A green heron walks along the rocky shore of a water channel. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/800 sec. at f/7.1
Yesterday I finally got some good views of a green heron that has been reported in Redwood Shores, CA over the past few weeks. I had been out looking several times to no avail, as this is a somewhat uncommon bird for the area. He was perched across a narrow man-made water channel in decent light. Once I moved down to water level to photograph, he began walking along the shoreline with his crest extended. At first I though I might have interrupted his solitude, but he turned and paced back and forth in front of me for a while. He was probably just looking for a better place to fish.
I have been working for this shot for quite some time. It was a personal mission of mine in the second half of 2010 to find and photograph a burrowing owl. I knew there were many living in the Bay Area, particularly the south bay, but finding one proved to be more difficult than I thought. A dozen or so scouting trips to Mountain View (which has produced good numbers in previous years) yielded nothing. Finally in December, thanks to a hot tip by Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society (SCVAS) Executive Director Bob Power (thanks Bob!), I found the one pictured here, at the edge of Shoreline Golf Links.
A burrowing owl stares out from its burrow, eyes barely above ground. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 1000. Evaluative metering +1: 1/160 sec. at f/5.6
After scouring the area of the reported sighting for a while, I finally saw him barely peeking his head up out of his burrow. It was then I realized why I never found one before – to the naked eye, the burrow and owl looked like just another pockmark in the grass, or at best a small gofer hole. The owl’s head looked like a clump of dirt. It was only when looking through my largest lens that I could resolve two yellow eyes staring back at me.
I skirted the burrow to give it a wide birth, and set up slightly behind a small tree, so as to break up my form. With all my movement, I definitely had the attention of the owl, and I wanted to see if he’d settle down once he realized I wasn’t an immediate threat. My tripod was set up with the legs fully retracted and splayed out, so that the lens was only about a foot off the ground. Then I sat down behind my camera and made myself comfortable, knowing it could be a long wait.
The obligatory burrowing owl standing straight-on shot! Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 1000. Evaluative metering +1: 1/160 sec. at f/5.6
After about 5 minutes, I could tell the owl was relaxing, as he had stopped staring at me, and was now swiveling his head back and forth, presumably looking out for predators. I was hopeful, as I really wanted him to feel comfortable enough to pop out of his burrow and into the open, as those photos would be much better than just a head in a hole! Finally, after about 20 more minutes, he did just that, and I was able to capture the photos you see here.
A burrowing owl stands on a small berm overlooking its burrow. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering +1: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6
After a few minutes of posing, he flew a short distance away. This was followed by more head swiveling, until finally he left altogether. Satisfied with my session, I packed up and headed home, happy to have finally accomplished this goal.
On a technical note, I have to recognize how amazing the Canon 7D is in terms of low noise. Some of these shots were taken at ISO 1600 – with proper noise reduction in post processing, they print beautifully. In addition, the 4-stop image stabilization in the EF 800L lens is hard to beat. Even shots as slow as 1/160 seconds came out razor sharp!
I captured this herring gull last month at Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. I had a good combination of nice late-morning lighting, glassy water (creating a mirror-like reflection), and a neat, clean gull.
Gull identification can be quite challenging (gulls and sandpipers give me endless ID trouble!) Certain characteristics to pay attention to include wing tip pattern, eye color, bill markings, and leg color. What really makes gull identification difficult is that fact that you can line up five gulls of the same species, and they can look completely different from one another. Juveniles can have different eye and leg color as their adult counterparts, as well as vastly different feather patterns and coloring. Additionally, breeding season can also change a gull’s appearance. While these same issues exist for many other birds as well, I find them particularly challenging with gulls, as so many gulls look similar.
An anna's hummingbird poses long enough for a quick portrait. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/1000 sec. at f/7.1
This week’s photo features an anna’s hummingbird that frequents my front yard. Her favorite perch is the top of a cherry tree, offering her an expansive view of her surroundings. Hummingbirds can be very territorial – I have seen brief squabbles that have sent the loser zooming away to find flowers elsewhere.
An anna's hummingbird poses long enough for a quick portrait. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/500 sec. at f/7.1
These shots were all taken hand held with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens. Although this lens has been available on the market for a long time, it is still a great walking around lens (for wildlife anyway), and is a great asset for birds-in-flight shots. With zoom capability, it is much easier to find and track subjects in air than with longer lenses.
An anna's hummingbird perches at the top of a cherry tree. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 0: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1
