Many species of larger birds including gulls, terns, and cranes, employ the pre-copulatory stand as part of their courtship rituals. The male mounts the female, raises its wings, and practices balancing atop the female. At times, I have seen a male Royal Tern stand on the female for minutes on end without attempting to copulate via a cloacal kiss, the touching together of the cloacas of a male and female bird, during which sperm is transferred.
From the moment the female leaned forward till the moment the male hopped off her, I created only 116 images over the course of 22 seconds. With a frame rate of 30 fps, it is obvious that I did not hold the shutter button down. I was quite selective. I kept 24 photos from the sequence.
Taking a close look at the series, I am not sure if this pair actually copulated. What do you think?
Figure #1: Map of the South Lakeshore at ILE
Acting Decisively!
On a warm, still morning with some ground fog, Bob and I were on foot at A when I noticed a pair of cranes to the north (at B) acting very friendly. “In the car,” I said to Bob, “let’s go!” I knew instantly that if we shot from where we were that we would have the pavilion, the bathroom building, and/or the small marina at the end of the canal as our background. Giving the birds as wide a berth as possible — remember that they are silly tame, I drove to C and pointed my SUV west by slightly north. Note that we could have gotten a lot closer without disturbing the courting birds, but I had used the distant trees as background before and knew what I wanted.
For many decades, my thoughts are that I would rather wind up with nothing than make a series of images that would not make me very happy, in this case, a series of images with horrific backgrounds. As things turned out, we were in perfect position when the action began. (Learn more about the decision by reading on.)
This image was created on 17 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at ILE, FL. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1250. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/640 sec. at f/4 (wide open). AWB at 7:25:18am on a partly cloudy morning just after sunrise.
Tracking: (right center) Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version.
In my forty-one plus years of bird photography, I have rarely used sidelight. But, with the sun just peeking through the clouds, the light was incredibly soft. And pleasing. Had we opted to work on sun angle we would have had a boring lake background, might have disturbed the birds, and would have been shooting down at them. So, the decision to drive well past the birds, go with the gentle sidelight, and reduce the angle of declination, was any easy one for me.
Speaking of light, please note that I have nothing against using backlight in the right conditions.
This image was also and obviously created on 17 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at ILE, FL. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1250. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/640 sec. at f/4 (wide open). AWB at 7:25:20am on a partly cloudy morning just after sunrise.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version.
Image #2: Sandhill Crane pair — pre-copulation stand
Shutter Speed Considerations
Just prior to the action, I had been working at 1/250 second. Once I saw the female lean forward to invite the male, I knew that some flapping would be involved; I raised the ISO four clicks. That allowed me to raise the wide open shutter speed to 1/640 second (at ISO 1250). If you watched my hugely popular YouTube Shutter Speeds for Bird Photography, you would know that while 1/640 sec. was much better than 1/250 second when shooting moderate action, it was a bit less than ideal, 1/800 or 1/1000 sec. After our session, I was hoping that all the images were sharp. They were. In part, because of the distance. Remember that the degree of blurring at a given shutter speed increases as the distance to the subject decreases.
If you missed the video, you would be wise to check it out here.
The Post Processing
Note that I opted to fill in the sky in the upper right corner of each frame with trees. I used warped, refined Quick Masks that were refined by Regular Layer Masks. All as detailed in Digital Basics II and in the Digital Basics III Video Series.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
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 (the late) Joe Przybyla and Arthur Morris.
The PDF for this e-Guide is an electronic download sent via e-mail.
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. Below are the locations that are detailed in this e-Guide. Please note that last season, Gatorland did not offer a Photographer’s Pass.
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, if you are lucky, 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.
My Sony a-1 ii arrived on Friday afternoon and I began setting it up on Friday evening. The good news for me is that the Menu is virtually identical to that of the a9 iii. I finished the job early on Saturday morning and worked with it morning and evening in the field. Saturday morning was terrible for bird photography with sun and a northwest wind. But we worked hard and wound up with a very few good chances despite the brutal conditions.
The body itself is in an a9 iii chassis, slightly larger with far better ergonomics and the position of the shutter button improved. Using gloves with the original a-1 is difficult at best so this marks a great improvement. For folks already using my a-1 setup, the learning curve for an a1-ii (with my settings) will be flat. You will not have to learn any new buttons and dials.
Inspired in part by Bob Eastman, I tried a new AF method, Tracking: Spot XS (which I assume stands for eXtra Small); I was quite impressed with it and the rest of the AF system that did an excellent job of tracking the eye of various bird species. With only two a-1 ii sessions under my belt, it is far too soon to compare the AF system with the AF systems of the a-1 and the a9 iii. Another AF improvement that I noticed immediately is that when you move the position of the Zone brackets away from the center, Bird Face-eye tracking is vastly improved. At this point, I believe that overall the a-1 ii features the best AF Bird Face-eye tracking, but again, that is only my first impression. Stay tuned.
Aside from the improved ergonomics as compared to the a-1, other nice features include the fact that the rear screen tilts both ways. Pre-capture will surely prove to be a plus while in my option, the Speed Boost feature is a total waste for bird photography.
So, the bird question is, is the a-1 ii “worth” a gear upgrade. Remembering that I can never know whether or not something is worth it to you, I can say that I was not floored when using my a-1 ii. The differences between the a-1 ii and the original a-1, are neither huge nor eye-opening. The huge difference between the new camera body and the a9 iii is, of course, the 51MP a-1 raw files (as compared to the 24MP files rendered by the a9 iii).
With the price of a new a-1 having recently dropped $1500.00 to $4,998.00, the decision for new Sony buyers is a very tough one. The a-1 II sells new for 6,498.00. And the price of used a-1 bodies will continue to drop (but not as much as I had thought before using the a-1 ii).
If you do purchase an a-1 ii, be sure to use one of my two affiliate links so that you will receive my a-1 ii settings (in the form of a CAMSETii.DAT file), the Buttons and Dials Guide, and an INFO sheet. Folks who do not purchase their new a-i using my B&H link or from Bedfords here and entering the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout will be able to purchase the a-1 ii guide for $227.43. If you are at all confused and do not want to screw up your order, please get in touch via e-mail.
What’s Up?
Today is Sunday 22 December. Bob Eastman and I will be heading down to the lake at 6:45am despite the fact that the forecast is identical to yesterday’s: sunny with a NW wind. Whatever you choose to do, we hope that like us, you opt to be happy and have fun.
ps: Bob will be going down a bit early to put out the 200-pound road-killed Wild Boar that is currently residing in the back of his truck!
Please remember to use the B&H links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
This image was created on 21 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and the top-of-the-line Sony a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. Shutter Priority +1.0 stop. AUTO ISO set ISO 3200: 1/500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open). When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect (ho hum). AWB at 7:06:38am about 10 minutes before sunrise.
Tracking: Spot XS with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version.
Image #1: Snowy Egret foraging
The First Series
The images of this Snowy Egret foraging in the soft pre-dawn light surprised me. I tried Tracking: Spot XS for the first time and it grabbed and tracked the eye perfectly through the entire sequence. The reflection of the pink sky to the west was not as evident in the RAW file but the color was in the RAW file waiting to be juiced up during the post processing. I did need to Update Adobe Camera Raw to v17.1 in order to convert the RAW files. That was easy-peasy.
This image was also created on 21 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Again, seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens (at 493mm) and the top-of-the-line Sony a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2500: 1/2500 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:48:54am on a mostly sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be 1/6 stop short of perfect.
Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed just fine. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version.
Image #2: Black Vulture landing away in wind against sun conditions
Wind-Against-Sun Ramifications
With the sun behind you and the wind in your face, most birds will be landing directly away from you. At times, as here for me, the back landing shots may have some merit.
This image was also created on 21 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Again, seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the hand held <Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens (at 600mm) and the top-of-the-line Sony a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2500: 1/2500 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:52:20am on a mostly sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect.
Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version.
Image #3: 1-year old Bald Eagle in gliding flight
Wrong Way Bird
When dozens of vultures that had been perched in the trees on both sides of the canal took flight, I said to Bob, “An eagle must have just flown by.” From the back seat, he pointed to east and said, “Here it comes!” The young eagle flew right at us pretty much right down sun angle. Yes, we took lots of images.
Image #3A: Tight crop of the 1-year old Bald Eagle in gliding flight image
a-1 ii Crop-ability
As with the predecessor a-1, sharp a-1 ii raw files stand up fabulously well to large crops.
This image was also created on 21 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Again, seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens (at 600mm) and the top-of-the-line Sony a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000: 1/1600 second at f/9 (stopped down one stop) in Manual Mode. AWB at 8:31:58am on a mostly sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect.
Tracking: Spot XS AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version.
Image #4: Sandhill Crane tight stretching far wing
Tracking: Spot XS Again
Again, Tracking: Spot XS performed superbly here, nailing and tracking the crane’s eye as it preened and then stretched. I stopped down one full stop here for some extra depth of field as we were very close to the subject, perhaps within 10 feet.
Sony 200-600
Notice that my Sony 600mm f/4 remained on the passenger seat protected by pillows and the 400mm f/2.8 was in the back of my SUV, also supported by pillows. On sunny days, it is hard to beat the versatility of the Sony 200-600 (despite the fact that/6.3 aperture at the long end). Five of today’s six featured images were made with the incredible Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens. If you are considering moving to Sony, a used a-1 with my settings and a 200-600 will have you making great images from Day 1.
This image was also created on 21 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Again, seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens (at 600mm) and the top-of-the-line Sony a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000: 1/2500 second at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 8:34:22am on a mostly sunny morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be dead solid perfect.
Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version.
Image #5: Cattle Egret non-breeding adult in flight
Flight AF Performance with the a-1 ii was as expected — quite excellent but not quite perfect. Tracking: (center) Zone nailed the eye of this Cattle Egret. More than 50% of the original pixels were cropped away during the image optimization. Working with the a-1 ii RAW files was a pleasure as I found the color natural and easy to work with.
This image was also created on 21 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm) and the top-of-the-line Sony a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. Shutter Priority +1.0 stop. AUTO ISO set ISO 2000: 1/2500 sec. at f/9 (wide open). When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect (ho hum). AWB at 5:31:29pm (just minutes after sunset) on a partly cloudy evening. RawDigger showed the exposure to be 1/6 stop short of perfect.
Wide AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed just fine. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version.
Image #6: Boat-tailed Grackles flying into roost at sunset
200-600 plus the 1.4X TC!
We had a gorgeous sunset with very few birds. A few days ago I discovered a nighttime grackle roost. I decided to experiment by adding the 1.4X TC and working at f/9. AF performance and image sharpness were both superb. Who knows? I might wind up with two a-1 ii bodies and zero a-1 bodies. Or not … Time will tell.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
What’s a bird photographer to do when there are no birds? Look for something interesting and attempt to photograph it well.
Your Calls?
Which two of today’s five featured images do you like best? Why for each? Which of the five is the most boring photo? I will share my answers here soon.
Today’s Lesson
When there are no birds to photograph at sunrise or sunset, look for something else to shoot.
What’s Up?
Today is Friday 20 December. Bob Eastman and I will be heading down to the lake at 6:45am despite the fact that the forecast is identical to yesterday’s: totally foggy with no sun until 10:00am. We’ve been photographing our favorite pair of cranes walking out of the marsh in the pre-dawn light. Yesterday I was at ISO 8000, 1/125 sec. at f/2.8. Other than that, we got nothing yesterday morning. Bob stayed in last night while I headed down to the lake at the last minute and got very lucky. Read to the end to find out how lucky I was. Whatever you choose to do, we hope that like us, you opt to be happy and have fun.
Please remember to use the B&H links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising (Royal Albert Hall, London/1970)
This image was created on 15 November 2024 from the South Jetty Parking lot July 2024 at Sebastian Inlet, FL. Standing at full height, 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 2000. 1/640 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 5:34:40pm well after sunset. RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be perfect.
Tracking: (upper right) Zone AF-C AF with Bird Face/Eye Detection enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy an inexplicably sharper high-res version.
Image #1: full moon rising
Good Images are Where You See Them
Good Moon on the Rise
Bob Eastman had been planning to shoot the rising full moon for more than a week. He had scouted several different locations, most of them with the intent of including the end of the North Jetty in the frame. The moon rose at about 5:20pm into a hazy sky. It was not very impressive. We made a few images. They were not very impressive either. Ten minutes later, when we got back to my SUV, I happened to glance to my left, and saw the full moon nicely framed by a tall cabbage palm and other semi-tropical vegetation, I called out to Bob, “There’s the shot!”
We both grabbed a lens and went to work. With Sony Zebras, getting the exposure right was child’s play. After selecting my shutter speed, I dialed up the ISO until there were faint Zebra’s on the moon. That done, the key to the success of this image was the processing. I worked selectively on the color and brightness of the sky, the vegetation, and the moon. All as detailed in Digital Basics II and in the Digital Basics III Video Series.
If you would like to see exactly how I processed this image in Volume II of DB III, please shoot me an e-mail.
This image was created on 24 November 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Standing at full height, I used the jiggle blur technique with the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 444mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. Shutter Priority +1.0 stops. AUTO ISO set ISO 100: 1/3 sec. at f/25 (stopped down 3 full stops). AWB at 5:35:56pm on a then partly cloudy afternoon. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect.
Tracking: Spot S AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy an inexplicably sharper high-res version.
Image #2: tree at sunset — jiggle/zoom blur
Necessity is the Mother or Invention
In the Socratic dialogue Republic, Plato famously wrote: “our need will be the real creator. Over time this became the English proverb, Necessity is the mother of invention.
Anyhoo, when you have so little light that making a sharp image would require ISO 256,000, think blurs. I often teach that when trying to create new and different pleasing blurs, playing around is a great idea. Peter Gray would surely agree with that.
This image was created on 8 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Standing at full height, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. Shutter Priority +0.7 stops. AUTO ISO set ISO 1000: 1/800 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open). AWB at 5:42:02 pm on a then cloudy morning. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect.
Tracking: Spot S AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy an inexplicably sharper high-res version.
Image #3: strange cloud at sunset
A Very Strange Cloud at Sunset
With few birds flying on the late afternoon of 8 December, Bob and I both enjoyed photographing a strange cloud in the western sky. Neither of us had ever seen anything remotely like it before.
Tracking: (left center) Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the inexplicably sharper high-res version.
Image #4: dead and live pine trees at sunrise
The Sunrise Spot
There are very few spots at Indian Lake Estates where you can take advantage of pre-dawn and sunrise color. This was the 2024 Bald Eagle nest tree. After Hurricane Milton took down this nest, the birds began re-building in the same tree. But when I got back from Sebastian Inlet, we discovered that they had moved across the canal and built a huge new nest in a live pine tree. Photographing the nest well is a 100% impossibility.
Most mornings, the vultures land in the dead tree when the oranges and yellow are most vivid. What’s a guy to do when the birds do not show up?
This image was created on 18 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Standing at full height, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 594mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) ISO 640. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/800 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open). AWB at 5:33:38pm just after the sun dropped below the horizon. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect.
Tracking: Expand Spot AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the inexplicably sharper larger version.
Image #5: Bob Eastman’s Pine Perch at sunset
A Very Creative Perch
Bob had grabbed a very attractive pine tree perch and erected it at the south end of the South Marsh. Bob put up this perch about two weeks ago. As he was walking back to his truck, a Great Egret landed on it. On the morning of 16 December, I photographed a Turkey Vulture on Bob’s Pine Perch in pre-dawn light. I will share that one with you here at some point.
The perch is so pretty that on Wednesday evening, I photographed it against some lovely sunset color. Ah, for want of a bird.
So last night, Bob opted to stay in. I ran down to the lake about 15 minutes before sunset. There was nothing on The Perch II. Nothing on Bob’s small perch. And there was nothing on The Perch III. As I approached Bob’s Pine Perch in my SUV, there were three Turkey Vultures sitting on it. One flew off. The color was getting sweeter by the minute. Needing to get lower, I grabbed the 200-600 G lens, exited the vehicle, and went to work in Shutter Priority with EC on the Thumb Dial. Then I enjoyed a miracle or two when a second vulture took flight and then returned to land on the perch, wings outstretched.
When I showed Bob some of the images on the back of the camera, he said dejectedly, Oh, no!
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
