portrait – Page 23

April 18, 2011January 14, 2013

Blue-winged Teal

Things have been pretty busy for me lately, with a quick vacation out of the country and running here and there to capture migrant birds as they pass through the area. I did manage to get some photos processed of a late departure – the blue-winged teal. There is a small pond near my house (local birders know it as “Radio Road”) that is one the best places in the Bay Area to view blue-winged teals in the winter. Several pairs are usually present and can often be viewed quite closely.

I saw this male in prime photographing position when I was out running. I find that running is a great way to scout out the miles of shoreline near my house to see where specific birds might be found later in the day. If he would just remain in the same general area for a while longer, I could finish my run and grab my camera.

A male blue-winged teal perches on an underwater rock. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/1600 sec. at f/8

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When I returned later in the day, he was still sitting in the same spot sleeping. Several other photographers had recognized this great opportunity as well and had set up shop nearby. Now the waiting game began. I needed him to wake up! I got in a comfortable position, sitting on the ground behind the tripod with its legs splayed out so as to get as low as possible. After about 15 minutes, one of the other photographers gave up and left. You can only take so many photos of a sleeping bird!

Finally the teal woke up, preened for a while, and swam around close to shore, feeding on submerged vegetation. The lighting was perfect, with the sun just starting to set behind me. I felt slightly bad for the absent photographer because I know I’ve been that guy before. The more experienced I become, the more I realize that patience is one of the most important virtues of wildlife photography.

March 27, 2011January 14, 2013

Mandarin Duck (Photo of the week)

A mandarin duck swims through smooth, still water. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 640. Evaluative metering +1/3: 1/320 sec. at f/8

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I photographed this Mandarin duck today at a city park in San Jose. This is a very strange location for this species, as it is most often found in Asia. After speaking to some of the locals who visit the park often, I learned that this drake has been seen on and off at the lake over the last three years.

The Mandarin duck once flourished across eastern Asia, but today there are only about 1000 pairs throughout all of China, and about 1000 pairs in Russia. Japan is thought to have about 5000 pairs. They have also appeared in various locations in Europe, numbering about 1000 pairs in total. Because this species is not native to Europe, it is surmised that this population grew from escaped captive birds and flourished as a feral population. They have been breeding in the wild ever since. But where did this guy come from?

A head and shoulders portrait of a mandarin duck is captured as it swims through still water. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 640. Evaluative metering +1/3: 1/320 sec. at f/8

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It turns out that something similar to what happened in Europe may have also happened in Sonoma, California, only on a much smaller scale. Sonoma is a couple hours drive north from San Jose, and has about 100 feral Mandarin ducks. I’m just guessing here, but this bird may be associated with that population. And apparently he enjoys coming to this lake!

A mandarin duck looks up after taking a sip of water. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 640. Evaluative metering +1/3: 1/320 sec. at f/8

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It was fairly overcast today, which has its advantages and disadvantages for bird photography. One of the downsides is that the sky is much darker, which means that shutter speeds must be slower than on a sunny day. However, benefits include a lack of harsh shadows from the sun (meaning I could photograph this bird from any angle, instead of with the sun directly behind me), and more saturated colors due to reduced glare. I was very happy to be able to photograph this species in decent conditions. The biggest bonus of course was that I only had to drive half an hour instead of flying to Asia or Europe!

March 4, 2011January 14, 2013

Evening grosbeak invasion

A male evening grosbeak perches on a chinese pistache tree and feeds on the many small nuts. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 0 EV: 1/800 sec. at f/8

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This winter, Santa Clara Valley was lucky enough to see several groups of evening grosbeaks take up residence is a couple of predictable locations. Word quickly spread throughout the birding and bird photographer communities. This species is not very common for this area, so it was a first time bird for many who found them (including me!) The grosbeaks returned to the same general area day after day for several months, providing everyone with great viewing and photo opportunities.

A male evening grosbeak perches on a chinese pistache tree next to a small branch full of food to eat. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 0 EV: 1/800 sec. at f/8

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These photographs were all taken on the same day on the grounds of a technology firm. (Even the technology parks of Silicon Valley have their share of wildlife!) This particular gross (yes, a group of grosbeaks is called a “gross”) had about 20 females and 3 males. They flew between a number of chinese pistache trees within the same area. Between the flurry of activity and the loud noise of nuts cracking in their beaks, they resembled a swarm of locusts, stripping one tree bare and then moving on to the next.

They would do just about anything to get at the tree’s food. It was amazing to watch them hang almost completely upside-down from a branch in order to reach the nuts. Here a female shows her perching skills.

A female evening grosbeak hangs upside down from a branch of a chinese pistache tree in order to reach some nuts. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 0 EV: 1/800 sec. at f/8

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Not to be outdone, the males could dangle just as well.

A male evening grosbeak shows off his perching skills. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 0 EV: 1/1600 sec. at f/8

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Overall, I spent about an hour following these birds from tree to tree. When I finally left, they seemed just as energetic as when I arrived. It was a treat to see this rarity, especially in such numbers.

March 1, 2011January 14, 2013

Savannah Sparrow Portrait (Photo of the week)

A savannah sparrow pauses from pecking at seeds to pose for a portrait. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/125 sec. at f/6.3

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I recently found this savannah sparrow out in the open, pecking away at the ground for food. These sparrows are not as common in my area as the prolific white and golden-crowned sparrows. Savannah sparrows actually derive their name from Savannah, Georgia, where they were first classified.

That day, there were dark storm clouds in the sky and the light was very low. Only after taking several shots of this sparrow did I realize that I was still using ISO 400 (my typical starting point for bird photography), which lowered my shutter speed to only 1/125 sec. With an 800 mm lens, that is a bit too slow for comfort (even with a sturdy tripod). Anything slower than 1/250 sec introduces a real risk of camera shake, leading to a blurry photo. It is a true testament to Canon’s 4-stop lens image stabilization that I was able to pull these shots off, and with remarkable sharpness. If I had been paying better attention, I would have bumped my ISO to 800 (even though this would lead to more digital noise in the resulting photo), and thus halved my shutter speed.