turtle
Common Yellowthroat
Song Sparrow
Common Loon family
Yesterday, at Carlos, I was happy to again find the cranes. This shot was taken with the car-window camera mount, as were the following photos. They were all taken with a 300mm lens; the top one is with a 1.4x teleconverter, the bottom ones are with a 2x. The relative sharpness of the images is testimony to the stability of the window mount.
In contrast with my previous visit to Carlos with Jim, I was able to find this crane at a more comfortable photo-taking distance. It was in the Pool 7 area.
As I was busy squeezing off a bunch of shots, much to my surprise, the crane on the left popped up. The grass is getting so tall there that when the birds bow down to feed one cannot see them.
This is the same pair a little West of the previous location. Note how the grass is even taller here. No little one in sight though.
I still don't have my replacement contact lens, but I couldn't stand it any longer -- I had to get out with my camera. My timing was not the best. I hit Carlos Avery about 4 p.m. My car thermometer read 92 degrees -- there was little wind -- and a lot of flies coming in the open windows of the car. Even the Eastern Kingbird above was panting from the heat. But, it was good to get out. I used my car window mount some more and, while it has limitations, it can be useful. More pictures to follow.
I do want to call your attention to an article in today's Star Tribune about Lyme disease. It is important that you are able to recognize the symptoms. If diagnosed early, it is easily treated with antibiotics; if diagnosis is delayed, serious illness can result. Carlos Avery is apparently at hotbed for the disease.
He really was panting! -- birds do that in extreme heat.Can our country's immigration policies affect birding and conservation? Consider the following e-mail which was posted on MOU's Listserve:
Wildlife photographer, Andy Rouse, has started a new blog you may want to take a look at:
http://www.andyrouse.co.uk/blog.asp
Of particular interest is his initial review of Canon's new 1D MIII.
Today's trip to Carlos turned out to be a bummer. Shortly after I took the picture on the right I lost a contact lens. After searching for it for over an hour (I was in my car when it happened) I had to give up, go home, and order a replacement (by Friday, if I'm lucky). The prescription on my old contacts is way outdated -- I may have to forgo birding until I can see again.
I intended to take some pictures of the car-window camera mount, but did not do that either. I'm not happy with the arrangement because the panning head on the mount lifts the camera too high to be comfortable. (I have a low car with a low roof; the side windows are not very tall.) I'll have to look for a different panning arrangement. The mount itself works OK - it is rather light weight - but so was the price. $28, free shipping from Eagle Optics. I bought the version without the head since I have several panning heads laying around. Looking at Eagle's head, I think mine sits almost as low.
Lots to do - so little time.
Even though you will find a link to Art Morris' site on this blog and see that I mention him often, I cannot recommend too highly his books and newsletters. Check him out: http://www.birdsasart.com/
The prices on stuff he sells are quite reasonable (most of the time) and the shipping is fast and cheap.
For local flavor, take a look at Audubon Center of the North Woods
I haven't visited there, but hope to do so soon, particularly since it is not that far away.
Then, of course, there is the National Audubon Society. The For the Birds section should be particularly helpful to beginning birders. The site led me to two nearby refuges I did not know existed and hope to visit soon: Upper Souris NWR and Horicon NWR. Note the large gift shop page.
I have bookmarked AviSys. Is it anything more than an electronic checklist? - anyone familiar with it? I haven't followed up on it since I don't keep life lists, state lists, yard lists, etc. I just take pictures of birds & what looks good. Maybe that's too simple an approach, but so far it is all I can manage. However, I can see where lists can be useful in knowing when birds will appear, nest, and so on, in your area. I sometimes go back to the pictures I have filed in Picasa and check the dates there.
Yes, I'm giving you some filler stuff tonight since I haven't been in the field; but I hope to get out tomorrow. I'll be trying out a car window mount I have jury-rigged and will let you know how it works.
Do you have a favorite bird watching spot? You may win Canon's Secret Playground Contest.
One of the regulars on the MOU Listservice signs off with "If you are too busy to go birding, you are too busy." I'm too busy today -- what with work around the house and some work deadlines tomorrow. Some days retirement looks really good!
But, on the list of things to come, not necessarily in this order:
1. I received the Delkin Sensorscope from Art Morris a few days ago & will report on it soon. (His web site is a little screwed up at this location; I ordered from one of his newsletters, which you should subscribe to; take a look at some back issues in the archive section and be amazed at Art's photography.) The scope is now available without the extra cleaning supplies and is about $90.
2. I'm planning on doing some lens sharpness tests comparing my 70-200mm f/2.8, 300mm f/4, & 400mm f/5.6 lenses with and without the 1.4x & 2x teleconverters.
3. I want to switch totally over to Adobe Elements 5.0 from Picasa for most of my print making and will report on this also (although I may not find time until late fall; it's more fun to go out birding).
4. Consideration to getting the Tamron 200-500mm lens.
5. Top grade spotting scope.
Our main quarry of the day was the Sandhill Crane. Unfortunately, we did not see any within a reasonable picture-taking distance. We were guessing that the ones above were at least 1/2 mi. away; this was confirmed by my checking the official Carlos Avery map. They were in the same place as described in my May 26 and June 1 posts.
Today started with good intentions as my friend, Jim, and I headed out to Carlos Avery. I was anxious to get more acquainted with my new camera body, the Canon XTi; Jim wanted to see some Sandhill Cranes (more about the latter in my next posting).
Jim & I were saddened to come across this dead snapping turtle on the East side of Pool 8.
Of course I had to go out this afternoon and try my new XTi body! I went to Carlos Avery; I mounted the 300mm w/1.4x converter on the XTi and my 70-200mm zoom on the 20D. It was sure nice to have the flexibility of not having to change lenses. The 300mm with the 1.4x converter is the equivalent of a 420mm lens; however, since the XTi has a smaller sensor than a full frame 35mm camera, the effective focal length of the combination was that of a 670mm lens on a 35mm camera. Because the 300mm lens has image stabilization, I did not use a tripod. The results (w/out the tripod) are not as sharp as my 400mm + 1.4x converter on a tripod. That's to be expected, but the convenience is sure nice.
The Sandhill Crane on the right is the only one I saw at close range (close enough to take a decent picture); the large flock of cranes is still there, but at a great distance, as discussed in our earlier posts.
All three pictures in this posting are taken with the above combination on the XTi. Our next posting will have some from the 20D as well.
Now that I've actually taken a few shots with the new camera, here's what I like:My Canon XTi arrived by UPS just before supper time -- how can I take time for supper when I have a new camera to try out?
Easy -- I have to charge the battery first. That's a disappointment since I didn't realize that the XTi takes a different battery than the 20D for which I have 4 or 5. Why do they do this? One reason may be to save weight; the XTi is quite a bit smaller & lighter than the 20D -- and so is the new battery. One of the first things I need to do is get on the Internet & order some spares. At least it uses the same Compact Flash cards.
So -- I've been reading the manual and discovering that although the buttons are in different places, the basic functions are essentially the same.
Another disappointment -- the remote control plug is different. Oh well, that's not something I use often & I'll always have the 20D for that, if necessary.
Overall first impression so far -- I'm happy. I like the way the camera feels and the fact that it is small & light. As mentioned above, most of the functions, if not the button locations, are the same so it won't take me long to get used to it. I will probably take more pictures now with the normal zoom, 17-85mm, and also the 50mm lens I have since it is even more compact and fast (f/1.4). I'm sure I'll have some pictures to share tomorrow.
I started thinking about getting a second camera body last winter. I was taking pictures of swans & geese on the Mississippi in Monticello when my trusty Canon 20D locked up. The readout screen was showing my settings, but I couldn't operate the shutter, or even turn the camera off. I repeatedly turned it on and off, adjusted the settings, even prayed -- nothing seemed to help. Well, perhaps the last did help because I remembered reading something in the manual about removing and reinserting the battery. Sure enough, that worked. But it did scare me! How could I take pictures if I had to send my camera to Canon?
The simple answer was to get another body. Of course, it had to be a Canon single-lens reflex so that I could use my lenses and other accessories. But what to get? Another 20D, which I love and was still available new? -- or the 30D, a 20D with a bunch of improvements? Then there is the 5D, with a full 35mm frame sensor, but more than double the price of the 30D. With all these choices I followed my usual mode of behavior -- I did nothing.
Then this spring, as I started some of my tours of Springbrook, Carlos Avery, and Wargo, I became frustrated with having to change lenses. My favorites for birding are a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom, a 300mm f/4.0, and a 400mm f/5.6. (The first two have image stabilization.) A solution seemed to be to mount the 400mm with camera on the tripod (with the Wimberly Sidekick) and to carry the 300mm with another body around my neck.
In the meanwhile, Canon had come out with an upgrade of the Digital Rebel XT, the XTi. The XTi, even though only about 1/2 the price of the 30D, had many improvements over the 30D. The two main ones are a 10.1mp self-cleaning sensor and a larger memory for continuous burst of shots (even though at 3 rather than 5 shots per second). They both have 2.5" monitors; the XTi has a noticeably quieter shutter than my 20D. So, considering finances and features, the choice seemed simple -- XTi it is!
Next dilemma: Where to buy?
I'm sorry, but I've have given up on local dealers. I've tried to buy from them, but they just will not come within $100 of Internet prices (plus having to pay sales tax). The three major suppliers, in my opinion, are Amazon, Adorama, and B&H. Yes, there are others you can locate through sites like PriceGrabber, but I've dealt with each of the three and have found them to be very good with respect to prices, delivery, and returns. For the XTi, all were within $10 of each other, including shipping.
As an aside, I had considered another dealer out of New York, since their prices are substantially lower than the above three. However, as a friend of mine found out when he tried to order from them, they will not include what the factory ordinarily ships with the camera -- items such as a battery, charger, camera strap. Also, their shipping charges are quite high.
I decided to go with Amazon ($674.50), simply because of their automated, no-hassle ordering system and prompt shipping (usually free for orders over $25 and often delivered within 3 business days -- so, don't spend the money, unless you need to, for 2nd or 3rd day delivery).
According to Amazon's tracking system, my camera is now sitting in Eagan, MN (I ordered it May 31) -- I'm hoping for delivery tomorrow! I'll let you know how it works out.
next to the Sandhill Cranes, the Great Egrets are my favorite birds at Carlos this time of the year
Les spotted this neat scene of Egrets roosting in a dead tree; when we returned a little while later, they were all gone
sometimes they just like to jump & play
like here
they seem to fit into the idyllic setting at Carlos
When Les invited me to join him & Luther on a trip to Carlos Avery, of course I jumped at the chance.
We encountered this mean looking fellow shortly after we entered Carlos Avery, driving North-easterly along Pool 2. It looked like he was going to charge Les' van . . .
. . . but then thought better of it.
I must admit I was happy to see him turn tail -- as long as we got a few pictures first. Later, Les saw two other otters; this was my first encounter with one at Carlos.
This was only a small part of one of the two large groups of cranes; in one we counted 18 & in another, over 2 dozen, in addition to several pairs roaming about. They were very far away, as described in our May 26 post.
