Cordova Shorebird Festival

NorthernFocus

I finally took time to go down for the Cordova Shorebird Festival this year. It was pretty much a bust on the Saturday that all the people were around. The birds got the date screwed up and didn't show until Sunday. Then it rained Sunday morning and ran off most of the people that did stick around. I didn't have a ride out till the Monday AM ferry so was stuck there. Just me, a couple of professional photographers, a half dozen serious birders, and a couple hundred thousand sandpipers. What else is a guy gonna do but grab a few pixels :dunno

Mostly shot with D300 but a couple with D7000. Both cases with 200-400VR mostly with 1.4x TC attached.

This first one is the most indicative of the experience to me. Utter chaos and me trying to figure out how to shoot these suckers. I actually kind of like the shot in an unintended abstract sort of way...
#1


Okay a bit better image of a flock.
#2


I finally hit something.
#3


Then I decided to stick with what I know how to do a little better.

This is a western sandpiper which is what makes up the bulk of the migration. They weigh about an ounce or two.
#4


Another western wondering what the heck that big eye was all about.
#5


Here are a couple of least sandpipers. Least but not last I always say...
#6

#7


Then one out of every couple of hundred was a dunlin. This one is in breeding plumage. You can see he's bigger than the little western beside him.
#8


Hopefully I won't get in trouble for slipping in a couple environmental shots. This was across the road from the beach where the birds came in. The rain had cleared up by evening.
#9


And while waiting for the birds to show I went and found some moving water to play with my new D7k body.
#10


All in all not a bad way to spend a weekend :rolleyes

Harryb

Excellent set of images Dan, I also like #1 very much.

When I shot at Bosque and had to deal with large numbers of geese and cranes I found I had to change my normal style of wildlife shooting (high shutter speeds and wide open apertures settings) and approach it more like a landscape shooter.

Ric Grupe

Looks like a great time!

It never occured to me that these birds migrated in such large numbers.

I think I'd go through the effort of cutting out an in focus bird and using that first shot as a background for it...it would be awesome!

Excellent shots and posting.

NorthernFocus

Harryb wrote: »

Excellent set of images Dan, I also like #1 very much.

When I shot at Bosque and had to deal with large numbers of geese and cranes I found I had to change my normal style of wildlife shooting (high shutter speeds and wide open apertures settings) and approach it more like a landscape shooter.

Thanks, Harry. Yeah I figured out by the end(i.e. too late) that a shorter lens and smaller apertures were in order. Lighting (lack of) was a real challenge for most of the trip. One thing that was really cool that I failed to capture was when a flock of thousands of birds flying just above the ground would flow around a person standing on the beach. Like water flowing around a rock in a stream but at 50mph or so. I'll just have to go back next year.:D

Ric Grupe wrote: »

Looks like a great time!

It never occured to me that these birds migrated in such large numbers...

I've seen articles that estimate as many as 6-10 million western sandpipers alone make this migration. The beach that is accessible by road is not even on the Copper River Delta proper. One has to go by boat or plane to get to the real numbers of birds. But how many birds can a guy shoot, after all

Osprey Whisperer

That's too bad about the way Mother Nature treated you all and those birds can never be trusted to show up on time or as requested. That's quite a site. I've never seen that many sandpipers. Cool beans. Looks like you captured some nice behavioral images.

PeterBird

Great set of pictures. Those masses a an incredible sight! I really like your low-angle shots of the waders, too! Good sharpness and exposure.
Peter

NorthernFocus

Thanks for the comments. It's pretty cool seeing the big flocks of birds and the way they fly in such tight quarters.