Category: Photography

Townsend’s Warbler-Male

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Copyright © 2013 Deborah M Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

I didn’t think I got a decent photo of this Warbler because he was so flitty, and in the shade of this Pine Tree, and my Tamron Teleconverter has a bit of wiggle room so it moves and I lose Auto-focus. I need to get it fixed. I was so excited to see that I got a fairly sharp photo of him after all. That he had breakfast was a bonus! 🙂

Nikon D300s|Nikkor 300mm f4 + Tamron 1.4x TC=420mm| f8| 1/1250s| ISO 800| Manual Priority| Matrix Metering| Monopod| New Brighton State Beach| Capitola, CA

Mercury and Saturn Close Conjunction

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Copyright © 2013 Deborah M Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

Mercury is the brightest Planet, and Saturn is the dimmer one under Mercury above Walton Lighthouse in Santa Cruz, CA. I don’t know what the faint star to the right is called.
As expected I didn’t see ISON at all and it didn’t show up in my photos. It’s too close to the Sun now to be seen.

Nikon D700| Nikkor 24-70@ 70mm| f10| 2.5 sec| ISO 1000| Manual Priority| Spot Metered| Tripod

Golden Crowned Sparrow-Winter

Posted in Birds, California, Copyright 2013 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved., Nature, Photography, WildlifeTagged , , , Leave a comment

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Copyright © 2013 Deborah M Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

I have to double-check, but I think this is my first Golden Crowned Sparrow!
So, far this has been a fantastic birding year for me, and it’s still early in the season.
If I see Eagles this winter it will be icing on the cake. 🙂

Photographing birds in Manual Focusing mode is tough. My finger is always on the focusing ring and I’m adjusting all the time since the birds are so fast and moving all the time. It’s a miracle I got this in focus at all. My friend Dali shoots with a Legacy Nikon lens the 400mm f/3.5 which is a manual focus lens and he gets the most beautiful bird and wildlife photographs. I want to be as good as that if I have to manual focus.

See his work here.

Nikon D700| Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4 @ f/5.6 + 14E II TC= 420mm| 1/400s| ISO 500| Manual Priority| Cnt Metering| Monopod

 

California Thrasher

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Copyright © 2013 Deborah M Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

Here’s another first for me! This was taken with my AF-S 300mm f/4 and the Nikkor 14E II TC I purchased, but had to send back because the unit wasn’t Auto-Focusing. This is manually focused. This bird was skittish and kept to the bushes and tall grasses for a long time then after awhile it got used to me and my friend Dali and ventured out into the shady side of the trail. There was some nice light on its breast though.

Nikon D700| Nikkor 300mm AF-S f/4@ f/5.6 + 14E II TC =420mm| 1/1250s| ISO 500| Manual Priority| Center Metering| Monopod

Bushtit

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Bushtit, originally uploaded by CircadianReflections Photography.

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Copyright © 2013 Deborah M Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

Testing the Nikkor 14E II Teleconverter that I purchased. It isn’t Auto-focusing on either the D700 or D300s with my AF-S 300mm f/4 lens. Once in awhile when manual focusing the AF would work, but not consistently like it should have. This was manually focused. It looks like this unit is a lemon. I’m sending it back for an exchange. I’m very disappointed.
I’m not good at manually focusing on birds. I don’t have many keepers from the hour and half I was out testing this TC today. In the meantime my Tamron TC will have to do.

Nikon D700| Nikkor 300mm f4 @ f5.6 w/Nikkor 14E II TC =420mm| 1/1000s| ISO 500| Manual Priority| Center Weighted| Monopod

 

Comet ISON Novemeber 18, 2013

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Copyright © 2013 Deborah M Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

I got up really early to try to photograph the Comet ISON. It wasn’t easy locating it. I had binoculars and I scoured the sky looking for it, but never could say for sure I’d seen it. It wasn’t until I uploaded my frames from the morning that I felt I captured it. There’s a tiny green dot with with fuzzy edges just where I’ve placed a label ISON.
I believe that’s it with Spica above it to the right.

As my friend Marsha just said, ” Seeing it compels me to try again”. I totally agree!

Nikon D700| Nikkor 80-200mm @ 200mm| f4| 3.4 seconds| ISO 1000| Manual Priority| Tripod| San Jose, California

Quenching their Thirst

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Copyright © 2013 Deborah M Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

This group flew in and started drinking straight-away. I’ve visited a few Refuges in the last few weeks and the Cranes, Swans, Geese, and other birds are arriving in more numbers each week.
It’s an exciting time to be visiting the Pacific Flyway area of California.

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 300mm f/4@ f/6.3| ISO 500| Manual Priority| Matrix Metering| Hand-held

Sandhill Cranes, California Pacific Fly-way, birding, In the Wild