p.49 #4 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
The Pacific NW is milder than here and I'm envious for the earlier spring.
Recently passed on an offer to work in Washington state for at least a month. Kicking my butt for not accepting it. . Washington state is among my favorites. Live and learn.
Here in Maine, we are in spring too, but it is more like the spring that OwlsEyes describes in MN than the Pacific NW's spring. I am guessing coastal Maine spring is roughly 6 weeks behind the NW
I could be wrong and I have not searched for information on this: I believe that there cannot be swallows hunting over the waters until there has been a large pulse of insect hatchings. How could there be? There would be no energy for them to take in. If anyone knows differently, please post a reference or your personal observation. We nature lovers/photographers all want to learn more about nature
We won't see a large increase in insect biomass here until well into May.
But I suspect "ice-out" any day now and that means a pair of loons to claim their nesting territory. It has been mild enough for a long time now. They will hear the noise and come to inspect. It's the same almost every year. I probably won't hear the first bullfrog until late May. And maybe none, because the GBH's are hunting them. Passerine birds will not nest until the edge of the woods is filled and entirely closed with foliage. That does not happen here until well into June.
p.49 #5 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
Last wood duck...
Just an edit... at first I posted just the wood duck, but I think that it is worth sharing the photo I shot 10 minutes earlier from the same vantage point. This will give you an idea as to how slow spring's arrival actually is. This wood duck and a female were hanging out by a tiny patch of open water adjacent to ice flows that continue to dominate the St. Croix River.
This has been one of the longest stretches of winter in East Central MN for many years. A cold March was once the norm, but the last few years have been unseasonably warm in spring... unpredictability continues to dominate the weather we see in the middle of the continent.
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens800mmf/6.31/800s400 ISO+0.3 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens800mmf/6.31/640s1600 ISO0.0 EV
p.49 #6 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
OwlsEyes wrote:
Last wood duck...
Just an edit... at first I posted just the wood duck, but I think that it is worth sharing the photo I shot 10 minutes earlier from the same vantage point. This will give you an idea as to how slow spring's arrival actually is. This wood duck and a female were hanging out by a tiny patch of open water adjacent to ice flows that continue to dominate the St. Croix River.
This has been one of the longest stretches of winter in East Central MN for many years. A cold March was once the norm, but the last few years have been unseasonably warm in spring... unpredictability continues to dominate the weather we see in the middle of the continent. ...Show more →
Impressive, you are located appr. 600km closer to the equator than my home town, but your image looks positively like you have serious winters.
p.49 #7 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
ChrisMak wrote:
Impressive, you are located appr. 600km closer to the equator than my home town, but your image looks positively like you have serious winters.
MN has some of the coldest weather in the continental United States and was once referred to as the experimental freezer where manufacturers would bring their products to International Falls to test the tolerance to the cold. Where I live, the temperature ranges from: -25deg F (-31 deg C) to 90 deg F (+32.2 deg C). While this year only got down to -15F (-26C) in my area, we have had persistent freeze-thaw cycles and near record snowfalls. This has led to a very cold start to spring. While the birds are coming back, they are doing so very slowly.
p.49 #8 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
I'm a little closer to the equator here in Wisconsin, but this winter has been the absolute worst. It's nearly April, and we got 7" of snow the other day, and have yet to break into the 50s. I don't think I can take living here, and my wife can't wait to get out. Amazing Summers and Autumn will be hard to leave, but boy do these winters absolutely suck.
The toughest part for me is seeing the same winter birds, day in and day out, for 6 months. When the Dark-eyed Juncos are gone, it's a celebration for me, because I know that Spring is actually here and better birding is close at hand. The early visitors have arrived over the last few weeks though: Robins, Red-winged BBs, Song Sparrows and Common Grackles, but like Bruce mentioned, it's slow going.
On the topic of the 800, yesterday I did receive a 1.4TC, so did some quick snapshots outback to see how it performed. 1120mm is crazy, frame-filling fun, but not something I see myself using too often. The TC was primarily purchased for use on a 400 4.5, which takes the place of my departed 500PF as my primary birding lens. 800PF is awesome, but after a couple months of trial and error, turns out it's a little too much lens for general walk-around birding use than I expected.
p.49 #9 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
A few from this morning at a couple different spots. My go to park, Huntington Beach State Park is and has been in the doldrums the last few weeks or more. Should pick up in mid to late April hopefully. It's not horrible just not normal, much fewer birds!
Turkey out the car window. This was taken at Brookgreen Gardens
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens800mmf/6.31/1600s800 ISO0.0 EV
Bad haid day
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens800mmf/6.31/1600s2200 ISO-0.3 EV
Red-winged blackbird passing by
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens800mmf/6.31/1600s400 ISO-0.3 EV
Tern looking for some food
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens800mmf/6.31/1600s560 ISO+0.3 EV
p.49 #10 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
Found some woodies yesterday. Sat on some rocks along the edge of a creek and they just swam up to me. Pretty curious group. There were 3 pair. These are just a few I processed so far.
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens800mmf/6.31/500s400 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens800mmf/6.31/400s400 ISO0.0 EV
So close I couldn't fit her in the frame. So crazy crop it is
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens800mmf/6.31/1600s1000 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens800mmf/6.31/400s400 ISO0.0 EV
p.49 #12 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
Eric214 wrote:
Found some woodies yesterday. Sat on some rocks along the edge of a creek and they just swam up to me. Pretty curious group. There were 3 pair. These are just a few I processed so far.
So envious... the wood ducks near me are extremely timid and very fearful of humans. The hunting pressure can be a bit extreme in MN/WI, as such they are quite wary of the two legged folk. I had to hide behind a snow bank to photograph the ducks that I managed to find
p.49 #13 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
George DeCamp wrote:
Those are some sweet shots Eric! The ones around here if you ever see them get spooked easily and fly off.
Thanks George! Yes in most areas around here wood ducks are very skittish as well.
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OwlsEyes wrote:
So envious... the wood ducks near me are extremely timid and very fearful of humans. The hunting pressure can be a bit extreme in MN/WI, as such they are quite wary of the two legged folk. I had to hide behind a snow bank to photograph the ducks that I managed to find
Mostly the same around here. This is in an area that people bring their kids so they are used to the noise and then running around. I think it desensitizes the ducks a bit to people
p.49 #14 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
Eric214 wrote:
Found some woodies yesterday. Sat on some rocks along the edge of a creek and they just swam up to me. Pretty curious group. There were 3 pair. These are just a few I processed so far.
Wow, never have had a Wood Duck of any sort come anywhere near me like that! The close-up of the female is so dang detailed, great choice on sharing it!
p.49 #15 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
Eric214 wrote:
Found some woodies yesterday. Sat on some rocks along the edge of a creek and they just swam up to me. Pretty curious group. There were 3 pair. These are just a few I processed so far.
These are terrific, Eric! I think the last one is my favorite. That low angle and direct look is really cool, pulls you right in.
p.49 #16 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
MatthewK wrote:
Wow, never have had a Wood Duck of any sort come anywhere near me like that! The close-up of the female is so dang detailed, great choice on sharing it!
Thanks Matthew! Appreciate it. I am a close up and detail guy. For social I'll post a fair amount of tight crops. I do a normal export and then a tight crop. Glad you liked it!
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Ross Martin wrote:
These are terrific, Eric! I think the last one is my favorite. That low angle and direct look is really cool, pulls you right in.
Thanks Ross! I love when i can get really low. I was still only able to get about a foot of the waters surface but it still worked out fairly well. I love that shot too as he is perfectly symmetrical with head, beak and body coming for a looksie
p.49 #17 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
Lovely images Eric. The last pose is so perfect!
Eric214 wrote:
Found some woodies yesterday. Sat on some rocks along the edge of a creek and they just swam up to me. Pretty curious group. There were 3 pair. These are just a few I processed so far.
p.49 #19 · Official 800PF image and discussion thread
Afternoon was considerably more exciting. Got to photograph a bunch of Mountain Bluebirds (my first, they pass through here only for a couple days) and a Northern Shrike.
. Washington state is among my favorites. Live and learn.
