Birds – Page 10 – Circadianreflections Blog

If I had a Song…

June 4, 2014June 4, 2014Posted in Birds, California, Nature, Photography, WildlifeTagged Annas Hummingbird, Birds, Birds in the Wild, Black-necked Stilts, Bumble Bee, Cessna 180, Cliff Swallows, Crested Pekin Mallard, Mockingbird, Ring-necked Pheasant, San Jose California Nature Photographer, Song SparrowsLeave a comment

I’d sing it in the morning!

Last Saturday morning I spent a lovely morning out birding with friends Dali, and Rainey. The weather was great, cool, with a blue sky with a few big, puffy white clouds for just the right amount of diffusion, and not too many intruding city-life sounds.

We went out with the hopes of finding Stilts, and Avocets with chicks or on nests, but we found few Stilts, and only saw two or three Avocets. Overall there were very few shorebirds at all in either of the places we birded yesterday.

We did see quite a few other birds so the morning wasn’t a total bust. Here are some of the images I took Saturday morning.

Black-necked Stilts

Mallard and chick. This was the only chick we saw with her sadly. Actually it was the only chick we saw all morning.

A Mockingbird imitating several birds. I like this pose and setting.

The Cliff Swallows were very busy making sorties to and from their nests.

Hummingbirds are very entertaining and didn’t disappoint this morning either. I saw a territorial spat, but with my 300mm lens wasn’t able to get both birds in the frame. Here’s the offended Hummingbird who thought he had territorial rights to the whole tree.

…after a little of this posturing this Hummer decided he wasn’t having another Hummingbird on the tree, so he went on the attack. I didn’t get them both in the frame, but here’s the intruding Hummer on the defense. They squabbled a bit then they both flew away, and neither returned for sometime, so we moved on.

The Bumble bees were busy with the only blooms I could see.

…and there were other kinds of birds practicing their landing skills at a nearby airport.

Another little Anna’s Hummingbird posed for me.

The most colorful bird of the morning was the Ring-necked Pheasant.

Saturday morning was also a great opportunity to really give my 300mm f4 lens a workout. I hadn’t really since getting it back from Nikon. I’m so happy to report it works really well. It is quieter than before the fix, and AF (auto-focus) seems quite snappy, and responsive even with my 1.4x Teleconverter on it.

It was a good morning despite there being only few shorebirds.

Nikon D300s| AF-S Nikkor 300mm f4| Hand-held

Violet-green Swallow Male

May 27, 2014May 27, 2014Posted in Birds, Nature, PhotographyTagged Birding, Birds in the Wild, San Jose California Nature Photographer, Violet-green Swallow Male8 Comments

I took this image earlier this month with the rented Nikon Df camera. It’s by far my favorite image that I took of the Violet-green male swallow.

Birding with the Nikon Df

May 8, 2014May 8, 2014Posted in Birds, California, Nature, PhotographyTagged Birding, Birds, House Wren, Lazuli Bunting Male, Nikon Df, San Jose CA Nature Photographer, Violet-green SwallowLeave a comment

As I mentioned the other day I’m renting the Nikon Df for a week. I wanted to try the new lighter, smaller Full Frame camera while hiking, shooting landscapes, and night/low light photography. Just to see how it handled I took it out birding yesterday morning. I was pleasantly surprised with how well it did.

This camera isn’t thought of as a Sports or Action camera, but I think it can handle itself with good timing, and technique in these venues.

Colors are truer with this camera. See how turquoise the Male Lazuli Bunting looks in the images below. This is how he really looks.

Compare this top image to one I took of the Lazuli Bunting Male with my Nikon D700.

The sensor isn’t picking up the greens as well in the D700.

Here’s an image I captured of the Male Lazuli Bunting taking off from the snag using the Nikon Df.

Here’s one of a Violet-green Swallow Female taking off from its perch. She was fun to watch. She’s building a nest nearby this snag. She would fly around and around before landing on this perch or flying to the nest. She even buzzed just above my head a few times! I didn’t get too close, and tried to be still so not to upset her.

Swallows are so fast that I haven’t been able to capture one in flight. This take off shot really excited me. It’s a first for me.

The little House Wren made an appearance too. Here it is singing its morning song.

Day 1 with the Nikon Df- I’m finding the camera responsive and fast enough. I’m the one that is slow. My index finger can’t find the shutter button without looking for it. The button is not where my finger is used to going, and the front wheel rotates in a completely different direction than what I’m used to as well so, I’m slower finding it and turning it, and of course I’m turning it in the wrong direction. Right now I have to take my eye off the viewfinder to find the dials I used the most, and it takes two hands to change the ISO dial. I wonder if one can do that one handed while looking through the viewfinder after having the camera for awhile?

A bigger issue for me is; I think my Auto-focus motor is going out in my 300mm f4 lens. For several months now while using it the Auto-Focus will just stop working. It’s done it on 3 cameras, and it’s getting harder to get to it to work doing the usual fixes- What usually works is turning off the camera and reseating the lens, but that isn’t always working now, and didn’t work at all yesterday. I switched off Auto-Focus and shot in full manual. It’s tough to shoot Birds manually focusing. I missed a lot of shots!

I bought this lens used just about a year ago. I don’t know how old it is, but I have an idea based on the serial number. It’s probably close to 10 yrs old. If the previous owner used this lens as often as I do then it’s not surprising to me to have the Focus motor go out on the lens.

I packed up the lens this morning and shipped it to Nikon Service for repair. I’m hoping it’s not too terribly expensive to repair. I would love to have it back in top shape in plenty of time for Fall/Winter birding.

I’ll leave you today with a Violet-green Swallow-Male saying, “I’m outta here!” 🙂 I believe he’s the mate to the female pictured above.

More to come!

Nikon Df| AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4| Induro Tripod

P52 19/52 Anna’s Hummingbird in her Nest

May 4, 2014May 4, 2014Posted in Birds, California, Nature, Photography, TravelTagged Annas Hummingbird, Birding, Birds, San Jose California Nature Photographer, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society2 Comments

This morning I met my friend Dali at a nearby coffee shop then we went up to Los Altos Hills, CA to meet with other birders, and photographers to learn about Bird calls and sounds. Garth Harwood from the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society was the Guide for our group.

We arrived early so, with time on our hands we looked around for birds on our own.

I spied a Hummingbird flying around a nearby tree so I went to investigate. I was watching her through my lens flit around this bushy tree then just like that I lost her. I kept looking and looking around the tree then I found her in her nest! What treat this was.

If I hadn’t been looking so intently I don’t think I would have spotted her at all. Look how well she blends in. In fact when I first spotted her she had her head pulled in a bit more under the branch. I’m glad she peeked out a little bit allowing me to get this image.

Dali and I stayed only an hour. The group was large keeping the birds in the foliage, and foliage was abundant. I suggested we go to the park where I’d seen the Lazuli Bunting on Thursday. Dali hadn’t seen one yet, and I won’t tire of seeing them anytime soon.

More to come!

Hidden Villa, Los Altos Hills, CA, USA

Violet-green Swallow-Female

May 2, 2014May 2, 2014Posted in Birds, California, Nature, PhotographyTagged Birding, Birds, Birds in the Wild, San Jose California Nature Photographer, Violet-green Swallow Female4 Comments

While I was waiting for the Lazuli Bunting to return to its perch one last time several Violet-green Swallows were flying around. I hoped since it was early in the morning they’d be less active and land on a snag. They’re so fast I doubted I’d be able to get one in flight. Then just like that one landed! I had to move quickly to capture this image. I love the look she’s giving me here. I think she’s saying, “This is my best side.” 🙂

I like the painterly look this has. I don’t know why it came out this way…perhaps because I was shooting wide open? Who knows, but I like it.

A male Violet-green Swallow landed on another nearby snag a few minutes later. Her mate perhaps.

It was a great morning for birding.

More to come!

Nikon D700| AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4| Induro Tripod w/ Wimberley Sidekick mounted on a Markus Q20 ball-head

P52 18/52 Lazuli Bunting-1st yr male

May 1, 2014May 1, 2014Posted in Birds, California, Nature, Photography, Project 52-2014Tagged Birding, Lazuli Bunting Male, Nature, Project 52-2014, San Jose California Nature Photographer4 Comments

This is my 1st sighting of this bird! He’s a beauty. He was sitting on a snag singing his heart out until a House Wren flew over and chased him off the snag. Then the Wren started singing.

It was a delightful morning. The lizards came out to be serenaded by the Wren and this Lazuli Bunting.

Happy May Day everyone!

Santa Clara County, CA, USA

3 Things that make me Smile in Spring

May 1, 2014May 1, 2014Posted in Birds, California, Nature, PhotographyTagged Bewick's Wren, Pigeon Point Lightstation, San Jose California Nature Photographer, Spring 2014, Waterfalls4 Comments

1) Waterfalls

We had a little rain a week ago which we really need here in the Western U.S. These little waterfalls flow best after rain.

There wasn’t as much water as in past wetter years, but it was still peaceful and beautiful.

2) The Ice Plant in bloom on the coast

This is Pigeon Point in Pescadero, CA.

3) Fledglings

This Bewick’s Wren was making quite a fuss yesterday afternoon in my backyard. I opened the patio door and saw him and another little chick near the fence yelling for their Mother. She was in the Flowering Plum tree hissing at me.

The nest is in the Oleander Bush in my yard. I had no idea she had babies! They must have just Fledged yesterday. They flew off soon after I took this image. I hope they come out again today.

Images 1, and 2 taken with a Nikon D700, Image 3 taken with a Nikon D300s

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: