Spending the weekend in the Pt. Reyes area gave me quite an appreciation of wildlife. I was able to get some decent to excellent shots of many birds. I'll post two of my favorites because I took both shots only 5 minutes apart with my FZ15. They were taken at Bodega Head (40 miles north of Pt. Reyes maybe).
This first shot is of a Golden-crowned sparrow. I was walking the head and caught this bird out of my eye and snapped a shot. I think the zoom was at an equvialent of 300 mm or so. It wasn't quite a 10X zoom on the FZ15. The bird was quite close.
... after that sparrow flew away, I walked forward only to find a Great Blue Heron standing on the trail. It let me approach to an extent. As I got closer it flew around me and stood on the path behind me. That was good because the first shots I took, the bird was too much in the sun. The second landing also gave me a chance to catch the bird in flight when it took off again. The shot below is when the bird took off. This heron is quite a big bird. No zoom at all with my FZ15.
That's quite a difference in bird size in a matter of maybe 100 feet.
Spending the weekend in the Pt. Reyes area gave me quite an appreciation of wildlife. I was able to get some decent to excellent shots of many birds. I'll post two of my favorites because I took both shots only 5 minutes apart with my FZ15. They were taken at Bodega Head (40 miles north of Pt. Reyes maybe).
This first shot is of a Golden-crowned sparrow. I was walking the head and caught this bird out of my eye and snapped a shot. I think the zoom was at an equvialent of 300 mm or so. It wasn't quite a 10X zoom on the FZ15. The bird was quite close.
Erik
Looks like a pose to me. See what a little bird seed bribe can do? Good shot of an otherwise skitish bird. Looks like it should be in a bird guide book.
Last edited by D70FAN; 05-04-2005 at 04:40 PM.
D7000, D70, CP990, CP900, FE + a lens or 6.
Ha! See, I can change...
Looks like a pose to me. See waht a little bird seed bribe can do? Good shot of an otherwise skitish bird. Looks like it should be in a bird guide book.
Over the 3 days I was over there I couldn't believe how many times birds seemed to pose for me. That heron stood there for quite a while before it flew walking at me away from me, sideways etc... That little sparrow turned like that just as I was ready to snap the photo. Even a whale shot (posted in another thread) seemed perfect.
I also have to laugh because I had a dozen shots of this turkey vulture (down the hill from the sparrow and heron) that was sitting on a post. As I sat up to take some shots, it spread its wings and turned 90 degrees from side to side as if to give me a a variety of poses to choose from. It must have been stretching because it never moved and promptly went back to sleep. Never-the-less, I got some great bird shots.
Here is the Turkey Vulture and a Lesser Goldfinch. The Goldfinches never sit still long enough or close enough like that sparrow (although that was a rare instance too). Both of these birds were quite far. I think both shots I'm posting were in the digital zoom on my FZ15. I always take a couple digital zoom shots with all the full optical zoom to see whether they will be worth cropping for 4 X 6's or 5 X 7's prints later on. However, I haven't done that yet, so here are the digitally zoomed shots.
Over the 3 days I was over there I couldn't believe how many times birds seemed to pose for me. That heron stood there for quite a while before it flew walking at me away from me, sideways etc... That little sparrow turned like that just as I was ready to snap the photo. Even a whale shot (posted in another thread) seemed perfect.
I also have to laugh because I had a dozen shots of this turkey vulture (down the hill from the sparrow and heron) that was sitting on a post. As I sat up to take some shots, it spread its wings and turned 90 degrees from side to side as if to give me a a variety of poses to choose from. It must have been stretching because it never moved and promptly went back to sleep. Never-the-less, I got some great bird shots.
Here is the Turkey Vulture and a Lesser Goldfinch. The Goldfinches never sit still long enough or close enough like that sparrow (although that was a rare instance too). Both of these birds were quite far. I think both shots I'm posting were in the digital zoom on my FZ15. I always take a couple digital zoom shots with all the full optical zoom to see whether they will be worth cropping for 4 X 6's or 5 X 7's prints later on. However, I haven't done that yet, so here are the digitally zoomed shots.
Erik
Sometimes you just get lucky, and are in the right place at the right time. This Canyon Raven (Grand Canyon) followed me as soon as the camera came out. I didn't need a bribe as he/she already had a beak full.
D70 with Sigma 18-125 DC f7.1, 1/800, ISO200, 125mm.
Last edited by D70FAN; 05-03-2005 at 06:51 PM.
D7000, D70, CP990, CP900, FE + a lens or 6.
Ha! See, I can change...
Here's an Osprey that is nesting in downtown Winter Park, Fl., on top of a utility pole with the main street on one side and the railroad on the other. She has two chicks in the nest with just one showing in the shot.
They are fledglings and are receiving flying lessons
D70, Nikkor 70-300mm with 2x TC with tripod.
300mm F/5.6 1/160 ISO 200 IR Shutter release
Last edited by Charles C. Weston; 05-04-2005 at 04:40 PM.
Camera is KodaK DX6490
Reply With Quote
heres mine.
Originally Posted by linncountysports
