Pelicans of the Shem

When I've traveled to South Carolina, seems I always find some time to spend at Shem Creek in Charleston.  The waterfront area is built up, commercialized, nicely.  What I like the most are the commercial fishing boats.  All the masts, booms and nets.  And the colors.  The scenery lines are everywhere.  And the colors.

And where there are free fish to be had, Pelicans are around.  I'm guessing the locals think of Pelicans as trash birds - and they may be.  But for the tourist in me will overlook societies harsh judgement.

Pelican on a Roost

NIKON D6 Ver.01.51/NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6

350 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 110 (AUTO)

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size FX, Polarizer

Pelican Committed to Takeoff

NIKON D6 Ver.01.51/NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6

175 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 (AUTO)

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size FX, Polarizer

Pelican Water Takeoff

NIKON D6 Ver.01.51/NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6

400 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 220 (AUTO)

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size FX, Polarizer

Pelican Water Takeoff

NIKON D6 Ver.01.51/NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6

400 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 (AUTO)

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size FX, Polarizer

Pair of Sandhill Cranes in Flight

Last Saturday's Eagle chase yielded some surprising guest shots.  One of the unexpected guests was a pair of Sandhill Cranes.

This was a very cool event.  Through a long clearing, over a mix of water and grass, a pair of Cranes flew just about right over the spot where I was standing.  I watched their approach for I'm guessing, about 300 yards.  I heard them before I saw them.  I'm guessing I watched them for about 15 seconds - but felt like minutes.  In a good way.  Plenty of time to get the camera up and acquire focus.  No rookie mistakes.  Even had time to breathe.

One of the few events I could watch the entire event unfold through the camera, and not miss much.

Pair of Sandhill Cranes in Flight

NIKON D850 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6

500 mm, 1/1,000th sec, f/5.6, ISO 140 (Auto)

EV +0.67, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

Pair of Sandhill Cranes in Flight

NIKON D850 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6

500 mm, 1/1,000th sec, f/5.6, ISO 280 (Auto)

EV +0.67, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

Pair of Sandhill Cranes in Flight

NIKON D850 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6

500 mm, 1/1,000th sec, f/5.6, ISO 320 (Auto)

EV +0.67, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

Very cool experience to have a subject fly so close.  Will be tough to beat.

Eagle with Dinner

A week ago, I was in 80 degree weather.  Today, 40 degrees, 8 knot winds and drizzle.  The only difference, about 1,000 miles.  I'll get back to South Carolina.

Today, I had an invitation to see an Eagle's nest in Clarkston, Independence Oaks County Park.  Can't pass that up.

Did I mention the weather was pretty crappy?  All of the sky shots will end up being deleted.  Anything eye level or lower, or with a dense tree in the background turned out OK.  And in reality, I'll be back there when the sky is much better - someday.

But we did have a few moments of excitement when one of the parent Eagles hit the water for an un-suspecting catfish and departed for the nest in what seemed to be one move.  I missed the business end of the bird and fish, but did get the water takeoff.  There is a fair amount of distance involved, so the cropping is fairly aggressive.  Won't win any prizes, but looks good on the monitor.

A bird and a fish.

All photos were taken with the D6/200-500 f/5.6 combo, 1/1,000 sec, f/5.6 and ISO between 2500 and 3600.

The Herons of Kensington Metropark

I live under a rock.  Not sure where I picked that up.  Most of the people I grew up with are natural inquisitive explorers.  I balance that out.

There is a metropark that I have passed numerous times in the last 25 years of my life in Michigan.  Last weekend, I finally paid the $10 to spend a few hours exploring.

My photo club has started going there in the past year.  I've never been able to join them on these excursions - but I have heard the tales.  This past weekend was the perfect time to go.

I was hoping to see some bigger birds of prey, but that was not to be.  I did get to see a number of small birds chase a hawk through the trees, followed by a number of photographers.  That lasted for about 15 minutes - and for me at least yielded no useable shots.

The metropark does boast a Heron Rookery on Wildwing Lake.  I've seen photos of rookeries in the southern states, but none close by.  It is a Rock thing.

Heron Family Portrait

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6

400 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 180 (Auto)

EV 0, Manual, Size FX

GBH in the Trees

NIKON D500 Ver.1.31/NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6

750 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 280 (Auto)

EV 0, Aperture Priority, Size DX

GBH Returning Home to the Kids

NIKON D500 Ver.1.31/NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6

660 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100

EV 0, Aperture Priority, Size DX

The first shot was taken while I was walking around for my initial survey.  The shot was hand held.  But while I was there, I know I would return with heavier equipment.  In a rare display of forward thinking, I had the D500 combo-ed with the 200-500 lens ready in reserve.  I also now have stored permanently stored in the truck, a monopod with appropriate gimbal.  All came to good use.  In the middle shot, I decreased the shutter speed to 1/800 from my usual 1/1250 speeds.  That doesn't happen often.

Ospreys of Port Mahon

Port Mahon, Delaware.  Population 0.

The getaway to Delaware for a long weekend was scheduled to be two days at the Dover Airshow.  Ah, schedules.  Didn't work out that way.  Saturday at the show was so hot that Sunday at the show was not in the cards.  On to the famous Plan B.

The core of Plan B was was coastal travel and sightseeing.

Late in the afternoon, we hit Port Mahon, population 0.  There were no habitable buildings there, so I'm guess no zip code either?

Apparently Port Mahon was a port for Little Creek and Lepsic.  OK, I guess coastal villages need a port.  Works for me.

Maybe I was expecting too much.  When you see a sign that says Port Mahon to the right - you think Ice Cream in 15 minutes, right?  Population 0.

But with any combination of land, water and some activity involving fishing - the birds are everywhere.  In the case of Port Mahon, the birds seem to be Gulls, Cormorants and Ospreys.

Sounds like fun.

I had the D850 and the 80-400 combo as the primary equipment for the day.  

I was all in on Osprey watching.

Osprey in the Nest

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6

400 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 125 (Auto)

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size FX

Osprey and Gull

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6

400 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 140 (Auto)

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size FX

Osprey Flying Away with Dinner

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6

400 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 140 (Auto)

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size FX

Osprey with Lunch

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6

400 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 (Auto)

EV 0, Shutter Priority, Size FX

I follow some very good photographers of Ospreys - and these won't crowd their space.  But you have to start somewhere.  For me, the primary point is the eye.  The rest is window dressing.  If we had more time to watch, maybe the dive and food retrieval.  But next time I get to Dover, this is on the agenda.  Agenda 1, Population 0.

Birds from the first Tobico Marsh walk

Yesterday's walk through Tobico Marsh didn't yield any big birds.  No Eagles, young or old.  No Osprey.  But there weren't many people out either, which makes me think I'm early for the big bird season.

That's OK.  I'm getting better at sneaking up on, or having the patience for, smaller flying objects.

At Shiawassee I got to the point where I can spot and Eagle far off.  For a while, I know where they would transit.  For smaller birds, walking through the paths between the roads I could never sneak up on them.  Thus, very few small bird shots.

At Tobico, I had a bit better luck.  Or the smaller birds tolerate the tourists much better.  In each case for the following, I stayed in place for about two to three minutes before the little flying objects returned.

This first shot is far from perfect.  It is about three inches from being the best small bird shot I have.  Anyway, this is more than a miss on the tail end, hah, of the bird in flight.  Truth is, I was focused on the stationary bird and didn't see this until I got home.  I can almost see the stationary bird smile.

Swallow on the Rail

NIKON D500 Ver.1.31/NIKON 80.0-400.0 mm f/4.5-5.6

600 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6 ISO 800 (Auto)

EV +1, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This next one was in the same area where the walkway was at the end of the flooded marsh.  About 15 yards off the walkway was a small clump of grass.  And in the grass, a hiding Canadian Goose.  I tried a number of shots, but could never get the eye clear of the grass stalks.  This was as close to framing the eye that I could get.  You would think if I could move the the right just two inches....

Canadian Goose in Hiding

NIKON D500 Ver.1.31/NIKON 80.0-400.0 mm f/4.5-5.6

600 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6 ISO 640 (Auto)

EV +1, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This is a Red-bellied Woodpecker.  I've verified it with the Merlin application on my phone.  Merlin never lies.  Anyway, I snuck up on it while it was feeding on the ground.  it was one of those situations where I was looking in the trees and almost stepped....  Well not sure who scared who.  Anyway the bird took to flight.  Only to be caught when I got to the top of the observation deck.

Red-bellied Woodpecker at Home

NIKON D500 Ver.1.31/NIKON 80.0-400.0 mm f/4.5-5.6

600 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6 ISO 800 (Auto)

EV +1, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

Tobico Marsh

I found out about the Tobico Marsh area a few weeks ago from one of my friends in the Camera Club.  The area is about an hour north, so easy drive.  My normal nature area, Shiawassee, is still somewhat closed until June 1.  I've noted, not complained, that the changes made to the area in order to hold more water have moved the a lot of wildlife away from the drive.  Not to say I'm looking for a new place to visit, but I'm looking for a new place to visit.

By description, Tobico fits the need.  Michigan is full of places where the origins are in early lumber acquisition.  The Tobico area is no exception.  The area's history starts with logging interests and selling to private individuals when the land was cleared - and in 1957 the individuals selling this area to the State of Michigan and being re-named the Tobico Marsh State Wildlife Refuge.  The area has been added to with other land purchases over time and is now about 1650 acres.

I see lots of potential for wildlife.  I think the season for a lot of activity is not here yet, as the area was not very busy.  Day was a bit on the cold side.  Sky was Michigan spring FLAT.  But I was there to scout the area and test out the D500 and 80-400 lens combo.  And if I could get a little work in with the D850 and 200-500 combo with a monopod, it would be a good day.

It was a good day.

It was a good day for squirrel and chipmunk photos.  And some small birds.

But along the way to small critters, there were two scenes that caught my attention.

Now I'm not an expert on many things, and what I assume to be Beaver domain markings.  But I think this is one sign.  There were many trees in the marsh that looked like the Beavers started the tree felling - and man finished it.  And there were a lot of trees where man was not needed.

This was the first interesting tree stump that I came across.  I like taking photos of wood where the texture can really be brought out - without heroic post processing efforts.

Beaver Fuel

NIKON D500 Ver.1.31/NIKON 80.0-400.0 mm f/4.5-5.6

210 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6 ISO 500 (Auto)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This tree never stood a chance.  You might, rightfully, ask - why are you shooting a still subject at 1/1250?  The answer is I'm working with the lens at what I want to shoot aircraft.  So criticisms of this flaw will fall on deaf ears.

In the marsh area, one of the walkways into the marsh is marked - Closed.  This might be why.

Closed Walkway

NIKON D500 Ver.1.31/NIKON 80.0-400.0 mm f/4.5-5.6

120 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6 ISO 400 (Auto)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

There are better views of the walkways condition, but are all blocked with trees.  Too bad, this walkway is a mess.  And very interesting.  There is an observation tower right next to this where I tried to get a better view from above.  No luck on this subject, but winner shots to come from the top of the tower.

Bringing Home the Food - Part II

Today was not the best day to be out and about.   Heavy overcast.  Just plain flat.  But I needed to get out and walk around a bit.  Good day to get back to basics.  I've been relying on high shutter speeds (over 1/1200th sec) to help with focus.  Call it a crutch.  And to really handicap myself, I used a polarizer.  The polarizer just arrived and I was looking to use it, no matter what.

I wanted to check out the Eagles in Richfield Park.  I've stopped by their nest a few times this year, but always appeared no one was home.  I heard from a friend that the nest was still being used.  So the nest was a destination today.

Over the last three years that I've been observing the nest and Eagle life, I've come to the conclusion that the more time that is spent at the nest, the better the chance to see something more than a bird in the trees.  You have to work for it.  Except for today.  I spent about 15 minutes at the nest.  One of my favorite sights is to see one of the Eagles fly directly overhead bringing home some food.  It's not easy, because it is silence coming to you from behind.  Sometimes I can see the reflection in the pond water, but not today.  

The Eagle is in flight above my head in view for only 3 to 5 seconds.  Hate to say it, but if I was using the 200-500 lens, I probably miss it.  With the 70-300 lens, much lighter to swing around.  The difference is 1.5 pounds to 5.25 pounds.

Bringing Home the Food

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

450 mm, 1/640th sec, f/5.6, ISO 110 (AUTO)

EV +1, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

A year ago, I was able to catch food being delivered, here.  It almost looks like as spring brings out the greens and life, it's also a good gage on the new life of the Eaglets.  Didn't see this until I started looking at the photos on a monitor.  Eaglet!  Need a serious crop to get the little one.  Big eyes and a lot of fuzz.

Mom and Eaglet

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR

450 mm, 1/640th sec, f/5.6, ISO 140 (AUTO)

EV +1, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

Tomorrow is forecasted to be a much better day, light-wise.  Sunny.  Maybe.  I read where the Eaglets spend most of their day eating, so the food train has to keep rolling.  Maybe get another shot.

Out on a Farm

There are many good reasons to join a photo club.  One of the best reasons is you are 'forced' out of your comfort zone.  Or you can state it in the words of Monty Python - And now for something completely different.

I've wanted to visit a farm for a long time for a photographic opportunity.  Michigan has farms aplenty.  And so when a friend from the club offered a farm field trip, I was all over it.

I googled farm photography.  Two items were the most talked about.  First, on the arts side - pay attention to the background.  And for the most part I did.  Next, be prepared to get dirty and muddy.  And for the most part I was.  Success all around.

For the outing I went with the D850 and 24-70 lens.  I didn't expect any fast action stuff and I thought I'd be pretty close to the action.  And I was confident enough to not take a backup combo setup.  Whew, I didn't miss by much.  I could have used the 70-200 lens when I was outside.  The smaller critters didn't come up too close.  But for the inside shots, the 70-200 lens would have been useless.  One of the other things I learned was the D850 and a f/2.8 lens lets in a LOT of light.  I have two 'inside' shots for tractors that I thought I'd need to do a lot of light addition work to get to come out.  As right as I was about the combo to use, I was not so right on this.  Wow.   Goes to show, you need to get out there and shoot.

We endured a bit of a rain delay once we were out in the field.  The rain wasn't heavy by any stretch, but was a lot more than mist.  So we took about a ten minute break in a horse shelter until the worst passed.  But the clouds never really broke and the light was generally CRAP.  (Said with due respect to all the meadow muffins.)  And as always, if you look hard enough in any great setting you can find a rainbow.  And there was a very nice one at one point.  Great to see one without a bunch of urban development around.

For the critter side, the farm had three horses and some beef.  Horses were great.  No biting.  No fast moves.  Very relaxed.   This was my favorite horse shot.  Really close up.  That eye is right at you.  Supports the photo adage, if the eye is sharp, the rest will follow.

White Horse - Pale Sky

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR

48 mm, 1/200th sec, f/5.6, ISO 320 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

As to the beef, there were three cows and four calves.  The calves were just awesome.  The young ones are always cute.  These four were great color targets, going from mostly all white to to the other end of the spectrum.  And what I would call personality was flowing through these little ones.  They would come up to me, until I moved.  (I had to resist a moo moment there.)  Then they'd step back a bit.  Who startled who first?  So I did move around quite a bit.  And this is my favorite shot with the calves.  Remembering the advice to make sure the background was right.  I had to wait for this to line up, and everyone played their part.

Two babies and a Mom

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR

48 mm, 1/200th sec, f/5.6, ISO 320 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

And another reason it is good to travel with a photo club, sometimes the odd photo is taken.

Not ever to be one who could talk to the animals, but I tried to negotiate my safe passage past the gate.  I was granted safe passage by the horses, by they could not guarantee the beef would honor their word.  I was on my own there.  Thanks Bob for the photo.

Lazy Sparrow Shot

It's Friday.  It's after work.  Can't get more lazy than that.  The sun is out - and although not summer warm, it is coming out of winter warm.

We have a homemade birdhouse in front of the house, close to my office window.  The house is untreated wood and it shows.  It has been weathered by at least 10 Michigan outdoor years.  Wood grains and colors are awesome.  Can't buy it in a store.

Over the years, the house has been home to a new Sparrow family every spring.  From the house I can watch the cycle of the birds freshening up the nest with new organic material, starting the family and then moving out, all in the space of a few months.  I never got it as a kid how all this could be interesting.  But now, we'll always have a bird house or many around.

So I have the cameras out this afternoon, getting prepped for a small outing tomorrow.  I've been working a lot with the D850, now how to bring out the D500.  Tomorrow's nature hike in a county park that will be new to me will have the D500 and the 70-300 lens as the primary unit.  I'll take the D850 and monster lens in the car for backup or opportunity.  (Frankly, I'm learning that unit is heavy to lug around!)

Back to today, and the sunlight hitting a Sparrow on the birdhouse in front of the house.  It's not exotic.  It's not exciting.  But it is a sign, spring is on the way.  The term lazy in the title does not refer to the Sparrow.  It refers to me being lazy in the effort to obtain this shot.   Slightly more than mailing it in.

Lazy Sparrow Shot

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED)

300 mm, 1/2000 sec, f/3.5, ISO 160 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

Looking forward to tomorrow's hike.  Maybe a bit warmer, and just as many no clouds.

Southern Osprey - 2012

In the summer of 2012, I found myself in South Carolina.  Long time ago to be sure, and who really knows for sure.  Long enough that the statue of limitations for anything I may or may not have done have clearly expired.  What I do know for sure is I had gray hair then as I do now, and I had a D90 with 18-200 lens.  And just enough photo knowledge to be dangerous.

As part of that trip, we, C's family and I, hired a 'captain' to take us to through the deltas, or swamps or whatever that area is.  We found the guy in a triple A guide.  We called him.  He said he was out of business, for years.  We had a good laugh, but he said he could use some cash and needed to catch dinner for the next few days so we were on.  He said he didn't have the carter boat anymore, but had a smaller craft that would comfortably fit the four of us, plus him and the first mate.  When I heard that, thought of Gilligan and the three hour tour.  And three hours was just about the length of the cruise.  It was all coming together.

We met the captain at the appointed time and boat ramp.  The boat was large enough for 5.5 people.  The .5, first mate, was a full grown German Shepard.  This was going to be fun.  If we didn't wind up as alligator bait.

The captain was a great guy.  We hit the jackpot.  Great talker and story teller.  Our little adventure had more twists and turns.  As a child of the electronic GPS age, I was impressed on how we got back to the starting point before sundown.  But between the starting point and the ending point, we had a lot of fun.  We saw birds, gators and more birds.  I wasn't as savvy in the avian recognition talents as I am now.  Please hold the laughs.  And you could say, I wasn't as savvy in the photographic arts either.  Or as I will say now, building the blocks of experience.

I had the D90 and the 18-200 lens.  The lens is slightly better than a kit lens.  But good enough I still have it.  It's not going to EBAY.

I was re-visiting the photos this evening and I saw this one.  It is fair to say it was forgotten.  And it is fair to say at the time, I had no idea what I had photographed.  And I'm happy to see it was in RAW.  I can do this.

Even at 200 mm, the subject of the image was pretty small.  Perfect enlarging project for the evening.

Osprey with a Meal on a Dead Tree

NIKON D90/NIKKOR 18-200mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR II

200 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400

EV -0.67, APERTURE Priority, Size DX

Three years ago, I saw my first Osprey in Michigan.  I've been hooked on them since.  Along with the Eagles, my favorite targets when I go out.  In level flight, big and slow targets.  Once they go down vertical, the challenge begins.

This is as close as I can crop and keep everything pretty much in focus.  The fact the tree is interesting helps.  Looks good on the monitors.  No prizes, but good memories.

Weekday Quick Visit to For-Mar

The days are getting longer!  Today was sub-freezing all day. but the sun was out and it felt like spring skiing.  There was two to four inches of fresh snow overnight.  I usually don't get out much on weekdays, especially work weekdays.  But there are sometimes you just have to get out.

When I got to the park, I headed out to my tree stand with hopes that the little birds would want to get out in the sun.  I arrived at the stand and .......  Silence.  Only the traffic noises.   But I still got out and walked around.

The tree stand is probably fifty yards long.  The first forty five yards can be best described as above.  But the last five yards had some bird chatter.  And some small birds.  And some color.  I thought I was taking photos of robins - but it looks like they were the Common Redpoll.  The photos aren't all that good.  Small birds at 30 yard morph into very small birds to photograph.  Those photos could be a rainy/snowy day project for AI Gigapixel.

But what I did get was this American Goldfinch.  Nice yellow and black.  Pittsburgh colors.  Give it a cap/helmet and a ball.  This was relatively at a distance and a pretty good crop.  In other words, I've done better.  And that's OK - room to improve.

American Goldfinch

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f5.6E ED VR

500 mm, 1/2000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 500 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

For the small bird shoots, I need to use the D500 to get the extra 250 mm of reach.  And maybe a chair.  With the monopod.  And more time.

So after my pass by the tree stand, I did a short loop through some of the trails.  I was out, not one to waste a good walk.  I had to watch my footing a bit on the trails.  What was icy last weekend was now covered with a couple of inches of snow which helped a lot.  But still had to be careful.  I'd walk a bit then stop to look and listen.  Never much noise.  But the best part of the day for me was to spy this small group of Mourning Doves in the trees.  No noise.  Just me looking around and seeing something that was different.  A birdwatcher moment?

Mourning Doves

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f5.6E ED VR

500 mm, 1/2000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 250 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

That's like a 360 degree view.  Front and both sides.  Fun 90 minutes to get out of the house.

It started as a bird chase

All week I'd been thinking of taking a suitable camera/lens combo to a bird stand I found during last week's nature hike.  I wanted sunny skies and 70 degrees - but would accept 50.  Maybe 40.  It's January.  I'd been looking at the Weather Channel website all week.  Sunny skies from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  Wind around 5 MPH.  Whoo Hoo!  Temp - 18 at 8:00 AM.  24 at noon.  No one said this would be easy.

There were multiple objectives for today's outing.  First - birds.  I'll settle for birds at rest - or not in flight.  Second objective was to work with a monopod.  A late entry for the third objective was to say warm.

Woke up this morning to cloudy skies.  Dammit.  And 18 degrees.  Well, they got that part right.  Dammit.

Ten o'clock arrived, so did the sunny skies and 20 degrees.  Time to go.

I found a lot of robins in the bird stand.  I took multiple photos of the robins that would be later deleted.  Technically OK, but they could have been seagulls and been just as interesting.  Practice.  What I did find out was using the monopod was easy.  But getting it there and walking around with it ain't fun.  Logistics.

I took the monopod back to the truck, then took off for other parts of the park.  The park paths were covered with ice, but the sides were OK with a crusty snow or solid ground.  Still had to look down a lot to stay off the ice.  But I wanted to keep my eyes to the skies.  Looking for anything in the trees.  I wasn't expecting to find...

Squirrels.

The squirrels I saw must have been deaf.  I was crunching on lots of snow.  So I was off the walking path, walking in the snow, out of the ice, looking down.  I stopped at some point to scan the trees, and this one couldn't have been more than 20 feet away.  Sitting in a tree, doing its thing.  Eating.  And keeping one eye on me.

Nothing to see here

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f5.6E ED VR

500 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 640 (AUTO)

EV +.67, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

OK, its a squirrel, but....  That D850 takes a good shot when coupled with the 200-500 lens.  This was hand held.  Close enough to see the nose whiskers.  I'm good with that.

I tried to find a way around the squirrel without disturbing it.  No luck.  When I did get by, the squirrel moved from the tree, crossing the path above my head.  Not sure what the squirrel was thinking.  There were many possibilities.  Like, I got you pegged man.  Or real nature photographers use Canon.  Loser.

Eye in the Sky

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f5.6E ED VR

500 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 640 (AUTO)

EV +.67, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

Still lots of great detail.  Love it when the sun hits the area.

And another squirrel saw me coming.  I thought it was yelling at me, but just was carrying around lunch.

Keep Moving Pal

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f5.6E ED VR

500 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 900 (AUTO)

EV +.67, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

You can miss a lot when you have to keep your eyes on the path.  So stop and look up every once in a while.

I wanted to make one last pass through the bird stand before calling it a day.  This was a little past noon.  No activity at all.  Squirrels must have warned them.  But I didn't leave empty handed.  I saw a few deer in a clearing just off the path.  And then I saw this framed shot.

Framed Deer

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f5.6E ED VR

410 mm, 1/2000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 640 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

I didn't notice it at the time, but the front legs have something odd going on.  There are some knees not going in the right direction.  Do I need a Bernie in a chair in front of the deer?

Good time to get out of the house.  Turned out to be a nice day to walk around.  Close to noon probably isn't a good bird hour.  Needs to be in the 8 to 9 area.  My guess.  Thankfully there are more weekends coming up.

Owl Prowl and Nature Walk

2021 seems to be starting out well.  Getting the Flint River kayak photo was a great way to start the year.  There was a wintery mix forecasted for yesterday that might have added to scenery for today's hike.  Never happened.  Michigan gray today.  And spoiler alert - no owl photos.

One of the county parks here is For-Mar Nature Preserve & Arboretum.  I've only been living here for twenty some odd years and I'm just finding out about these places.   To be fair, to me, I've know about the location but not about some of the interesting things you can do here.  And on this weekend's schedule was a Friday night owl prowl and Saturday morning nature Photo Hike.

The owl prowl was very interesting to me.  I am owl ignorant.  I could only go up from here.  It was way too dark for photos and I really just wanted to know about the owls who lived down the road from me.  There will be other photo opportunities.  I learned about owl calls.  I learned where they were in the area.  And more importantly I got out of the house for a few hours.  If you ever get a chance to go on an owl prowl, take it!  We had two screech owls fly past our group.  We were able to find where one perched so I have now seen an owl in the wild.  I do need to get out more.  And as much as I learned about owls in the wild, one of the more interesting facts of the night was turkeys sleep in trees.  Yep, what you can learn when you get out of the house.

In the category of other learned lessons, I need to up my technology.  In the field of of night lighting.  Subcatagory: Flashlights.  I was carrying around a 20+ year old, 3 D Cell mag light.  Dim dirty yellow.  And the batteries were new.  Nothing like an old, cold flashlight.  And for $10 I could have had a AA LED.  Ha.

This morning's nature photography hike was nice.  Temps just below freezing.  No wind.  And I bundled up like Charlie Brown.  Maybe 75% Charlie Brown.  The guides from the owl prowl were the guides for the nature hike.  What a neat job!  Something for retirement?  I liked the opening briefing.  The guides started out by talking about getting off the AUTO setting and moving to Manual.  Magnificent.  We walked around a bit, didn't appear to a set pattern.  Again, just good to get out of the house and talk to people.  Socially distanced people.

Since this was my first photo hike at For-Mar, and I could only guess what was going to happen, I spent way too much time over-thinking what camera/lens combo I needed.  The widest range lens I have is a 18-200 DX.  The first 'upgrade' lens.  Eleven years ago, I added that to my collection for use with a D90.  With all the upgrades in the last few years, that lens has not seen much duty lately.  Still a good lens.  So that was the front end on the D500 for the hike.  Most of the shots ended up being over 70 mm.  Next time out, the 70-200 will do.

There wasn't much going on, nature wise. What I do know about 'naturing' is that the critters are much more active at feeding time.  And 9:00 AM may be a bit late for the breakfast shift.  And middle of winter sort of cuts down on the residency numbers as well.  But there are full time residents.

Turkey Two Trot

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6

105 mm, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1100 (AUTO)

EV +0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

In aircraft terms, the Turkeys are in the T-6 class for me.  Big, slow, easy to photograph.  And somewhat colorful.  I stood still for a while, less than five minutes, and these two walked less than ten feet away from me.

During the hike, one of the hikees who wasn't watching where they were going spotted a solo hawk flying through the trees.  The entire group watched it for a while as it tried to keep us from watching.  At one point, the hawk was marginally close to us and this was the best I could get.

Far Off Hawk

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6

200 mm, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400 (AUTO)

EV +0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

After the hike was over, I did some extra exploring.  Why waste a good Charlie Brown get up?  I found myself in a grove of trees with a lot of little birdie wildlife.  Small and fast.  Sport class.  Among the bird I recognized was the common Robin.  Lots of those around here.  And to be honest, I wasn't interested it wasting disk space on one.  But while I was in target acquisition mode, the Robin departed.  Definitely a press and pray.  I may have had the best shot of the day for me.

Robin Exit Flight

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6

135 mm, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 2200 (AUTO)

EV +0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

And in the final category for the day's events, something new.  Cedar Waxwing.  I have never seen one before.  Or maybe I have and thought it was a Robin?  With the Robin shot and this one, I almost feel like a real birder.  If they only made the noise of two Pratt and Whitneys in full AB.  Probably better that they are mostly quiet in case they decide to buzz the house.

Cedar Waxwing

NIKON D500 Ver.1.30/18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6

200 mm, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 640 (AUTO)

EV +0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

All in all a real good day and a fun evening spent in the park.  Really need to take the big lens out there.  Time to get comfortable with a monopod.  And practice patience.

Richfield Park Excursion

Woke up this morning to a surprise fluffy overnight snowfall.  A small amount of snow as forecasted, but there was more on the ground and in the trees than I expected.

When I see these mornings I recall my years when I really enjoyed winter.  I like winter these days, just not as cold or as long.  Back in the day, give me winter for 11 months out of the year.  Give me those nice walks on snow covers paths and streets.  Snow gives me that 'crunch' with each step.  Fluff, or not.  The sound, the feel and the peace.

So this morning, after clearing off the driveway I took off for Richfield park.  Home of the Richfield Eagle photos and the Richfield BMX track.  I was the first one there for the day.  Pulled up right behind the county truck that opened the park.  I'm guessing he was late due to plowing other areas.  I wasn't that early, but first is first.

And that reminded me of of being the first on the slopes.  With a few inches of fresh snow.  Nothing like it.

Back to the Park.  Beautiful drive.  In a way, a bit eerie as well.  In places, there was no color.  Just dark and light.  Silver.  Took me back many years.

The entrance to one side of the park crosses the Flint River.  Yes, that Flint River.  I saw this as I approached the bridge.  My first real shot of color in the Park.  What caught my eye was the white to greens and yellows and back to white.  Beautiful.

Winter Road to Green

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E

62 mm, 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 1100 (AUTO)

EV +1, MANUAL MODE, Size: FX

After crossing the river, I started to walk around.  Eventually I found my way to the bridge.  I figured a shot upstream and one downstream and move along.  Sometimes you just get lucky.  I think best shot of the day.

I like the whites and darks - and the shot color.  Awesome.

Flint River Winter Kayak

NIKON D850 Ver.1.20/NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E

70 mm, 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 1400 (AUTO)

EV +1, MANUAL MODE, Size: FX

With the overcast sky and the trees covered with snow, looks like a river of silver.

It was good to get out for a few hours today.  And a good photo.