Posts in Category: action
Florida! Skimmer on approach
Black Skimmer: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, January 2024 — I had fun with the Black Skimmers at Merritt Island but never did get exactly the image I wanted. Next time. OM System OM-1 with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Diving again
Common Tern: York County, Maine, USA, June 2024 — Two more diving shots, this time a Common Tern. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.
Maine! Both sides now
Least Tern: York County, Maine, USA, June 2024 — Least Terns hunting Sand Eels at the mouth of one of our rivers, along with Roseate and Common Terns. There is a large colony of Least Terns nesting one river south, and a few may nest on this beach…through there are no signs yet (other than the Fish and Wildlife protected area signs). The slope and shape of all our beaches were radically altered by the late winter and early spring storms. Terns in flight are always going to be a challenge to photograph. They are super acrobatic flyers as you see here where two similar postures show the underside and the upper-side of the wings. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! The dive!
Roseate Tern: York County, Maine, USA, June 2024 — There were three species of Terns actively feeding at the mouth of one of our local rivers on Sunday: Roseate (pictured here), Common, and Least. The sand eels were plentiful. I set out to try to capture the diving terns and terns rising from the water, and the OM System OM-1Mkii and M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom did well, even at 800mm equivalent. Any faults in the photos are user error 🙂 This is Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. 16.7 frames per second in SH2 mode and 1/2500th and 1/2000th of a second. The hardest part was keeping the bird in frame as it dived and continuing to keep it in frame as it rose. The Roseate Tern tail features are a treat. Processed in Photomator.
Biggest Week in American Birding! caterpillar catcher
Prothonotary Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, May 2024 — A Prothonotary Warbler doing what it does…finding and eating some kind of tiny caterpillar in the undergrowth. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Incoming!
Least Tern: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — Being the object of a Least Tern’s attention on an open beach can be intimidating…which is, of course, the whole point of the exercise as far as the Tern is concerned. He does not want you there. In this case I was guilty by association. As I mentioned a few days ago, the Fish and Wildlife folks were busy moving the protected area ropes to include the nest site this Tern had selected outside the existing roped off area. I just happened to be there when it was happening, hoping for some Terns in flight shots. This is a stack of three shots from a sequence at 16 frames per second…not consecutive shots, but three selected to tell the story. The last shot was last with the Tern in frame before he pulled up to pass over my head with at least 6 inches to spare. 🙂 OM System OM-1Mkii with the M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 400mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomatic and assembled in FrameMagic.
Biggest Week in American Birding! Eye to Eye
Blackburnian Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — The pattern on the top of the Blackburnian’s head is rarely seen, as this warbler is almost always well above eye-level. Here it tipped its head to get a good look at me, or maybe at its own reflection in my lens (or maybe it was not looking at me at all and I just happened to be in line with some insect it was after). OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 776mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Close Encounter?
Least Tern: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — Though the Atlantic population of Least Tern is not Federally endangered, the Least Tern is on the Endangered Species list in Maine, and known nesting sites are monitored and protected. If you frequent a beach where Least Terns nest, you will see the signs and roped off areas. Please respect them. On Maine’s well developed coast there is not a lot of habitat left to them. Least Terns are acrobatic flyers and aggressive defenders of their nest sites. If you get too close they will let you know by buzzing you repeatedly until you move on. I happened to be on a beach when the folks from Fish and Wildlife were repositioning the ropes and signs to protect a nest site that terns were trying to establish outside the protected area. The terns were not happy, and, of course, incapable of realizing that the work was for their benefit. I stood well back and tried to photograph the terns in flight…which, if you have ever tried, or even if you have seen Least Terns in flight, you will realize is not easy to do at the best of times. This bird, though it looks close in the cropped version, was still quite a ways from me. OM Systems OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Biggest Week in American Birding! Red-head vs Tree Swallow
Red-headed Woodpecker and Tree Swallow: Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2024 — There was at at least one pair of very active Red-headed Woodpeckers, possibly more, between the Boardwalk and the parking area at Magee. I photographed this one having a dispute over the ownership of a nest cavity with a Tree Swallow (a more common occurrence than you might think) in the band of trees between the parking and the lake, one lunch time. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Fight
Willits: York County, Maine, USA, May 2024 — I walked most of a mile in to one of the more distant beaches in York County to see if there were any Piping Plover chicks yet…there were not…but while I was looking, two of the many Willits in the area took sudden exception to each other’s presence and engaged in this tumbling, jumping, wing flapping, beak snapping fight just over the beach grasses. I was not close, but I got the camera into action mode and shot a few bursts to see what I could catch. One of them flew off and sulked on the sands down by the river’s edge, but no apparent harm was done to either bird. OM Systems OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.