Gorgeous shots of the day, Alex. I am also struggling with those Shearwaters and I don't think I captured a Sooty or Fluttering that I can tell! However, I also have the Jaegers five times so working hard on sorting them as well. All are new to me except for the Booby and the Gannet and I agree, well done, Dale!
Shooting was difficult but my lens was great although it took me some time to work out to set for the brown birds and then ramp up the speed for the white ones. Reflection off the water and feathers was a consideration so a number of average shots to come.
Then there was the challenge of keeping your footing! A fantastic day and I want to go again to improve my photography and ID skills.
Wow Alex, you really produced some beautiful pictures from WTP and Serendip, I feel like you have an album of shots now that very much covers the flavour of the birds that you typically find there! And some outstanding shots like the Hobbies, the dusk Sandpiper shots, and that poor Curlew Sandpiper with the pecked out eye! Very cool that you picked up the Little Egret with a fish, and the Yellow-billed Spoonbill and Musk Duck in action.
And on to a pelagic!! The birds and experiences keep rolling. Very interested to hear about this one, and especially how you found the different lenses and cameras for shooting on the day; that was very helpful! Looking forward to more birds once you've sorted them out, don't envy you that job!
Glad you finally got your pelagic in, if your not already, they can be addictive.
Looking forward to more of your photos. It does change they way you think, when your moving around in all different directions at once.
I use a zoom lens, currently 100-500, with shutter speeds up to 1/5000th of a second, spot focus and am lucky enough to have eye tracking (once/if I can get it locked on). I think for most 1/2000 is enough, but some of the smaller Storm Petrels, maybe up to 1/3200. I guess you just need to experiment and find what works best for you. I was using a 1.4 Teleconverter, but it restricts the shorter end too much (turns the 100-500 into something about 300-700).
The setup I really want is a 300mm f2.8 prime with a 2x Teleconverter, but that fixes length at 600mm (another birder had that combo, and it worked for him) not enough range for close birds, and the cost is prohibitive at the moment
Thanks for the compliment on my pelagic photos, my secret is to take hundreds and hopefully a few will pass muster.
Glad you finally got your pelagic in, if your not already, they can be addictive.
Looking forward to more of your photos. It does change they way you think, when your moving around in all different directions at once.
I use a zoom lens, currently 100-500, with shutter speeds up to 1/5000th of a second, spot focus and am lucky enough to have eye tracking (once/if I can get it locked on). I think for most 1/2000 is enough, but some of the smaller Storm Petrels, maybe up to 1/3200. I guess you just need to experiment and find what works best for you. I was using a 1.4 Teleconverter, but it restricts the shorter end too much (turns the 100-500 into something about 300-700).
The setup I really want is a 300mm f2.8 prime with a 2x Teleconverter, but that fixes length at 600mm (another birder had that combo, and it worked for him) not enough range for close birds, and the cost is prohibitive at the moment
Thanks for the compliment on my pelagic photos, my secret is to take hundreds and hopefully a few will pass muster.
Thanks for that Dale, interesting to learn what other people shoot with and how. What system / body do you use?
My dream lens is the AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR. As someone who only shoots handheld, this would replace ALL my birding lenses (Nikkor 500 f/5.6 PF, Nikkor 300 f/4 PF, Tamron 150-600) and outperform each of them, and more. It has a built in 1.4 teleconverter that takes it out to 560mm (850mm on my D500 body) f5.6 at the flick of a switch - so easily covers my entire normal birding range in one lens. I'm seriously thinking of selling my motorcycle and buying one (its a $18,000 lens, so not an impulse buy...)
As for hundreds of shots - yes, I took that tip - shot 2000 photos on Saturday, have finally edited that down to about 200 usable shots, and now trying to ID those :-) Not a great hit rate, but at least i have SOME usable photos!
So - seabirds. I'll do a few pics of each as they are a bit unusual for most of us.
186) Flesh-footed Shearwaters - rather beautiful chocolate brown birds, seagull-sized. We picked some up as soon as we started chumming, and they followed us for most of the day in a flock of 50-80. Quite easily identified by their pale pink bills with grey tips, and when they come in to land, their pale pink legs and feet. 3 pics
187) Wedge-tailed Shearwaters - very similar, but with grey beaks (no pink) and a longer tail extending well past the toe-tips in flight. We had a lot of them (100 or so) mixed in with the Fleshys throughout the day. 2 pics (no factsheet)
Ive seen both these birds before at Lord Howe island, but great to finally photograph them :-) The boat also saw two shorter tailed brown shearwaters, the Short-tailed and Sooty. I may or may not have seen them, haven't ticked them off as a result, and am checking a few last photos (I may or may not have caught a Sooty)
188) Grey-faced Petrel - occasional birds seen in the mixed flock once we got out to the continental shelf. Initially I found them hard to pick from the clouds of Shearwaters, but they are bulkier, distinctively grey-faced, have a very different much heavier beak, and fly a little different, so I was eventually able to pick them occasionally lol. Lifer. No factsheet
189) Streaked Shearwater - finally a bird that I could see was different with the naked eye! Caused a lot of excitement, these are very uncommonly seen on the Sydney Pelagics. Distinctively white undersides, and when it got closer the streaked neck was obvious. Lifer
190) Pomarine Jaeger - very fast aggressive birds that make their living by robbing other seabirds, rather than catching their own food (although one did come down to take chum from the water). We saw a couple, but I didn't get any great photos. They are very variable in patterns and colours, and quite hard to distinguish from the other two Jaegers (Arctic and Long tailed) but while the boat saw one of each of those, I did not. Lifer
191) Wilson's Storm-petrel - a horrible EBC, it shot through once a long way off, and I blew my opportunity. Very distinctive shape and white bar on tail, so I'm calling it identifiable - do let me know if you think not, and I'll remove it. Lifer
192) Australasian Gannet - saw a few juveniles fishing closer to the coast on the way out and back in. They are stunning in their fresh silver and black plumage, more attractive than the adults, I think.
193) Red-footed Booby - another bird that caused a bit of excitement as they are also uncommon here. I'd actually thought it was an adult Gannet when I was photographing it - but the all-white tail is distinctive, even when you cant see the red feet. EBC shots, but happy to have them :-) Lifer
[17/3 - renumbered as I doubled up and got the sequence wrong)
But the stars of the day for me were the albatross, both lifers.
194) Shy Albatross - we had our first one visit as we got into the continental shelf, then pretty much had one or two for the rest of the day. Gorgeous birds - and not at all shy! Once they got used to us, they would fly in and push all the shearwaters off the baits, and when we stopped motoring, they even settled not to far from us to pose nicely. Apparently our most common Albatross on this coast, we saw 7-8 of them over the day.
195) Black-browed Albatross - a little more severe with their grey beaks and subtle eyebrows, also gorgeous. We saw a couple of them and one even came in to compete with the Shy Albatross for food. They can run along the top of th ewater, whcih surprised me!
Apparently in winter we can hope to see many more albatross, and 5-6 species, so I'm keen to go back for that - and even more keen on that Eaglehawk pelagic than ever!
If I get confirmation on the Sooty Shearwater, I'll post that too, but thats about it for this trip
Hi Alex, I am Currently using Canon R5 (mirror less) with the RF 100-500, I do have a 1.4 Teleconverter, but find I miss too many close shots and it can be hard to find and follow the birds - because of the room the Teleconverter takes inside the lens (hope you know what I mean), you lose the short end maybe 100-300. It gives a range of 300-700, which sometimes isn't quite right for the pelagic situation.
Currently using shutter priority with auto ISO, so the aperture sets itself with auto white balance on. On the R5, you can get away with really high ISO, and still get some good results at faster shutter speeds. Minimum shutter speed 1/1600th on a bright day, down to 1/1000th on a dull day, up to 1/4000 (one or 2 of my storm petrels were 1/5000th). I also use Spot Focus, set to animal tracking, so if I can lock onto the eye, and keep the bird in frame, it mostly turns out alright. Don't think the eye tracking is as fast as some of the birds, but anyway it is what it is.
I also have the Sigma 60-600, with an EF-RF adapter, but found autofocus was very slow on the R5. The Sigma worked well on the Canon 5D MarkIV (which I still have for macro stuff, and some shorter prime lenses). I did have the Tamron 150-600 G2, but sold it for the Sigma, thinking the 60mm at the short end would make it more versatile, but in reality, I should have stayed with it, rather than the Sigma.
I keep meaning to switch to manual, but I struggle to change multiple settings quickly, and I can't decide which settings to program to those control buttons. I have programmed one of the dials for quick access to change shutter speed, and the control ring on the lens to change exposure compensation if needed.
Hope that helps, I think you just need to play with what you have, and if photography is your passion, get some good gear ( my limited knowledge of Nikon, I think you already have some great gear). Personally, I don't smoke or drink, so my hobby gets some priority.
At the end of the day, my photos are for me 1st, and if others get some enjoyment from them (like the members here), then that is a bonus.
Ah Alex, I posted in reply to your question re gear and settings, and then found you next series of posts. If I were you, I would be sticking with what you have got. Those photos are just amazing, your obviously doing something right. We will all take too many photos in those situations, which is the beauty of digital photogaraphy - my delete button is probably the most used on my computer.
Your ID skills will take time, I require someone to confirm my IDs all the time (I run them through an app 1st to narrow the field).
Thank you so much for sharing great photos of these amazing birds.
I'm actually going through all your pelagic posts again, now that I have some context and know a few seabirds, it is all so much more interesting / understandable, and I'm really enjoying seeing all of them again.
dwatsonbb wrote:
Hi Alex, I am Currently using Canon R5 (mirror less) with the RF 100-500, I do have a 1.4 Teleconverter, but find I miss too many close shots and it can be hard to find and follow the birds - because of the room the Teleconverter takes inside the lens (hope you know what I mean), you lose the short end maybe 100-300. It gives a range of 300-700, which sometimes isn't quite right for the pelagic situation.
Currently using shutter priority with auto ISO, so the aperture sets itself with auto white balance on. On the R5, you can get away with really high ISO, and still get some good results at faster shutter speeds. Minimum shutter speed 1/1600th on a bright day, down to 1/1000th on a dull day, up to 1/4000 (one or 2 of my storm petrels were 1/5000th). I also use Spot Focus, set to animal tracking, so if I can lock onto the eye, and keep the bird in frame, it mostly turns out alright. Don't think the eye tracking is as fast as some of the birds, but anyway it is what it is.
I also have the Sigma 60-600, with an EF-RF adapter, but found autofocus was very slow on the R5. The Sigma worked well on the Canon 5D MarkIV (which I still have for macro stuff, and some shorter prime lenses). I did have the Tamron 150-600 G2, but sold it for the Sigma, thinking the 60mm at the short end would make it more versatile, but in reality, I should have stayed with it, rather than the Sigma.
I keep meaning to switch to manual, but I struggle to change multiple settings quickly, and I can't decide which settings to program to those control buttons. I have programmed one of the dials for quick access to change shutter speed, and the control ring on the lens to change exposure compensation if needed.
Hope that helps, I think you just need to play with what you have, and if photography is your passion, get some good gear ( my limited knowledge of Nikon, I think you already have some great gear). Personally, I don't smoke or drink, so my hobby gets some priority.
At the end of the day, my photos are for me 1st, and if others get some enjoyment from them (like the members here), then that is a bonus.
Thats all super useful and interesting, thanks. And maybe this part of the discussion is useful to others interested in this type of photography too.
Yes, I'm very happy with my current gear. I think you can make any of the current high-end systems work (Nikon, Canon, Sony, others) as there are really no BAD cameras at the pro levels of these makers. I'm a long term Nikon user, so will stick with it - and have D500 and D850 bodies, both awesome cameras with different strengths, and I'm only scratching the surface of possibility with them, so I'll stick with them for years to come, I think. Mirrorless looks good too and has some advantages - but I'm locked in to this lens family at the moment, and quite happy with that. The Tamron 150-600 G2 is a really decent all-round compromise lens, great for when I'm out walking all day and want to be able to shoot everything from closeup to really distant - but not great at BIF. The lightweight Nikkor 300 & 500 PF lenses really shine at BIF as well as general work - but prime lenses are obviously less flexible. Fast high quality zooms are the dream solution - but very expensive....Yes, absolutely I can make my current lenses work for just about any circumstance - but as and when I can afford it, this is where I'll indulge myself. Personally I smoke and drink and have a wild variety of other vices, so birding needs to fit in with all of that :-)
Yes, I'm using similar setup on the camera. Too much going on for full manual, so I also use Shutter priority, had been using 1/2000th if the light allowed, wide open always, then letting the camera set ISO (up to a max of about 12000 where things start getting horrible), and using manual compensation as light/subject called for - and generally getting it about right. Still working on AF settings as I mentioned, but ya Spot or very tight dynamic group seems right, and really working on my tracking/panning skills. Zoom would work better here, allowing for looser framing for acquiring a bird then tightening once locked on. Work in progress...I'm also experimenting with custom program modes and buttons for quickly switching between AF modes, as well as switching quickly between BIF and BOS (bird on stick!) modes - everyone uses slightly different custom setups, and its a question of finding something simple that works well with my hands/preferences.
Ya, like you my photography is primarily for myself - actually its my excuse & method for connecting with nature, as well as indulging my inner tech-nerd and the photos are a happy by-product. I share it with my facebook friends (and love it when people who wouldn't normally notice birds find it interesting). And its a real pleasure to share here with others who like this sort of thing, and see their photos and adventures, and learn from them :-)
Great shots, Alex and your total is actually one more as you did 190 twice (Wilson's Storm-petrel). Well done getting that bird as I did not even see it! Some really wonderful pictures in this post especially considering all the factors conspiring to make it impossible. It was a wonderful day out.
Thanks Sue - just picked up that renumbering, and corrected it. And cheers for the kind words. Looking forward to your pics - hope you managed to get a couple that I didn't see :-) I definitely missed out on the Sooty, Short-tailed & Fluttering Shearwaters, Arctic and Long-tailed Jaegers, and deleted those from the shared eBird checklist as I can't say for sure that I saw any of them.
Wow, what can I say? Amazing shots from what looks like a terrific day out!! Such great close ups for tricky birds to photograph, well done! Loving the ongoing conversation about cameras and lenses and settings and soaking up all the knowledge for a rainy day...will have to get more "tech-nerd" myself and look into my camera's capabilities I think!
Thanks Michael :-) Nah, I was at sea in the Navy for 2 years and never got sick - been a while, but good to find I still have good sea legs. But funnily enough - after 10 hours of standing on the boat - I went clubbing that night, and was all over the shop. The dancefloor just wouldn't stay still! LOL
What - did you think you'd get rid of me that easily? ;-)
Sorry about the hiatus, all, life got on top of me for a bit and I had to take some time off birding. Nothing too serious - a bit of illness, a bit of work, a lot of travel for a new role, kid stuff - and ya, falling in love [blush] - have all distracted me. But I've been missing my birds, and checking out yours, and finally have got it together to take out the camera on a few work trips, so I have something to contribute again :-)
Got in a trip to a solar farm we are installing up at Weipa, FNQ - my first time so far up north, so was pretty exciting. I took an extra day to go birding - waded the mudflats, visited the sewerage farm, trekked through a lot of hot dusty bush, and took a boat ride at sunset - super day out. And a couple of birds for the comp.
196 - Brown Booby - pretty cool to see these out at sea on my sunset trip - and even more stoked to get a crack at a shot :-) Haven't seen them for 20 years!
197 - Black-backed Butcherbird. A lifer, so pretty exciting - pity I didn't get to hear him sing.
198 - Torresian Crow - the big black raven analogue in those parts.
199 - Diamond Dove - I scared up about 20 of these tiny beauties into a tree and they wouldn't let me get close - so a bit of an EBC
200 - Lesser Frigatebird - very exciting, and a special bird for my 200 :-) A lifer, and this is one of the very few places in Australia where they come ashore in the evening to roost. I got this shot from the sunset cruise too, was so stoked to have had this chance :-) They were circling on high, waiting to pounce on the Boobies coming back with fish.
202 - Australian White Ibis. Been saving this common bird hoping to get a special photo - and I like this sunset shot. But to stick to the rules (they could be another ibis) I've thrown in a bonus shot clearly showing them
203 - Red-winged Parrot - a very dark shot after sunset, and a long way away - sop a pretty bad EBC
204 - Greater Sand Plover - a lifer for me, so pretty exciting for a little bird on the sand :-)
205 - Common Sandpiper - not very bloody common at all, another lifer :-) Never got close to him, so you'll have to settle for an arty shot
Welcome back, Alex, I missed you. So pleased to hear all the news and wonderful that love has been one of the distractions.
What an interesting set to come back with and 4 lifers! Love the sunset shot closely followed by the Brown Booby and the Lesser Frigatebird and must not forget the Greater Sand Plover. I'm sure you checked your photos carefully but I also saw Great Frigatebirds up there. Isn't Weipa special? I saw a Black-backed Butcherbird there but missed the shot as hampered by a moon boot. Seems your job is getting you to some interesting places.
I've entered the Tern as an Australian Gull-billed Tern because I don't think it is the other one.
Welcome back, we did miss you. Congrats on 200, and some more lifers. Only the Ibis would not be a lifer for me. Even you EBC shots are good. Thanks for taking the time to share.
Awesome, Alex. Great to see you return, and with so many 'lifers'! I had to google Weipa, as I had no idea, and boy that's a long way up. Flying in and out?
Thanks Sue :-) Ya, I loved Weipa, would love to spend some more time up there. I was chatting to some Aboriginal kids, who told me that their home in Lockhart River is amazing for birding - one day I'll go back :-) I didn't spot any Great Frigatebirds, so a good excuse :-)
Thanks Michael :-) Yes, as it was a business trip, I flew in via Cairns - but nearly everyone I met there had driven - lots of grey nomads enjoying exploring - can't wait to be able to do my own road trip through the region
I was travelling again last week - Wagga Wagga this time for another solar farm - so not quite as exotic lol. And I didn't have a day off, but I did have a few hours in the evening, and one morning before catching my flight back, and so went for a walk through Marrambidya Wetland, and the Mates Gully Travelling stock Reserve, and found a few birds.
209 - Pied Butcherbird haveing a chat with a Blue-faced Honeyeater
210 - Australasian Darter - saw both male and female, unusually I think the female is more attractive
211 - Galah - not the best shot - but clearly shows difference between female (pink eye) and male (brown eye). Found a female on the ground too.
212 - White-throated Gerygone - was happy to get this ordinary photo, as onlyu got a brief glimpse of this pretty bird, and it was the first I've seen for a long time.
213 - Little Grassbird - super happy with this EBC - a very elusive little bird that I often hear singing, but almost never see, let alone catch on film! I finally managed to get this very ordinary shot through the reeds, and couldn't be happier :-)
214 - Scarlet Robin - caught just a glimpse of this little robin in thick scrub - knew she was a robin, but had to wait for the photos to identify her - you can just see the wash of scarlet on her chest. Hopefully I'll get a boy this year too - but she is very cute :-)
Bonus shot - Crested Shrike-tit - super exciting, I love these birds, but have never taken a good shot - finally I got this pic after stalking him for ages :-)
Love that Fairy Gerygone peeking out at you but the Scarlet Robin are Crested Shrike-tit are great shots ... the Little Grassbird is also a great catch as they can call and call without coming into view.
Unfortunately, you have already posted two of these birds: Tree Martin is at 61 and Crested Shrike-tit is at 150. Easiest solution is to make the Robin number 214 and have the other two as bonus shots. Clever Karen: worksheet cell changes colour in the event of a double entry so I see it immediately now.
Thanks Sue. Ohhhh, my own spreadsheet was a mess, had a good few gaps in it, hence double posts. Thanks for catching that (well done on the data integrity measures Karen!) and I've gone through my own spreadsheet and fixed the gaps - hopefully all sorted now.
Thats me up to date, pretty much - got a few local birds to post some time, but then I've got a couple more trips ahead this year - mostly work, but hopefully can get some birding in too. I am planning a week long road trip through western NSW in October with my partner - hopefully she can tolerate my birding, as it sounds like its alive with birds out there at the moment :-)
Well, my NSW desert camping trip was a complete washout :-( All 3 national parks we'd intended to visit were closed, and I didn't want to be THAT tourist who deliberately droive into a flood area - so we went up the coast to Yuraygir National Park instead. Super wet, it rained heavily for 4 of the 6 days - but that meant we had the most beautiful beach campsite in NSW to ourselves (Pebbly Beach, north of Coffs) and had a fabulous trip :-)
So not the festival of inland birds I'd hoped for - but did get to see some good birds, including a lifer :-)
215) Tawny Grassbird - they are very vocal at the moment, and I've seen 2 this week :-)
216) Lewin's Honeyeater - saw several of these on the roadside on the way north, entertaining us while we took a break from the rain
217) White-cheeked Honeyeaters - lots of them around the campsite in the huge coastal banksias. Very similar to the New Hollands, but squeakier call and that distinctive white cheek.
218) Beach Stone-curlew. Very exciting, a lifer for me. One of a breeding pair on the river there. I took some bad pics along the river, then found him foraging on the beach later, and quite like this shot. I'll send in the band number and see what more I can find out about this bird. That beak is quite something! No crab going to survive that...
219) Varied Triller - haven't seen one of these for a couple of years, so it was a treat :-)
220) Little Wattlebird - singing in the heavy rain - though "singing" is very loosely used
Lots of other good birds seen, but my favourites were the bee-eaters. They were nesting in the sandy riverbanks, and I saw dozens and dozens. Such gorgeous birds, so I'll throw in a bonus pic for fun
Wonderful shot of the Rainbow Bee-eater and the Beach Stone-curlew. I agree, that beak is really something. Sorry that your plans went awry but it seems the new location delivered ... a lifer is always exciting.
I probably have a couple of unprocessed shots, but will call it at that, there is nothing significant thats going to change my total. Had a great start to the year with birding, and all rather fell apart towards the end - no great drama, but a hell of a lot going on in my life, and just didnt have much time for birds over the last 6 months. Hopefully there will be more time in 2023. Anyway, its been super fun seeing all your birds, meeting a good few of you, and just enjoying your company on this forum, so thank you all, and Happy New Year to you all.
Life does have a habit of disrupting plans but it can be wonderful. Wishing you a wonderful & happy 2023. Thanks again for inviting me to join the group in Werribee, great fun in good company.
Gorgeous shots of the day, Alex. I am also struggling with those Shearwaters and I don't think I captured a Sooty or Fluttering that I can tell! However, I also have the Jaegers five times so working hard on sorting them as well. All are new to me except for the Booby and the Gannet and I agree, well done, Dale!
Shooting was difficult but my lens was great although it took me some time to work out to set for the brown birds and then ramp up the speed for the white ones. Reflection off the water and feathers was a consideration so a number of average shots to come.
Then there was the challenge of keeping your footing! A fantastic day and I want to go again to improve my photography and ID skills.
Wow Alex, you really produced some beautiful pictures from WTP and Serendip, I feel like you have an album of shots now that very much covers the flavour of the birds that you typically find there! And some outstanding shots like the Hobbies, the dusk Sandpiper shots, and that poor Curlew Sandpiper with the pecked out eye! Very cool that you picked up the Little Egret with a fish, and the Yellow-billed Spoonbill and Musk Duck in action.
And on to a pelagic!! The birds and experiences keep rolling. Very interested to hear about this one, and especially how you found the different lenses and cameras for shooting on the day; that was very helpful! Looking forward to more birds once you've sorted them out, don't envy you that job!
Glad you finally got your pelagic in, if your not already, they can be addictive.
Looking forward to more of your photos. It does change they way you think, when your moving around in all different directions at once.
I use a zoom lens, currently 100-500, with shutter speeds up to 1/5000th of a second, spot focus and am lucky enough to have eye tracking (once/if I can get it locked on). I think for most 1/2000 is enough, but some of the smaller Storm Petrels, maybe up to 1/3200. I guess you just need to experiment and find what works best for you. I was using a 1.4 Teleconverter, but it restricts the shorter end too much (turns the 100-500 into something about 300-700).
The setup I really want is a 300mm f2.8 prime with a 2x Teleconverter, but that fixes length at 600mm (another birder had that combo, and it worked for him) not enough range for close birds, and the cost is prohibitive at the moment
Thanks for the compliment on my pelagic photos, my secret is to take hundreds and hopefully a few will pass muster.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thanks for that Dale, interesting to learn what other people shoot with and how. What system / body do you use?
My dream lens is the AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR. As someone who only shoots handheld, this would replace ALL my birding lenses (Nikkor 500 f/5.6 PF, Nikkor 300 f/4 PF, Tamron 150-600) and outperform each of them, and more. It has a built in 1.4 teleconverter that takes it out to 560mm (850mm on my D500 body) f5.6 at the flick of a switch - so easily covers my entire normal birding range in one lens. I'm seriously thinking of selling my motorcycle and buying one (its a $18,000 lens, so not an impulse buy...)
As for hundreds of shots - yes, I took that tip - shot 2000 photos on Saturday, have finally edited that down to about 200 usable shots, and now trying to ID those :-) Not a great hit rate, but at least i have SOME usable photos!
So - seabirds. I'll do a few pics of each as they are a bit unusual for most of us.
186) Flesh-footed Shearwaters - rather beautiful chocolate brown birds, seagull-sized. We picked some up as soon as we started chumming, and they followed us for most of the day in a flock of 50-80. Quite easily identified by their pale pink bills with grey tips, and when they come in to land, their pale pink legs and feet. 3 pics
187) Wedge-tailed Shearwaters - very similar, but with grey beaks (no pink) and a longer tail extending well past the toe-tips in flight. We had a lot of them (100 or so) mixed in with the Fleshys throughout the day. 2 pics (no factsheet)
Ive seen both these birds before at Lord Howe island, but great to finally photograph them :-) The boat also saw two shorter tailed brown shearwaters, the Short-tailed and Sooty. I may or may not have seen them, haven't ticked them off as a result, and am checking a few last photos (I may or may not have caught a Sooty)
188) Grey-faced Petrel - occasional birds seen in the mixed flock once we got out to the continental shelf. Initially I found them hard to pick from the clouds of Shearwaters, but they are bulkier, distinctively grey-faced, have a very different much heavier beak, and fly a little different, so I was eventually able to pick them occasionally lol. Lifer. No factsheet
189) Streaked Shearwater - finally a bird that I could see was different with the naked eye! Caused a lot of excitement, these are very uncommonly seen on the Sydney Pelagics. Distinctively white undersides, and when it got closer the streaked neck was obvious. Lifer
190) Pomarine Jaeger - very fast aggressive birds that make their living by robbing other seabirds, rather than catching their own food (although one did come down to take chum from the water). We saw a couple, but I didn't get any great photos. They are very variable in patterns and colours, and quite hard to distinguish from the other two Jaegers (Arctic and Long tailed) but while the boat saw one of each of those, I did not. Lifer
191) Wilson's Storm-petrel - a horrible EBC, it shot through once a long way off, and I blew my opportunity. Very distinctive shape and white bar on tail, so I'm calling it identifiable - do let me know if you think not, and I'll remove it. Lifer
192) Australasian Gannet - saw a few juveniles fishing closer to the coast on the way out and back in. They are stunning in their fresh silver and black plumage, more attractive than the adults, I think.
193) Red-footed Booby - another bird that caused a bit of excitement as they are also uncommon here. I'd actually thought it was an adult Gannet when I was photographing it - but the all-white tail is distinctive, even when you cant see the red feet. EBC shots, but happy to have them :-) Lifer
[17/3 - renumbered as I doubled up and got the sequence wrong)
But the stars of the day for me were the albatross, both lifers.
194) Shy Albatross - we had our first one visit as we got into the continental shelf, then pretty much had one or two for the rest of the day. Gorgeous birds - and not at all shy! Once they got used to us, they would fly in and push all the shearwaters off the baits, and when we stopped motoring, they even settled not to far from us to pose nicely. Apparently our most common Albatross on this coast, we saw 7-8 of them over the day.
195) Black-browed Albatross - a little more severe with their grey beaks and subtle eyebrows, also gorgeous. We saw a couple of them and one even came in to compete with the Shy Albatross for food. They can run along the top of th ewater, whcih surprised me!
Apparently in winter we can hope to see many more albatross, and 5-6 species, so I'm keen to go back for that - and even more keen on that Eaglehawk pelagic than ever!
If I get confirmation on the Sooty Shearwater, I'll post that too, but thats about it for this trip
[17/3 - renumbered as got sequence wrong)
Hi Alex, I am Currently using Canon R5 (mirror less) with the RF 100-500, I do have a 1.4 Teleconverter, but find I miss too many close shots and it can be hard to find and follow the birds - because of the room the Teleconverter takes inside the lens (hope you know what I mean), you lose the short end maybe 100-300. It gives a range of 300-700, which sometimes isn't quite right for the pelagic situation.
Currently using shutter priority with auto ISO, so the aperture sets itself with auto white balance on. On the R5, you can get away with really high ISO, and still get some good results at faster shutter speeds. Minimum shutter speed 1/1600th on a bright day, down to 1/1000th on a dull day, up to 1/4000 (one or 2 of my storm petrels were 1/5000th). I also use Spot Focus, set to animal tracking, so if I can lock onto the eye, and keep the bird in frame, it mostly turns out alright. Don't think the eye tracking is as fast as some of the birds, but anyway it is what it is.
I also have the Sigma 60-600, with an EF-RF adapter, but found autofocus was very slow on the R5. The Sigma worked well on the Canon 5D MarkIV (which I still have for macro stuff, and some shorter prime lenses). I did have the Tamron 150-600 G2, but sold it for the Sigma, thinking the 60mm at the short end would make it more versatile, but in reality, I should have stayed with it, rather than the Sigma.
I keep meaning to switch to manual, but I struggle to change multiple settings quickly, and I can't decide which settings to program to those control buttons. I have programmed one of the dials for quick access to change shutter speed, and the control ring on the lens to change exposure compensation if needed.
Hope that helps, I think you just need to play with what you have, and if photography is your passion, get some good gear ( my limited knowledge of Nikon, I think you already have some great gear). Personally, I don't smoke or drink, so my hobby gets some priority.
At the end of the day, my photos are for me 1st, and if others get some enjoyment from them (like the members here), then that is a bonus.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Ah Alex, I posted in reply to your question re gear and settings, and then found you next series of posts. If I were you, I would be sticking with what you have got. Those photos are just amazing, your obviously doing something right. We will all take too many photos in those situations, which is the beauty of digital photogaraphy - my delete button is probably the most used on my computer.
Your ID skills will take time, I require someone to confirm my IDs all the time (I run them through an app 1st to narrow the field).
Thank you so much for sharing great photos of these amazing birds.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thanks for the kind comments Dale :-)
I'm actually going through all your pelagic posts again, now that I have some context and know a few seabirds, it is all so much more interesting / understandable, and I'm really enjoying seeing all of them again.
Thats all super useful and interesting, thanks. And maybe this part of the discussion is useful to others interested in this type of photography too.
Yes, I'm very happy with my current gear. I think you can make any of the current high-end systems work (Nikon, Canon, Sony, others) as there are really no BAD cameras at the pro levels of these makers. I'm a long term Nikon user, so will stick with it - and have D500 and D850 bodies, both awesome cameras with different strengths, and I'm only scratching the surface of possibility with them, so I'll stick with them for years to come, I think. Mirrorless looks good too and has some advantages - but I'm locked in to this lens family at the moment, and quite happy with that. The Tamron 150-600 G2 is a really decent all-round compromise lens, great for when I'm out walking all day and want to be able to shoot everything from closeup to really distant - but not great at BIF. The lightweight Nikkor 300 & 500 PF lenses really shine at BIF as well as general work - but prime lenses are obviously less flexible. Fast high quality zooms are the dream solution - but very expensive....Yes, absolutely I can make my current lenses work for just about any circumstance - but as and when I can afford it, this is where I'll indulge myself. Personally I smoke and drink and have a wild variety of other vices, so birding needs to fit in with all of that :-)
Yes, I'm using similar setup on the camera. Too much going on for full manual, so I also use Shutter priority, had been using 1/2000th if the light allowed, wide open always, then letting the camera set ISO (up to a max of about 12000 where things start getting horrible), and using manual compensation as light/subject called for - and generally getting it about right. Still working on AF settings as I mentioned, but ya Spot or very tight dynamic group seems right, and really working on my tracking/panning skills. Zoom would work better here, allowing for looser framing for acquiring a bird then tightening once locked on. Work in progress...I'm also experimenting with custom program modes and buttons for quickly switching between AF modes, as well as switching quickly between BIF and BOS (bird on stick!) modes - everyone uses slightly different custom setups, and its a question of finding something simple that works well with my hands/preferences.
Ya, like you my photography is primarily for myself - actually its my excuse & method for connecting with nature, as well as indulging my inner tech-nerd and the photos are a happy by-product. I share it with my facebook friends (and love it when people who wouldn't normally notice birds find it interesting). And its a real pleasure to share here with others who like this sort of thing, and see their photos and adventures, and learn from them :-)
Great shots, Alex and your total is actually one more as you did 190 twice (Wilson's Storm-petrel). Well done getting that bird as I did not even see it! Some really wonderful pictures in this post especially considering all the factors conspiring to make it impossible. It was a wonderful day out.
Thanks Sue - just picked up that renumbering, and corrected it. And cheers for the kind words. Looking forward to your pics - hope you managed to get a couple that I didn't see :-) I definitely missed out on the Sooty, Short-tailed & Fluttering Shearwaters, Arctic and Long-tailed Jaegers, and deleted those from the shared eBird checklist as I can't say for sure that I saw any of them.
Great shots Alex. It looks like you and Sue had an amazing time. All of those birds bar the Gannet would be lifers for me.
Wow, what can I say? Amazing shots from what looks like a terrific day out!! Such great close ups for tricky birds to photograph, well done! Loving the ongoing conversation about cameras and lenses and settings and soaking up all the knowledge for a rainy day...will have to get more "tech-nerd" myself and look into my camera's capabilities I think!
Thanks Danika and Abby :-) Ya, its a great day out. I think we need to join Dale off Eaglehawk neck for the next one :-)
Looks like a cracking day for your pelagic, Alex. Sharp shots and lots of action. Wobbly sea-legs or stomach?
Thanks Michael :-) Nah, I was at sea in the Navy for 2 years and never got sick - been a while, but good to find I still have good sea legs. But funnily enough - after 10 hours of standing on the boat - I went clubbing that night, and was all over the shop. The dancefloor just wouldn't stay still! LOL
Looks like you had a greay day Alex :) that shot of the Shy (not shy) Albatross scattering the Shearwaters is an absolute cracker.
Glad everything aligned for your trip - looks like the weather was perfect. And what a great bunch of pics you got, I love the Albatross shots.
What - did you think you'd get rid of me that easily? ;-)
Sorry about the hiatus, all, life got on top of me for a bit and I had to take some time off birding. Nothing too serious - a bit of illness, a bit of work, a lot of travel for a new role, kid stuff - and ya, falling in love [blush] - have all distracted me. But I've been missing my birds, and checking out yours, and finally have got it together to take out the camera on a few work trips, so I have something to contribute again :-)
Got in a trip to a solar farm we are installing up at Weipa, FNQ - my first time so far up north, so was pretty exciting. I took an extra day to go birding - waded the mudflats, visited the sewerage farm, trekked through a lot of hot dusty bush, and took a boat ride at sunset - super day out. And a couple of birds for the comp.
More from Weipa
Last ones from Weipa
And just for fun, a couple of bonus shots of two of my favourite birds:
Rainbow Bee-eater - just glorious birds!
Olive-backed Sunbird - I like the contrasts (both light/dark, and the bird/barbed-wire)
Welcome back, Alex, I missed you. So pleased to hear all the news and wonderful that love has been one of the distractions.
What an interesting set to come back with and 4 lifers! Love the sunset shot closely followed by the Brown Booby and the Lesser Frigatebird and must not forget the Greater Sand Plover. I'm sure you checked your photos carefully but I also saw Great Frigatebirds up there. Isn't Weipa special? I saw a Black-backed Butcherbird there but missed the shot as hampered by a moon boot. Seems your job is getting you to some interesting places.
I've entered the Tern as an Australian Gull-billed Tern because I don't think it is the other one.
Sounds like exciting times for you Alex, good to have you back. Your pics from Weipa are amazing, I love the Ibis sunset shot!
Welcome back, we did miss you. Congrats on 200, and some more lifers. Only the Ibis would not be a lifer for me. Even you EBC shots are good. Thanks for taking the time to share.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Awesome, Alex. Great to see you return, and with so many 'lifers'! I had to google Weipa, as I had no idea, and boy that's a long way up. Flying in and out?
Thanks Sue :-) Ya, I loved Weipa, would love to spend some more time up there. I was chatting to some Aboriginal kids, who told me that their home in Lockhart River is amazing for birding - one day I'll go back :-) I didn't spot any Great Frigatebirds, so a good excuse :-)
Thanks Michael :-) Yes, as it was a business trip, I flew in via Cairns - but nearly everyone I met there had driven - lots of grey nomads enjoying exploring - can't wait to be able to do my own road trip through the region
Thanks Dale & Karen - its good to be back :-)
I was travelling again last week - Wagga Wagga this time for another solar farm - so not quite as exotic lol. And I didn't have a day off, but I did have a few hours in the evening, and one morning before catching my flight back, and so went for a walk through Marrambidya Wetland, and the Mates Gully Travelling stock Reserve, and found a few birds.
Edited to fix numbering - thanks Sue & Karen
Love that Fairy Gerygone peeking out at you but the Scarlet Robin are Crested Shrike-tit are great shots ... the Little Grassbird is also a great catch as they can call and call without coming into view.
Unfortunately, you have already posted two of these birds: Tree Martin is at 61 and Crested Shrike-tit is at 150. Easiest solution is to make the Robin number 214 and have the other two as bonus shots. Clever Karen: worksheet cell changes colour in the event of a double entry so I see it immediately now.
More please.
Thanks Sue. Ohhhh, my own spreadsheet was a mess, had a good few gaps in it, hence double posts. Thanks for catching that (well done on the data integrity measures Karen!) and I've gone through my own spreadsheet and fixed the gaps - hopefully all sorted now.
Thats me up to date, pretty much - got a few local birds to post some time, but then I've got a couple more trips ahead this year - mostly work, but hopefully can get some birding in too. I am planning a week long road trip through western NSW in October with my partner - hopefully she can tolerate my birding, as it sounds like its alive with birds out there at the moment :-)
Sounds like exciting times ahead, Alex. Enjoy.
Great set Alex, some fantastic photos, of some beautiful birds. I can never resist a taking a photo of a Robin, even though I see them often.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Welcome back Alex! Nice birds and photos! Love the Sunbird and its a cracking shot the Ibis'.
Well, my NSW desert camping trip was a complete washout :-( All 3 national parks we'd intended to visit were closed, and I didn't want to be THAT tourist who deliberately droive into a flood area - so we went up the coast to Yuraygir National Park instead. Super wet, it rained heavily for 4 of the 6 days - but that meant we had the most beautiful beach campsite in NSW to ourselves (Pebbly Beach, north of Coffs) and had a fabulous trip :-)
So not the festival of inland birds I'd hoped for - but did get to see some good birds, including a lifer :-)
215) Tawny Grassbird - they are very vocal at the moment, and I've seen 2 this week :-)
216) Lewin's Honeyeater - saw several of these on the roadside on the way north, entertaining us while we took a break from the rain
217) White-cheeked Honeyeaters - lots of them around the campsite in the huge coastal banksias. Very similar to the New Hollands, but squeakier call and that distinctive white cheek.
218) Beach Stone-curlew. Very exciting, a lifer for me. One of a breeding pair on the river there. I took some bad pics along the river, then found him foraging on the beach later, and quite like this shot. I'll send in the band number and see what more I can find out about this bird. That beak is quite something! No crab going to survive that...
219) Varied Triller - haven't seen one of these for a couple of years, so it was a treat :-)
220) Little Wattlebird - singing in the heavy rain - though "singing" is very loosely used
Lots of other good birds seen, but my favourites were the bee-eaters. They were nesting in the sandy riverbanks, and I saw dozens and dozens. Such gorgeous birds, so I'll throw in a bonus pic for fun
Some great shots there Alex, love the Neach-stone Curlew and the Bee-eater.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Wonderful shot of the Rainbow Bee-eater and the Beach Stone-curlew. I agree, that beak is really something. Sorry that your plans went awry but it seems the new location delivered ... a lifer is always exciting.
Hope all is still going well.
Glad to hear you made the best of a wet situation, Alex. The bee-eater is sharp and glowing, what a stunner!
Great photos Alex! Thats quite the bill on the Beach Stone-Curlew.
I probably have a couple of unprocessed shots, but will call it at that, there is nothing significant thats going to change my total. Had a great start to the year with birding, and all rather fell apart towards the end - no great drama, but a hell of a lot going on in my life, and just didnt have much time for birds over the last 6 months. Hopefully there will be more time in 2023. Anyway, its been super fun seeing all your birds, meeting a good few of you, and just enjoying your company on this forum, so thank you all, and Happy New Year to you all.
Life does have a habit of disrupting plans but it can be wonderful. Wishing you a wonderful & happy 2023. Thanks again for inviting me to join the group in Werribee, great fun in good company.
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