Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

Today is Wednesday 17 November 2021. Again, I am working on this blog post while parked on sun angle to this morning’s road kill cafe. It is 8:10am, and again, there has been no action. But at least I am getting some work done. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took more than an hour to prepare.

Remember that 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 save 3% 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. 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, and any prior purchases.

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 wait lists 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.

Wanted to Buy

If you have either of the following items that you would like to sell, please get in touch via e-mail. If you are not familiar with the Items for Sale terms, please click here before responding.

Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens in near-mint or like-new condition.

Canon EF 500 f/4L IS II USM lens in excellent or better condition.

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II (or III) USM lens in excellent or better condition.

Recent Used Gear Page Sales!

To say that the Used Gear Page has been going crazy lately would be a huge understatement:

Used Gear Page regular William Dummitt sold his Nikkor 600mm AF-S F4 ED VR lens in excellent condition for $4649.95 (was $5199.95) in mid-november 2021.

Alice Garland sold her Nikon Coolscan 5000 ED Slide Scanner in like-new condition for the BIRDS AS ART record-low price of $899.00 soon after it was listed in mid-September 2021.

Roger Williams sold his Canon EF 500 f4/L IS USM super telephoto lens in excellent condition (with several extras) for a very low $2,299.00 and a Canon EF Extender 2X III (teleconverter) in near-mint condition for a very low $249.00, both sold on the first day of listing in mid-September 2021.

Mark Baity sold his Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for $3500.00 (was $3,798.00) soon after it was listed in early November 2021.

Used Gear Page regular Karen McCormick sold a Nikon D850 in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $1750.00, a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens in like-new condition for the BAA record-low price of $1349.00, a Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6G M OSS lens in like-new condition for a BAA record-low $1298.00, and a Sony Alpha a7 III Mirrorless Digital Camera Body in like-new condition for BAA record-low $998.00, all on the first day of listing in early November 2021.

BAA friend Fred Innamorato sold his Nikon D850 dSLR in near-mint condition with a ton of extras including the Nikon MB-D-18 Multi Power Battery Pack (and accessories) for an incredibly, ridiculously low $2096.95, a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens in near-mint condition for a very low $2796.95, a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 300mm f4E PF ED VR lens in near-mint condition for a very low $1,396.95, and two Nikon AF-S Teleconverters TC-14E III for 249.95, all within hours of listing in early November 2021.

Paul Fortin sold his Canon EOS 7D Mark II body in near-mint condition with a brand new battery grip for a silly low $725.00 the day it was listed in early November 2021.

Multiple IPT veteran Jim Dolgin sold his Sony a9 in excellent plus condition for a very low $1848.00 within a day of it being listed in early November 2021.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission on items priced at $1,000 or more. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price is $1000 (or less for a $50 flat-fee). If you are interested, please scroll down here to read the terms. Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice only to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past years, we have sold many hundreds of items. Do know that prices for used gear only go in one direction. Down. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

If you would like to learn about selling your used gear on the BAA Used Gear Page, click here.

New Listings

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and BG-E20 Grip

BIRDS AS ART Record Low Price

Used Gear Page regular and BAA-friend Jim Burns is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV in like new-condition along with a new-in-the-box BG-E20 grip (a $299.99 value), for BAA record-low price (for the pair) of $1397.00. The sale includes the the original product box, the front body cap, the manual, 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 Jim via e-mail.

What can I say? The 5D IV was my favorite-ever Canon digital dSLR. I owned and used three of them while my 1DX II sat on the shelf in my garage for the most part. A new 5D Mark IV, with its 30.4MP full-frame CMOS sensor, sell new for $2399.00. If you have been dreaming of a 5D IV (with the grip!), grab Jim’s camera body right now and save well more than $1K! artie

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II Zoom Lens

Jim Burns is offering a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II zoom lens in excellent condition for a very low $1398.00. The sale includes the original product box, the front and rear lens caps, front lens cover, the lens hood, the lens bag, the manual, and owner’s manual, 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 Jim via e-mail.

This incredibly versatile zoom lens — with its amazing .98 meter close focus — was my favorite Canon telephoto zoom lens ever. By far. It is easy to hand hold, great for tight portraits, for birds in flight, for quasi-macro stuff, and lots more. For flight, it is fabulous with an R5! The lens sells new for $2399.00 so you can save some hard cash by grabbing Jim’s copy now. artie

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the 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.

This image was created on 16 November 2021 down by the lake near my hone at Indian Lake Estates, FL. While standing, I used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only). ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/2000 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:33pm, one minute after sunset. Tracking: Upper Right Zone with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed pretty darned well by tracking the chin of this bird. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Boat-tailed Grackle on “The Perch” at sunset

Give Me Five Good Sunset Minutes …

After an early dinner — I am still doing intermittent fasting, I did not leave the house until 5:15pm. Sunset was at 5:32. I checked the canal north of the North Field for the Barred Owl with no luck. Then I checked “The Perch” that I had set up last year with neighbor-friend Ralph. There were two grackles on it and the western sky was coloring up nicely. But time was short so I decided to skip the tripod. I meant to add the 2X TC to the 200-600, but instead, grabbed the 600 f/4 without thinking. I thought, What the heck. There is lots of light. Maybe I can do it.. In a very few minutes I created more than 400 images. I kept 15 including two of a fly-by White Ibis. I had lots of chances on action: grackles interacting and grackles in flight above the perch. I fanned on all of them.

This was my favorite image because the bird had hopped forward slightly and raised its tail so that it did not intersect with the perch. Accurate Bird-Eye/Face Detection AF at 1200mm is something that we could only have dreamed about just a year ago. The problem is that getting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM lens is very difficult at best. If there is one in your future, it would best to use one of my two affiliates right now and be prepared to sit on the wait list ..

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

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).

What’s Up?

Me watching lots of Sunday NFL games. I have been swimming every day and enjoying it.

Today Monday 15 November 2021, is another cool clear day with a NW breeze in Central Florida so it will be all work and little play for me. I have lots of e-mails to answer, most dealing with IPT business and with the Used Gear Page. To those who wrote over the weekend, thanks for your patience. I will get back to you today. 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 including the time spent on creating the Stick Marsh card. It truly is an amazing place and hope that you can join me on one of these IPTs. Or both!

Via e-mail from Morris Herstein

I never thought that I could make in-flight photos of birds successfully. That goal was accomplished during the recent workshop at Stick Marsh only because I listened to your advice and instructions. For the first time I realized how important sun angle was, teachings that you had been communicated for a long time. The result of two days shooting produced the most satisfying images of Roseate Spoonbills I ever could have imagined.

Stay well and safe. Thank you. Morris

Via e-mail from Joe Usewicz

Wow. So many photos to go through. Stick Marsh was a great learning experience. Positioning. Wind impact. Landing zones. Working on backgrounds. I clipped too many incredible reflections. Great fun. Just amazing opportunities.

Warmest Regards, Joe

I created this image during an In-the-Field Instructional Workshop on 26 March at Stick Marsh in Fellsmere, FL. I used hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 220mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure for this raw file was dead-solid perfect. AWB at 9:02am on a sunny morning. Right-center Zone AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and worked very well. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the hi-res version. Image #1: Photographer with point-blank Roseate Spoonbill

Discovering Stick Marsh

I had been hearing about Stick Marsh for well more than a decade. Everyone who mentioned it felt that you needed a boat. After trying to photograph Florida’s most-wanted avian subject for several decades with long lenses, I finally visited in March 2020. Once I got the lay of the land, I realized that photographing from the shoreline would be much better than being in a boat. Roseate Spoonbill is the holy grail subject for bird photographers visiting Florida (and for those who live here as well). When I think that I have been living just one hour ten minutes from this spot, I really do want to kick myself. But I won’t. I spent a good deal of time at Stick Marsh in 2020 and learned a ton. I cannot wait to get back there this season.

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Coming soon: An instructional video: Your JPEGs Do Not Have to Suck. Clockwise from upper left back around to the center: spoonbill with mangrove background; spoonbill head and shoulders portrait; spoonbill braking to land; spoonbill dramatic landing pose; adult Black-crowned Night-Heron; spoonbill with nesting material; Great Egret returning to nest; incoming spoonbill; and Limpkin landing.

Stick Marsh IPT: #1: WED 9 March thru the morning of SUN 13 March 2022: $2,499.00. (Limit 6 photographers)

Stick Marsh IPT #2: MON 14 March thru the morning of FRI 18 March 2022: $2499.00 (Limit 6 photographers)

Do both IPTs back to back and enjoy a $300 discount: protect your travel and time investments against bad weather by signing up for both IPTs for $4698.00.

Stick Marsh, where the living is easy. Photograph incoming Roseate Spoonbills in flight at point blank range with intermediate telephoto zoom lenses. This year I will be trying the new Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, often with the 1.4X TC. Longer lenses either on a tripod or hand held are best for the green background stuff. There will be endless flight photography opportunities with a variety of species; in addition to the spoonbills, we should have some excellent chances on Limpkin, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Double-created Cormorant, Anhinga, Black and Turkey Vultures, and more. Folks with 500 and 600mm f/4 lenses will have lots of opportunities to hone their skills working on a tripod or hand holding.

There will be five morning photo sessions averaging four hours. We start in the pre-dawn. The first four morning sessions will be followed by a working brunch. The cost of brunch is included. There will be two after-brunch photo-sessions on sunny days (averaging about an hour) to try for bathing spoonbills, usually centered around 1:30pm. There will be one after-brunch photo critique session (probably on DAY 3). And there will be one Image Processing session after brunch.

We will be based in or near Vero Beach. The deposit is $799.00. 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 Stick Marsh IPT

• 1- 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 surely learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography.
• 4- You will learn the pro secrets 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.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for both big international trips and US-based IPTs is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality travel insurance. Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options you can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. My family and I use and depend on the great policies offered by TIS whenever we travel. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check or running your credit card. Whenever purchasing travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

Typos

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