Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
July 23rd, 2024

Why a Wide Angle Lens on the Beach for Birds?

Trinity Thomas — an amazing young woman

What’s Up?

On Monday evening, I am headed north on the Auto Train as I type. At dinner, I had a surprisingly excellent flatiron steak and had the absolute pleasure of meeting a young lady (champion) gymnast from The University of Florida named Trinity Thomas. She competed against and is friends with many of the young women going to Paris as members of the USA Olympic Team. As a 3x NCAA National Champion and a 5x US National Team Member, she is the real deal. Doubt me? Check her out on Instagram by searching for her gymtrin account. She even has her own Wikipedia page here! Trinity finished her collegiate career with a record-tying 28 perfect-10 scores and a record-breaking five Gym Slams (scores of perfect 10 on every apparatus)!

At the same dinner table, I met two young brothers from Virgina. The younger one, Luke De Gance (17 going on 18), is a talented hight school placekicker who aspires to kick for the Gators at Trinity’s alma mater, The University of Florida (where she recently earned her Masters Degree). She is looking forward to a career in nursing. The De Gance brothers were returning home after volunteering at a church summer camp in Florida. Luke’s older brother John-Paul is studying Sports management at Northern Virginia Community College. If you have lost faith in the youth of America, your spirits would have been uplifted had you been at dinner last night with the four of us.

Today is Tuesday 23 July. Once the Auto Train pulls into the Lorton, VA station, I will get into my vehicle for the 5-7 hour drive to my AirBnB in Lido Beach, less than ten minutes from Nickerson Beach. Whatever you do, I hope that you too have a great day.

There are usually not lots of opportunities to use wide angle zoom lenses for bird photography, but I had three good chances on the recently concluded Jax IPTs. If you have a favorite among today’s three featured images, please leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice. Which brings us to a great buy for Canon shooters.

Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM Lens

Multiple IPT veteran Geri Georg is offering a rarely used Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM lens in Excellent Plus to Near-mint condition for a ridiculously low $1099.00.

The sale includes the original box, the front and back lens caps, the lens pouch, the lens hood, 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 Geri via e-mail or by phone at (970) 219-4493 (MTD).

This lens is a scenic photographer’s dream come true. It sells new at B&H for $2199.00. Grabb Geri’s pretty much new lens and a handsome $1100.00 artie

Characterized by a revamped optical design, the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM from Canon is a workhorse wide-angle zoom and member of the well-regarded L-series of lenses. Featuring a series of specialized elements, this lens utilizes a trio of aspherical elements and two ultra-low dispersion glass elements to control a variety of aberrations for high sharpness and clarity. Both SWC and ASC coatings have also been applied to the elements in order to reduce lens flare and ghosting for increased contrast and color accuracy.

Complementing its optical prowess, a ring-type Ultrasonic Motor offers fast, smooth, and near-silent autofocus performance, which is further benefitted by full-time manual focus operation and an internal focusing design. The lens is both water and dust-resistant, and fluorine coatings have also been applied to the front and rear elements to protect against fingerprints and smudges from affecting image quality. B&H and Canon

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV dSLR Camera Body

Multiple IPT veteran Geri Georg is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV body in very good condition for an incredibly low $599.00. The sale includes the front body cap, the original and one extra Canon battery, the battery charger, a black LensCoat body bag, a near-mint Delkin Sensor Scope with the top and bottom caps and the case, 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 Geri via e-mail or by phone at (970) 219-4493 (MTD).

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 and a 1DX III sat on the shelf in my garage. A new 5D Mark IV, with its 30.4MP full-frame CMOS sensor, is still in productions and sells new for $$2,299 at B&H. If you have been dreaming of a 5D IV, grab this one save $1,250.00. artie

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge/East Pond) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

Car Rental Warnings

All are advised to avoid renting a vehicle from either Fox or SIXT. I rented a car from Fox in San Diego (through Expedia) and when I went to pick up the car they would not allow me to rent the car without paying for their (always previously optional) over-priced insurance. They said it was state law. I have been renting a car in San Diego for more than fifty years and never once had been forced to purchase insurance. When I said that I would cancel my reservation and rent from National they said, “Fine, but you lose all your money. We do not allow cancellations.” All of the major NA rental outfits allow you to cancel anytime before pick-up without penalty. When I returned the vehicle two days early, they said, “We do not give refunds.” Another first.

In Denver, I rented from SIXT, big in Europe. The agent was kind and sweet and told me “No charge to upgrade to a BMW X-3 and no charge for a second driver.” I returned the SUV two days early expecting a refund as the guy in the lot had said. Instead, they ran my AMEX card for an additional $671.00 (for a variety of invented charges)! That after my discount for two days early return.

Forewarned is forearmed.

This image was created on 16 July 2024 at Huguenot Memorial Park on the second morning of the extended JAX IPT. Standing at full height, I used the hand held Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens (at 24 mm) and The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera.. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/125 second at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was dead solid perfect. AWB at 6:14:58am, 15 minutes before sunrise.

Lower center Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.

Image #1: Gulls, terns, and pelicans on the beach at low tide

Wide Angle Convenience

One of the beautiful things about Huguenot Memorial Park this season was that we rarely had to venture more than 100 yards from my parked SUV. Clouds in the east often scream out for a wide angle lens before sunrise. I would park the car in the perfect spot, shoot the sunrise, and then move the car up 100 yards or so to the protective ropes and park for the morning. This was much better than having to lug the 12-24 on the beach for a long photo session; it is a heavy lens. Geri’s used Canon 16-35mm III is a lot lighter! Grab it before it sells.

Pano Crops

Wide angle photos of groups of birds often do well after being cropped to panos. This puts more emphasis on the small-in-the-frame birds.

Bracketing Wide Angle Bird-scapes

When creating bird scapes with a wide angle lens, I always take the time to set 1/3-stop bracketing. I do this to ensure creating one dead-solid perfect exposure, not for the purpose of creating an HDR. (Note: to create a series of high dynamic range images it is always best to be on a tripod.)

This image was created on 17 July 2024 at Huguenot Memorial Park on the third afternoon of the extended JAX IPT. Standing at full height, I used the hand held Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens (at 24 mm) and The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera.. ISO 400. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/800 second at f/4.5 (stopped down 1 1/3 stops) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 6:11:51pm.

Lower center Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.

Image #2: Mostly Laughing Gulls on the beach at high tide

Blast-off Aftermath

On Wednesday afternoon past, we were on the beach at high tide when more than 20,000 gulls and terns blasted off at once and circled around for five minutes. It would have been great to have been right below them with a wide angle lens, but alas we were all shooting flight with medium telephotos at the time and the car was too far away. IAC, most of the gulls landed high up on the beach, so I grabbed the 12-24, zoomed in to 24mm, and went to work. I love the birds, the soft light, the sky color, and the clouds. WDYT?

This image was created on 18 July 2024 at Huguenot Memorial Park on the fourth afternoon of the extended JAX IPT. Standing at full height, I used the hand held Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens (at 12 mm) and The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera.. ISO 500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/800 second at f/8 (stopped down three stops) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 4:35:35pm.

Lower center Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.

Image #3: Gulls, terns, and pelicans on the beach at low tide

The Black Cloud

If you look just above the horizon on the left side of the frame, you will see the indigo blue/black cloud that served as the background for the previously published image below. This image was made 20 minutes after the tern shot that; by that time, the black cloud had shrunk as the white storm cloud grew in size. The 12mm focal length turned out to be perfect for the shot I envisioned.

This image was created on 18 July 2024 at Huguenot Memorial Park on the fourth afternoon of the extended JAX IPT. 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 ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 500. 1/4000 second at f/5.6 (stopped down 1 full stop) in Manual Mode. AWB at 4:13:50pm on a bright sunny afternoon (just before a huge storm hit). RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be dead solid perfect.

Zone AF-C AF with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #4: Royal Tern in flight with fish for chick

Wind Against Bright Sun and Indigo Blue/Black Skies

With an ominously dark sky to the north and the wind from the southeast, things looked grim at best. But following the basic tenet, keep the wind at your back, I came up with a winning approach: shoot the birds flying south 3/4 backlit against the indigo blue/black skies. Again, Sony Zebras to the rescue; we set our exposures to show just a few Zebras on the whitest parts of the backlit birds — the top of their heads and the edges of the wings.

Typos

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

July 21st, 2024

A Great Ending to the JAX IPT. And the a1/a9 iii Dilemma ...

Your Call?

Which of today’s two featured images is the strongest? Why?

Canon Lays Off Beloved Camera Guru, Rudy Winston

From the PetaPixel article here. Thanks to blog regular David Policansky for sharing the link with me.

Last week, Canon USA initiated layoffs that affected multiple departments. While the exact number affected was not provided, it is not insignificant and included Rudy Winston, perhaps the most prominent face of Canon’s US-based brand, PetaPixel has learned.

(Rudy) Winston worked at Canon for nearly 30 years as part of its professional products team and during that time was responsible for training Canon’s staff on new products, creating presentations for customers and dealers, leading numerous writing projects, and providing technical assistance to professional and amateur photographers.

As frequent a face as he was for dealers and media — he was a constant presence at product demonstrations and press events — he is more known as one of the faces of Canon’s photography brand online thanks to his regular presence on Canon USA’s YouTube channel which includes an entire section titled “Tech Tips with Rudy Winston.”

“During his career at Canon, he’s had hands-on experience with nearly every Canon EOS camera and lens, and has outstanding working knowledge of everyday use of the EOS system,” Canon says of Winston in a bio on the company’s website. “Rudy has worked in the photography field virtually his entire adult life. Before coming to Canon, he had an extensive career as a freelance photographer, including years of experience shooting professional sports, as well as experience in retail camera sales.”

Everyone who commented was aghast at the news. I wrote,

Hey Rudy, Sorry to hear this disheartening news. Know that you are loved and respected by the thousands and thousands of folks you have helped over the decades, including and especially me. As we both know, after 19 years as a Canon Explorer or Light, I was fired by our good friend Steve Inglima who was in turn fired soon after. Corporate stupidity is sometimes impossible to understand. Maybe they will give you a watch :-(.

I am hoping that this event turns out to be a blessing in disguise for you.

Over the decades, I called and e-mailed Rudy many dozens of times, more recently after the death of the late Chuck Westfall, another Canon tech-rep giant. Even after I switched to Nikon and then to Sony, Rudy was Johnny on the spot when it came to answering my requests for Canon help from folks who had e-mailed me. Rudy was able to answer my camera body questions in detail 100% of the time <em>without ever having to look at a manual
. He truly was a friend and a saint and will never be replaced. This is a huge loss for Canon folks. Much love, artie

While doing some web-surfing research for this item, I remembered that Rudy was on site with me at Bosque Del Apache as we created a series of bird photography videos for Canon. I did a Google search for arthur morris bosque del apache Canon videos and wound up here. I found the four videos immediately. Following many of the links below the video brought back a flood of great memories of my time with Canon. And a few tears as well.

Here is an e-mail from Rudy dated 1/31/2018:

Hi Artie,

Certainly we’re saddened to see a master of the craft of bird photography move on to a different brand after such a long relationship, but we respect you and your decision, and we’re certainly here if and when we can assist you in the future. Personally, it’s always been my pleasure to work with you, and offer whatever assistance I could. You’re a gentleman, and I’m honored to be able to tell my colleagues and friends that you and I are on a first-name basis. I’m sure you’ll continue to get great pictures with your new gear, and I wish you total success with it. At the same time, I certainly hope our paths cross again in the future. Many thanks for the kind words in the blog post where you announced your decision. I appreciate all I’ve learned from you, and will always remember our interactions fondly. All the best, moving forward, and please stay in touch.

Best Regards,

Rudy Winston
Canon USA

If you enjoy a really good backstory (on my years with Canon), you can check out the post that Rudy mentioned here.

Two days ago I tried Rudy on his cell phone but it had been disconnected. It must have been supplied by Canon 🙁

What’s Up?

As I have not unpacked after returning from Jacksonville — I did do a small load of laundry — I am pretty much ready to get on the Auto Train late on Monday afternoon and am looking forward to the three IPTs at Nickerson Beach and my original soul place, the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife, Queens, NY. If you would like to join me, see the details here.

I was glad to learn that first-timer Judy Stepenaskie will be joining IPT veteran Monte Brown on the 1st Nickerson Beach IPT. And I was also glad to learn that Morro Bay IPT veteran Dane Johnson sold his Canon EOS 5D Mark III (converted to infrared) in near-mint conditions with the BG-E11 battery grip (in like-new condition) and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens (also in near-mint condition) for a ridiculously low $799.00 (was $999.00) in mid-July 2024. Kudos to Dane for lowering the price on a difficult-to-sell item.

If you opt to purchase and of the Sony gear mentioned in this blog post, please use one of my affiliate links to earn a free guide or free entry into my Camera User’s Guide E-mail Groups.

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge/East Pond) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

Price Drops

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV (with Battery Grip)

Price reduced $100.00 on 12 June 2024
Price reduced $50.00 on 20 July 2024

Homer IPT veteran Mark Harrington is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV (57,314 shutter actuations) in excellent plus condition for $899.00 (was $1049.00). The sale includes the front cap, the original product box, the manual and software, the Canon BG-E20 battery grip (a $299.00 value), one battery, the battery charger, the cable, 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 Mark via e-mail at e-mail or by phone at 1-612-308-5776 MST.

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 and a 1DX III sat on the shelf in my garage. A new 5D Mark IV, with its 30.4MP full-frame CMOS sensor, is still in productions and sells new for $$2,299 at B&H. If you have been dreaming of a 5D IV, grab this one save $1,250.00. artie

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Price reduced $100.00 on 12 June 2024
Price reduced $50.00 on 20 July 2024

Homer IPT veteran Mark Harrington is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV (30269 shutter actuations ) in excellent plus condition for $849.00 (was $999.00). The sale includes the front cap, the strap, one battery, the battery charger, the cable, the manual, the original box 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 Mark via e-mail at e-mail or by phone at 1-612-308-5776 MST.

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 and a 1DX III sat on the shelf in my garage. A new 5D Mark IV, with its 30.4MP full-frame CMOS sensor, is still in productions and sells new for $$2,299 at B&H. If you have been dreaming of a 5D IV, grab this one save $1,250.00. artie

This image was created on 18 July 2024 at Huguenot Memorial Park on the fourth afternoon of the extended JAX IPT. 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 ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800. 1/4000 second at f/5.0 (stopped down 2/3-stop) in Manual Mode. AWB at 8:02:44am on a brightening morning. RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be perfect.

Zone AF-C AF with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #1: Sandwich Tern — adult beginning left turn

Soft-Light Banking Perfection?

On Thursday morning past, we had some decent sunrise color and then enjoyed mostly cloudy-bright conditions for the rest of the morning. Again, I went with my favorite new flight rig, the hand held 300mm f/2.8/1.4X TC/a9 iii combo. I chose 124 very good flight keepers from about 6,000 images. With the science-fiction like AF that I dreamed of for years now a reality, the standards for what makes a great image of a flying bird keep getting higher every day. The soft light perfectly illuminated the underwing detail of the tern’s fully spread wings and tail justan instant before the bird in Image #1 began to turn left and away from me. The a9 iii’s 120 fps is a huge plus when photographing flight and action.

Image #1 was cropped from a horizontal original with a bit of canvas added above and below.

This image was created on 19 July 2024 at Huguenot Memorial Park on the last morning of the extended JAX IPT. Standing at full height, I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 800. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/4000 second at f/6.3 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:49:30am on sunny morning.

Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.

Image #2: Royal Tern with Cutlassfish — flight pano crop

Flight Pano Crop

With a south wind and clear blue skies, our last morning offered the best sunny flight photography of the entire extended IPT. As I had been using the tripod-mounted 840mm/a1 combo at sunrise, I stuck with it as the flight photography developed. Sandra Calderbank did well working off the tripod with her 600mm/a1 rig. Steve Shore hand held the same outfit for a while and then went to the tripod topped by a Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro. As he recently got back into bird photography, he was having trouble shooting flight on the tripod. He ran back to the car and grabbed the 300mm f/2.8/1.4X TC, slapped his a1 on it, and went to work. Shooting flight off a tripod is a skill that must be learned and practiced.

The a1/a9 iii Dilemma

Assuming that your camera body is set up properly and in the hands of someone with a modicum of skill, the a1 produces raw files with superb image quality (at a not shabby 30 fps). And the AF system ain’t bad either. The a9 iii files are about half the size, a9 iii AF is surer than a1 AF, and its 120 fps capture rate is unmatched and provides four times as many flight poses and wing positions as the a1. Which is best for photographing birds in flight? Whichever one you have in your hands.

Flight Photography Tip

If you are lucky enough to photograph at a tern colony and you see a bird coming in with a nice prey item, understand that they may have trouble finding their chick or chicks on the first pass. They will often fly a wide circle and return to try again. When the bird in Image #2 flew in, I called it out. When it did not recognize its chick, it flew out over the ocean. By following it in flight, I was able to shout out its return several times before it finally landed and unloaded a nice shiny breakfast.

Processing Tip

The Remove Tool did a wonderful job with the specular highlights on the fish. Learn how to use this great, relatively new Photoshop tool (and tons more) in the Digital Basics III Video Series. Volume II coming this September.

Image #1: Unsharpened 100% crop of the Royal Tern with Cutlassfish — flight pano crop image

a1 Image Quality and Crop-ability

Simply put, a1 image quality and the ability of sharp a-1 image files to stand up to huge crops cannot be matched by the a9 iii.

Join me to photograph Black Skimmers, Common Terns, American Oystercatchers, and more!

The Summer 2024 Nickerson Beach 3 1/2 day Terns, Skimmers, & Oystercatchers IPTs

Nickerson Beach IPT #1: July 29 – August 1, 2024. 3 1/2 days: Afternoon session on MON 29 July through the full day on THURS 1 August, 2024: $2099.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5

Nickerson Beach IPT #2: August 5-8 2024. 3 1/2 days: Afternoon session on MON 5 August through the full day on THURS 8 August, 2024: $2099.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

Join me at Nickerson Beach Park this summer to photograph Black Skimmers, Common Terns, and American Oystercatchers. The trip is timed so that we should get to photograph tiny chicks as well as fledglings. There will be lots of flight photography including adults flying with baitfish and mole crabs. Creating great images of the chicks being fed is a challenge but I will do my best to help you toward that end. We will get to photograph a variety of breeding behaviors including courtship, sitting on (incubating) eggs, chick feeding, and more. We may get to photograph pre-dawn and early evening blastoffs. There is generally great afternoon skimmer flight photography that includes frequent midair battles sunny days. And with luck, we might even see a few tiny chicks in addition to fledged and flying young. We will also get to photograph the life cycle of American Oystercatcher. This will likely include nests with eggs and small chicks, young being fed, and surely a few fledglings.

Nesting Piping Plover is also possibly. There will be lots of gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few lesser black-backeds of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, and maybe even Red Knot.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Black Skimmer pair with chick; Black Skimmer fledgling skimming; Black Skimmer with large needlefish; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer fledgling taking flight; Black Skimmer adult with killifish; Black Skimmer adult landing near nest; Black Skimmer in midair chase; and Black Skimmers at dawn in the red light district.

Activities

Morning sessions will run from pre-dawn till about 9:00 or 9:30am, roughly 3 1/2 hours. Afternoon sessions will run from 5:30 till sunset (assuming that entry policies are as they were in 2023.

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps (or 120 fps!) camera bodies. And we will process a few images and distribute the screen capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. And all IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Adult American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise; Adult American Oystercatcher posing on clean sand; predawn skimmer flock blur; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer landing at nest on cloudy day; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer sunrise group blur; Black Skimmer adult with Atlantic Silversides; juvenile Semipalmated Plover, and photographer with oystercatcher family.

Some of What You Will Learn on a Nickerson Beach IPT

  • 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before if you are using SONY gear).
  • 2- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
  • 3- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
  • 4- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
  • 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
  • 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
  • 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
  • 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
  • 10- More than you could ever imagine.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Black Skimmer pair with chick; Common Tern landing at nest with small baitfish; large Common Tern chick on pristine beach; American Oystercatchers courtship flight; Common Tern with pipefish; Common Tern fledgling; American Oystercatcher on eggs in high wind; American Oystercatcher nest with three eggs; and Black Skimmer midair battle.

The Details

We will be on the beach very early to enjoy sunrise. The morning sessions will run about 3 1/2 hours. Afternoon sessions will begin at 5:30 and run till sunset. There is never a set schedule on an IPT — we adapt to the conditions. On cloudy mornings with the right wind, we may opt to photograph till 11:30am or so and skip the afternoon session. That especially when the afternoon weather is looking iffy.

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session before and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. Each of these IPTs will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Islip (if you have lots of Southwest points). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $699 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Join me on the COMBO IPT this coming August to photograph adult and juvenile shorebirds at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY.

Clockwise starting from the upper left back to center: juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs; adult Semipalmated Plover; fresh juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Least Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Stilt Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher; worn, molting adult Semipalmated Sandpiper; worn, molting adult White-rumped Sandpiper; and juvenile (left) and worn, molting adult Greater Yellowlegs.

The Combo IPT — East Pond, JBWR/Nickerson Beach: August 17 – 20, 2024. SAT August 17 through the morning session on TUES 20 August 2024. 3 1/2 days: $2199.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

Join me for four mornings at the famed East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY (conditions permitting) to photograph southbound migrant shorebirds and for three afternoons to photograph beach nesting birds. The window for photographing juvenile shorebirds in fresh plumage is very narrow and this trip will of course get you to the right spot at the exact right time. You will learn to identify and age the shorebirds and to photograph them (at ground level). I will gladly share everything that I have learned during the 46 years I have been visiting the pond. Heck, I started late. After too many years of mismanagement, the gate valve at the north end of the East Pond has finally been repaired properly; water levels should be perfect this summer. If it is not, we will spend our mornings at Nickerson.

Afternoons (and mornings as well) at Nickerson Beach Park are superb in mid-August for photographing Black Skimmers, Common Terns, and American Oystercatchers with young of all ages. There will be lots of fledged chicks by mid-August, lots of flight including adults flying with baitfish and mole crabs, and excellent chances to photograph both chick feeding and predation by gulls. The Great Black-backed Gulls see the young skimmers as potato chips. We should get to photograph the evening skimmer blastoffs. On hot sunny days, there is still great afternoon skimmer flight photography that includes frequent midair battles.

There will be lots of terns (mostly Common Terns) and gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and maybe even Red Knot. And we might encounter large, swirling flocks of Sanderling in flight over the ocean.

Join me this August to photograph at the East Pond at JBWR in the mornings (conditions permitting) and at Nickerson Beach in the afternoons.

Clockwise starting from the upper left back to center: Marbled Godwit (likely in juvenal plumage); Wilson’s Phalarope in first winter plumage; Black Skimmer adult in flight over the Atlantic; juvenile American Oystercatcher foraging surf; adult Lesser Black-backed Gull; Black Skimmer attacking tiny chick; Killdeer in fresh juvenal plumage; Least Sandpiper in fresh juvenal plumage ruffling; and juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs and mixed shorebird flock.

Morning sessions at the East Pond will run from just before dawn till about 9:00 or 9:30am. If the afternoon weather forecast is looking ominous, we may decide to photograph until after 11:00am and cancel the afternoon session. Afternoon sessions at Nick will run from 5:30 till sunset (assuming that entry policies are as they were in 2023).

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps (or 120 fps!) camera bodies. In addition, we will process some participant images and distribute the screen-capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. All IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Adult American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise; Adult American Oystercatcher posing on clean sand; predawn skimmer flock blur; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer landing at nest on cloudy day; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer sunrise group blur; Black Skimmer adult with Atlantic Silversides; juvenile Semipalmated Plover, and photographer with oystercatcher family.

Some of What You Will Learn on the COMBO IPT

  • 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before you make even a single image if you are using SONY gear).
  • 2-How to get low and super low
  • 3- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
  • 4- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
  • 5- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
  • 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
  • 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
  • 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
  • 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
  • 10- To identify and age a variety of shorebird, tern, and gull species.
  • 11- More than you could ever imagine.

The Details

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session during and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. This IPT will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Islip (if you have lots of Southwest points). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $699 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Typos

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

July 19th, 2024

Beyond Killer Handheld Flight Rig! White Sky/Black Sky

What’s Up?

It is 4:25am on Friday 19 July as I type. Today is get-away day. We will photograph till about 8:30am, head back to the AirBnB, clean up and pack up, and then get all of my stuff and Steve’s bags and cases into in my SUV. Then I drop Steve at JAX for his flights home to DFW.

Though we’ve had a breeze from the west every morning (the worst when combined with sun and clear skies) and a wind from the SE (bad) on clear afternoons — we only had two of those), the trip has been amazingly productive. Unbeknown to most avian shooters, Huguenot Memorial Park ranks right up there as a world class North American bird photography hotspot. My plan is to have a Site Guide available before next season.

Some clouds on three of the five mornings and pretty much all the afternoons have helped tremendously. On Wednesday afternoon, we had a nice breeze from the S/SW and cloudy skies, the best flight photography conditions of the trip; I created more than 14,000 images (including Image #1, below). Shooting flight for the last two days with the Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera,, I’ve been creating between 5,000 and 8,000 images per session, always getting at least a few great ones.

The combo mentioned above has quickly become my all time favorite, go-to flight photography outfit. It is so light that most folks can hand hold it for hours. And when I wanted to work low, I got down on the beach and got within range of one or more of the incredibly beautiful Royal Tern chicks. 420mm is quite a handy focal length for bird photography. And as I have not once been tempted to slap on the 2X TC, working at f/4 allows for the use of lower ISOs in all situations. Not too mention that I recently made some a9 iii AF menu changes that have significantly improved a9 iii focusing accuracy. I will be sharing those new settings with the a9 iii group soon.

Working at 120 fps with .3 second Pre-capture gives me dozens of wing positions and flight poses to choose from with each fly-by. And as Steve and Sandra have seen, the great ones jump right off the monitor even when you are viewing the a9 iii images like a movie in Photo Mechanic.

My ride back to ILE from the airport will take me about four hours. I hope that you also have a great day.

Your Call?

Which of today’s two featured images is the strongest? Why?

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge/East Pond) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

This image was created on 17 July 2024 at Huguenot Memorial Park on the third afternoon of the extended JAX IPT. 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 ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600. 1/4000 second at f/4 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 5:29:04pm on a cloudy afternoon. RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be perfect.

Zone AF-C AF with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #1: Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick

White Sky Flight Photography

With white sky conditions (cloudy), you usually need to add two or more stops of light to the metered exposure to come up with a properly exposed raw file. Thus, those should look over-exposed and washed out at best. It takes two minutes in Photoshop to blue up the dingy skies a bit — warning, do NOT try to over do that, increase the contrast, and juice up the colors. It is almost hard to believe that the raw file for Image #1, above, was totally flat and boring.

Do know that Sony’s Zebra technology makes white sky photography child’s play — just dial up your ISO until you have some Zebras on either the white sky or the subject and you are good to go.

If you are not quite sure how to bring your cloudy day images to life, check out the two offerings immediately below.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II).

You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a PayPal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)

The technique mentioned above (eyeball replacement) and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with my complete digital workflow, Digital Eye Doctor Techniques, and all my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

Please note: the Divide and Conquer technique was inadvertently omitted from DB II. It is detailed in a free excerpt in the blog post here.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: most of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

You can learn how and why I converted all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About three years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One and did that for two years. You can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here. Today, I convert my Sony raw files in Photoshop with Adobe Camera Raw.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.

The Digital Basics III Video Series

The Digital Basics III Video Series

I realized about a year ago that my digital workflow had changed fairly significantly and was toying with the idea of writing a Digital Basics III. More recently, I have learned and begun working with two great new Photoshop Tools, the Remove Tool and the Luminance Targeted Adjustment Tool. The former is like a smarter Spot Healing Brush Tool on steroids and the latter is a huge step up from the fabulous Color Mixer Tool. During that same time frame, I came up with a new and improved 2-step noise reduction technique. I still use Divide and Conquer, Quick Masks, Layer Masks, an expanded array of personalized keyboard shortcuts, and tons of other stuff from both versions of Digital Basics.

As soon as I realized that I did not want to take on another large writing project, I realized that by creating a series of videos I could much more easily share all the details of my current digital workflow and much more easily incorporate additional new tips, techniques, and tools as I went. And so, The Digital Basics III Video Series was born. You can check out Volume I/#1 here.

You might opt to purchase single videos or to subscribe to Volume I and save $26 by ordering the first five videos in one fell swoop. You can purchase the five videos in Volume I by clicking here. The videos will be most valuable for folks using the latest version of Photoshop (2024) or Lightroom along with Topaz DeNoise AI and Topaz Sharpen AI.

This image was created on 18 July 2024 at Huguenot Memorial Park on the fourth afternoon of the extended JAX IPT. 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 ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 500. 1/4000 second at f/5.6 (stopped down 1 full stop) in Manual Mode. AWB at 4:13:50pm on a bright sunny afternoon (just before a huge storm hit). RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be dead solid perfect.

Zone AF-C AF with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #2: Royal Tern in flight with fish for chick

Wind Against Bright Sun and Indigo Blue/Black Skies

With an ominously dark sky to the north and the wind from the southeast, things looked grim at best. But following the basic tenet, keep the wind at your back, I came up with a winning approach: shoot the birds flying south 3/4 backlit against the indigo blue/black skies. Again, Sony Zebras to the rescue; we set our exposures to show just a few Zebras on the whitest parts of the backlit birds — the top of their heads and the edges of the wings.

a9 iii E-mail Set-up and Info Guide

a9 iii E-mail Set-up and Info Guide

For those who think that my comments on the a9 iii are pure hype, know that I recently sold the second of my three a1 bodies.

If you plan on purchasing a Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera (or anything else for that matter), please remember to use or write for either my Bedfords discount code or my B&H affiliate link. Folks who use one of my two affiliate links to purchase the a9 III will receive my .DAT settings (the complete camera set-up), a Buttons and Dials Guide, and an a9 iii Info Sheet.

For those who did not use my link to purchase their Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens, you can order your a copy here for $209.93.

Click on the image to enlarge and to be able to read the fine print.

The BAA Sony 300mm f/2.8 Lens Guide

Impressed by my (or Pat’s) Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) images? Use either my Bedfords or B&H affiliate link to purchase your Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens and shoot me your receipt via e-mail and request a copy of the first-ever BAA Lens Guide. I thought that it would take only minutes to create this guide, but I was dead wrong. In the process of creating it, I learned a ton about the lens. And even better, I discovered a simple yet potentially fatal flaw that was resulting in sporadically unsharp flight images. The set-up fix is simple. Just be sure to use one of my affiliate links and get the guide for free.

If not, you can purchase a copy here for $209.93. Yes, it never hurts to use my links and it never costs you one penny more. And if you contact me via e-mail before you make a major purchase, I can often save you some money.

Join me to photograph Black Skimmers, Common Terns, American Oystercatchers, and more!

The Summer 2024 Nickerson Beach 3 1/2 day Terns, Skimmers, & Oystercatchers IPTs

Nickerson Beach IPT #1: July 29 – August 1, 2024. 3 1/2 days: Afternoon session on MON 29 July through the full day on THURS 1 August, 2024: $2099.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5

Nickerson Beach IPT #2: August 5-8 2024. 3 1/2 days: Afternoon session on MON 5 August through the full day on THURS 8 August, 2024: $2099.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

Join me at Nickerson Beach Park this summer to photograph Black Skimmers, Common Terns, and American Oystercatchers. The trip is timed so that we should get to photograph tiny chicks as well as fledglings. There will be lots of flight photography including adults flying with baitfish and mole crabs. Creating great images of the chicks being fed is a challenge but I will do my best to help you toward that end. We will get to photograph a variety of breeding behaviors including courtship, sitting on (incubating) eggs, chick feeding, and more. We may get to photograph pre-dawn and early evening blastoffs. There is generally great afternoon skimmer flight photography that includes frequent midair battles sunny days. And with luck, we might even see a few tiny chicks in addition to fledged and flying young. We will also get to photograph the life cycle of American Oystercatcher. This will likely include nests with eggs and small chicks, young being fed, and surely a few fledglings.

Nesting Piping Plover is also possibly. There will be lots of gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few lesser black-backeds of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, and maybe even Red Knot.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Black Skimmer pair with chick; Black Skimmer fledgling skimming; Black Skimmer with large needlefish; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer fledgling taking flight; Black Skimmer adult with killifish; Black Skimmer adult landing near nest; Black Skimmer in midair chase; and Black Skimmers at dawn in the red light district.

Activities

Morning sessions will run from pre-dawn till about 9:00 or 9:30am, roughly 3 1/2 hours. Afternoon sessions will run from 5:30 till sunset (assuming that entry policies are as they were in 2023.

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps (or 120 fps!) camera bodies. And we will process a few images and distribute the screen capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. And all IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Adult American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise; Adult American Oystercatcher posing on clean sand; predawn skimmer flock blur; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer landing at nest on cloudy day; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer sunrise group blur; Black Skimmer adult with Atlantic Silversides; juvenile Semipalmated Plover, and photographer with oystercatcher family.

Some of What You Will Learn on a Nickerson Beach IPT

  • 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before if you are using SONY gear).
  • 2- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
  • 3- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
  • 4- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
  • 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
  • 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
  • 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
  • 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
  • 10- More than you could ever imagine.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Black Skimmer pair with chick; Common Tern landing at nest with small baitfish; large Common Tern chick on pristine beach; American Oystercatchers courtship flight; Common Tern with pipefish; Common Tern fledgling; American Oystercatcher on eggs in high wind; American Oystercatcher nest with three eggs; and Black Skimmer midair battle.

The Details

We will be on the beach very early to enjoy sunrise. The morning sessions will run about 3 1/2 hours. Afternoon sessions will begin at 5:30 and run till sunset. There is never a set schedule on an IPT — we adapt to the conditions. On cloudy mornings with the right wind, we may opt to photograph till 11:30am or so and skip the afternoon session. That especially when the afternoon weather is looking iffy.

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session before and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. Each of these IPTs will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Islip (if you have lots of Southwest points). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $699 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Join me on the COMBO IPT this coming August to photograph adult and juvenile shorebirds at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY.

Clockwise starting from the upper left back to center: juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs; adult Semipalmated Plover; fresh juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Least Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Stilt Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher; worn, molting adult Semipalmated Sandpiper; worn, molting adult White-rumped Sandpiper; and juvenile (left) and worn, molting adult Greater Yellowlegs.

The Combo IPT — East Pond, JBWR/Nickerson Beach: August 17 – 20, 2024. SAT August 17 through the morning session on TUES 20 August 2024. 3 1/2 days: $2199.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

Join me for four mornings at the famed East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY (conditions permitting) to photograph southbound migrant shorebirds and for three afternoons to photograph beach nesting birds. The window for photographing juvenile shorebirds in fresh plumage is very narrow and this trip will of course get you to the right spot at the exact right time. You will learn to identify and age the shorebirds and to photograph them (at ground level). I will gladly share everything that I have learned during the 46 years I have been visiting the pond. Heck, I started late. After too many years of mismanagement, the gate valve at the north end of the East Pond has finally been repaired properly; water levels should be perfect this summer. If it is not, we will spend our mornings at Nickerson.

Afternoons (and mornings as well) at Nickerson Beach Park are superb in mid-August for photographing Black Skimmers, Common Terns, and American Oystercatchers with young of all ages. There will be lots of fledged chicks by mid-August, lots of flight including adults flying with baitfish and mole crabs, and excellent chances to photograph both chick feeding and predation by gulls. The Great Black-backed Gulls see the young skimmers as potato chips. We should get to photograph the evening skimmer blastoffs. On hot sunny days, there is still great afternoon skimmer flight photography that includes frequent midair battles.

There will be lots of terns (mostly Common Terns) and gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and maybe even Red Knot. And we might encounter large, swirling flocks of Sanderling in flight over the ocean.

Join me this August to photograph at the East Pond at JBWR in the mornings (conditions permitting) and at Nickerson Beach in the afternoons.

Clockwise starting from the upper left back to center: Marbled Godwit (likely in juvenal plumage); Wilson’s Phalarope in first winter plumage; Black Skimmer adult in flight over the Atlantic; juvenile American Oystercatcher foraging surf; adult Lesser Black-backed Gull; Black Skimmer attacking tiny chick; Killdeer in fresh juvenal plumage; Least Sandpiper in fresh juvenal plumage ruffling; and juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs and mixed shorebird flock.

Morning sessions at the East Pond will run from just before dawn till about 9:00 or 9:30am. If the afternoon weather forecast is looking ominous, we may decide to photograph until after 11:00am and cancel the afternoon session. Afternoon sessions at Nick will run from 5:30 till sunset (assuming that entry policies are as they were in 2023).

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps (or 120 fps!) camera bodies. In addition, we will process some participant images and distribute the screen-capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. All IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Adult American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise; Adult American Oystercatcher posing on clean sand; predawn skimmer flock blur; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer landing at nest on cloudy day; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer sunrise group blur; Black Skimmer adult with Atlantic Silversides; juvenile Semipalmated Plover, and photographer with oystercatcher family.

Some of What You Will Learn on the COMBO IPT

  • 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before you make even a single image if you are using SONY gear).
  • 2-How to get low and super low
  • 3- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
  • 4- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
  • 5- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
  • 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
  • 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
  • 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
  • 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
  • 10- To identify and age a variety of shorebird, tern, and gull species.
  • 11- More than you could ever imagine.

The Details

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session during and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. This IPT will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Islip (if you have lots of Southwest points). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $699 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Typos

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

July 17th, 2024

Can a Sandwich Tern Chick Have an Orange Bill?

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge/East Pond) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

What’s Up?

I have not had this much fun on an IPT in ages. After screwing up the first morning sunrise things have been getting better and better. We had a very nice sunrise on Monday (but not as great on the one on Sunday had been). Like Sunday morning, things got hot fast but we enjoyed some excellent photography. Monday evening was the bomb with a cool north wind and an indigo black cloud to the north. We did lots of flight photography. Tuesday morning was blessed cloudy and we shot lots of large tern chicks on the clean sand. Tuesday night was fabulous as we photographed dozens of Royal Tern chicks in the wash on a cloudy bright afternoon. Until two very overweight rednecks drove at high speed right through large flocks of birds (including the terns that were right in front of us) on their e-bikes. They hit a young Laughing Gull and broke its wing and passed by us laughing. When they returned, they paused to give us some lip. We called the cops and they did come. Not sure if they found them.

The birds returned after a while and were amazingly tame. At 6:45pm the sheriff came to shoo us off the beach so I took Steve and Sandy out for dinner at the Palms Fish Camp Restaurant. The food was quite good and we had a great time.

I just finished downloading and learned that I have 5830 images to edit from our great day. And most of those were made with the (slower frame rate) a-1. As there was little wind in the afternoon, there was not much flight photography so I rarely used the a9 iii.

Today is Wednesday 17 July and we will be back out there early hoping for a killer sunrise to make up for the one we missed. I hope that you have fun too.

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.

ddc 728w

Save 15%!

If you’d like to try out a new lens or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.

I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.

Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 code in the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.

Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com



B&H

To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

Bedfords Simplified

Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Bedfords Amazing 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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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.

This image was created by multiple IPT veteran Steve Shore on 15 July 2024 at Huguenot Memorial Park on the third morning of the extended JAX IPT. Seated on dry sand behind his flattened tripod, he used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 1600. 1/1000 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:44:13am on a blessedly cloudy morning.

Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #1: Sandwich Terns with fish for tern chick

The Situation

We were sitting on the beach near a patch of pretty clean sand facing east on a cloudy morning. There were handsome tern chicks of varying sizes everywhere. The relatively small chick featured in both of today’s images, confused the heck out of us. With its orange bill, it sure looked like a Royal Tern chick. For more than an hour, several adult Sandwich Terns landed nearby attempting to feed it. Though it was begging constantly, it was never fed. At times, one or two more adult Sandwich Terns would join in the coffee klatch.

My advice to Steve was to trust Tracking; Zone AF, acquire focus, and blast away whenever there was some action. Why not be more selective with both framing and focus? If you tried to see a good pose you would not be fast enough to capture it before it was gone. So we both sprayed and prayed and each of us made several fine images.

Remember that Steve switched to Sony at my urging before the last spring Fort DeSoto IPT that he attended. His progress has been astounding. He cannot believe the sharpness he is getting at 1200mm.

This image was also 15 July 2024 at Huguenot Memorial Park on the third morning of the extended JAX IPT. Seated on dry sand behind my flattened tripod, I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 1600. 1/1000 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be 1/3 stop short of perfect. AWB at 7:44:50am on a blessedly cloudy morning.

Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #2: Sandwich Terns with fish and a tern chick

My Best

I used the same approach that I had advised Steve to use and got really lucky on this one. I sprayed and prayed the field. I rarely look at images on the back of the camera in field and thus was totally amazed when this one popped up.

Color Balance

Though the two images were made within a minute or so of each other and we were both using. AWB, note that Steve’s image, #1, is bluer with a darker background than my somewhat warmer image. I did not realize thatI had optimized them so differently. Which color balance do you prefer?

Can a Sandwich Tern Chick Have an Orange Bill?

I am pretty sure that the chick was in fact a Royal Tern as Sandwich Tern chicks have slimmer bills that range from yellow to black with a bit of yellow … But I would not bet my life on it. If it was a Royal Tern chick, the only explanation is that the adult birds were somehow confused.

Typos

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

July 15th, 2024

The Goal: One Family Jewel per Session. Achieved.

Your Call?

Which of today’s two featured images is the strongest? Why?

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge/East Pond) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

What’s Up

Yesterday, IPT veterans Sandy Calderbank and Steve Shore joined me on the first day of the extended (Sunday thru Friday morning) Jacksonville IPT. Steve survived nicely despite the fact that American Airlines opted to leave his single checked bag in Dallas. We were greeted by record numbers (at least 4000 plus) of Royal Tern chicks on the beach. Though there are still some small tern chicks around, the vast majority are either 3/4 grown or fledged and flying. The variety of plumages on the young birds is staggering. Some have golden tones, some are a very fluffy white, some are starkly patterned black and white, and others do not fit neatly into any category.

After being delayed by leader error, we caught just the tail end of a spectacular sunrise so we are hoping for a repeat this morning. With the wind in the morning from the west (bad), the clouds helped for a bit, but unfortunately, we had full sun by 7:45. We had a great brunch at the AirBnB that Steve and I are sharing and followed that up with two plus hours of image review and Photoshop. We made one Camtasia image processing video as I optimized one of Sandy’s photos.

We got back to the beach before 5pm. The wind had switched to the south/southeast (bad in the afternoon). The bright sun (bad) soon gave wave to clouds (good with the SE wind) and we enjoyed an excellent hour with the terns, some young Laughing Gulls, and some Brown Pelicans. When the wind swung briefly to the W/SW we enjoyed some good flight photography. Then the skies cleared and the wind freshened from the south limiting us to flight photography only with birds flying the “wrong” way. All of the handsome young terns sitting on the clean beach were angled away from us — classic wind against sun.

I was glad to learn yesterday that Homer IPT veteran Mark J Harrington recently sold his Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 LUSM lens in excellent plus condition for a BAA record low $423.00 (was $523.00), a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens in excellent plus condition for a BAA record low $949.00, and a
Canon Extender EF 1.4X III in excellent plus condition for a BAA record low $228.00.

Today is Monday 15 July and we will be headed out earlier than yesterday. The forecast (west wind in the mornings and SE in the afternoons) is the same for at least the next two days. We will do our best and there will continue to be a ton of leaning going on.

This image was also created on 14 July 2024 at Huguenot Memorial Park on the first day of the JAX IPT. Standing at full height — the bird was atop a dune at eye level I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 1000. 1/2500 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:11:31am on a then sunny morning.

Upper Center Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #1: Royal Tern, adult with fish for chick

Think Fast/Work Fast

I called out, “Adult with fish” as this bird landed on the ridge in front of me, pretty much right down sun angle. At 1200mm, I knew that I had way too much lens so I shouted, “Front end vertical” as I rotated the lens to vertical in the tripod collar. I set upper center Tracking: Zone AF/C on all of my bodies to save an instant or two in such situations. The AF system tracking the bird’s eye perfectly as the bird turned its head slightly toward me (good!). I fired off about ten frames before the bird took flight. Three, made before the bird turned its head away into the west wind, were quite excellent. The three of us looked very closely at the three images for more than a few minutes while discussing the merits of each. Finally, we all agreed on the second image, now optimized above.

The Goal: One Family Jewel per Session

Folks often ask me, “What are you trying for when you head out into the field. I usually reply by saying something like this: I am trying to make one family jewels type image, a photo that makes me happy. Most of those will be both artistically and technically excellent (if not perfect). Once I get one, I am always hoping and trying for more. After both the morning and afternoon sessions, I knew exactly which images I would be most proud of. Mission accomplished.

This image was also created on 14 July 2024 at Huguenot Memorial Park on the first day of the JAX IPT. Seated on damp sand, I used the heel-pod technique with the handheld Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens (Sony E), the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera.
The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 1250. 1/2000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 6:12:26pm on a then cloudy afternoon.

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

Image #2: Royal Tern, handsome fledged chick — double overhead wingstretch

Working Hard Sometimes Pays Off

This handsome young tern was sleeping on the clean, hard-packed sand. First there was a gull behind it, then a tern. I was hoping that it would stand up and not run or fly away. Seated, I pushed myself forward and right with my hands with the lens on my lap and butt-advanced to get into position. The gull flew away. Then the tern flew away. Then, the handsome young tern woke up and walked a few step to my right so I followed, again by butt-advancing. Finally I was in perfect position and the bird rewarded me, first with a ruffle and then with a double overhead wingstretch. Image #2 above was the last frame in the series as I quit shooting knowing that I would clip the wingtips.

The coolest thing about this image is that while I was optimizing it I thought that it was an a-1 file … a9 iii image quality is quite superb despite that fact that the raw files (24 MP) are slightly less than half the a-1 raws (51 MP).

Typos

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

July 13th, 2024

New YouTube Video: Picking My Keepers from a Darned Good (but unexpected) Summer Morning Down by the Lake

What’s Up?

We may (or may not) have a temporary blog post notification fix in place. Time will tell. I know that some or many or you received 19 “old” post notifications. Part of the problem is that there were 36 missed posts. So what happened to the other 17? Be assured that we are working hard on the problem.

In the meantime, enjoy the video below.

Today is Saturday 13 July. I will be driving up to Jacksonville for the IPT and will be picking up old friend and IPT vet Steve Shore at JAX today at about 4pm. Have a great day. Tomorrow: 15,000 plus pairs of terns and Laughing Gulls with chicks of all ages.

Huge Price Drop

Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens

Price reduced a shocking $600.00 on 13 July 2024

Used Gear Page veteran Robert Hollyer is offering a Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens in Like-New condition for a BAA record low $9398.00 (was $9,998.00). The sale includes the front lens cap, the rear lens cap, the lens hood, the lens strap, that hard case & strap, the original product box, 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 Bob via e-mail or by phone at 1-206-359-0018 PST.

I purchased my Sony 400mm f/2.8 two years ago to complement my 600mm f/4. Robert is selling his because he rarely uses it, opting instead for the 600mm f/4! It is far easier for me to handhold the 4 ounces lighter, much smaller, and better balanced 400 f/2.8 than it is to handhold the 600mm f/4. The 400 kills for flight with or without the 1.4X teleconverter. This lens sells new right now for $11,998.00 at B&H and there are used copies going for $10998.00 as well. Act quickly to save a handsome $2,000.00 by grabbing Robert’s might-as-well-be-new 400mm GM lens. And you can’t beat the f/2.8 Bokeh! artie

A Really Good Morning Down by the Lake with Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART (21 minutes)

With lots of packing to do for my trip to Jacksonville, I took a peek down by the lake in hopes of finding a bathing Osprey. Instead, I had a fine morning with a young Great Egret, some adult and young White Ibises, a perched adult Osprey, a pair of Sandhill Cranes, and a very cooperative pair of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. Learn a ton about bird photography by sitting next to me as I do the first edit. You will see me delete hundreds of perfect images and relegate them to the Trash. I kept only 79 out of 1146 images, all but one of the keepers made at 1200mm working off the BLUBB (Big Lens Ultimate BeanBag — https://birdsasart-shop.com/blubb-big), and all but one in sharp focus. More soon. The more of this video you watch, the more you will learn.

If you would like to see a short video of the second edit, please leave a comment.

This image was created on 12 July left of the pier down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 800. 1/1000 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:57:10am on clear sunny morning.

Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C performed perfectly even at 1200mm. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #1: Black-bellied Whistling Duck with bill open

Eyeball Replacement

As you saw in the video, the bird had the nictitating membrane partially down in one of my favorite images. I replaced the eye with an open eye from another image in the series. Then I cropped to a vertical for impact.

Yikes

After completing the video I realized that with all my talking my two favorite images had NOT been tagged as keepers. As I hade already cleaned the cards, I went to Trash, selected all, and pasted them back into the July 12 folder. It took only a few seconds to tag the two I had missed and to delete the untagged.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II).

You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a PayPal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)

The technique mentioned above (eyeball replacement) and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with my complete digital workflow, Digital Eye Doctor Techniques, and all my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

Please note: the Divide and Conquer technique was inadvertently omitted from DB II. It is detailed in a free excerpt in the blog post here.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: most of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

You can learn how and why I converted all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About three years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One and did that for two years. You can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here. Today, I convert my Sony raw files in Photoshop with Adobe Camera Raw.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.

The Digital Basics III Video Series

The Digital Basics III Video Series

I realized about a year ago that my digital workflow had changed fairly significantly and was toying with the idea of writing a Digital Basics III. More recently, I have learned and begun working with two great new Photoshop Tools, the Remove Tool and the Luminance Targeted Adjustment Tool. The former is like a smarter Spot Healing Brush Tool on steroids and the latter is a huge step up from the fabulous Color Mixer Tool. During that same time frame, I came up with a new and improved 2-step noise reduction technique. I still use Divide and Conquer, Quick Masks, Layer Masks, an expanded array of personalized keyboard shortcuts, and tons of other stuff from both versions of Digital Basics.

As soon as I realized that I did not want to take on another large writing project, I realized that by creating a series of videos I could much more easily share all the details of my current digital workflow and much more easily incorporate additional new tips, techniques, and tools as I went. And so, The Digital Basics III Video Series was born. You can check out Volume I/#1 here.

You might opt to purchase single videos or to subscribe to Volume I and save $26 by ordering the first five videos in one fell swoop. You can purchase the five videos in Volume I by clicking here. The videos will be most valuable for folks using the latest version of Photoshop (2024) or Lightroom along with Topaz DeNoise AI and Topaz Sharpen AI.

Typos

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

July 11th, 2024

Back in Business? Striving Not to Be Bored by Cranes

This Just In

4:30pm on Thursday

It looks as if we are back to square one as far as post notifications 🙁

What’s Up?

Having finally gotten in touch with the brilliant IT guy who created the BAA blog 15 years ago — he is now living on a farm in South Africa, online with Starlink!, — post notifications have currently been restored (we hope). His temporary solution was to drop back from the latest versions of WordPress and PHP to older versions that are compatible with the Post Notifications plugin that had worked since the blog was first published on 12 March 2009. Going forward, we may update to a newer plugin called Newsletters. If that happens, the change should be seamless. I should know in a few hours if the post notifications for today’s post were sent … I am optimistic.

The Plan

My plan, at present, is to publish a blog post every day alternating between re-published posts (beginning with this one that was originally published 5 May 2024), and brand new posts. In a bit more than two months, we should be caught up. Tomorrow’s new post on the gun violence photography of Dr. Greg Gulbransen, will blow most folks away. Apologies to the few who are seeing this post for the second time. Some might be interested in reading the comments on the original post here.

Your Call?

After clicking on each to enlarge, which of today’s featured images do you like best? Why?

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Live Life to the Fullest

Join a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour.

This image was created on 30 April 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 2000. 1/800 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:23:36am on sunny morning.

Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C performed perfectly even at 1200mm. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #1: Sandhill Crane post-preening pose

Looking for Different

I head down to the lake most every morning when I am not on the road, and most every morning, there are Sandhill Cranes to photograph. Sometimes I get bored with the cranes. The challenge therefore, is the quest for something new and different, or at least for something perfect. Image #1 fits into the latter category. Most of the cranes are tame. When the adults are foraging, they are difficult to photograph as they are moving constantly. When I see a pair standing in one spot, they are almost always preening; it is easy to drive into point blank range. I’ve made many thousands of images in such situations. Heck, possibly tens of thousands. Is there anything about Image #1 that bugs you?

This image was created on 3 May 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from 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). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 800. 1/400 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 7:11:46am as early clouds and fog blocked the sun.

Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #2: Sandhill Crane adult and young bird-scape with tree and ground fog

Different for Sure

When I headed down to the lake on Friday morning, there were some low clouds to the east and some ground fog on the North Field. I drove past the adult and colt foraging to see if there was any possibility of fire in the mist conditions by shooting back into the soon-to-come sunrise. But the fog was not thick enough. So I made a U-turn to check out the bird-scape opportunities. I stayed far back so that I could put the birds in a corner of the frame and include the ground fog. That is when I noticed the tree. As the sun had not broken through the clouds, I was able to shoot south to north as sun angle would not be a problem. Image #2 was the best of the lot.

The Digital Basics III Video Series

The Digital Basics III Video Series

I realized about a year ago that my digital workflow had changed significantly and was toying with the idea of writing Digital Basics III. More recently, I have learned and begun working with two great new Photoshop Tools, the Remove Tool and the Luminance Targeted Adjustment Tool. The former is like a smarter Spot Healing Brush Tool on steroids and the latter is a huge step up from the fabulous Color Mixer Tool. During that same time frame, I came up with a new and improved 2-step noise reduction technique. I still use Divide and Conquer, Quick Masks, Layer Masks, an expanded array of personalized keyboard shortcuts, and tons of other stuff from both versions of Digital Basics.

As soon as I realized that I did not want to take on another large writing project, I realized that by creating a series of videos I could much more easily share all the details of my current digital workflow and much more easily incorporate additional new tips, techniques, and tools as I went. And so, The Digital Basics III Video Series was born.

You can purchase Volume I and save $26 by ordering the first five videos in one fell swoop here. #5 was sent last week. The videos will be most valuable for folks using the latest version of Photoshop (2024) or Lightroom along with Topaz DeNoise AI and Topaz Sharpen AI and for those familiar with the techniques detailed in the earlier versions of Digital Basics.. Especially Digital Basics II.

Typos

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

July 10th, 2024

Glad That I Did Not Sell All of My Sony a1 Bodies

What’s Up?

Today is Wednesday 10 July. I am hoping to receive a phone call from Europe in a very few minutes that might solve the post notifications (and other) problems on the blog. Wish us luck.

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.

Important Notice

After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. A new post is published every other day. You can always check them out by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

ddc 728w

Save 15%!

If you’d like to try out a new lens or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.

I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.

Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 code in the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.

Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com



B&H

To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

Bedfords Simplified

Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Bedfords Amazing 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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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.

This image was created on 7 July 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from the front seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 800. 1/2000 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:48:13am on a sunny morning with a touch of haze in the air.

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

Image #1: Osprey in the lake, the original

Plans for the Original

As you saw in the last YouTube video here, one of the problems I had photographing the whistling ducks and the Ospreys along the edge of the lake was minimizing or eliminating the (pretty-much-ugly) shoreline. As I pressed the shutter button when creating this series of images, I visualized a large crop to a vertical. The line of dirt through the bird’s reflection dictated the crop. See Image #2 immediately below.

Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #2: The optimized (vertical) version of the Osprey in the lake image

A 75% Crop!

Slightly more than 75% of the original pixels in today’s featured image were cropped away and discarded. The flattened 8-bit .TIF file comprises exactly 24.9% of the original pixels. Though I had planned for a vertical from the get go, a 75% crop is unusual for me. In any case, such large crops are possible because of the quality of sharp Sony a-1 51 MP raw files. Getting similar high quality results with the smaller (24MP) a9 iii files would be iffy at best.

Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #3: An unsharpened 100% crop of the Osprey in the lake image

The 100% Crop

The 100% crop of the optimized .TIF file shows the incredible detail you can render even at 1200mm. Sharpness is compromised to a very small degree with the addition of either teleconverter, more of course with the 2X than with the 1.4 TC.

Typos

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

July 8th, 2024

Just When You Are Sure That It's Gonna Suck ...

You Tube Video: Mid-Summer Surprise

I had not been down to the lake since I got home from Colorado, assuming that there would not be much to photograph on the hot, sunny mornings. As it turned out, I was wrong; yesterday, Sunday morning, was fabulous. The juvie Osprey in the lake excited me most. As I go through my July 8th 2025 keepers, I share my thoughts with you in this nine minute video. There is a ton to learn.

Learn more about or purchase a BLUBB, the big lens ultimate beanbag, here.

Join me on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour here.

And remember, when it is sunny, point your shadow at the bird!

Important Notice

After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.

It is possible that a solution might be in the works …

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

What’s Up?

Buoyed by my success yesterday, I headed back down to the lake today, Monday 8 July. Though I had three Ospreys in the lake at once, I did not make any images better than what I got yesterday. I am, however, pretty sure that my whistling duck horizontal portraits, made at 840mm and 600mm with the lens on the BLUBB on the ground, will be my best ever as the early light was sweeter than it was when I created Image #1 below.

This image was created on 7 July 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated on damp sand I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 1000. 1/1250 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 9:00:39am on a mostly sunny morning with a touch of haze in the air.

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

Image #1: Black-bellied Whistling Duck field guide portrait

The BLUBB on the Ground

Over the years, I have supported big lenses with a BLUBB that had been placed on the ground. On Sunday morning, this technique worked quite well on several occasions. With the whistling ducks, it is relatively easy to exit my vehicle on the driver’s side, place the BLUBB on the ground, get out holding the 600, and get to work. Doing the same thing with an Osprey in the water is a lot more difficult as raptors in general are a lot more wary than the ducks. There are some good tips in the video that work well with this technique.

This image was created on 7 July 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000. 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:44:40am on a mostly sunny morning.

Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face-eye AF enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #2: Osprey — juvenile in lake with wings raised

Almost Bathing …

In the video, you can see that the Ospreys tend to stay close to the shoreline in about 2-4 inches of water. I keep hoping that they will venture a bit deeper and enjoy a full fledged bath. Not yet. Image #2 was created from the vehicle with the BLUBB on window frame with the window fully lowered. There are other images in the video made when I was out of my SUV with the BLUBB on the ground. It should be easy to see the difference as the lower perspective yields much more intimate photos.

I had switched from the a1 to the a9 iii in anticipation of some action. I made a few images when the bird in Image #2 touched down briefly but then took flight. This one should have been my favorite from the get go as more of the bird’s right wing is visible.

The dark streaks in the center of this bird’s breast show it to be a (young) female.

Image #3: The BLUBB on the ground supporting the Sony 600mm f/4 GM lens with the 1.4X TC and the a1

Not Cock-eyed

Though everything looks askew, the green/green level shows that the subject is perfectly square to the world. The trick to succeeding with the BLUBB on the ground is getting out of your vehicle without disturbing the birds. You cannot beat the low perspective when it comes to intimacy.

Typos

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

July 6th, 2024

Don't Be Scared I & II & III

Important Notice

After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

What’s Up?

Not much. I have been busy getting ready to head up to Jacksonville next week to photograph the more than 20,000 pairs of Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls with chicks of varying ages (almost surely including some fledged and flying young of both species.) Due to a cancellation, there is a single opening. See below for details. Shoot me an e-mail for late registration discount info.

Today is Saturday 6 July 4 2024. After getting a call from my tax account, Chip Jackson, I realized that I need to get back to doing some serious work on my 2023 taxes. I need to have my stuff in Chip’s hands no later than 7 September and I will not be taking the stuff with me to Long Island … Wherever you are a whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day :-).

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon 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!

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.

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.

This image was created on 28 June 2024 at Evergreen, CO. I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 5000. 1/200 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be one full stop under. AWB at 7:21:11am on a then mostly cloudy morning.

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

Image #1: Northern Flicker in nest cavity

The Situation

This young flicker was just about ready to fledge when I photographed it two days before I headed home. Standing on a rocky hillside at eye level, I approached slowly to within 30 feet for this head portrait. I love the view of the single claw set against the bark of the pine.

The Tripod

As I knew that I would be working on more than a few uphill and downhill slopes in the mountains around Evergreen, Colorado, I left the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod and went with the taller Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod. It turned out to be a wise decision that enabled me to get the tripod platform parallel to the ground in a variety of difficult, even tenuous situations.

Don’t Be Scared I

Do not be scared to purchase and use your mirrorless camera system’s 2X teleconverter. With dSLRs, the Nikon 2X was so poor that virtually no-one used them. I tried. I would bet that the Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-2x is capable of producing razor sharp images with the any of the Nikkor Z 600mm lenses. It seems however, that — due to sever sharpness problems with the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III (and others before that version), the Nikon faithful are still leery of working at 1200mm and get more pixels on the subject.

Both the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter and the Canon Extender RF 2x are more than capable of producing razor sharp results when used by folks with decent sharpness techniques with their respective 600mm lenses.

Don’t Be Scared II

Do not be scared to work at 1200mm with relatively slow shutter speeds. I have been comfortable working with shutter speeds as slow as 1/60 second for several decades. For today’s featured image, I went with a very safe 1/200 second.

Don’t Be Scared III

Do not be scared to utilize ridiculously high ISOs of from 4000 to 12800 and beyond. The double-noise reduction techniques detailed in Digital Basics III Video Series will consistently yield clean-as-a-whistle image files.

Clockwise from upper left corner around to center: ink-stained Royal Tern with squid for chicks; fluffy white Royal Tern Chick about two weeks old; Royal Tern with shrimp for chicks; 3-4 week old Royal Tern chick; incoming adult Royal Tern with greenback; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi-mahi; large Brown Pelican chick preening; field guide portrait of fresh juvenile Laughing Gull; Royal Tern chick begging for fish from incoming adult.

Join me at Huguenot Memorial Park this July

Huguenot Memorial Park in Early Summer

Driving on the beach at Huguenot Memorial Park in early summer is a bird photographer’s delight. You park this side of the last rope on the beach and you are within 100 yards of the Royal Tern colony atop the dunes. There are also many thousand Laughing Gulls and a few Sandwich Terns breeding as well. In some years, there are some Brown Pelican nests on the ground! .

In early July, the tern chicks begin to make their way down to the flats to bathe and drink and get fed by the parents. On the way, they spend a lot of time on the face of the dune where they are easy to photograph at eye level. They may also gather in fairly large groups at the base of the dunes.

Flight photography both in the mornings and the afternoons can be quite excellent as the terns are carrying all manner of marine life to sustain the rapidly growing chicks: the adults are often seen flying around in search of their chicks with all sorts of small baitfish as well as immature fish, large shrimps, baby crabs, and even squid in their bills. The squid will squirt ink on the terns in protest. So if you see an adult Royal Tern flying around with a black necklace, you can understand why.

Clockwise from upper left corner around to center: Royal Tern chick feeding frenzy; Royal Tern nearly fledged chick; ink-stained Royal Tern with squid for chicks; Royal Tern chick begging; Brown Pelican immature tight flight; Royal Tern adult screaming — tight flight; Laughing Gulls mobbing Royal Tern to steal fish; Royal Tern with fish for chicks.

Huguenot Memorial Park in July

2024 Jacksonville IPT: 4 1/2 DAY option Monday 15 July 2024 through the morning session on FRI 19 JULY — $2299.00 (Limit 4 photographers/Openings: 1)

I first visited the beach nesting 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 one of the many nw Z lenses. 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 at least 1 1/2. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon weather forecast is poor. Lunch is included on all but the last day of each IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. After lunch, we will do image review and Photoshop sessions. My AirBnB is the closest lodging to the park.

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

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.

July 4th, 2024

Dealing with Flower Petal Imperfections

Important Notice

After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

What’s Up?

I continue to sleep amazingly well since getting back to Florida’s humid, oxygen-rich air. I invested $22K this week in a Generax generator for my home. It will be up and ready to run in 7-8 weeks. I am hoping that there will not be a big hurricane between then and now.

Today is Thursday July 4, 2024. Happy birthday to the USA. From where I sit, it is a pretty wonderful country. I photographed some Coral Honeysuckle flowers this morning as there are very few birds around. Wherever you are an whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon 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!

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.

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.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III/24-105 Infrared Rig with Many Extras!

Price reduced $100.00 on 29 May 2024
Price reduced another $100.00 on 4 July 2024

Morro Bay IPT veteran Dane Johnson is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark III (converted to infrared, as noted below) in near-mint conditions with the BG-E11 battery grip (in like-new condition) and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens (also in near-mint condition) for a ridiculously low $799.00 (was $999.00). The Super Color Infrared (590nm) conversion was performed by Life Pixel in November 2017 and included a custom lens focus calibration. The shutter count is approximately 12,330. The sale includes everything above, the front body cap, the front and rear lens caps, the EW-83H lens shade, all the items that came in the original boxes (camera strap, battery charger, cables, manuals, etc.), the original product boxes, a Canon RS-80N3 Remote Switch (cable release), two RRS L-plates (for the camera and for the battery grip), three extra LP-E6 batteries, four Delkin 32GB CF 700X UDMA 6 compact flash cards, a Hoodman loupe for checking focus in the rear panel in live-view mode, a Photoshop action for channel switching the color channels (loaded on the CF card in the camera), 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 Dane via e-mail or by phone at 1-559-593-0989 (Pacific time zone).

When I shot Canon, I dabbled in IR for a while — had a ton of fun and made some good images at Bosque and the Palouse. Dane’s offer above has so many extras that you could toss the camera in the trash and still come out ahead! artie

Birds of North America: A Photographic Atlas
Hardcover – April 9, 2024. By Bruce M. Beehler (Author), Brian E. Small (Editor), Michael J. Parr (Foreword)

Birds of North America: A Photographic Atlas

A gorgeous up-to-date photographic collection of all 1,144 bird species in North America (including Hawaii!).

A Great Blue Heron, a Wood Duck, a Baltimore Oriole, an Eastern Bluebird, or a Belted Kingfisher—which North American bird species is your favorite? In Birds of North America: A Photographic Atlas, Bruce M. Beehler provides the information and images you need to identify and enjoy each of the 1,144 amazing and diverse bird species recorded in the United States and Canada, including Hawaii and Alaska. Featuring more than 1,200 full-color photographs and illustrations and more than 700 range maps, this comprehensive reference provides both beginners and seasoned birders with important facts about each bird’s ecology, behavior, seasonal movements, nesting biology, and conservation status.

Birds of North America gives bird-lovers everything they could ask for: The photographs and illustrations, selected and curated by Brian E. Small, one of America’s most talented nature photographers, depict each species in its most beautiful plumage and natural habitat. The largest, most detailed, and most up-to-date range maps available anywhere provide invaluable insider information on the best birding hotspots. And the special sections rounding out the book offer helpful guidance on birding gear, field trip planning, critical resources, and conservation issues. This is the book for aspiring and veteran bird enthusiasts alike.

You can save more than $15.00 by purchasing your copy here.

This image was created on the morning of 3 July 2024 in my backyard butterfly garden. I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens with the Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Fifth Generation) and The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera body. ISO 1250. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial: 1/60 second at f/6.3 (stopped down two full stops) in Manual Mode. AWB 6:51:36am in the shade on a clear, almost windless morning.

Manual focus with (RED) focus peaking. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Image #1: Dune (or Beach) Sunflower blossom

Why a (Canon) 180mm Macro Lens?

Over the past few years you have seen more than a few really fine images made with the rig I used to create today’s two featured images. I love long focal lengths with their narrow angles of view and sweet backgrounds; the no-longer available Canon 180mm Macro lens is the longest macro lens around. You can still find some used ones out there. The are two in stock right now. If you are interested, please click here to start your search here, type in Used Department, and then type in “Canon 180mm Macro lens.” If you are a Sony shooter you will also need a Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Fifth Generation).
Canon Mirrorless folks will need a Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R.

Th Sony a1 pairs perfectly with this Canon lens in part because manual focus (with focus peaking) is best for almost all macro photography.

This image was created on the morning of 3 July 2024 in my backyard butterfly garden. I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens with the Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Fifth Generation) and The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera body. ISO 1250. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial: 1/60 second at f/6.3 (stopped down two full stops) in Manual Mode. AWB 6:53:24am in the shade on a clear, almost windless morning.

Manual focus with (RED) focus peaking. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Image #2: Dune (or Beach) Sunflower blossom & o-o-f seedhead

Variation on a Theme

After turning the camera to vertical, I changed my perspective by moving the tripod so as to include the out of focus seeded in the image. For both of today’s photos, the stalk of the flower was stabilized by a Wimberley Plamp attached to a second tripod. A Plamp (or two) is a flower photographer’s most valuable accessory. On breezy mornings they are pretty much mandatory unless you are trying to create wind blurs!

Your Call?

Which of today’s flower images is the strongest. All are invited to leave a comment and let us know why they made their choice.

Image #3: close-up of petals of Dune (or Beach) Sunflower blossom

Petal Imperfections

As you can see above, there will almost always be some imperfections, even when a blossom looks pristine to the naked eye. Working at 300% with the Remove Tool enabled me to remove dozens of blemishes from the petals in both of today’s images.

You can find detailed instructions for using this relatively new tool (and tons more) in the Digital Basic III Video Series.

The Digital Basics III Video Series

The Digital Basics III Video Series

I realized about a year ago that my digital workflow had changed significantly and was toying with the idea of writing a Digital Basics III. More recently, I have learned and begun working with two great new Photoshop Tools, the Remove Tool and the Luminance Targeted Adjustment Tool. The former is like a smarter Spot Healing Brush Tool on steroids and the latter is a huge step up from the fabulous Color Mixer Tool. During that same time frame, I came up with a new and improved 2-step noise reduction technique. I still use Divide and Conquer, Quick Masks, Layer Masks, an expanded array of personalized keyboard shortcuts, and tons of other stuff from both versions of Digital Basics.

As soon as I realized that I did not want to take on another large writing project, I realized that by creating a series of videos I could much more easily share all the details of my current digital workflow and much more easily incorporate additional new tips, techniques, and tools as I went. And so, The Digital Basics III Video Series was born. You can check out Volume I/#1 here.

You might opt to purchase single videos or to subscribe to Volume I and save $26 by ordering the first five videos in one fell swoop. You can purchase the five videos in Volume I by clicking here. The videos will be most valuable for folks using the latest version of Photoshop (2024) or Lightroom along with Topaz DeNoise AI and Topaz Sharpen AI.

Typos

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

July 2nd, 2024

Colorado Songbirds III: Violet-green Swallow Fulfillment

Important Notice

After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

What’s Up?

I am still recovering from my high altitude Colorado trip. Starved for oxygen at 8500 feet, I twice slept less than three hours; last night I slept an incredible 9 hours 15 minutes with just one pit stop. I have not been down to the lake for photography but plan on shooting some small sunflowers in our butterfly garden soon.

Today is Tuesday 2 July and I have lots of work to do. I hope that you too choose to have a wonderful day.

Please remember to use the B&H links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

ddc 728w

Save 15%!

If you’d like to try out a new lens or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.

I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.

Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 code in the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.

Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com



B&H

To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

Bedfords Simplified

Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Bedfords Amazing 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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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.

This image was created on 21 June 2024 near Evergreen, CO. Seated on a rocky hillside at 7500 feet, I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2500. 1/320 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:50:03am on a partly sunny morning.

Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face-eye AF enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #1: Violet-green Swallow male on perch near nest box

First Blood

I headed to Colorado hoping to photography Violet-green Swallow. My first chance came at a feeder set-up. This handsome male was perched near its nest box well above a hillside feeder set-up. The bird was a mile away but pretty much on sun angle (thought there was not a lot of sun). The black background was created by completely shaded portion of the lower level of the house on the hill. Getting the right exposure using Sony Zebra’s was child’s play. I picked my shutter speed and aperture and dialed up the ISO until I saw a few Zebras on the bird’s white face and throat. With the Zebra settings on your Sony camera set properly, there is never a need to make a test image, even in the most difficult exposure situations.

This image is perhaps 30 percent of the original frame. Sony a9 iii images stand up to large crops much better than folks think.

This image was created at on 28 June 2024 near Evergreen, CO. Standing on a rocky hillside at 8000 feet, I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/400 sec. at f/4 (wide open). AWB at 3:19:39am on variably sunny/variably cloudy afternoon.

Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face-eye AF enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #2: Violet-green Swallow male at nest hole

Nest Tree Bird-scape

For this image I went wide and vertical to show off the beauty of the nest tree. None-the-less the male swallow with its white face and green back is quite beautiful. As is the dead aspen. A pair of House Wrens nested in a hole on the opposite side of the same tree.

This image was created at on 29 June 2024 near Evergreen, CO. Standing on a rocky hillside at 8000 feet, I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 3200. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/250 sec. at f/6.3 (stopped down 1/3 stop) AWB at 11:10:45am on a cloudy morning.

Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face-eye AF enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #3: Violet-green Swallow female at nest hole

The Lady of the House

Female violet-greens are similar to the males but with dirtier gray faces and brown rather than green caps. For this image, I added the 1.4X TC and set up closer to the nest tree. The birds took no notice of my presence. This female was strange in that she exited the nest hole tail first showing off the patch of violet on her rump. The males also have violet rump patches.

Typos

All questions and comments are welcome. With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

June 30th, 2024

Salmon and Scallops: Healthy and Yummy

Important Notice

After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.

Supporting My Efforts 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.

What’s Up?

Today is Sunday 30 June. After nine great days of songbird photography, I am heading home two days early to get some air that is richer in oxygen. I hope to get a swim in late in the day. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too choose to enjoy the day.

Please remember to use the B&H links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Summer On Long Island

Take a peek at the previous blog post and check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings on the IPT page here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

This image was created on 13 August 2007 at Silver Salmon Creek Lodge in Alaska. I used the tripod/Mongoose mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS lens with the 2X teleconverter and the EOS-1D Mark III dSLR. ISO 800. 1/1000 second at f/8. The exposure was determined by histogram evaluation and experience.

Image #1: Coastal Brown Bear (Grizzly) running with salmon, chased by a younger, blonde bear.

No More Bears?

I organized and led more than a dozen Coastal Brown Bear trips after the turn of the last century. It is highly doubtful that I will be returning to Katmai National Park again. They were great fun, and even better than that when the salmon were running. In addition to the bears I enjoyed fishing for (almost always, catching) halibut, eating fresh-caught salmon and fresh Tanner Crabs (right from the bay to a huge pot of boiling water), and, on occasion, photographing the odd bird or two.

Good Photos

Good photos, even those made with relatively ancient gear, often stand up well to the test of time. Note that the shutter speed, 1/1000 second was fast enough to stop both bears in their tracks.

This image was created on 16 October 2004 at Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas county FL. I used the tripod/Mongoose mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4 L IS lens with the 1.4X teleconverter and the EOS-1D Mark II dSLR. ISO 800. 1/125 second at f/18. The exposure was determined by histogram evaluation and experience.

Image #2: The Smiling Scallop

Another Oldie but Goodie

After locking up the tripod head as firmly as possible, I went with f/18 and a relatively slow shutter speed to ensure lots of depth of field (because the subject was right at the minimum focusing distance). At a given aperture, the closer you are to the subject, the less the depth of field will be. Depth of field increases as the distance to the subject increases.

Tip

If possible, stop down when working subjects at close range.

Fresh caught Alaskan seafood caught sustainably. Save $20 on your first order by clicking here.

Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood Company

Ever since my two daughter sent me a big box of salmon filets and sea scallops from Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood Company for my birthday a few years ago, I have been ordering salmon and scallops from them. Now that Junior’s Fish Market in Lake Wales is closing, I will be depending on Wild Alaska every month. I always order Sockeye filets and the Sea Scallops. The stuff comes frozen solid, is easy to prepare, and tastes pretty much as good as the fresh stuff would.

You can save $20 on your first order by clicking here. Eating wild caught seafood is about as healthy as you can go. The scallops are a real treat. When you sear them, be sure to cook them in the liquid that comes in the bag and be sure not to overcook them. I bake or broil the lightly seasoned salmon filets skin side down in olive or coconut oil.

Buy Direct from the Fisherman

Captain Tony has been fishing in Alaska since 1990. Wild Alaska is famous for their wild caught Sockeye and King Salmon! All of our other fish, including Ahi Tuna, Shrimp, Scallops, Cod, etc., are responsibly sourced, caught the right way and closely inspected by Capt. Tony to meet our high standards of quality and freshness. They catch and process all 5 species of wild pacific salmon, and source our other seafood products from high quality sustainable fisheries.

The stuff tastes great and is good for you. Internet orders to the continental United States are shipped from their fulfillment center in the Midwest allowing their seafood products to reach US customers in perfect condition. The flavor and texture of their salmon and other products remain fresher than fresh is because the stuff is frozen the same day it is caught.

Note

Nutritionally, if you are eating farm-raised salmon, you might as well be eating pop tarts. Sockeye salmon has the highest amount of Omega 3 of any fish with approximately 2.7 grams per 100-gram portion. Therefore, just one serving of Alaska salmon per week can help to lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. Scallops are widely considered one of the healthiest seafoods. Made up of 80% protein and sporting a low fat content, they can help you feel fuller longer and are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are also a great source of antioxidants. Dr. Morris 🙂

Typos

All questions and comments are welcome. With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

June 28th, 2024

Behave Yourself!

Important Notice

After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Learn to be a Much Better Bird Photographer

Join a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour.

What’s Up?

I am in Colorado for two more days. I fly back to Orlando this coming Sunday morning. I am tired and a bit jet-lagged, and I have been battling a mild case of altitude sickness as our condo is at 8500 feet. But I am still plugging away. We waited for several hours for some clouds to cover the sun this afternoon before finally creating some decent Violet-crowned Swallow images at 6:00pm.

Today is Friday 28 June 2024; we will try for some more songbird flight and action. I hope that you too have a great day.

Please remember to use the B&H links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Summer On Long Island

Take a peek at the previous blog post and check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings on the IPT page here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

This image was created on 27 June 2024 at Evergreen, CO. Seated on a camping chair, I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. ISO 8000. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/4000 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was perfect. AWB at 6:8am on a cloudy morning.

Tracking: Wide AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed quite well. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.

Image #1: Stellers Jay — adult scolding juvenile

Spray and Pray Confidence with the Sony a9 iii

The outstanding AF system of the Sony a9 iii encourages me to try the impossible. This amazing camera body allows me to succeed fairly often in such situations as long as I am shooting aggressively and utilizing 1.0 second pre-capture. While my keeper rate when shooting songbirds in flight and action is ridiculously low, less than 1/2 percent, the occasional family jewel makes up for the effort required photographing in extremely difficult situations.

As far as shooting more aggressively, I must be getting better in this area as when I saw today’s featured image on the laptop for the first time, it came as a complete surprise. I had no recollection of pushing the shutter button!

a9 iii E-mail Set-up and Info Guide

a9 iii E-mail Set-up and Info Guide

For those who think that my comments on the a9 iii are pure hype, know that I recently sold the second of my three a1 bodies.

If you plan on purchasing a Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera (or anything else for that matter), please remember to use or write for either my Bedfords discount code or my B&H affiliate link. Folks who use one of my two affiliate links to purchase the a9 III will receive my .DAT settings (the complete camera set-up), a Buttons and Dials Guide, and an a9 iii Info Sheet.

Typos

All questions and comments are welcome. With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

June 26th, 2024

You Tube Video: The World Class Nature Photography of Anita North. With Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

Photography has been so good in Colorado that I need to hit the sack early. We are heading to Red Rocks very early. Enjoy today’s 18 minute video featuring some really great photography. And leave a comment letting us know which three of Anita’s images you like best. It will not be easy

The World Class Nature Photography of Anita North. With Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

For the past ten years, Anita North has been traveling the globe striving to create a portfolio of stunning natural history images. She has visited many of the world’s top wildlife locations and enjoys re-visiting them as well. And while she loves creating beautiful photographs, she has a strong conservation ethic. And on many occasions, she has put her heart and her money where her mouth is. And she wishes that photographers and eco-tourists around the world would do more to support conservation efforts to preserve habitat and wildlife.

For the past three years, she has been away a lot more than she has been home!

Anita North is a retired neurosurgeon living in Toronto, Ontario Canada. In the summer of 2012 she came across an eagle with a broken left wing on the lake at her fishing camp in Northern Ontario, Basket Lake. She caught Walleye and Northern Pike every day and fed the bird she named Eddie for nearly five months. In 2013 she purchased a Canon 100-400 and an EOS 7D and was determined to create some good images of Eddie, the bird who changed her life.

By chance, we were on the same ship, the Ortelius, on a triple-header Southern Ocean photography cruise. I was leading a group. Curious as to who was the guy teaching photography to a small group — she had never heard of Arthur Morris or BIRDS AS ART, she joined the group on the spot. On our zodiac landings at various locations in Antarctica, South Georgia, and The Falklands, she stuck to me like glue and asked a zillion questions every day. And she attended each and every shipboard session. She really wanted to learn.

To continue her photographic education, she joined more than 25 BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours IPTs) and in short order she was consistently producing world class images of birds and other wildlife. Anita is one of my very best-ever students. I am incredibly proud of how hard she has worked, how much she has learned, and most of all of her wonderful portfolio. Do understand that she has thousands of images just as good as those in the video.

June 24th, 2024

Dream When Choosing Your Perspective

Important Notice

After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Take a peek at the previous blog post and check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings below and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

What’s Up?

Photography around eastern Colorado has been great. Today is Monday 24 June 2024. We are up early and headed to Rocky Mountain Grasslands NWR to check it out. Whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Please remember to use the B&H links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

ddc 728w

Save 15%!

If you’d like to try out a new lens or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.

I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.

Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 code in the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.

Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com



B&H

To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

Bedfords Simplified

Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Bedfords Amazing 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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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.

This image was created on 22 June 2024 near Evergreen, CO. Seated on a rocky hillside at 8500 feet, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 12800. 1/6400 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 4:41:22am on a blessedly cloudy afternoon.

Upper Right Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face-eye AF enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #1: American Three-toed Woodpecker leaving nest hole

American Three-toed Woodpecker

Though neither threatened nor endangered, American Three-toed Woodpecker, is a fairly rare bird in North America. Finding any woodpeckers nest usually requires lots of hard work and a bit of luck.

The Situation

We were on a steep hillside checking out the nest of an American Three-toed Woodpecker. Neither bird showed up for more than an hour so we worked a pair of Olive-sided Flycatchers using audio. Our understanding was that when the parent birds left the nest hole, they always flew down. As I moved around checking the backgrounds before putting my tripod in place, I dreamed of an image with the nest hole in the upper right of the frame. Then, I altered the side-to-side placement of the tripod so that there was a tree trunk on the left frame-edge. Though the chances of getting the shot I was dreaming of was 10,000 to one against, I chose my perspective carefully with my dream image in mind.

I knew that I needed a very fast shutter speed, so I chose 1/6400 second. Note the super-high ISO of 12,800. I knew that my two-step noise reduction, detailed in the Digital Basics III Video Series would enable me to create a clean image. As we were try8ing for flight shots, going with the a9 iii over the a-1 was a no brainer. The birds come to the nest hole and peek out for a while before bolting from the nest so I turned on Pre-capture at one full second. As my reflexes are slow, this image is surely one of the pre-capture images.

Always set up for the perfect image and see what develops. Sometimes dreams come true.

Typos

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

June 22nd, 2024

Colorado Songbirds Part I

Your Call?

Which of today’s four featured images do you like best? Why? Which of today’s four featured images do you like least? Why?

Important Notice

After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Take a peek at the previous blog post and check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings below and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

What’s Up?

We’ve done really well since we got to Denver. With overcast weather, conditions have been very good. We’ve been creating between 5000 and 10000 mages each session but for Friday afternoon. The forecast called for cloudy with rain and instead we have sunny with blue skies and nary a cloud 🙁

Today is Saturday 22 June 2024. We are heading back to the location with Tree Swallows and Mountain Bluebirds, and hopefully, some Mountain Bluebirds.

I hope that you too have a great day.

This image was created on 20 June at Red Rocks Park, CO. Standing at full height I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 4000. 1/400 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect. AWB at 8:43:24am in the shade on a sunny morning.

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

Image #1: Lazuli Bunting, singing male

Why a Marginal Shutter Speed?

Most folks who photograph songbirds reccommend using a shutter speed of at least 1/800 or 1/1000 second when shooting singing birds. As 1/400 second had me at ISO 4000, I opted to gamble on making an occasional sharp image without any motion blur on the bill. To get to the reccomended 1/800 second, I would have needed ISO 8000 …

My Cropping Option

I cropped this one from the left and above to eliminate lighter portion of the background. The placed the bird nicely near the upper left Rule of Thirds spot.

This image was created on 20 June 2024 in Evergreen, CO. Standing at full height, I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. ISO 2500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/6400 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was perfect. AWB at 4:37:12m on variably cloudy afternoon.

Tracking: Wide AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.

Image #2: Tree Swallow — on final approach screaming in flight

a9 iii for Flight

We were working at a Tree Swallow nest box set-up. Though it was very cloudy, we opted for super-fast shutter speeds that come, of course, with high ISOs. Because the swallows are such erratic fliers, I went into My Menu and checked the box for Tracking: Wide. Bingo. Conditions were perfect with a nice breeze coming over our left shoulders. But still, it was very challenging photography. When a bird hovered for a moment, it was possible to get on it, acquire focus, and hold the shutter button down. This and several dozen other images from the afternoon session were razor sharp on the eye and face.

This image was created on 20 June 2024 in Evergreen, CO. Standing at full height, I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. ISO 2500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/8000 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was perfect. AWB at 4:51:23pm on variably cloudy afternoon.

Tracking: Wide AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.

Image #3: Tree Swallow — male in flight — full downstroke

More Square Crops

The square crops worked especially well with the swallow flight shots in part because the bird were flying toward us (because of the wind) and in part because the birds are relatively mall. With this image I went square to eliminate the nest box on the left side of the original frame.

This image was created on 20 June at Red Rocks Park, CO. Standing at full height I used the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 2500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/250 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was perfect. AWB at 5:32:21pm on cloudy afternoon.

Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #4: Mountain Bluebird male

Sony a1 versus Sony a9 iii

As you have seen here recently, for perched birds, I will usually go with the a1 for better image quality with the accompanying crop-ability. For flight and action, the a9 iii is the clear choice for its amazing Bird Face-Eye tracking AF and the 120 fps frame rate.

Typos

All questions and comments are welcome. With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

June 20th, 2024

Spring and Summer Sea Ducks at Nickerson Beach?

Important Notice

After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Take a peek at the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings below and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

What’s Up?

My flight from Orlando to Denver was blessedly uneventful. Today is Thursday 20 June 2024. I am settled into my mountain-side AirBnB above Evergreen, CO ready to photograph a slew of western songbirds. I hope that you too have a great day.

This image was created on 17 August 2018. Standing at full height, I used the tripod/Mongoose M3.6 Action Head- mounted Nikon 600mm f/4 VR lens, the 1.4X teleconverter, and the Nikon D850. ISO 400: 1/640 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 10:20:08am on partly sunny morning.

Be sure to click on the image to see the larger, sharper higher-res version.

Image #1: Common Eider — hen in heavy molt flapping wings after preening

Not Unexpected

It is not unusual to see molting sea ducks on northeastern US beaches in late spring and early summer. One look at Image #1 reveals why these heavy, large-bodied ducks are not flying around much. They are not capable of flight until the new primary feathers grow in. I remember walking the beach at Provincetown, MA on a summer vacation with my family and coming across a group of roosting hen eiders at about noon on a sunny day. I was excited and tried to photograph them with film and my manual focus Canon FD 400mm f/4.5 lens; I think that I actually made a 4X6″ print of one of those images.

There are 21 species of sea ducks in the world and 15 of those can be found regularly in North America.

From an interesting well-written article (by Rosalie Wetzel) on the US F&WS website here:

These birds are divided into several subgroups, including eiders, scoters, goldeneyes, mergansers, the Harlequin and Long-tailed Ducks, and Bufflehead. With specialized salt glands, they have become uniquely adapted to thrive in diverse habitats, from glacial lakes and estuaries to tree cavities in boreal forests. Most winter along the northern coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and breed further inland across the Arctic tundra and taiga regions. Their beauty and unique behaviors captivate bird enthusiasts and hunters around the world and, for centuries, they have played an important role in the culture and food resources of many Indigenous communities.

Be sure check out the article for information on sea duck conservation along long with several nice photos.

The Crop

As I barely got the duck’s head in the frame as it raised up to flap, I went with a square crop as the best action; Content-Awre Crop fill in the added canvas above’s the bird’s head perfectly.

This image was created on 24 May 2023. Crouching, I used the handheld the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens
the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/1000 sec. at f/4.5 (stopped down 1 1/3 steps) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 8:49:09pam on a partly sunny afternoon.

Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #2: Desiccated head and neck of sea duck

Very Dead Duck

This duck died of unknown causes during the previous winter. I walked by it the first time I saw it on a windblown dune near a snow fence, but decided to photograph it the next day. The relatively short Minimum Focusing Distance of the 400mm f/2.8 GM lens was helpful. I made some images of the duck’s head only and then moved back a bit so that I could include the black feathers on the back of the neck. Folks forget at times when they are using a fixed focal length lens they need to resort to human zoomin’, moving closer or farther from the bird as needed.

Any Guesses?

If you would like to take a guess as to what species of sea duck this is, feel free to leave a comment.

Join me to photograph Black Skimmers, Common Terns, American Oystercatchers, and more!

The Summer 2024 Nickerson Beach 3 1/2 day Terns, Skimmers, & Oystercatchers IPTs

Nickerson Beach IPT #1: July 29 – August 1, 2024. 3 1/2 days: Afternoon session on MON 29 July through the full day on THURS 1 August, 2024: $2099.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5

Nickerson Beach IPT #2: August 5-8 2024. 3 1/2 days: Afternoon session on MON 5 August through the full day on THURS 8 August, 2024: $2099.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

Join me at Nickerson Beach Park this summer to photograph Black Skimmers, Common Terns, and American Oystercatchers. The trip is timed so that we should get to photograph tiny chicks as well as fledglings. There will be lots of flight photography including adults flying with baitfish and mole crabs. Creating great images of the chicks being fed is a challenge but I will do my best to help you toward that end. We will get to photograph a variety of breeding behaviors including courtship, sitting on (incubating) eggs, chick feeding, and more. We may get to photograph pre-dawn and early evening blastoffs. There is generally great afternoon skimmer flight photography that includes frequent midair battles sunny days. And with luck, we might even see a few tiny chicks in addition to fledged and flying young. We will also get to photograph the life cycle of American Oystercatcher. This will likely include nests with eggs and small chicks, young being fed, and surely a few fledglings.

Nesting Piping Plover is also possibly. There will be lots of gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few lesser black-backeds of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, and maybe even Red Knot.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Black Skimmer pair with chick; Black Skimmer fledgling skimming; Black Skimmer with large needlefish; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer fledgling taking flight; Black Skimmer adult with killifish; Black Skimmer adult landing near nest; Black Skimmer in midair chase; and Black Skimmers at dawn in the red light district.

Activities

Morning sessions will run from pre-dawn till about 9:00 or 9:30am, roughly 3 1/2 hours. Afternoon sessions will run from 5:30 till sunset (assuming that entry policies are as they were in 2023.

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps (or 120 fps!) camera bodies. And we will process a few images and distribute the screen capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. And all IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Adult American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise; Adult American Oystercatcher posing on clean sand; predawn skimmer flock blur; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer landing at nest on cloudy day; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer sunrise group blur; Black Skimmer adult with Atlantic Silversides; juvenile Semipalmated Plover, and photographer with oystercatcher family.

Some of What You Will Learn on a Nickerson Beach IPT

  • 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before if you are using SONY gear).
  • 2- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
  • 3- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
  • 4- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
  • 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
  • 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
  • 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
  • 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
  • 10- More than you could ever imagine.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Black Skimmer pair with chick; Common Tern landing at nest with small baitfish; large Common Tern chick on pristine beach; American Oystercatchers courtship flight; Common Tern with pipefish; Common Tern fledgling; American Oystercatcher on eggs in high wind; American Oystercatcher nest with three eggs; and Black Skimmer midair battle.

The Details

We will be on the beach very early to enjoy sunrise. The morning sessions will run about 3 1/2 hours. Afternoon sessions will begin at 5:30 and run till sunset. There is never a set schedule on an IPT — we adapt to the conditions. On cloudy mornings with the right wind, we may opt to photograph till 11:30am or so and skip the afternoon session. That especially when the afternoon weather is looking iffy.

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session before and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. Each of these IPTs will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Islip (if you have lots of Southwest points). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $699 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Join me on the COMBO IPT this coming August to photograph adult and juvenile shorebirds at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY.

Clockwise starting from the upper left back to center: juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs; adult Semipalmated Plover; fresh juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Least Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Stilt Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher; worn, molting adult Semipalmated Sandpiper; worn, molting adult White-rumped Sandpiper; and juvenile (left) and worn, molting adult Greater Yellowlegs.

The Combo IPT — East Pond, JBWR/Nickerson Beach: August 17 – 20, 2024. SAT August 17 through the morning session on TUES 20 August 2024. 3 1/2 days: $2199.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

Join me for four mornings at the famed East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY (conditions permitting) to photograph southbound migrant shorebirds and for three afternoons to photograph beach nesting birds. The window for photographing juvenile shorebirds in fresh plumage is very narrow and this trip will of course get you to the right spot at the exact right time. You will learn to identify and age the shorebirds and to photograph them (at ground level). I will gladly share everything that I have learned during the 46 years I have been visiting the pond. Heck, I started late. After too many years of mismanagement, the gate valve at the north end of the East Pond has finally been repaired properly; water levels should be perfect this summer. If it is not, we will spend our mornings at Nickerson.

Afternoons (and mornings as well) at Nickerson Beach Park are superb in mid-August for photographing Black Skimmers, Common Terns, and American Oystercatchers with young of all ages. There will be lots of fledged chicks by mid-August, lots of flight including adults flying with baitfish and mole crabs, and excellent chances to photograph both chick feeding and predation by gulls. The Great Black-backed Gulls see the young skimmers as potato chips. We should get to photograph the evening skimmer blastoffs. On hot sunny days, there is still great afternoon skimmer flight photography that includes frequent midair battles.

There will be lots of terns (mostly Common Terns) and gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and maybe even Red Knot. And we might encounter large, swirling flocks of Sanderling in flight over the ocean.

Join me this August to photograph at the East Pond at JBWR in the mornings (conditions permitting) and at Nickerson Beach in the afternoons.

Clockwise starting from the upper left back to center: Marbled Godwit (likely in juvenal plumage); Wilson’s Phalarope in first winter plumage; Black Skimmer adult in flight over the Atlantic; juvenile American Oystercatcher foraging surf; adult Lesser Black-backed Gull; Black Skimmer attacking tiny chick; Killdeer in fresh juvenal plumage; Least Sandpiper in fresh juvenal plumage ruffling; and juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs and mixed shorebird flock.

Morning sessions at the East Pond will run from just before dawn till about 9:00 or 9:30am. If the afternoon weather forecast is looking ominous, we may decide to photograph until after 11:00am and cancel the afternoon session. Afternoon sessions at Nick will run from 5:30 till sunset (assuming that entry policies are as they were in 2023).

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps (or 120 fps!) camera bodies. In addition, we will process some participant images and distribute the screen-capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. All IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Adult American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise; Adult American Oystercatcher posing on clean sand; predawn skimmer flock blur; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer landing at nest on cloudy day; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer sunrise group blur; Black Skimmer adult with Atlantic Silversides; juvenile Semipalmated Plover, and photographer with oystercatcher family.

Some of What You Will Learn on the COMBO IPT

  • 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before you make even a single image if you are using SONY gear).
  • 2-How to get low and super low
  • 3- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
  • 4- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
  • 5- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
  • 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
  • 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
  • 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
  • 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
  • 10- To identify and age a variety of shorebird, tern, and gull species.
  • 11- More than you could ever imagine.

The Details

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session during and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. This IPT will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Islip (if you have lots of Southwest points). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $699 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Typos

All questions and comments are welcome. With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

June 18th, 2024

Nikon Oldie But Goodie Oystercatcher Feeding Young

Important Notice

After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Take a peek at the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings below and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

Saturday’s White Wading Bird

The comments at the last blog post pretty much covered all the bases. The bird was a young Little Blue Heron. Cliff Beittel noted: pale green-yellow legs, two-toned bill, base of bill relatively thick.

In addition, this bird is much stockier than a similarly aged Snowy Egret that would have a somewhat longer, slimmer bill that changes from yellow to black with some yellow as it gets ready to leave the nest. And young Cattle Egrets have black bills and black legs and are stockier still with block-shaped heads. A close look reveals that either the primary or tail tips have a bit of slate blue.

I am pretty sure that the bird in the photo is just about six weeks old (give or take a day or two). From The Birds of North America:

DAY 35 — Capable of sustained flight. Observed to perform Greeting Ceremony with siblings when returning to nest.
DAY 42 — Regularly leaves the colony in morning to forage in nearby wetlands.

Note that the changes as young little blues go from nearly all white to white mottled with patches of slate blue are the result of normal aging and development. At six months to a year, most first year Little Blue Herons have a splotchy, pied plumage. Thus, they are not “morphs.” Birds like Reddish Egrets and Snow Geese that have different forms that are the result of genetics are properly called morphs.

What’s Up?

Despite a brisk east wind on a sunny Monday morning, I had too much packing to do to get ready for my Colorado trip.

Today is Tuesday 18 June 2024 and I still have a ton to do as Jim will be driving me to the airport tomorrow a o-dark hundred. Whatever you are doing, I hope that you too choose to have a great day.

Please remember to use the B&H links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

This image was created on 19 August 2018. Crouching just a bit, I used the tripod/Mongoose M3.6 Action Head- supported Nikon 600mm f/4 VR lens, the 1.4X teleconverter, and the Nikon D850. ISO 800: 1/100 sec. at f/6.3 (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:33:08am on cloudy morning.

Be sure to click on the image to see the larger, sharper higher-res version.

American Oystercatcher feeding young

Oystercatchers at Nickerson Beach

There is surely no better place on the planet to photograph American Oystercatcher than Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. Many dozens of pairs nest on the white sands at Lido and Long Beach. Their nesting is staggered so that in early August you might see an adult on eggs, small chicks, medium-sized chicks, large chicks, and fledged young like the bird on our left in the image above. Be sure not to stress the chicks so that when the researchers chase them up and down the beach with long handled crab nets they will have the energy to survive this ordeal. Mid-August and beyond afternoons finds flocks of as many as several hundred adult and young oystercatchers roosting on the sand as they get ready to fly south as the season progresses.

Notice the juvie’s dark eye and the dark tip of its bill. The neatly edged feathers typical of all young shorebirds are quite worn on this bird; it might have hatched as early as April. Most mornings find more than a few oystercatcher families foraging at the edge of the surf for mole crabs and other morsels.

Your Call?

What single thing could I have done in the field that would have drastically improved today’s featured image. What would the main improvement have been?

What else might I have done to improve the image?

I came across this very old image in a Nickerson 2018 image folder. I liked the raw file but was aghast when I looked at my first optimized version. It was horrible. So, I deleted that and re-did the image starting from scratch using my current workflow as detailed in the Digital Basics III Video Series. Much, much better!

Join me to photograph Black Skimmers, Common Terns, American Oystercatchers, and more!

The Summer 2024 Nickerson Beach 3 1/2 day Terns, Skimmers, & Oystercatchers IPTs

Nickerson Beach IPT #1: July 29 – August 1, 2024. 3 1/2 days: Afternoon session on MON 29 July through the full day on THURS 1 August, 2024: $2099.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5

Nickerson Beach IPT #2: August 5-8 2024. 3 1/2 days: Afternoon session on MON 5 August through the full day on THURS 8 August, 2024: $2099.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

Join me at Nickerson Beach Park this summer to photograph Black Skimmers, Common Terns, and American Oystercatchers. The trip is timed so that we should get to photograph tiny chicks as well as fledglings. There will be lots of flight photography including adults flying with baitfish and mole crabs. Creating great images of the chicks being fed is a challenge but I will do my best to help you toward that end. We will get to photograph a variety of breeding behaviors including courtship, sitting on (incubating) eggs, chick feeding, and more. We may get to photograph pre-dawn and early evening blastoffs. There is generally great afternoon skimmer flight photography that includes frequent midair battles sunny days. And with luck, we might even see a few tiny chicks in addition to fledged and flying young. We will also get to photograph the life cycle of American Oystercatcher. This will likely include nests with eggs and small chicks, young being fed, and surely a few fledglings.

Nesting Piping Plover is also possibly. There will be lots of gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few lesser black-backeds of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, and maybe even Red Knot.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Black Skimmer pair with chick; Black Skimmer fledgling skimming; Black Skimmer with large needlefish; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer fledgling taking flight; Black Skimmer adult with killifish; Black Skimmer adult landing near nest; Black Skimmer in midair chase; and Black Skimmers at dawn in the red light district.

Activities

Morning sessions will run from pre-dawn till about 9:00 or 9:30am, roughly 3 1/2 hours. Afternoon sessions will run from 5:30 till sunset (assuming that entry policies are as they were in 2023.

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps (or 120 fps!) camera bodies. And we will process a few images and distribute the screen capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. And all IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Adult American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise; Adult American Oystercatcher posing on clean sand; predawn skimmer flock blur; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer landing at nest on cloudy day; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer sunrise group blur; Black Skimmer adult with Atlantic Silversides; juvenile Semipalmated Plover, and photographer with oystercatcher family.

Some of What You Will Learn on a Nickerson Beach IPT

  • 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before if you are using SONY gear).
  • 2- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
  • 3- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
  • 4- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
  • 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
  • 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
  • 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
  • 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
  • 10- More than you could ever imagine.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Black Skimmer pair with chick; Common Tern landing at nest with small baitfish; large Common Tern chick on pristine beach; American Oystercatchers courtship flight; Common Tern with pipefish; Common Tern fledgling; American Oystercatcher on eggs in high wind; American Oystercatcher nest with three eggs; and Black Skimmer midair battle.

The Details

We will be on the beach very early to enjoy sunrise. The morning sessions will run about 3 1/2 hours. Afternoon sessions will begin at 5:30 and run till sunset. There is never a set schedule on an IPT — we adapt to the conditions. On cloudy mornings with the right wind, we may opt to photograph till 11:30am or so and skip the afternoon session. That especially when the afternoon weather is looking iffy.

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session before and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. Each of these IPTs will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Islip (if you have lots of Southwest points). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $699 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Join me on the COMBO IPT this coming August to photograph adult and juvenile shorebirds at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY.

Clockwise starting from the upper left back to center: juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs; adult Semipalmated Plover; fresh juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Least Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Stilt Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher; worn, molting adult Semipalmated Sandpiper; worn, molting adult White-rumped Sandpiper; and juvenile (left) and worn, molting adult Greater Yellowlegs.

The Combo IPT — East Pond, JBWR/Nickerson Beach: August 17 – 20, 2024. SAT August 17 through the morning session on TUES 20 August 2024. 3 1/2 days: $2199.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

Join me for four mornings at the famed East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY (conditions permitting) to photograph southbound migrant shorebirds and for three afternoons to photograph beach nesting birds. The window for photographing juvenile shorebirds in fresh plumage is very narrow and this trip will of course get you to the right spot at the exact right time. You will learn to identify and age the shorebirds and to photograph them (at ground level). I will gladly share everything that I have learned during the 46 years I have been visiting the pond. Heck, I started late. After too many years of mismanagement, the gate valve at the north end of the East Pond has finally been repaired properly; water levels should be perfect this summer. If it is not, we will spend our mornings at Nickerson.

Afternoons (and mornings as well) at Nickerson Beach Park are superb in mid-August for photographing Black Skimmers, Common Terns, and American Oystercatchers with young of all ages. There will be lots of fledged chicks by mid-August, lots of flight including adults flying with baitfish and mole crabs, and excellent chances to photograph both chick feeding and predation by gulls. The Great Black-backed Gulls see the young skimmers as potato chips. We should get to photograph the evening skimmer blastoffs. On hot sunny days, there is still great afternoon skimmer flight photography that includes frequent midair battles.

There will be lots of terns (mostly Common Terns) and gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and maybe even Red Knot. And we might encounter large, swirling flocks of Sanderling in flight over the ocean.

Join me this August to photograph at the East Pond at JBWR in the mornings (conditions permitting) and at Nickerson Beach in the afternoons.

Clockwise starting from the upper left back to center: Marbled Godwit (likely in juvenal plumage); Wilson’s Phalarope in first winter plumage; Black Skimmer adult in flight over the Atlantic; juvenile American Oystercatcher foraging surf; adult Lesser Black-backed Gull; Black Skimmer attacking tiny chick; Killdeer in fresh juvenal plumage; Least Sandpiper in fresh juvenal plumage ruffling; and juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs and mixed shorebird flock.

Morning sessions at the East Pond will run from just before dawn till about 9:00 or 9:30am. If the afternoon weather forecast is looking ominous, we may decide to photograph until after 11:00am and cancel the afternoon session. Afternoon sessions at Nick will run from 5:30 till sunset (assuming that entry policies are as they were in 2023).

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps (or 120 fps!) camera bodies. In addition, we will process some participant images and distribute the screen-capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. All IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Adult American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise; Adult American Oystercatcher posing on clean sand; predawn skimmer flock blur; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer landing at nest on cloudy day; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer sunrise group blur; Black Skimmer adult with Atlantic Silversides; juvenile Semipalmated Plover, and photographer with oystercatcher family.

Some of What You Will Learn on the COMBO IPT

  • 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before you make even a single image if you are using SONY gear).
  • 2-How to get low and super low
  • 3- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
  • 4- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
  • 5- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
  • 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
  • 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
  • 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
  • 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
  • 10- To identify and age a variety of shorebird, tern, and gull species.
  • 11- More than you could ever imagine.

The Details

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session during and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. This IPT will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Islip (if you have lots of Southwest points). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $699 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Typos

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

June 16th, 2024

What Bird? How Old?

Important Notice

After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.

Supporting My Efforts 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.

Summer On Long Island

Take a peek at the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings below and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.

What’s Up?

After spending more than a dozen hours on the phone, many of those on my birthday, I actually had hopes that post notifications would be up and running soon. But that was not to be the case. Things are now pretty much back to square one.

On the good news front, the Jacksonville IPT is now sold out and I have one photographer/friend signed up for each of the three Long Island IPT, and each will be sharing the AirBnB with me. There is still room for you on each of these workshops.

After several weeks of clear skies and NE winds in the mornings, a SW flow has brought lots of rain to central Florida. As a result, morning bird photography has tanked. I head to Denver this coming Wednesday for two weeks of bird photography so I must start packing today. Today is Sunday 16 June 2024. Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have fun too.

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.

ddc 728w

Save 15%!

If you’d like to try out a new lens or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.

I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.

Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 code in the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.

Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com



B&H

To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

Bedfords Simplified

Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Bedfords Amazing 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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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.

This image was created on 13 June 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working off the BLUBB from the front seat of my SUV, I used the Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 2000. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 second at f/6.3 (stopped down 1/3 stop in error — should have been f/5.6, wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was perfect. AWB at 7:33:08am on very cloudy morning.

Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.

Image #1: Heron or egret?

The Subject?

Can you identify the bird in Image #1? What species is it? How old is it? How do you know?

The Situation

There is a low quadrant in the southeast corner of the North Field where shallow ponds form each year after heavy rains. The whistling ducks have abandoned the small bay to the south of the pier for the new wet area. On some mornings, a few cranes, grackles, herons, and egrets Jon the party. The trick for me when photographing from my X5 is to avoid having to call a tow truck.

Join me to photograph Black Skimmers, Common Terns, American Oystercatchers, and more!

The Summer 2024 Nickerson Beach 3 1/2 day Terns, Skimmers, & Oystercatchers IPTs

Nickerson Beach IPT #1: July 29 – August 1, 2024. 3 1/2 days: Afternoon session on MON 29 July through the full day on THURS 1 August, 2024: $2099.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5

Nickerson Beach IPT #2: August 5-8 2024. 3 1/2 days: Afternoon session on MON 5 August through the full day on THURS 8 August, 2024: $2099.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

Join me at Nickerson Beach Park this summer to photograph Black Skimmers, Common Terns, and American Oystercatchers. The trip is timed so that we should get to photograph tiny chicks as well as fledglings. There will be lots of flight photography including adults flying with baitfish and mole crabs. Creating great images of the chicks being fed is a challenge but I will do my best to help you toward that end. We will get to photograph a variety of breeding behaviors including courtship, sitting on (incubating) eggs, chick feeding, and more. We may get to photograph pre-dawn and early evening blastoffs. There is generally great afternoon skimmer flight photography that includes frequent midair battles sunny days. And with luck, we might even see a few tiny chicks in addition to fledged and flying young. We will also get to photograph the life cycle of American Oystercatcher. This will likely include nests with eggs and small chicks, young being fed, and surely a few fledglings.

Nesting Piping Plover is also possibly. There will be lots of gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few lesser black-backeds of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, and maybe even Red Knot.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Black Skimmer pair with chick; Black Skimmer fledgling skimming; Black Skimmer with large needlefish; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer fledgling taking flight; Black Skimmer adult with killifish; Black Skimmer adult landing near nest; Black Skimmer in midair chase; and Black Skimmers at dawn in the red light district.

Activities

Morning sessions will run from pre-dawn till about 9:00 or 9:30am, roughly 3 1/2 hours. Afternoon sessions will run from 5:30 till sunset (assuming that entry policies are as they were in 2023.

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps (or 120 fps!) camera bodies. And we will process a few images and distribute the screen capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. And all IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Adult American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise; Adult American Oystercatcher posing on clean sand; predawn skimmer flock blur; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer landing at nest on cloudy day; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer sunrise group blur; Black Skimmer adult with Atlantic Silversides; juvenile Semipalmated Plover, and photographer with oystercatcher family.

Some of What You Will Learn on a Nickerson Beach IPT

  • 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before if you are using SONY gear).
  • 2- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
  • 3- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
  • 4- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
  • 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
  • 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
  • 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
  • 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
  • 10- More than you could ever imagine.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Black Skimmer pair with chick; Common Tern landing at nest with small baitfish; large Common Tern chick on pristine beach; American Oystercatchers courtship flight; Common Tern with pipefish; Common Tern fledgling; American Oystercatcher on eggs in high wind; American Oystercatcher nest with three eggs; and Black Skimmer midair battle.

The Details

We will be on the beach very early to enjoy sunrise. The morning sessions will run about 3 1/2 hours. Afternoon sessions will begin at 5:30 and run till sunset. There is never a set schedule on an IPT — we adapt to the conditions. On cloudy mornings with the right wind, we may opt to photograph till 11:30am or so and skip the afternoon session. That especially when the afternoon weather is looking iffy.

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session before and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. Each of these IPTs will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Islip (if you have lots of Southwest points). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $699 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Join me on the COMBO IPT this coming August to photograph adult and juvenile shorebirds at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY.

Clockwise starting from the upper left back to center: juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs; adult Semipalmated Plover; fresh juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Least Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Stilt Sandpiper; fresh juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher; worn, molting adult Semipalmated Sandpiper; worn, molting adult White-rumped Sandpiper; and juvenile (left) and worn, molting adult Greater Yellowlegs.

The Combo IPT — East Pond, JBWR/Nickerson Beach: August 17 – 20, 2024. SAT August 17 through the morning session on TUES 20 August 2024. 3 1/2 days: $2199.00. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

Join me for four mornings at the famed East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY (conditions permitting) to photograph southbound migrant shorebirds and for three afternoons to photograph beach nesting birds. The window for photographing juvenile shorebirds in fresh plumage is very narrow and this trip will of course get you to the right spot at the exact right time. You will learn to identify and age the shorebirds and to photograph them (at ground level). I will gladly share everything that I have learned during the 46 years I have been visiting the pond. Heck, I started late. After too many years of mismanagement, the gate valve at the north end of the East Pond has finally been repaired properly; water levels should be perfect this summer. If it is not, we will spend our mornings at Nickerson.

Afternoons (and mornings as well) at Nickerson Beach Park are superb in mid-August for photographing Black Skimmers, Common Terns, and American Oystercatchers with young of all ages. There will be lots of fledged chicks by mid-August, lots of flight including adults flying with baitfish and mole crabs, and excellent chances to photograph both chick feeding and predation by gulls. The Great Black-backed Gulls see the young skimmers as potato chips. We should get to photograph the evening skimmer blastoffs. On hot sunny days, there is still great afternoon skimmer flight photography that includes frequent midair battles.

There will be lots of terns (mostly Common Terns) and gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and maybe even Red Knot. And we might encounter large, swirling flocks of Sanderling in flight over the ocean.

Join me this August to photograph at the East Pond at JBWR in the mornings (conditions permitting) and at Nickerson Beach in the afternoons.

Clockwise starting from the upper left back to center: Marbled Godwit (likely in juvenal plumage); Wilson’s Phalarope in first winter plumage; Black Skimmer adult in flight over the Atlantic; juvenile American Oystercatcher foraging surf; adult Lesser Black-backed Gull; Black Skimmer attacking tiny chick; Killdeer in fresh juvenal plumage; Least Sandpiper in fresh juvenal plumage ruffling; and juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs and mixed shorebird flock.

Morning sessions at the East Pond will run from just before dawn till about 9:00 or 9:30am. If the afternoon weather forecast is looking ominous, we may decide to photograph until after 11:00am and cancel the afternoon session. Afternoon sessions at Nick will run from 5:30 till sunset (assuming that entry policies are as they were in 2023).

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps (or 120 fps!) camera bodies. In addition, we will process some participant images and distribute the screen-capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. All IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Clockwise from upper left around and back to center: Adult American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise; Adult American Oystercatcher posing on clean sand; predawn skimmer flock blur; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer landing at nest on cloudy day; Black Skimmer large chick; Black Skimmer sunrise group blur; Black Skimmer adult with Atlantic Silversides; juvenile Semipalmated Plover, and photographer with oystercatcher family.

Some of What You Will Learn on the COMBO IPT

  • 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before you make even a single image if you are using SONY gear).
  • 2-How to get low and super low
  • 3- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
  • 4- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
  • 5- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
  • 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
  • 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
  • 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
  • 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
  • 10- To identify and age a variety of shorebird, tern, and gull species.
  • 11- More than you could ever imagine.

The Details

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session during and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. This IPT will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Islip (if you have lots of Southwest points). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $699 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Typos

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