Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

Yesterday I learned from neighbor Ron that the Bald Eagles that have nested successfully at ILE for the past three winters have been hanging out by the original nest that had they abandoned last season. I am hoping, of course, that they lay eggs in the old nest as it is ten thousand times better for photography than the cluttered nest that they used to successfully fledge two young last February.

I cleared some more space on my laptop on Saturday and now have 5.17 TB available on my 8TB Solid State Hard Drive (SSHD).

Today is Sunday 8 September 2024. I will head down to the lake to check on the eagles and see what else is about on another typically humid morning. Whatever you are doing today, I hope that you too choose to have fun and to enjoy life.

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

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

Supporting My Efforts Here

If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a Thank You gift here.

If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.

In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear.

Need a New Laptop?

Need a new laptop for photography? Consider the Apple 16″ MacBook Pro (M3 Max, Space Black).

Key Features

Apple M3 Max 16-Core Chip
128GB Unified RAM | 8TB SSD
16″ 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR Screen
40-Core GPU | 16-Core Neural Engine
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Bluetooth 5.3
Thunderbolt 4 | HDMI | MagSafe 3
SDXC Slot | FaceTime HD 1080p Camera
Backlit Magic Keyboard
Force Touch Trackpad | Touch ID Sensor
macOS

In other words, the bomb. Looking to spend a bit less? Click here and search for Apple MacBook Pro M3. Feel free to e-mail or call (863-221-23720 for laptop advice.

Why Not Buy Your MacBook Pro From Apple?

If you purchase a laptop from Apple and have a problem right off the bat they will fix it for you in a few days or a week after you send it to them. They will not replace it. If you purchase a laptop from B&H and have a problem right out of the box, they will send you a new one no questions asked.

Price Drop

Canon EOS-1DX Mark II Digital SLR Camera with Extras!

BAA Record-low Price!
Price reduced $200.00 on 25 November 2023.
Price reduced $400.00 on 6 SEPT 2024.

John Nelson is offering a Canon EOS-1DX Mark II dSLR camera in excellent condition for a BIRDS AS ART record low $999.00 (was $1599.00). The sale includes the original box, one battery, the charger, the front body cap, four (4) 128 128GB CFast memory cards, cfast cards, 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 John via e-mail.

The 1DX Mark II is a rugged, fast Canon professional digital camera body. It features an excellent AF system and high quality image files with great dynamic range. When he used Canon, it was the first choice of Arash Hazeghi, the world’s premier photographer of birds in flight. Two 1DX II served as my workhorse bodies for several years. And I loved them. artie

This image was created down by the lake near my home on 7 July 2024. 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 8:46:08am on a still, 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. Osprey in fresh juvenal plumage with its reflection

Questions, Comments, Suspicions?

2024 was a poor year for breeding Ospreys. The nest on a utility pole near the base of the pier fledged three young. While there are an additional six nests down by the lake, none produced any chicks.

In late June and July of 2024, most mornings found one or two adult and/or juvenile Ospreys bathing in the shallows just left (south) of the pier. On still mornings, there were great opportunities for photographing the birds and their reflections.

If you have any questions, comments, or suspicions with regards to the creation of today’s featured image, please ask or comment below. Be sure to click on the image to see the larger, sharper high res version. There will be lots more on this new topic coming soon.

Cliff Beittel: no spoilers please!

The Sharpness of the Reflection

After clicking on the image to enlarge it, determine whether the reflection is as sharp as the bird itself.

The BLUBB

The BLUBB

If you are shooting from a vehicle with a long lens and are not working off a BLUBB, you are putting yourself at a big disadvantage. Beware of cheap imitations; there are many beanbags available today, but if you want to make sharp images, none come close to the BLUBB.

Whatever beanbag you are using, if your super-telephoto lens has a Direct Manual Focus switch, be sure turn the switch to the OFF position. This prevents you from throwing off accurate focus as you frame the shot. (Note: with some camera bodies, you may also need to turn DMF off in the camera menu.

Typos

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

Your Call

Thanks for the plethora of thoughtful comments at the last blog post. Which of today’s two featured Sora images do you like best? Please be so kind as to share your thoughts as to why you made your choice.

In Image #1, the yellowlegs was lying down flat in the water to hide from a falcon that flew overhead. I actually preferred the near B&W version to the more natural color in Image #2.

Nobody came close to answering the High Level Focusing Technique Question that accompanied Image #4. Give it a try. There are clues in the text and another one in the comments, but you will need to put your thinking cap on.

As for favorites, all but Image #2 got at least vote. One reader would have deleted Image #7. Another picked it as his favorite. Two folks loved Image #4; it was my least favorite of the seven. My top pick was #6 for its simplicity and the gorgeous background.

What’s Up?

I saw Dr. Puopolo on Tuesday afternoon to have the seven stitches removed from the base of my right thumb. The news was about what I expected, but a bit better than that. Both incisions healed perfectly. He told me that the tenderness I’ve been feeling on the inside of my right ring finger is because when the surgery is done, they stay to the left side of the nerve “for a variety of anatomical reasons” and that it typically disappears over time as the nerve calms down. I am thrilled with the results of the two operations, especially because the crushing episodes of tingling, numbness, and pain are completely gone. He is such a cool guy. I was going to confess my sins of going out to photograph twice to JBWR. When I began by saying, “I’ve been a bad patient.” He said, “Don’t tell me.” I thanked him again and we exchanged hugs.

Today is Wednesday 4 September. I set the alarm for oh-dark-hundred (3:34am) but woke at 3:00am so I got up and hit the road before 4:00am for my drive down to Lorton, VA to catch the Auto Train south late this afternoon. If all goes as expected, I should be home at about 1pm on Thursday. Whatever you are doing, I hope that you too choose to have fun and enjoy life.

Used Gear New Listngs

Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens

BAA-friend Greg Clarkson is offering a Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens in Like-new condition for a ridiculously low $1299.00. This lens has never been in the field. The sale includes the front and rear lens caps, the lens hood, the lens strap, the original product box, the lens 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 Greg via at e-mail.

The Sony 2-6 is an amazingly versatile relatively inexpensive telephoto zoom lens. It sells new for $1898.00. If you would like to get started with Sony and bird photography and cannot afford the 300mm f/2.8 GM lens then grabbing George’s pretty much new lens would be a very smart move. artie

Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens

Sold the first day of listing!

BAA-friend Greg Clarkson is offering a Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens in Like-new condition for a ridiculously low $698.00. This lens has never been in the field. The sale includes the front and rear lens caps, the lens hood, the original product box, the lens pouch, 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 Greg via at e-mail.

Sony’s longest macro lens sells new for $998.00. If you love macro photography, grabbing Greg’s pretty much new lens right now would be the best option. artie

Get up close and personal with the 1:1 magnification ratio of the full-frame compatible Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens. As a G series lens, it perfectly balances sharpness and bokeh and, as a macro lens, close and controlled focusing performance is prioritized with advanced AF and intuitive handling. B& & Sony

This image was created on 1 September 2024 at the East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY. Seated on damp grass and mud behind my lowered 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 2500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/1000 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be perfect. AWB at 11:05:37am on then very cloudy morning. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #1: Sora quasi-birdscape

My First Sora?

I may have seen and/or photographed this species somewhere before, but neither the experience nor the images (???) were in any way memorable. Thus, I do not remember when, where, or even if 🙂 Thanks again to the very nice Asian lady who pointed the bird out to me as it skulked around the edge of one of the two small ponds that abutted the phragmites at the south end of the East Pond at JBWR on Saturday last.

This image was created on 1 September 2024 at the East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY. Seated on damp grass and mud behind my lowered 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 3200. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/800 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be dead solid perfect. AWB at 11:07:03am on then very cloudy morning. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #2: Sora in the water

Strategy for Photographing a Rare or Uncommon Bird

When you come across a group of birders viewing a rare or uncommon species with binoculars and/or spotting scopes, you should first consider some common sense field etiquette before trying to create some images. The same is true even if they are looking at a group of commonly seen species. Walking slowly up to the group and asking where the group is from and what they are seeing is often a good start.

Unless they are very close to what they are looking at, you should put photography out of your mind at least for a few minutes. When they move along, you may begin your approach.

As I had heard that the Sora had been around the pond for at least two days and they were looking to the southeast, I knew exactly what they were looking at. Anyhoo, I walked up to the group and said “Hi” to Emme, a friendly young woman with binoculars and a field notebook, “what’s the group?” I figured it might be a local Audubon Group. “We’re the Queer Birders,” she replied.

We chatted for a while as I shared a bit of the history of the East Pond and a bit of the history of Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. (Note: the two are intricately interwoven.) You can check them out here on Instagram. They have an absolute ton of great bird walks and trips in and around NYC.

After a few minutes, the group drifted off to the north. One photographer who had stayed a good distance away from the pond remained. After I finally spotted the bird (albeit with help, as above), I judged its behavior as “could-care-less.” So I flattened my tripod, crouched down a bit, walked slowly past the single photographer to the edge of the pond, got down on the ground, and worked the bird for about ten minutes until it disappeared into the reeds.

You might think that my courteous behavior was rewarded, or that I had gotten lucky.

Note that approaching a bird or a flock of birds that is being viewed by others who were there before you is 100% rude and improper. (It would be nice if the birders acted in a similar manner; often, they do not.)

Typos

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