New to Birding

Swartzy · November 4, 2006

Am having lots of fun though. I'm using the 70-300 IS so my shots aren't anything like you masters post on this thread but thought I'd share some of the joy!

Here's a wildlife refuge us locals frequent:

Living in Minnesota we have lots and lots of these:

Some geese too

I think this is a blue heron but maybe not....notice the chunk out of his neck

Canadians passing through. If you look closely...directly in the middle about 1 inch up from bottom, you'll see a hawk sitting in the tree.

Often times the juveniles are on the other side of the river and the 300 is a little tough to get there. This one was on my side of the road and could get fairly close:

Then he took off but many trees were in the flight path. Even though I clipped his wing it's my best close up to date...I keep trying

Thanks for looking :lust

gluwater · November 4, 2006

That blue heron sure looks a lot like a female Double-crested Cormorant to me

. Nice captures. There are Tundra Swans staging on the Mississippi sort of near you if you want something different to shoot. Check this link out for more info. Oh and BTW your juvenile Bald Eagle is way better than any Eagle shots I've ever gotten.

dbaker1221 · November 4, 2006

good job! I love the last one

Harryb · November 4, 2006

Looks like you're off to a good start.

Dick on Aruba · November 4, 2006

Nice series! Looks like a great place to be for birding.

Your images appear to be slightly over-saturated

Thanks for sharing.

Dick.

Awais Yaqub · November 4, 2006

Great start friend loved your shots !

Swartzy · November 4, 2006

Thanks Guys
Birding is a blast. Just might have to look at the 100-400 IS. Can't afford a 500mm, not for 5200 smackers. Sorry about the saturation in these. I shoot RAW 99.9% of the time and have a pretty smooth work flow...these were all in JPeg...for some reason after working on them in DPP, then importing to PS something happened. Kind of tees me....will rework them and see what's going on. Thanks Dick for bringing that to my attention.

Thank you everyone for your comments and support. Obviously, "making" photographs versus taking pictures is what I strive for. Birding can be pretty fast paced. All of you do such a great job and I really enjoy your photos.

pathfinder · November 4, 2006

Swartzy,

I think you did great, especially with a 300mm handicap!!

Ric Grupe · November 4, 2006

Nice group, David.

You probably already know that a telephoto zoom is always soft at the long end.....nothing you can do about it.:cry

I struggled with my 75-300 IS for quite awhile before that finally sunk in to me. I hear that the new 70-300 IS is better, as is evidenced by your shots. I went out and bought the 70-300 DO IS and it was much better, but still soft at 300. So, after all that wasted time and cash, I finally bought the 300L f/4 IS. There is no comparison. My percentage of keepers quadrupled right off. Now I deposit shots in the recycle bin that I used to struggle to save.....because that's all I had.

Just my experience.....hope it helps you.

Oh, and don't forget the 1.4 TC! (a must for birding)

Swartzy · November 5, 2006

Thanks Pathfinder!

pathfinder wrote:

Swartzy,

I think you did great, especially with a 300mm handicap!!

Really appreciate it. Always enjoy your images....hey, let's hop on the bikes and ride out to Bryce....I need a nice shot for the wall over the loveseat...

Swartzy · November 5, 2006

Thanks Ric

Ric Grupe wrote:

Nice group, David.

You probably already know that a telephoto zoom is always soft at the long end.....nothing you can do about it.:cry

I struggled with my 75-300 IS for quite awhile before that finally sunk in to me. I hear that the new 70-300 IS is better, as is evidenced by your shots. I went out and bought the 70-300 DO IS and it was much better, but still soft at 300. So, after all that wasted time and cash, I finally bought the 300L f/4 IS. There is no comparison. My percentage of keepers quadrupled right off. Now I deposit shots in the recycle bin that I used to struggle to save.....because that's all I had.

Just my experience.....hope it helps you.

Oh, and don't forget the 1.4 TC! (a must for birding)

Yes, thanks for sharing that because I've been thinking along those lines....good food for thought. I might go after the 400 prime. Saw a really nice deal on the flea market here but don't have the cash right now...that lens with a 1.4 tc would be perfect. I agree about the softness at 300mm. I like the lens overall and think it will serve many purposes, but for true birding a prime can't be beat. Thanks again.