Feeding Time 1

Shooting with the new Nikon D6, I have been working a lot of birds in the early hours. Whether out on the golf course or out back of the office, we have water and there is an assortment of tidbits that draws the birds in. This Great Blue Heron surprised the heck out of me (and probably the turtle) when I watched him grab a small turtle, fiddle with it for 5 minutes and then swallow it whole. Hadn’t seen that one before….

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Golf Course Wildlife

When I am playing golf with people I know, especially down South, you will usually find me with a camera in addition to my clubs. Most likely an 80-400 lens although I have been seen with a 600mm. The camera sits right next to me on the cart, and if possible I usually take my own cart so not to slow any of my playing partners down. Now I am pretty serious about my golf game and extremely aware of golf course etiquette, however, by playing when the course is not crowded, opportunities present themselves if you keep your eyes open.

Golf courses are wide open spaces and the wildlife that frequent the forests and water hazards are accustomed to having people around. Hence possible photographic opportunities, especially in the early tee times. When I am lucky and the course isn’t crowded there is the chance you can spend a little more time getting the image, BUT I NEVER will make a click if we have people immediately behind us. Pretty rude to hold up play for any reason. So you have to be ready and you have to expect very limited time to shoot and most likely no time to improve your position. Its either a situation where the light and the subject’s position is in your favor or you pass on the shot having seen another bird, mammal or reptile during the course of your round. And obviously you don’t crowd or stress the subject to get the shot. Hence the 80-400mm.

During Christmas week in Florida, we saw a wide range of birds and yes more than one Florida gator. On the second hole of one course we came up to an elevated green on a large water hazard. As we left the hole, this Great Blue Heron stuck is head up from the bank of the water hazard proud as punch to have found lunch!  

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Fun at the Beach

Was over on the coast of Georgia and spent a few hours shooting at the beach one morning. Had the 600mm with a 1.4 Tele and the D4 on the Wimberley/Gitzo combination. Also went to Dx in the Image Area function to get even closer as tidal flows divided the beach into disjointed sections often separating me further from the subject. The birds were plentiful from sandpipers to semipalmated plovers to terns, gulls, brown pelicans and the occasional heron, to name a few. Was a great time for practice and just watching the behaviors as they went about poking, diving, digging etc. Still new to this area of image making, but I find there is always something that comes along if you are patient enough. Here are a few from the morning, all right out of the camera with no further adjustments other than creating the JPEG in PS CC: