tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37860843651867086152024-03-13T13:10:21.897-04:00Photography Musings by DaveLearning to See the World Around me and Sharing It with OthersDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-87938500421827229462016-04-27T00:21:00.001-04:002016-04-27T00:21:41.305-04:00Another First - A Pansy
Nikon D750, Nikkor 300mm f/4e, 1/250, f/4, ISO 100
This is the first flower of the season I've photographed. As I was looking in the backyard this morning the flower caught my eye but its back was to me so I wasn't sure just what it was. Once I went out for a look I knew it needed its picture taken.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-15251813922057038122016-04-26T09:10:00.000-04:002016-04-26T09:11:56.308-04:00A Lot of "Firsts"
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6e @ 500mm, 1/640, f/5.6, ISO 220
As I stated here the warblers are starting to show up at Magee Marsh and this Palm Warbler is a first for me. I'm fairly new to the birding scene so I'll have a lot of "firsts", no doubt. I was not able to make the Magee scene of the Biggest Week in American Birding at all last May so am very much Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-89152045783378135982016-04-25T17:48:00.002-04:002018-12-18T23:08:52.709-05:00Close Up - Yellow-rumped Warbler
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm @ 500mm, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 560
Magee Marsh in Oak Harbor, Ohio is internationally known for its spring migration of warblers and they're starting to show up now. This is a photo of a Yellow-rump Warbler I took this last weekend while there. These particular birds were plentiful but that doesn't make them easy to shoot as they are small and always Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-42782326497123635622016-04-21T18:51:00.002-04:002016-04-21T18:51:48.892-04:00A Little Experiment - This Was Just a Test
700mm, 1/400, f/8, ISO 200, Handheld
Somebody asked me on the Birding Ohio FB page the other day if the 200-500mm lens was adequate most of the time in relation to this image. Then he mentioned he sees a lot of people that want the 60x and 80x cameras that we can't get in a DSLR. Here was my answer,
"I think regardless of how many mm one has we always want more when shootingDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-86103910938741957602016-04-18T23:10:00.002-04:002016-04-18T23:13:17.371-04:00Winter Wren
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6e @ 500mm, 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 1250
Winter finally released its hold and Spring is making its presence known to human and animal alike. We've had a lot of rain and are experiencing warmer temperatures. The grass is growing, flowers are blooming and trees are budding. And, of course, the animals are coming out of hibernation and birds are Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-91957291319390691742016-04-10T14:50:00.000-04:002016-04-10T14:50:06.229-04:00Sandhill Crane at Sunset - Behind the Shot
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6e @ 500mm, 1/800, f/5.6, ISO 1600
Recently, I worked in Whitmore Lake, Mi and stayed in Brighton, Mi nearby for the main purpose of hoping to visit Kensington Metropark at some point during my stay. I had learned the Great Blue Herons were busy with nesting activities and an Osprey pair were back and busy with the same which I wrote about here and Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-80953562651845693562016-04-08T18:21:00.000-04:002016-04-10T11:31:59.035-04:00Osprey - Him on Her - Not
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6e @ 500mm, 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 800
This series will show the behavior I mentioned in this post that helped me identify which bird was male and female. It happened quick. The timestamp has the first photo pegged at 8:32:24 and the last at 8:32:25 on April 2, 2016. When I began saving the images as jpeg so they could be shown here I Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-87884070445735687162016-04-07T13:31:00.000-04:002016-04-07T13:33:50.566-04:00Nesting Osprey
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6e @ 500mm, 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 800
I was able to spend a little time at Kensington Metropark in Michigan recently and was treated to an Osprey pair building up and reinforcing their nest. The photo above shows the two at rest and is the full view thru a 500mm lens. The images that come after are cropped for a closer view and show one of the Osprey (Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-88725433914995138692016-03-30T07:43:00.000-04:002016-03-30T07:43:33.529-04:00Taking for Granted the Common
Nikon D600, Nikkor 300mm f/4 @ f/5.6, 1/320, ISO 100
We see them all the time and yet we don't "see" them at all. They're everywhere you look and yet, invisible. They frequent our yards and trees every day throughout the season. They nest and raise their young in our bushes. We wake up and go to sleep with their song ringing in our ears. After a time,Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-85786809395770929002016-03-29T23:07:00.000-04:002016-03-29T23:11:20.506-04:00Golden-crowned Kinglet
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 400mm, 1/800, f/5.6, ISO 400
I spent this last Saturday at Magee Marsh and Ottawa Nat'l Wildlife Refuge having arrived about 08:30 and didn't head for home until 17:00. The temp was 28 degrees when I got there and warmed all the way up to about 43. I started off at Magee Marsh and spent the first few hours there. It's certainly notDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-66420145906036912262016-03-29T08:06:00.000-04:002016-03-30T09:41:23.236-04:00The Brown Creeper
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 100
This is a neat little bird. It flies to the base of a tree and works its way up by going round and round the trunk and branches, pressing its beak into the crevices of bark looking for insects and spiders to feast on. When not presented in profile the Brown Creeper can be especially difficult to see as it blends Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-23168917761489722582016-03-28T12:46:00.000-04:002016-03-29T19:15:31.934-04:00Nice Light
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/400, f/7.1, ISO 100
This photo of a Mourning Dove was taken 14 minutes after this one and, again, I couldn't resist the nice light illuminating the bird. Yeah, it's not a great shot with the bird perched on the gutter and partially hidden from view but this just goes to show that's it's not always about the subject or object being Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-53543366836228715282016-03-25T21:35:00.000-04:002016-03-25T21:35:23.842-04:00House or Purple Finch
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 250
When we moved to Ohio about eight years ago and saw these birds in the backyard we called them Purple Finches w/out giving it a thought. Of course, we were not birders nor was I into photography at that time. Once I did get into photography about five years ago and had taken some photos of these birds it came to my Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-77780285714614384642016-03-25T03:19:00.000-04:002016-03-25T03:21:12.573-04:00Shooting What's at Hand When I Can't Get Out
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 160
I'm fortunate to be able to work from home so when there is a little down time I work on culling or post-processing images or look for photo opportunities. Sometimes the sun is shining but too often it's overcast this time of year in Northeast Ohio. For the photo above taken a few days ago of a House Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-86149349764052756342016-03-23T18:53:00.000-04:002016-03-23T18:53:06.237-04:00Getting Closer
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 100
There's a few birds that have crossed my path that I've not gotten a good photo of yet and the Northern Flicker is one of them. You could call it one of my nemesis birds. I saw this one at Ottawa Nat'l Wildlife Refuge this last weekend in heavy, dry brush so tried again for a good shot.
The bird stayed on Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-89767958444504549272016-03-21T00:39:00.000-04:002016-03-21T17:11:43.408-04:00To Like It, or Not to Like It
Nikon D750, Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 100
I haven't made up my mind about this Swan image. I like the low profile and sharpness. I love the illusion of silk in the feathers as the sunlight illuminates them. The blurred background of water, grasses, trees, and sky is beautiful. The kiss of sunlight is magical. The white feathers are Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-51773076461943707412016-03-17T19:38:00.001-04:002016-03-18T11:02:47.641-04:00The Bluejay, the Blackbird and the Wren
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 100
It was a tough day for bird photos as a strong wind blew this afternoon. It probably kept the birds down for the most part. Fortunately, I didn't get skunked and came away with a couple photos I really liked in the Blue Jay and Red-winged Blackbird. For the image above the Blue Jay flew down to a log right in Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-84344928610067006572016-03-17T08:54:00.000-04:002016-03-21T17:09:47.609-04:00The Arachnid and the Painted Turtle
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 100
These are the first turtle pictures of the season that I've taken and only discovered the spider when viewing on the computer screen at home. You can see it clearly on top of the shell in the first picture and then...
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/320, f/5.6, ISO 100
...in the second picture it Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-59780239097560057672016-03-09T22:43:00.001-05:002016-03-23T19:30:41.669-04:00Dancing in the Snow
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, f/5/6, 1/320, ISO 360
While at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge on 3/5/2016 I caught this Sandhill Crane dancing in the snow. There were actually two of them but the other stayed back (must've been the guy) while this one took to the dance floor by itself. It snowed the entire 5 hrs I was out that day and I loved every single second of itDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-76551974170013841882016-03-02T20:56:00.000-05:002016-03-02T21:21:25.556-05:00Having Fun with some Sandhill Crane Behavior
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, f/5.6, 1/2500, ISO 250
I heard them well before I saw them and knew they could be none other than those gregarious, garrulous, and even noisy Sandhill Crane. As I rounded the corner and saw them a little ways off I decided to just keep walking and hoped they wouldn't retreat further back into Crane Creek. Fortunately, they Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-295481819605983702016-03-02T01:08:00.000-05:002016-03-09T22:45:22.261-05:00Photogenic - The White-breasted Nuthatch
Nikon D750, Nikkor 300mm f/4e @ f/4, 1/1000, ISO 140
I find birds to be incredibly photogenic with their combination of intricate feathers, postures, behaviors, inquisitiveness, colors, etc. And certainly the White-breasted Nuthatch gives no photogenic ground up to any other. I think they are a very interesting combination of white, blue, and black and quite striking in Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-89490006261515222662016-03-01T20:02:00.001-05:002016-03-01T20:02:22.813-05:00Out for a Walk
Nikon D750, Nikkor 300mm f/4 @ f/4, 1/800, ISO 720
This photo was taken at Sheldon Marsh in Feb. of this year. There are some birds around to be sure, but I think the squirrels outnumber them right now. I tend to pass up a lot of squirrels without feeling compelled to take their picture but every once in while one of them grabs my attention.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-71297361755875305902016-02-14T20:25:00.000-05:002016-02-14T20:25:08.942-05:00American Tree Sparrow
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6e @500mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 125
The backyard feeders have been surrounded by Tree sparrows lately. I caught this one in the snow on the ground away from where all the seeds have fallen so the frame wasn't full of "dirty" snow. These little birds spend the winter here and will head far north in early Spring to breed and raise their young Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-68871663131919729452016-02-10T08:39:00.002-05:002016-02-10T08:39:49.527-05:00Bald Eagle - First Year
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/2500, ISO 140
Here's another shot of one of the many eagles I photographed at Ottawa Nat'l Wildlife Refuge earlier this month. I like the uplifted wings, spread tail, and catch light in the eye. As mentioned in yesterday's post I believe this is a first year bird, of which there were several. This particular refuge is almost twoDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786084365186708615.post-52737772648460141362016-02-09T18:57:00.001-05:002016-03-22T12:42:46.503-04:00The Eagles Have Landed
Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, 1/2500, ISO 400
I can find eagles almost at will in Ohio now which is quite a bit different than what I mentioned here a few years ago. (Wow! I just saw those photos from the link and cringed and almost didn't mention the post from then. But, that's apparently where I was in my photography-related development stage so Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06870516640349332182noreply@blogger.com0