Red-winged Blackbird (female) - Behind the Shot

I was on the boardwalk at Kensington Metropark in Michigan when this bird settled on the railing just a few feet in front of me. What was I to do?  Exactly!  Click, click.  She's young and all fluffed up and photogenic.  What's not to like?  This was taken with the Nikon D750 and Nikon 300mm f/4E PF VRII + TC-14EII giving a fov of 420mm.  Again, what's not to like?

Fishing

I was fortunate to witness these extraordinary birds of prey in action at Kensington Metropark in Michigan a few weeks ago. They were fun to watch and photograph.  The process reminded me of fishing.  You sit with rod (camera) in hand and wait for something to happen and when it does you set the hook (acquire focus) and reel it in (let the shutter rip). When that round of action is over you wait some more for the next thing to happen.  

I was joined by my friend Joe from Cincinnati and we met up with Ben who lives in the vicinity of the Metropark.  When Joe and I arrived at the scene of the action there were about 5 guys already there with their super-telephoto lenses of 600mm + teleconverters  mounted on tripods and Joe made a comment of feeling a bit "inadequate" with his 70-300mm.  I had the new Nikon 300mm f/4E PF attached to the 1.4II teleconverter giving me an effective view of 420mm on the Nikon D750.  Do I wish I had had more reach?  Oh yeah!  But we work with what we have and the following are some of the shots I was able to come away with. Can't wait to do it again.  What a blast.  Remember to click to view the larger version.

Sandhill Crane - Behind the Shot

This was shot at Kensington Metropark in Michigan.  I learned of this place thru my new friend Ben, who lives in close proximity to the park and encouraged me to make a trip and that it would be worthwhile.  Of course, he showed me some photos of what he'd shot there and I liked them very much so made plans to visit soon after our meeting each other at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area.

It was about a 3.5 hr drive and I'd left early in the morning to try to  be there to catch the early morning light.  This shot was taken about 9:30 am and I couldn't have asked for better light as this bird casually walked by.  I had a great time and there will be more posts coming.  Thank you, Ben!  I hope to do it again.