My photo pick this week is of a pied-billed grebe that I found swimming alone in a narrow channel in a neighborhood near my house. The afternoon light reflected off of the rocks in front of me, which acted as a diffuser, giving me night even light across the scene. Houses along the opposite shore cast the water in a reddish hue.
As always, I tried to get as close to eye level with the bird as possible. However, it was difficult to do so in this spot, requiring me to pick my way over sharp rocks to get close to the water. True eye level was impossible here, as the channel was only about fifteen feet wide, and the immediate shore was too steep to set up my tripod. I made the best of the given situation, unfolding two of the legs so that they were close to flat, with the third tripod leg longer and pointing downhill, almost touching the water. Then I sat down underneath and behind the camera – giving me a comfortable position from which to shoot, while still allowing good hand support for my lens. It also lowered my profile and allowed me to be absolutely still, which will usually allow the target bird to approach closer instead of swimming away (which they often do!)
A pied-billed grebe swims through still water calling out with its beak open. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 640. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/250 sec. at f/8
By remaining perfectly still, I was able to photograph this grebe for a while as it swam back and forth in front of me. The narrow channel kept the wind off the water, creating great reflections.
When I’m out specifically photographing birds, I look for two things – either an uncommon species that I haven’t photographed before, or a great shooting situation with good light and the right aesthetics to create a good photograph. I’ve photographed pied-billed grebes before, but this was a situation I couldn’t pass up because of the nice light, great reflections, and close proximity to the bird.
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
A male common goldeneye attempts to impress a female by lengthening his neck and extending his head. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/1600 sec. at f/7.1
Spring is almost here, and with it comes the showmanship and fortitude of male birds courting their females. Especially fun to watch are the common goldeneyes, with their neck stretches, head throws and incessant quacking – all in the pursuit of charming that special someone who, if the performance is good enough, might return the affection. I took all the shots seen here recently at Shoreline Lake in Mountain View, where a multitude of common goldeneye can be seen putting on their show. If you live nearby, I definitely recommend a trip there either in the early morning or late afternoon, when the birds are most active.
The common goldeneye courtship display consists of several different maneuvers. The most common move seems to be the neck stretch, which can be seen in the photo above, and the photo immediately following.
A male common goldeneye courts a female by extending his head out in front of him. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 0: 1/800 sec. at f/8
If he wants to get a little flashier, he shoots his head straight up with a long neck and lets out a loud quack. Sometimes this first and second move are done in sequence, with the bird first poking his head out in front, and with the neck extended, swiveling it straight up to quack. This usually gets the ladies attention.
Getting a little flashier, he shoots his head straight up with a long neck and lets out a loud quack. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 0: 1/1000 sec. at f/8
If that doesn’t quite do it, or the goldeneye is feeling particularly frisky, he pulls out the head tuck move. Here he folds himself backward in half, touches his head to his back and lets out a kind of double-quack. It seems as though the first quack actually comes in normal position, followed the the quick head throw and second quack up into the air. This second sound is louder and more drawn out than the first, kind of like putting the accent on the second syllable of a two-syllable word.
Here he touches the back of his head to his back and lets out a kind of double-quack. Sometimes this move is performed at high speed, as the male goes sailing past the female with his beak up in the air. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 0: 1/800 sec. at f/8
Finally, if nothing else is working, the goldeneye busts out the uber-display. After performing the double-quack with his head tucked against his back, he forcefully kicks both feet backward, splashing water high into the air. I only saw this display a few times by only two birds – each of the other displays were more common.
After performing the double-quack with his head tucked against his back, he forcefully kicks both feet backward, splashing water high into the air. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 0: 1/1000 sec. at f/8
If all goes well, he finally attracts his mate, who shows the love by mirroring some of his moves. In the following photo, the male is being followed by an interested female.
A male common goldeneye attempts to impress a female by lengthening his neck and extending his head. The female mimics the behavior in reply. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering 0: 1/2400 sec. at f/5.6
Courtship displays of different avian species can be fascinating to watch, and can get quite elaborate. Personally, I think I’ll stick to chocolate and flowers!
