Maine! Hairy Woodpecker female
Female Hairy Woodpecker: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, April 2023 — I picked up a new camera yesterday afternoon, the Olympus OM-1 and their 100-400mm zoom, and got the battery charged for some first shots after supper as the light was failing. It will take me some time to get everything set up for the true point and shoot experience with this camera, but first results are promising, and this is truly, once set up, the ultimate point and shoot camera. You can even tell it what you are photographing, and it will even find the bird (or bear, or the motorcycle) in the frame and track focus on it. It is totally amazing to watch as it puts a box around the bird and follows it through the frame, maintaining focus all the way. And all the other bits I preset on my cameras for point and shoot nature photography are all there in the menus…it is just a matter of finding them, and getting the right settings. 🙂 This shot is at ISO 12800 through the double glazed glass deck doors at 7PM. Not bad for a first attempt. Equivalent focal length 552mm. Program mode. f6.3 @ 1/800th.
White-fronted Kingfisher
White-fronted Kingfisher: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — Ready for another White-fronted Kingfisher? I hope so. I have already said how many of them we saw in Rajasthan. Many! Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 160 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus .3EV.
India! Indian Pond Heron
Indian Pond Heron: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — As I think I mentioned before, we saw Indian Pond Herons wherever we went in Rajasthan. They are by far the most common heron, and the most common wader. And they are always hunting. Of course, we did see one night roost, with more than 100 birds and birds still coming in…and they were done hunting for the day…but daylight hours are spent on the hunt. Sony Rx10iv at 477mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/800th. Plus .3EV.
Costa Rica! Another two for…
Female Volcano and Talamanca Hummingbirds: Batsu Gardens, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2022 — Another set of hummers from the flower shoot at Batsu Gardens. Same Female Volcano along with a Talamanca this time. I hope to be back at Batsu next December. (Anyone coming with me?) Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 1000 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Immature Black-headed Ibis
Immature Black-headed Ibis: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — I don’t know if was the time of year, or what, but we saw a lot of immature birds, of all species, but especially waders, at Keoladeo. This is two different Black-headed Ibis (Ibi?) Sony Rx10iv at 527 and 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 160 and 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus .3EV.
India! Rose-ringed Parakeet
Rose-ringed Parakeet: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — Rose-ringed Parakeets are everywhere in Rajasthan and in most of India right up the foothills of the Himalayas, and there is sub-species common across a wide band of equatorial Africa. Escaped and released birds have successfully colonized many European cities, much of southeast England, cities in the near-east, and in Florida and California in the US. They are cold hardy, and feed on the seeds and berries of forests, parks, and at feeding stations. In India the are a crop pest. They are more parrot sized than parakeet. At Keoladeo, they defend several nesting trees near the roads year round. They are very active birds, and while you see a lot of them, they are not easy to photograph. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 1600 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus 1.3EV.
India! White-fronted Kingfisher
White-fronted Kingfisher: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — Though we had already seen the White-fronted Kingfisher at Saltanpur, these were my first really good shots, and between them they show off the bird to good advantage. The White-fronted is the most common Kingfisher, at least in Rajasthan, at least on our journeys. We saw them everywhere, and in some unlikely places as well. It is big. It is bold. It is highly visible. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 1600 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus 1.3EV.
Costa Rica! Two for the price
Female Volcano and Lesser Violet-ear Hummingbirds: Batsu Gardens, San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2022 — As the afternoon went on at Batsu gardens, Marino went out and picked some flowers from the gardens and brought them back to the edge of the upper terrace where he hung them on supports they have for that purpose and sprayed them with sugar water. The hummers came in for photographs! This is one of the first shots I took. That is a female Volcano Hummingbird and a Lesser Violet-ear. Over the next hour and a half, Marino tried different flowers and two different locations and we had a wonderful time photographing the hummers. It is kind of cheating, maybe, but then it looks much more natural than hummers at actual feeders. Sony Rx10iv at 586mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 400 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
India! Purple Heron
Purple Heron: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — The Purple Heron has a wide range across Europe, Africa, and Asia. There might be up to 4 subspecies. The same subspecies is found in India as the one in sub-saharan Africa, but it is different than the one found in Europe…so I have seen at least two. This one was fairly close to the road at Keoladeo, but screened by foreground vines. I had to do some post-processing to dig the bird out of the shadows. Still, a satisfying shot. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 500 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
India! Another Coopersmith Barbet visit
Coopersmith Barbet: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — After our first Coopersmith, we, of course, saw several more in Keoladeo National Park….and most of the time you could hear them calling, even if you did not see them. This one was doing its tree top thing…but was still within reach of my Sony. In my opinion the Coopersmith is one of the more attractive barbets, and that is saying quite a bit. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/1000th and 1/800th. Plus 1.3EV.