It's an especially exciting time of the season when you see the first fledglings that have left a nest and you have a chance to see the adults feeding them nearby. Depending on where you live, you may already have seen newly fledged robins, bluebirds, chickadees, wrens, or other fledgling songbirds soon after they left their nest. But leaving the nest is not an endpoint – it is a new beginning for young birds to start to fit into the surrounding area while still under the care and protection of one or both adults that provide food and help the young birds begin to forage on their own.
A total of 81 teams of birders competed in the World Series of Birding, the biggest 24-hour birdathon event, with was held May 9th. In the Statewide category, the Mega team won first place by finding 211 species of birds by sight or by hearing within the state of New Jersey. Followed closely by the MOS Goodfellas with 207 species, the Thousand Birds team ranked third with 179 species. Awards were also given for teams competing within Cape May County, in a Limited Geographic Area, within Cape May Island, and in the Big Stay category.
A birder recently pointed out that "Birding has changed my life. Not only has birding made me more observant and patient, but it's given me a sense of belonging to the Earth. Birds remind me that I am part of nature – not separate from it. The beauty of birding is that there is no 'right way' to do it. Birding is a personal activity, and the way you enjoy birding can vary any time you plan an outing."
At a seasonally beautiful bright green prairie where I find Chestnut-collared Longspurs, Bobolinks, and Grasshopper Sparrows, a new grassland ambassador was on board – a welcome surprise of a Burrowing Owl that provided some shared time and a few photos as it perched in the open sunshine. During this evening drive Ring-necked Pheasants made themselves very obvious, with males strutting and 1 crowing, while several females were prominently featured with 1 displaying to a male and another leading the first newly hatched brood I've seen this season. After a cloudy weekend with rain, Monday's clear blue sky and sunshine seemed to make the rolling hills glow green, enlivening the variety of birds in Dakotaland.
The newest Nikon Binoculars – the Monarch M7 8x42 Binoculars – feature Nikon's ED glass lenses that are used in many premium Nikon optical products, ranging from camera lenses to spotting scopes. The ED lenses produce outstanding, brighter views of birds that include accurate colors and excellent resolution that is enhanced by Nikon's multilayer lens and prism coatings that create clear, high-resolution views of birds and more natural colors of their plumage and surroundings. Nikon binoculars are famed for their superior optics and rugged construction.
Attract birds in waves with Duncraft's new Classic Wave Nyjer Feeder, which provides feeding space for finches, chickadees, and other small birds on all 4 sides. The 4 rustproof aluminum perches are positioned on the narrower sides, 2 on each side, with the 2 wider sides of this nyjer feeder fitted top to bottom with wire mesh that provides a clinging surface for small birds to select seeds through the mesh. This durable feeder is made of recycled plastic and measures 8x4x13 inches tall; plus it's easy to fill from the top, easy to clean, and looks good too.
Join the Editor of The Birding Wire on expeditions to all 7 continents to observe and photograph some of the most exciting birds in the world: King Penguins, Crowned Cranes, Emperor Geese, Harpy Eagles, Resplendent Quetzals, and many more in the pages of Wildlife Adventures. At the same time, read about encounters with other exciting wildlife like Polar Bears, African Elephants and Cheetahs, Desert Bighorn Sheep, Orcas, and more. With the experience of birding in 46 countries and 44 American states, Paul Konrad shares his experiences like you were sitting next to him, along for the ride.
Action photos usually provide the best examples of bird photography, and birds are very active animals that lend themselves well to taking action photos. Recently I had a chance to take a series of action photographs that I could actually anticipate and prepare for in advance to make the most of the opportunity to take a series of action photographs. A pair of Marbled Godwits has frequented the northwest bays of a favorite photo location – Charo Marsh – and while a mixed group of shorebirds was foraging in the area, a Marbled Godwit stopped before me and provided a nice portrait. But without hesitation she lowered her body into the shallow water and began bathing, an initial opportunity to take some action photographs.
By anticipating a bird’s actions after a bathing session and waiting patiently for it to finish you should be able to get a detailed action photo or a series of action photographs (600mm zoom lens, f-9 aperture, 1/2000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).
That’s great, but I knew the best action photo opportunities would very abruptly explode into action at the end of the bath. Knowing this is a plus for any bird photographer who is looking for an action photo or series of photos: With many birds, and with sandpipers and plovers in particular, the bathing bird will suddenly stand upright, spread its wings and begin flapping to shed the water clinging to its plumage. This also helps the feathers reposition into their normal positions, and the bird may then ruffle its body feathers and begin preening – all part of the potential action during and after a bathing session that you can anticipate and photograph.
In the beginning, a bird begins bathing, which gives you a chance to try some action photography with the anticipation that even more impressive photo action will almost certainly follow (600mm zoom lens, f-9 aperture, 1/2000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).
As the bird finishes bathing, it will stand upright and flap its wings, which provides an excellent opportunity to photograph that action. The strength of the flapping sometimes is even enough to elevate the bird just above the shallow water a moment before touching down at the end of the flaps. In the case of this Marbled Godwit, I was quite surprised that she continued the sequence with more than the anticipated wing flaps. The big sandpiper actually elevated to the point of taking a short flight closer to shore, permitting me to keep photographing during the extended photo opportunity. And that’s when the godwit did a little plumage ruffle for me to photograph as an endpiece to my photo series. All this in the realm of clear sky reflecting on the water with sunlight illuminating the bird and scene at a 40-degree angle above the horizon, which eliminated shadows and provided uniform colors. This is just one example of how you can use your experience with birds to realize what activity will follow a bathing session, then prepare and anticipate the action before and during the behavioral sequence.
Although camera settings will be addressed below, you can take a series of individual photos manually – click, click, click. But if you use the Al Servo setting on your camera, you can take an extra-fast, whirring series of photos as long as you depress the shutter button (600mm zoom lens, f-9 aperture, 1/1600 shutter speed, 800 ISO).
Tech Talk: The key to taking advantage of this excellent action photo opportunity is to be aware, then settle in to wait for the post-bath flap. As you wait, you can quickly double-check your camera settings to ensure you have a fast shutter speed, and adjust your aperture to a basic f-8 to have plenty of area in focus for a single bird, while also providing a fast shutter speed: 1/1000 or faster if possible, although 1/500 might be adequate if you are trying to stop the action of the wings. Another option is to try to blur the action of the wings, which will most likely happen with a shutter speed under 1/400, but that’s when it gets tricky, because it is hard to say how blurred the wing action might become. Trying to blur action to show motion tends to be more experimental, but it’s always worth trying, especially if you get more than one opportunity to photograph wing flaps.
An extension of the godwit's post-bathing flapping activity was an unexpected short flight to the shoreline (600mm zoom lens, f-9 aperture, 1/2000 shutter speed, 1600 ISO).
At this point, let’s take the technical settings topic back to the basics, and I will share what has worked best for me when photographing wildlife, especially birds. First, I never use an automatic setting on my camera because the camera can’t and won’t be able to assess a bird photography situation better than I can. But I also don’t use a totally manual camera setting. I have found that by far the best option is to use the Aperture Priority (Av) setting on your camera’s Mode Dial. By using the Av setting, I can set the aperture and the corresponding shutter speed is provided in response. If I increase the area in focus by switching from an f-8 to an f-10, the shutter speed is reduced a bit; and when I change the aperture from f-8 to f-6, the shutter speed is increased.
As my standard ISO setting I use the 800 ISO under good lighting conditions. I only photograph birds during good lighting conditions – during late afternoon or early evening periods when there is ample sunlight. I keep the sun at my back so it illuminates the birds before me; if it is overcast, I do something else instead of photographing birds. Without sunlight, colors are muted, shadows are enhanced, and it is rarely possible to get a quality photo of a bird.
At the end of wing flaps and touchdown, during a preening session godwit “ruffled” its feathers to position them and expel any remaining moisture (600mm zoom lens, f-9 aperture, 1/2000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).
Other birds you may be able to photograph by anticipating wing flaps and other behavior after a bathing session are ducks and geese, cormorants, gulls, terns, and potentially any other birds you encounter that suddenly begin bathing. Even though you will undoubtedly take a number of photographs during the action, each photo could potentially stand alone, apart from the concept of a series. But when it comes down to it, a series of action photos takes your bird photography to another level. Good Luck with all your photo opportunities as we slip into the summer season.
