaglet remained branched. The crane family on the South Peninsula was MIA. Despite the perfect conditions, I almost made it home without making a single image. Then I stopped to try for some Cattle Egrets in a low-growing, purple flower setting. When I checked on the eagle nest the young bird was jumping around from its perch to the nest and back again. I was thrilled to see it make a ten foot “flight” from the nest to its perch to the south. Then one of the adults flew in with a big silver fish and the eaglet returned to the nest for breakfast. And I returned home to prepare brunch. As I left, I saw that the crane family had crossed to the North Field (but ignored them to head home and get to work).

All day yesterday I thought that it was Friday … Anyhoo, I got a ton of work done on Thursday. I now have 368 images in the first of my two GNPA Keynote programs. About half the slides are arranged properly, the other half are not. And I need to get down to less than 350 photos. I worked on lots of images from my two Jacksonville visits last year in preparation for announcing two Jacksonville IPTs this summer. I sent 44 work-related e-mails — about par for the course, and I did a gear consult by phone. Lastly, I began work on today’s blog post.

Today is Friday 18 March 2022. The morning forecast is again calling for still and partly cloudy … Such forecasts at ILE often mean “still and sunny.” Time will tell. IAC, I will head down to the lake for a bit. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too had a great day. This blog post took a bit more than three hours to prepare and makes eight days in a row with a new one.

I will be heading to Gatorland on Saturday and Stick Marsh on Sunday to check things out. If you are on the list for Gatorland early entry for this Saturday and would like to learn to be a better photographer, please get in touch via e-mail ASAP.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links on most blog pages and always in the right column and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords. And please consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn …

Used Gear Kudos via e-Mail from Tom Muilhern

Good afternoon, Artie,

Just a fast word of thanks. I just completed second purchase of equipment using your site. I am retired on SS my fun budget — let’s just say it is tight, leading me to the used equipment market. FIRST TIME (March 2021). You went out of your way to find me what I was looking for (a Canon 100-400 II lens). The lens was not listed yet, but you found one for me. I got a great deal/price, in better condition than posted. SECOND TIME (March 2022). I grabbed the 7d MK II package that was listed on your Used Gear Page by Steve Zarate. Again, the process was easy, the price was great, the equipment in very good condition, and packed and delivered as stated.

Thanks again! I have recommended your site to others and will continue to do so.

Tom Muilhern

Ospreys-1600-on-collision-course_F7A4313

This image was created on 24 February 2022 by Clemens Van der Werf at Lake Blue Cypress, FL. He used the hand held Canon RF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens with the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R and the Canon EOS R3 Mirrorless camera body.. The exposure was determined via histogram evaluation. ISO 640. 1/4000 sec. at f/5 (stopped down 2/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:25am on a sunny morning.

Image courtesy of and Copyright 2022: Clemens Van der Werf
Image #1: Osprey squabble

Clemens Van der Werf

Clemens is a longtime friend. After attending 13 IPTS in the early 2000-teens, he is surely my most accomplished student. Anita North is a very close second. I am often envious of Clemens’ (and of Anita’s) work. Clemens’s five images are indeed beyond spectacular. His photos have been featured here on the blog many times. If you would like to see some of those blog posts, type his name into the little white search box at the top right of each blog post and hit Return. That will quickly yield ten pages of links! And, you can see more of his work in his virtual print gallery at Shop.clemensvanderwerf.com. Be especially sure to check out his Bald Eagles Gallery. Equally spectacular are Ice, Penguins, and Yellowstone in Winter. Clemens apparently likes cold weather; he will surely need to add a Snowy Owl gallery ASAP!

Snowy-Owl-1600-wings-forward-looking-back_F7A6490

This image was created on 2 March 2022 by Clemens Van der Werf in Michigan. He used the hand held Canon RF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens with the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R and the Canon EOS R3 Mirrorless camera body. The exposure was determined via histogram evaluation. ISO 500. 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 11:37am on a cloudy-bright morning.

Image courtesy of and Copyright 2022: Clemens Van der Werf
Image #2: Snowy Owl in flight

Clemens Van der Werf and the Canon R3

After his first visit to Lake Blue Cypress Clemens called to tell me that the R3 was a lot better than the R5 for photographing birds in flight and in action. “Why?,” I asked. “The autofocus is a lot stickier” he replied. After the second Snowy Owl trip he expanded his thoughts by saying that R3 AF was much better than R5 AF as far as AF tracking accuracy was concerned, especially in low light situations. In addition, he said that the smaller R3 raw files were beautiful and that they stood up nicely to healthy crops. He will be using his R5 for landscapes and his R3 for all of his bird photography, especially when shooting flight and action.

Snowy-Owl-1600-wings-down-with-white-background_F7A6858

This image was created on 2 March 2022 by Clemens Van der Werf in Michigan. He used the hand held Canon RF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens with the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R and the Canon EOS R3 Mirrorless camera body. The exposure was determined via histogram evaluation. ISO 500. 1/5000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 11:43am on a cloudy-bright morning.

Image courtesy of and Copyright 2022: Clemens Van der Werf
Image #3: Snowy Owl in flight

Clemens and Greg and the Snowy Owl Trips

Clemens traveled twice to Michigan this winter to photograph the Snowy Owls. Our mutual friend, Greg Gulbransen, accompanied him on both trips. The first trip was OK at best, but they persisted and did a lot better on the second trip. And the second trip was a lot warmer. It only got down to -20° F. Greg was using the Nikon Z9 and he also produced many fine images with his hand held 400mm f/2.8 lens. I will be sharing some of those with you here soon. As the pious and corrupt Warden Samuel Norton in “The Shawshank Redemption” said often, “I see you two all the time, you’re thick as thieves, you are.”

Shawshank Redemption

Shawshank Redemption is my favorite movie of all time, by miles. I have seen it dozens of times and always enjoy it. If you don’t have the time to relive the movie right now, you can visit the list of great quotes here on the IMDB website for a quick Shawshank fix (along with a few tears).

Snowy-Owl-1600-talons-forward_F7A3329

This image was created on 4 March 2022 by Clemens Van der Werf in Michigan. He used the hand held Canon RF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens with the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R and the Canon EOS R3 Mirrorless camera body. The exposure was determined via histogram evaluation. ISO 1600. 1/2000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 6:02 on a then very cloudy afternoon.

Image courtesy of and Copyright 2022: Clemens Van der Werf
Image #4: Snowy Owl striking with talons extended

Impressed By the R3?

I you shoot Canon and were impressed enough by what you saw and learned here today to want to buy one, please use the B&H link (Canon EOS R3 Mirrorless camera body) or purchase from Bedfords and receive 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second day FedEx shipping. Then send Clemens a thank you note for sharing his R3 images and comments.

Snowy-Owls-1600-fighting-mid-air_F7A1848

This image was created on 4 March 2022 by Clemens Van der Werf in Michigan. He used the hand held Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens (at 300mm) and the Canon EOS R3 Mirrorless camera body. The exposure was determined via histogram evaluation. ISO 640. 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open for 300mm) in Manual mode. AWB at 4:40pm on a cloudy afternoon.

Image courtesy of and Copyright 2022: Clemens Van der Werf
Image #5: Snowy Owl midair squabble

Your Assignments for Today

  • 1- As you surely expected, all are invited to leave a comment stating their pick as today’s best image along with the reasons that they made their choice.
  • 2- Advanced students can leave a comment detailing the one or two thing(s) that they liked best about each image. Undertaking this exercise will surely help you become a better photographer.
  • 3- The most advanced folks can take a crack at this one: considering all five images, what one thing in a single image bugs me?

Typos

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

March 18th, 2022 | Category: 2019 | 22 comments
March 17th, 2022

Branched Bird. Big Bird. Little Bird. Same Bird.

14 comments

Your Favorite

I am really curious as to which of today’s two featured images folks like best. All are invited to leave a comment as to which is their favorite and why they made their choice. I have a very clear favorite.

What’s Up?

When I peeked out the back door on Wednesday morning, it was cloudy-black. It brightened up a bit and I headed down to the lake at 8:30am for what surprisingly turned out to be a very good session with the crane colts and the branched eaglet. It was so good, that I almost burned the butternut squash that I had left in a not-too-hot oven for 1 1/2 hours.

I have been hard at work behind the scenes. I sold Bill Schneider’s Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens in like-new condition for $9498.00, and his like-new Sony 100-400 GM lens also in like-new condition for $1397.00, both before being listed on the Used Gear Page. And I sold Mansoor Assadi’s Sony 70-200 f/2.8 GM lens in excellent condition in the same manner for $1088.00 (was $1397.00).

Today is Thursday 17 March 2022. The forecast is for mostly cloudy; I just may stay in to get some work done. Or not. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too had a great day. This blog post took a bit more than an hour to prepare and makes seven days in a row with a new one.

If you are headed to Gatorland this Saturday and would like to learn to be a better photographer, please get in touch via e-mail ASAP.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords. And please consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn …

And Please Remember

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that 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.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords 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, or to any prior purchases.

Bedford_Logo_NOV-re-do

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link immediately above). My link works with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

Please Remember Also

Please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will (still!) save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I lost about fifty thousand dollars in income due to COVID 19 — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.



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… 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.

Bald-Eagle-3200-A-non-flying-eaglet-perched-near-nest-_A1G9971-Indian-Lake-Estates-FL

This image was created on 16 March 2022 down by the lake near my home. I used the no-longer-available Induro GIT 304L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera. IS 800. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/160 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:43:27am on a then cloudy morning.

Tracking: Spot S with Bird/Face-Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a higher-res version.

Image #1: Bald Eagle — branched eaglet perched near its nest

Definition of Branch

Ornithology (verb): to leave the nest and perch nearby in the nest tree.

The young eagle branched on Tuesday. The eaglet should be branching any day now.

Though a web search turned up a few similar usages, I was surprised that I could not find a formal definition for the ornithological use of branch in any of the premier online dictionaries. So I made up my own.

The Eaglet Branched

The young eagle in the nest at ILE branched on Tuesday 15 March 2022. It hatched somewhere around 7 January. It left the nest pretty much right on schedule at approximately 10 1/2 weeks. Yesterday, I saw the young eagle return to the nest briefly and flap its wings, only to leave the nest on the opposite side and find a new perch. I have not seen this young bird flap its wings while perched.

Image #1 was cropped from a horizontal original. Why didn’t I simply add the teleconverter and create a vertical original?

Bald-Eagle-1600-eaglet-near-nest-_A1G0073-Indian-Lake-Estates-FL

This image was created on 16 March 2022 down by the lake near my home. I used the hand held Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 72mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the thumb wheel. ISO 400: 1/200 second at f/3.5 (stopped down 1/3-stop). AWB at 7:51:45am on then very cloudy morning.

Tracking: Spot S with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly by grabbing the eye of the eaglet! Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #2: Bald Eagle: eaglet in nest tree

More Fun With the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II Lens

In extreme low light situations, I find myself turning more and more to the bare (no teleconverter in place) Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens. For Image #2, I was just 2mm shy of the shortest available focal length. Folks might ask, “Why didn’t you move back and zoom out to 70mm and include more on the right?” I did not want the green of the pine tree just offstage right creeping into the frame as I thought that introducing green would detract from the somber mood of the image and draw the viewer’s eye from the nest and the young eagle.

Middle-of-coverA

The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide

You can purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.

The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide

126 pages, 87 photographs by Joe Przybyla and Arthur Morris.
The PDF for this e-Guide is an electronic download sent via e-mail.

Purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.

I had thought about doing a guide to some of the great but little-known photo hotspots around central Florida for about a decade, but those plans never came to fruition. I met Joe online in the Avian Forum at BirdPhotographer’s.Net about two years ago. Joe’s photography has improved tremendously over the past few years; he credits the BAA blog, my books and PDFs, and his participation on BPN. The one thing that I learned right from the get-go about Joe is that he is a hard and tenacious worker, always striving to improve his skills and to grow his knowledge base. As he knew of more than a few good spots in central Florida, I broached the idea of us doing a photographic site guide that covered many of the little-known photographic hotspots from Brandon to Lakeland to Joe Overstreet Road to Indian Lake Estates (my Florida home for the past 20 years or so). After more than many, many dozens of hours of effort, The BIRDS AS ART Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide is now a reality. Thanks to Joe’s wife Dottie for her review of our writing. We all learned once again that writing is a process, a back-and-forth process. All thanks to the white pelicans of Lakeland. Here are the locations that are detailed in this e-Guide:

  • Indian Lake Estates: Sandhills Cranes with chicks and colts, lots of vultures, and Ospreys up the kazoo!
  • Gatorland, Kissimmee: Learn to make great images of wading birds in a cluttered rookery.
  • The Brandon Rookery: Great for nesting Wood Storks, Great Egrets, and more.
  • Circle Bar B Reserve, Lakeland: Here you will find a great variety of avian subjects in a great variety of habitats.
  • Lake Morton, Lakeland: There are lots of silly tame birds here including and especially American White Pelican during the colder months.
  • Lake Mirror, Lakeland: Tame Anhingas, Limpkins, and a zillion White Ibises at times.
  • West Lake Parker, Lakeland: Here you will have a chance for two difficult birds, Snail Kite, and Purple Gallinule.
  • Joe Overstreet Road, Kenansville: Crested Caracara, meadowlarks, Loggerhead Shrike, and much more on the fenceposts and barbed wire.

Each location includes a map, a detailed description of the best spots, best season, light and time of day instructions, the expected species, and an educational and inspirational gallery that is designed to open your eyes as to the possibilities.

You can purchase a copy here in the BAA Online Store.

Typos

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

March 17th, 2022 | Category: 2019 | 14 comments
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