Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
April 10th, 2020

Lots of Limpkin Image Learning ...

What’ Up?

Me, early again. I was down at the lake both morning (cloudy) and afternoon (sunny). It was not the greatest of days, but I had fun and made some good images including a very few good ones. With the pool at a steady 82 degrees, swimming has been a pleasure.

I spent too many hours working on completing the SONY e-Guide. I have just a bit more to do and hope to have the final version published no later than next Tuesday. Writing is a process and I have gotten some great help from several folks including of course my co-author, Patrick Sparkman. Others include Ellen Anon, son Josh, blog regular Craig Elson, and the eagle-eyed Dane Johnson.

I was glad to learn that Patrick sold his a7r iii yesterday. He replaced it with a 7r iv.

On Today’s Images

There are three questions today:

1- Which background do you prefer?

2- Which image has the better head angle?

3- Which of today’s two featured images is the strongest by far? Be sure to let us know why you made your choice.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

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. 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%. Please understand that e-Bay prices are bogus. And the same is true of the prices of used gear including my dear friends at B&H and the other mega-outfits. They offer you pennies and then try to sell the stuff to ignorant folks for ridiculously high prices. With their huge international exposure, they occasionally find someone …

The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the 5Ds and 5Ds R, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, the Canon 200-400 with internal extender, and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. Most recently the price of used Canon 600mm f/L IS II lenses have been dropping like a rock with the introduction of the 600 III. The prices garnered for used Canon gear has tanked completely as demand has dropped tremendously. It is ironic that for decades Canon gear had very strong resale value …

Note: all BAA Used Gear sales include insured ground shipping via UPS to lower 48 US addresses only. Others who live elsewhere are invited to e-mail the seller for shipping surcharge info. Sellers should charge you only the difference between shipping to the farthest US location from their home and the charge to a non-lower-48 address.

Price Drop

Canon EOS-1D X Professional Digital Camera Body with Extras!

Price dropped $100 on 6 FEB 2020!
Price dropped $200 on 9 APR 2020!
BAA Record-low Price!

Jim Lewis is offering a Canon EOS-1D X in near-mint condition with extras for a BAA record-low $1,595.00 (was $1,895.00). The sale includes the original box, the CD’s, the strap, the cables, the manual, the front body cap, the charger w/LPE4N battery and an extra Canon LPE4N battery, 2 Lexar 1066X CF cards (one 32GB & one 64GB), a Canon RS-80 N3 remote switch, 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.

Several rugged 1D X bodies served as my workhorse cameras for about four years. I made many hundreds of family jewels images in all types of weather all around the world. artie

Re-run

Please note: the purchase of the item below includes a $50.00 discount on the to-be-finished SONY e-Guide.

Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS

IPT veteran and dear friend Patrick Sparkman is offering a Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens in very good condition for a very low $1650.00. The body of the lens is in excellent condition. The glass is perfect except for a tiny scratch on the front element that does not affect performance. The sale includes the lens hood, the original box, the soft case that came with the lens, the front lens cap, the rear lens cap, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Patrick via e-mail.

The .98 meter minimum focusing distance of the SONY 100-400 is a huge plus. It comes in very handy when working with mega-tame birds and the lens can be effective as a quasi-macro lens for large bugs (including butterflies and dragonflies), frogs, all but very small flower blossoms, and lots more. In addition, it is a more than capable flight lens that is a lot lighter than the 200-600. The 100-400 was my workhorse lens on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. As it sells new for $2,498.00 you can save a very neat $848.00 by grabbing Patrick’s lens.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.

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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This is yet another image from the wonderfully magical later afternoon and evening of 3 APR 2020 at Indian Lake Estates. Working from my SUV, I used the Induro GIT 204/FlexShooter Mini-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the 61-MP Monster, the Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO: 800. Exposure determined by Zebras with exposure compensation on the rear wheel: 1/1000 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. AWB at 6:16pm on a clear afternoon.

Tracking Flexible Spot M, AF-C. Click on the image to see a larger, sharper version.

Image #1: Limpkin calling, two-toned background

Working Off a Tripod From Your Vehicle

As mentioned here often, I have been setting up a tripod in my vehicle for more than two decades. Adding the FlexShooter Pro (only one in stock right now) transformed a good technique into an incredibly efficient and effective one. I stayed with the Limpkin for more than an hour, moving my vehicle only once when the bird moved a few steps to my left. When I first positioned my Sequoia, I approached very slowly with the lens already on the tripod. I made a few head portraits at 1200mm and then took a moment to center the bubble on the silver ball in the scribed circle. That done, with the lens rotated to one of the two click-stops, I was able to shoot horizontals and verticals with impunity for the next 45 minutes knowing that every image would be perfectly square to the world. The first time that the bird called (heck, screamed is a better word), it turned its head away so I never pressed the shutter button. But I was ready for it the next few times!

You can hear (and see) a Limpkin calling here.

This image was also created on 3 APR 2020 at Indian Lake Estates. Again working from my SUV, I used the Induro GIT 204/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the 61-MP monster, the Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital camera body.. ISO 400. Exposure determined by Zebras: 1/640 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 6:27pm on a late on a sunny afternoon.

Tracking Flexible Spot M, AF-C. Click on the image to see a larger, sharper version.

Image #2: Limpkin calling, green background

Tracking Flexible Spot M

Folks might ask, “Why did you stay with one bird for so long?” First off, tame Limpkins at ILE are few and far between. Second, and most importantly, I was able to practice using Tracking Flexible Spot M at 1200mm. This amazing AF area separates SONY from all Canon and Nikon AF systems: you usually start with the AF point in the center and acquire focus on the bird’s face. Then you can point the lens wherever you want to get the perfect image design; the AF point always stays on the bird’s face. It does, however, require some practice to develop complete confidence when using it. When the bird called, I trusted Tracking Flexible Spot M. My confidence was rewarded by two sharp images.

There is extensive coverage of all of the AF Area Modes (including and especially the Tracking Modes) in the soon-to-be-finished SONY e-Guide. Keep reading for details on that.

From Fred Innamorato via e-mail

Hi Artie,

I want to thank you for making the Sony e-Guide and videos available and for the work you put into the blog as well as for your books that teach us how to photograph birds and also for your camera User’s Guides. There is just no possible way I would have been able to get my Sony a9 ii camera settings so technically correct for doing birds in flight on my own without this guide. in my opinion, Sony should pay you for taking on the task of educating their customers. Sony has created an amazing camera but they fail to explain to their customers how to take full advantage of it. I appreciate that you know and have access to some very competent people with the technical backgrounds to assist you in your field experimentation to come up with the best and most practical and useful Menu Settings for bird photography. We all will benefit from your unique ability to pull this together. I am especially happy with your instructions on how to use the Zebra Settings for getting proper exposures. I really can’t thank you enough Artie for making my bird photography hobby so much more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. My photography brings me great satisfaction. Sharing quality photographs with my family and friends has generated lots of interest in my hobby and why I do it. Life is good!

I highly recommend the purchase of your Sony e-Guide and Video(s). This information is just not available anywhere else. Even from Sony …

Fred Innamorato

The Sony Camera Videos and Pre-publication e-Guide Costs and Discount Info

I recently sent aa link to the March 19 Version of the SONY e-Guide to the 31 folks who have purchased it. It will siureely be the next-to-last pre-publication version.

The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. The guide is now 98% done and you will — of course, receive the final version when it is completed. I sent out the third draft today to those who have purchased the Guide with or without the discount.

Folks who have used my B&H links or purchased their SONY gear from Bedfords will receive said discount based exactly on how much they spent. If you spent more than $10,000 you will receive one free video and the e-Guide. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each. If you spent $2400, you will receive a 24% discount, and so on and so forth. And again, additional camera videos will be $25.00 each.

I will need time to verify your B&H purchases so folks will need to send their receipts and then be a bit patient. It is much easier to verify Bedfords’ purchases but I need those receipts as well.

If you have not used BAA links, please do so in the future. If that is the case and you would like the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY Pre-publication Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Please add $25 for each additional camera video. Be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.

Folks who have used BAA links to purchase their SONY gear should send their receipts to me via e-mail asap and let me know which camera videos they need. I will verify their purchases as quickly as possible and send a quote to be paid via Paypal as above.

Thanks to all who have properly used my B&H links or gone through the fabulous Steve Elkins at Bedfords, and thanks to everyone for having faith in the information that I provide, knowing that it will be the best available anywhere.

If In Doubt …

If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.







Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog or Bedfords, for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

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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 :).

April 9th, 2020

What They're Buying. And Wait For Me Bro! This image should put a smile on your face ...

What’s Up?

Me early. Listening to alternative-view COVID-19 videos. I’ve been swimming every day without a miss. I’ll be heading down to the lake early today, Thursday 9 APR 2020 despite another less than ideal forecast; partly cloudy with west winds. Yesterday’s lousy forecast yielded a great session …

What They Are Buying

The BAA Online Store has been very busy for the past week with most folks purchasing educational materials — moslty e-Guides and Videos — to help pass their COVID-19 generated free time. Here is what folks have been buying:

New Listings

Sony A9 Digital Mirrorless Camera Body

BAA Record-Low Price!

Blog regular Fred Innamorato is offering a Sony A9 in excellent condition for a BAA record-low $2349.00. The sale includes the original battery, the charger, the original product box, the body cap, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Fred via e-mail.

The a9, the original AF king, offers superb autofocus that absolutely kills for flight photography. Virtually every image is sharp on the eye. Many feel that the AF system on the a9 ii is no better. As the a9 ii sells new for $4498.00 you can save an incredible $2149.00! artie

Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED Slide/Film Scanner with necessary extras

Wayne Lea is offering a Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED Slide/Film Scanner, a Nikon SF-210 Auto Slide Feeder (up to 50 slide batches), a Nikon SA-21 35mm Strip FilmAdapter (2-6 frame strips), and a Rocky Nook Scanning Negatives and Slides book ($45), all in near-mint condition for an amazingly low $1199.00. The sale includes everything as noted above and thee manuals. The scanner is supported by VueScan and Silverfast scanning software (separate purchase required) for use with current operating systems (but not by the original Nikon software). The scanner has many special features including Digital ICE and a special Kodachrome setting and is surely the best slide scanner ever made.

Your scanner and accessories will be shipped by 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 Wayne via e-mail or by phone at 1-817-360-1480 (Central time zone).

I owned this scanner years ago when I was scanning the best of my tens of thousands of slides. It did a fine job. Can you think of a better way to spend your shelter-in-place time? artie

This image was created on Wednesday 8 APR 2020 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 400. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/800 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:14am on a clear morning.

Right Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed superbly. I do not remember going from Center Zone to Right Zone, but I surely wound up with the correct AF Area.

Sandhill Crane colt running toward its sibling (and away froom the photographer)

Wait For Me Bro!

Yesterday’s weather forecast was poor for bird photography: clear skies with the wing from the west, AKA wind against sun. That pretty much ruled out flight photography. I visited old gnarly, its mate, and their still very small chick. They were back to their very shy ways, so I let them be. I could have tried for Black Vulture head portraits on the pier but I have a zillion fairly new but unpublished ones. So I drove out to the end of the North Peninsula and lo and behold, the crane colt family walked out of the marsh. I made a few images at 840mm from my SUV but quickly got out of my vehicle with the 200-600 with the a9 ii so that I could more easily keep up with the birds and get the perspectives that I wanted.

I got low — as I often do — by walking down the edge of the field toward the canal. Then, I could simply change the background by taking a short step up or backing up a bit. The gray-blue strip above the grass is the lake and the distant horizon. I am not sure how I wound up in the perfect spot at the exact right time when Orangey Colt decided to run toward its nest-mate. IAC, I followed my own advice: When unexpected action occurs, (acquire focus) and push and hold the shutter button. All of the seven images in the sequence were sharp. Today’s featured image had the most pleasing juxtaposition with no merges. I love the raised right foot and the way that the running colt’s left wing fits nicely over the back of Gray Colt.

Opting to work with the crane family with the wind-against-sun conditions was a smart move as large birds that are foraging are not affected at all by the wind. Once I got low I was able to stay right on sun angle by moving right or left. Another consideration was avoiding having any white buildings on the far shore in the background. In any case, I was thrilled with this one and in addition, created several other very fine images.

April 8th, 2020

Unexplained Upper Leg Pain Explained. The SONY a7r iv Versus SONY a9 ii. And the Bored? Trash Pickup Solution ...

What’s Up?

Tuesday was mixed clouds and sun all day long. I went down to the lake early, had a few fair chances on Cattle Egret and Old Gnarly with its still-tiny chick, and did some feather close-ups on an adult crane. With a nice northeast wind and the sun out, I set up for flight photography at the always-dependable Vulture Tree. Not a single vulture flew in. I headed down twice in the afternoon and never raised my lens. I’ll be heading down to the lake this morning, Wednesday 8 APR 2020. The forecast is for west winds and clear skies so chances are that it will be a tough wind-against-sun session for bird photography.

Thanks to the many who commented on the Osprey silhouettes in yesterday’s blog post here.

And thanks to the many who have been ordering a ton of educational guides from the BAA Online Store here and here. And instructional videos here.

In Jim’s absence, I have pretty much mastered the UPS and Stamps.Com shipping stuff so the BAA Online Store is open for business.

Unexplained Upper Leg Pain

When I woke on Sunday past, I could barely sit down due to some pretty decent muscle pain in both thighs, especially the hamstrings and the adductors on the insides of the legs. For only a moment, I thought, “Is this the muscle pain of COVID-19?” But I realized that what I was feeling was sore, over-used muscle pain. I asked myself, “What had I done yesterday that strenuously involved my upper leg muscles?” For the answer, see the Bored? Trash Pickup Solution feature below.

SONY 7r iv or a9 ii?

Thanks to Bill Webb for his comment at yesterday’s blog post. At 10:46am on April 7, 2020, he wrote:

Image 3 for me. Approach angle, wing position, and talon display all work.

Another issue/question: Are you finding that you prefer the α7R iv over the α9 ii for most of your work? I have the α9 ii and the α7R iii (using 200-600G) and while the α9 is fantastic for in-flight captures, I find that I am more satisfied with the α7’s overall performance and the extra available pixels for cropping are always good. Many of my subjects are small birds (wrens, phoebes, bluebirds, kinglets) in brush so the α7 definitely works best in those situations. For the larger subjects (hawks, owls, herons, egrets, etc.) either camera works well. And actually, my α7R iii tracks pretty darn well – not as well as the α9 ii, though.

Just curious because I find myself wondering if I should have bought the α7R iv instead of the α9 ii. (Sigh)

At 6:41pm I replied:

Hey Bill, Thanks for your comment and your question. When it comes to birds in flight, the a9 and the a9 ii are far better than the a7r series bodies. (That said in spite of the sharpness of Images #2 and #3 above.) And that goes double for folks with the 200-600. My a7r III was my workhorse camera body on my last Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime; it served me well. If you keep your shutter speeds up and the bird holds still for a moment, the 7r iv is great. I enjoy working with the a9 ii much more than with the 7r iv as it is so fast and everything is sharp. On the other hand, the 7r iv files are amazing and you can crop with impunity.

If I could only own one body for bird photography, I would go with the a9 ii in an instant. And Patrick Sparkman would do the same.

Best advice? Own both! Please be sure to use Bedfords or my B&H affiliate links if you purchase any new SONY gear. Doing so will earn you a nice discount on the almost-finished SONY e-Guide and Videos.

with love, artie

From Fred Innamorato via e-mail

Hi Artie,

I want to thank you for making the Sony e-Guide and videos available and for the work you put into the blog as well as for your books that teach us how to photograph birds and also for your camera User’s Guides. There is just no possible way I would have been able to get my Sony a9 ii camera settings so technically correct for doing birds in flight on my own without this guide. in my opinion, Sony should pay you for taking on the task of educating their customers. Sony has created an amazing camera but they fail to explain to their customers how to take full advantage of it. I appreciate that you know and have access to some very competent people with the technical backgrounds to assist you in your field experimentation to come up with the best and most practical and useful Menu Settings for bird photography. We all will benefit from your unique ability to pull this together. I am especially happy with your instructions on how to use the Zebra Settings for getting proper exposures. I really can’t thank you enough Artie for making my bird photography hobby so much more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. My photography brings me great satisfaction. Sharing quality photographs with my family and friends has generated lots of interest in my hobby and why I do it. Life is good!

I highly recommend the purchase of your Sony e-Guide and Video(s). This information is just not available anywhere else. Even from Sony …

Fred Innamorato

The Sony Camera Videos and Pre-publication e-Guide Costs and Discount Info

I recently sent aa link to the March 19 Version of the SONY e-Guide to the 31 folks who have purchased it. It will siureely be the next-to-last pre-publication version.

The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. The guide is now 98% done and you will — of course, receive the final version when it is completed. I sent out the third draft today to those who have purchased the Guide with or without the discount.

Folks who have used my B&H links or purchased their SONY gear from Bedfords will receive said discount based exactly on how much they spent. If you spent more than $10,000 you will receive one free video and the e-Guide. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each. If you spent $2400, you will receive a 24% discount, and so on and so forth. And again, additional camera videos will be $25.00 each.

I will need time to verify your B&H purchases so folks will need to send their receipts and then be a bit patient. It is much easier to verify Bedfords’ purchases but I need those receipts as well.

If you have not used BAA links, please do so in the future. If that is the case and you would like the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY Pre-publication Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Please add $25 for each additional camera video. Be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.

Folks who have used BAA links to purchase their SONY gear should send their receipts to me via e-mail asap and let me know which camera videos they need. I will verify their purchases as quickly as possible and send a quote to be paid via Paypal as above.

Thanks to all who have properly used my B&H links or gone through the fabulous Steve Elkins at Bedfords, and thanks to everyone for having faith in the information that I provide, knowing that it will be the best available anywhere.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.

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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

Image created with my i-Phone 11 on 7 APR. See The iPhone Photography e-Guide by Dr. Cliff Oliver. That’s how I learned to shoot with my i-Phone.

box of collected trash

Bored? Trash Pickup Solution

On Saturday morning I was waiting at the point on the North Field for the cranes to swim across. To keep my self busy I set up the 600 with the 1.4X and the a9 ii for Black Vultures in flight. Many were landing on opposite shore on the North Peninsula. I lined up a few nice group shots but never pressed the shutter button as there was so much litter on the grass and along the shoreline. So when the light got too harsh, I drove around to the opposite point and began cleaning about a 40-square yard patch. I picked up plastic bottles, cups, caps, and container lids, soda cans and straws, dozens of cigarette butts, lots of paper, a rubber worm, cardboard containers, and even two washcloths. Sad to say, the fishermen at ILE are quite careless.

I bent and squatted so many times that I was quite sore the next day or two as detailed above. After a day of rest, I trash-picked half of the road by the North Field point. I still need to do the other half.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to get out in a natural area for an exercise walk, consider bringing along a plastic bag and picking up the litter. You can be ultra-safe (as I was) by wearing a glove on one hand, holding the plastic bag in the other, and then washing up with lots of soap as soon as you get home. Heck, I’ve been keeping a spray bottle of HoCl in my car and using it often.

It seems like a win/win to me.

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.

If In Doubt …

If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.







Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog or Bedfords, for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

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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 :).