Tree swallows and terns in flight

jeff lapoint

The Man has been keeping me down of late and has been a real hinderance on my spring time nature photography. When I do get a chance to get out I have been trying to capture fast moving birds in flight.

The tree swallows are back in full force at San Joaquin.







Standing still they seem to be pretty willing subjects, but in the air they dart about like tiny MIG fighter jets. A few hundred shots taken and I have but a few semi-keepers. I post them now so I can chart some progress next time (hopefully).







The AF speed of the MKII helps quite a bit, but my technique still has along way to go. On several of these I had to change my lens from 400 to 200mm for more favorable minimum focus distance. Hopefully these will get better with time!

Another one of my favorite subjects are the terns that come back to breed at Bolsa Chica each spring.





I'm still undecided if the most dramatic part of their feeding is the dive...






...or the part where they surface from the water.






Think I'll head back next weekend and spend some more time there before I decide:D.

Thanks for the look and for making it through a long post!

-j

saurora

Two nice series Jeff!!! Those little swallows are really sharp looking little birds in a photograph. Your exposures look right on. Love the little one peeking around the corner at you. And your first tern shot is awesome! They are all great fun to see. I was going to go down to Bolsa Chica this weekend and didn't make it. Maybe I'll run into you someday. I'll be the one with the shortest lens.

Rohirrim

Great series Jeff. Love the backgrounds on the first couple swallows. Impressive in flight shots of the swallows, they may not be perfect but there pretty damn nice considering how fast those birds dart around.

The Terns are also very nice. I think I need to buy a ticket to LA :

Osprey Whisperer

Some nice shots you've got there, Jeff. Shooting diving terns....not that sounds like fun.

jwear

nice work Jeff the terns are back almost went out this morning but have too much to do --taking Hunter to yosemite for a little shooting --welcome back nice shots and the swifts do live up to thier name

jeff lapoint

saurora wrote:

Two nice series Jeff!!! Those little swallows are really sharp looking little birds in a photograph. Your exposures look right on. Love the little one peeking around the corner at you. And your first tern shot is awesome! They are all great fun to see. I was going to go down to Bolsa Chica this weekend and didn't make it. Maybe I'll run into you someday. I'll be the one with the shortest lens.

Thanks for the comments saurora! Bolsa has tons of opportunites. Ben, Jeff, and a ton of others shoot there too so let us know if you need the low down on the place

Thusie

Great job Jeff, love the swallows Actually VERY, VERY impressed
Was almost being swarmed by them the other day and could not get a good shot, way to slow (me).

jeff lapoint

Rohirrim wrote:

Great series Jeff. Love the backgrounds on the first couple swallows. Impressive in flight shots of the swallows, they may not be perfect but there pretty damn nice considering how fast those birds dart around.

The Terns are also very nice. I think I need to buy a ticket to LA :

Thanks Steve. A few thousand more shots and I may get some more I like

C'mon out to LA anytime, I could use the help pitching the 500 F4 to the wife

jeff lapoint

Bird Man Photographer wrote:

Some nice shots you've got there, Jeff. Shooting diving terns....now that sounds like fun.

Thanks Mike! You're right , it has been a blast

jeff lapoint

jwear wrote:

nice work Jeff the terns are back almost went out this morning but have too much to do --taking Hunter to yosemite for a little shooting --welcome back nice shots and the swifts do live up to thier name

Thanks Jeff! Have fun at Yosemite and I'll keep the tern company until you return.

Dick on Aruba

Great series Jeff. The diving terns are awesome.

Imagine that I was a bit worried about posting 19 pictures in one thread.




Dick.

robert mccane

relly good:):

Harryb

Excellent shots Jeff. Great to have you back posting again.

jeff lapoint

Thusie wrote:

Great job Jeff, love the swallows Actually VERY, VERY impressed
Was almost being swarmed by them the other day and could not get a good shot, way to slow (me).

Thanks so much Thusie! I wish I could say this was the first time I tried to shoot these little dudes, but in reality it has been several trips of failure before I got 3 or four partially in focus images. With me its kinda like giving a monkey a typewriter...sooner or later I'll catch something in focus

jeff lapoint

Harryb wrote:

Excellent shots Jeff. Great to have you back posting again.

Good to be back Harry!