Herring Gull Fishing for a Meal

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 + TC-14II @ 700mm, 1/3200, f/8, ISO 1000

I finally got out for a bit this last Saturday and went to the Huron Harbor because I knew there would be birds there as long as there was still open water.  And there was open water.  Only part of the harbor was frozen over.  So I walked out to where the open water met the frozen and there were a number of gulls flying around looking for a meal.  Now, I'm a relative newbie at this kind of photography event.  I've photographed gulls before but not for the specific purpose of catching them in action while fishing for a meal.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 + TC-14II @ 700mm, 1/3200, f/8, ISO 1100

It's quite challenging and fun.  One has to really be on their toes, so to speak, as the action is swift.  One problem I encountered that was frustrating was the slowness of the lens to acquire and retain focus, so I missed a lot of shots that I felt it unnecessary to have missed.  The light was not great and I utilized the teleconverter both of which I'm sure played a part in slowing down focus acquisition.  I definitely want to do this again in better light to see how it will perform.  

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 + TC-14II @ 700mm, 1/3200, f/8, ISO 1100

As it was, I came away with some usable but not great images for the purposes of this post.  They're just not tack sharp and I'm not exactly sure why.  It will take some more practice with and without the TC in poor light and good.  And I'm not dismissing that it could be just me making mistakes.  For one thing, it was cold and I was wearing gloves so I question if my finger may have kept slipping off the Preview button that I reprogrammed for "AF-ON".  And, then again, I had the camera set to AF-C, S instead of my usual AF-C, d9 or d21 or even Group.  Also, I'll have to recheck the lens calibration settings that I set up last month as they may be off.  

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 + TC-14II @ 700mm, 1/3200, f/8, ISO 1250

In any case, it was very interesting to be able to view these images once I got home as the action happens so quickly while shooting that I didn't realize these birds were scooping up fish and swallowing while in flight.  I certainly understand why they didn't linger in the water once they had their catch because they were often in competition for it from other gulls.  Usually when one bird hit the water another was right there with it trying to snatch the prize before it was consumed.  The first photo hints at that interaction where the Herring gull beat out the Ring-billed gull this time.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 + TC-14II @ 700mm, 1/3200, f/8, ISO 1100

Actually, I'm quite excited to be able to do this again.  So, till then...