Monthly Archives: July 2014

Photographing a Blue Grosbeak – A Rare Bird in SW Michigan

July 31, 2014Grosbeaknmckown

Searching for the Blue Grosbeaks

It pays to persevere when you are looking for a bird that is usually not seen in SW Michigan, but you know is there. My friend John (a most excellent nature photographer) and I spent more than a few early mornings in our separate vehicles canvasing the road where a pair of blue grosbeaks was spotted. Other anxious birders were out on this road as well, binoculars and cameras at the ready, watching and listening; hoping for a glance of this rare bird.

Photo of Male Blue Grosbeak — Blue Grosbeak-A Good Profile Pose of that Large Beak.
ISO 500; f/9.0; 1/1600 Second

Blue Grosbeaks Nesting Out of Their Usual Range

This is the first time I’ve seen and photographed a blue grosbeak. They are not common birds, even in the southern states, the southwest and southern Mexico where they nest. Blue grosbeaks are long distance migrators, wintering south of the U.S. in Mexico down through Panama. A confirmed Michigan sighting (in the Allegan State Game Area in Fennville, Michigan) is very exciting news indeed.

My First Sighting of a Blue Grosbeak

The first time I saw the male blue grosbeak, he was perched on a mullein flower on the west side of the road as I was heading south. The morning sun was mostly behind the clouds, though it did occasional peak out. My camera and 500mm lens were on my lap. Since the bird was closest to the passenger side window, I hurriedly propped the camera up on the bin next to me before stopping the car. I was so excited and fearful of losing the moment, I took the first burst of shots before turning off the car’s engine. The tall grasses around his mullein flower perch were blowing back and forth in front of him, causing the auto focus on my 500 mm lens to work its crazy back and forth search routine. I could hear the image stabilizer (IS) whirring away before I took the shots, no doubt trying to compensate for the movement caused by my fast beating heart.

Day Two – Photographing Blue Grosbeaks

John and I went back the next day, hoping to again spot and photograph the male and female blue grosbeaks. The sun stayed behind thick clouds most of the morning but the wind was less fierce. We waited three hours and were rewarded with a couple sightings. The female made an appearance for a very short time, but she chose to nestle within the flowers and grasses, making it very difficult for my lens to achieve a sharp focus. The male appeared on the very same mullein flower, but did not stay long.

All in all, searching for and finding new birds is a very gratifying experience. I hope to go back again this summer to photograph the female and perhaps a juvenile blue grosbeak.

To read more about “bursting” to capture the action, see this post.

To read more about image stabilizers, see this post.

Photographing Herring Seagulls “Sharing” a Bluegill

July 24, 2014Gullsnmckown

Photographing Two Herring Seagulls

The antics of herring seagulls squabbling over a dead bluegill make for an easy and fun photography shoot. 😎

In the summer, herring seagulls gather everywhere in and around Lake Michigan. These seabirds seem to thrive around humans and consequently, are easy to photograph. One of the few species of birds that will approach me on the beach, gulls are inquisitive, bold, opportunistic and highly social with each other. They come in many different sizes, shapes and colors. As they are adept at flying, hovering, walking and swimming, they do not confine themselves to the water. Most are migratory, although it is not uncommon to see them in Michigan in the winter.

Gull ID is not difficult, even when viewing flocks of them on the beach. See this link for strategies on how best to ID gulls.

Photo of 2 Herring Seagulls — Two Sea Gulls Appear to Share a Bluegill. I Did Not Witness
Which Gull Actually Caught the Bluegill.
ISO 500; f/8.0; 1/2500 second

Sequence of Photos Showing Seagulls Eating a Bluegill

I found these two herring seagulls squabbling over a dead bluegill on a local boat launch. The pale yellow eyes and thick orange, hooked bills (with a spot of red at its tip) make these birds appear quite comical. Add to that the pink legs and web feet holding up a rather large and barrel chested body and you wonder how they look so elegant when in flight.

These photos tell a story. In the beginning (during the peaceful time), eyes and blood rich gills were shared equally between the dining gulls. It didn’t take long before the sharing was abandoned and raucous squabbling and tugging over the bluegill meal ensued.

Photo of 2 Sea gulls Eating — The Herring Seagulls are Still Cooperatively Sharing the Bluegill.
ISO 640; f/9.0; 1/2500 Second

seagull3 NMcKown — Soon it Turned into a Tug of War.
ISO 400; f/9.0; 1/2500 Second.

Photo of Seagulls Eating Bluegill — The Winner! – At least for a While.
ISO 400; f/8.0; 1/2500 Second

All Good Things Must End

This sequence of events took about five minutes. Eventually, one of the gulls grabbed the remains of the carcass and flew off with it, leaving the other gull on the boat dock wondering what happened.

A friend suggested that the seagull tug of war photo would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day card next year. I think she’s right.

Early Morning Bald Eagle Encounter

July 17, 2014Raptorsnmckown

Photographing Unexpected Encounters

It was very early. The sun had yet to peak over the trees when I was driving down Lakeshore Drive. From a distance, I saw the eagle in the dead tree that I (and most of the crows in the area) have designated as my hotspot for seeing raptors.

Photo of Perched Bald Eagle — Perched Bald Eagle
ISO 800; F/10; 1/1250 Second

Always Bring That Camera

I always try to bring my camera with me, even if I’m running errands. It is a hassle and most of the time it stays in the bin, but once in a while I get lucky. This was one of those mornings. My new 500mm f/4.0 Canon lens was attached to the camera, along with a 2x teleconverter. I positioned my camera on the door window ledge and rode the car brake, slowly approaching the tree. I wanted to begin shooting immediately.

Prime Lens or Zoom

I knew the minute I stopped the car that I was too close for the extender. I took a dozen or so tight body shots with the extender attached so I wouldn’t miss the shot entirely if the eagle bolted. These are such big birds. I had to rotate the camera and lens (90 degrees) to portrait mode to get the whole bird in the shot. Not difficult as long as I had the car door window upon which to rest the heavy lens. I then quickly removed the 2x extender. NOTE: Even without the extender attached I was still close enough to clip the eagle’s wings as he leaped from the branch. This would have been a great time to have a zoom lens.

Essential Lens for Bird Photographers

Birds around Southwest Michigan are neither tame nor trusting. Consequently, a good 500 mm lens, preferably with image stabilization, is essential equipment for serious photographers. This prime monster lens doesn’t have the magnification range and convenience of a zoom lens for image composition, but it makes up for it with stellar optical quality. The distance allows you to get natural looking shots with beautiful backgrounds. Removing an unneeded 2x extender as I had to in this photo shoot took only seconds.

Let me clarify what I mean by “distance”. You still have to get fairly close with this lens – within 50 feet, preferably closer, to get optimal results. The farther the distance between your lens and the bird, the more you will have to deal with image quality degradation. The Canon 1.4x and 2.0 extenders do an excellent job adding that extra reach. The image quality on the extenders is very good, but both extenders (especially the 2x) slow down focusing speed. See this post for more information on extenders.

Photo of Bald Eagle — Bald Eagle Coming in for a Landing on “my” Raptor tree.
ISO 1000; f/10; 1/2000 Second

Photo of Bald Eagle With Blue Jay — Bald Eagle Eye to Eye with Blue Jay. A Peaceful Encounter. I Believe This Blue Jay Had a Nest Nearby.
ISO 640; f/10; 1/1250 Second

Zoom Lens v Prime Lens for Bird Photography

For bird photography, I own 300mm and 500mm lenses. I love the quality and precision of prime lenses, but, I have to admit, sometimes I wish I had a quality zoom lens. Canon makes a 200-400 F/4L zoom lens with a built in 1.4x extender, giving the lens a range of 280-560mm (f/5.6) on my DSLR. This means optimal versatility when out in the field photographing birds, especially in situations were it is difficult or unwise to attach or detach an extender. This zoom won’t give me the reach I have with my 500mm with 2x extender attached, but it could replace my 300mm. Something for me to think about if I can get past the sticker shock.

The Canon 200-400 f/4L zoom with IS is not cheap. $11,799. See this B&H link for more information and reviews.

Photographing Uncommon Sparrows. All In A Name

July 9, 2014Sparrows and Finchesnmckown

Where Do Bird Names Come From?

This bird naming game is perplexing and curious.

It is my observation that accuracy, consistency, logic and convention do not appear to matter when naming birds. Many bird namers seem to stumble upon the common bird name by haphazardly identifying the bird with its behavior, shape, plumage, colors, appearance, characteristic, eating habits, songs, geographic location, type of surroundings, or perhaps even a beloved long lost relative. Birds names have also come from literary, folklore, mythology, and biblical references.

The most helpful of bird names precisely identifies some distinguishing attribute that birders everywhere can quickly and clearly see or hear for ID purposes. The honor of assigning the common name to a bird typically goes to the discoverer of the species. Sadly, most of the fun details as to when, why, and how most birds were given their common names are lost to history.

Ornithological Classification

Luckily, imprecise common names are not used to definitely ID birds. The more useful terms in bird identification are the scientific names, or ornithological classifications. This consists of a two word name, the first word describing the genus and the second word describing the unique species.

Photographing Grasshopper Sparrows

I found this grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savanna rum) in the fields at the Allegan SGA. It is a rather inconspicuous sparrow, not common in SW Michigan. The aptly named grasshopper sparrow not only eats grasshoppers (among other insects) but also sounds like a grasshopper. Listen to its song here. This little guy unknowingly posed for my camera while it perched on stalks in the fields. I think its most definitive physical characteristics are its round stocky body and rather flat head. (Hard to get a strong common name out of those characteristics, I guess.)

Photo of Grasshopper Sparrow — Grasshopper Sparrow Clinging to His Perch in the Field.
ISO500; f/8.0; 1/800 Second

Photographing Clay Colored Sparrows

Another field dweller, this wary clay colored sparrow mostly hid from my camera in the dense grass cover. Occasionally he would perch on the mullein flower stalks at eye level with my lens. Clay Colored Sparrows (Spizella pallid) do have some clay colored feathers under the beak and on the breast. However, I would not immediately associate that clay color with this little sparrow because it has other lovely shades of yellows, browns and tans as well. A more precise and definitive label for this rather indistinct looking bird would to describe its song. It’s a strong buzz…very insect like and distinctive. Listen to its song here. (So was Buzz Sparrow already taken?)

Photo of Clay Colored Sparrow — Clay Colored Sparrow Fluffing His Feathers.
ISO 500; f/9; 1/1250 Second

The Power of a Name

Once a bird is named, millions of birders will forever know and designate that bird with that name. Consequently, naming birds is more than a chore. It’s a gift laden with the responsibility to assign a common name that aptly describes that species for present and future ornithologists and birdwatchers.

If you are interested in taking a look at some really silly bird names, this link will lead you to wikipedia’s list of recognized birds species (9,721!!) labeled by their common names.

For photos of more uncommonly beautiful (and poorly named) sparrows, please visit the following blog links:

Field Sparrows

Savannah Sparrows

Song Sparrows and White Crowned Sparrows

Photographing Eastern Bluebirds Attending to Their Young

July 3, 2014Thrushesnmckown

Photographing Hard Working Bluebird Parents

Raising 2-3 clutches of baby bluebirds each summer is no job for slackers. First, there’s the 12-18 days devoted to incubation…. a quiet time. Once the eggs hatch, both of the devoted parents spend all of their waking hours warding off predators and competitors, gathering insects and fruit to feed the hatchlings and hauling out waste (fecal sacs) from the nest. Each clutch of babies makes its demands for 16 -21 days. After that, they are mature enough to leap and soar, never to return to the nest- tho the parents still bring food to them in the trees.

Photo of Female Blue Bird — Female Bluebird with Food for Young. She did Perch on the Raspberry
Brambles Before Bringing Her Catch to her Fledglings.
ISO 1600; f/9.0; 1/1600 Second

Photo of Female Bluebird Feeding Young — Female Bluebird Feeding her Insistent Young.
ISO 1600; f/8.0; 1/800 Second

Equipment Setup

I set up my tripod early one morning near the bird houses after navigating a formidable field of raspberry brambles gone wild. The backdrop was beautiful, full of lilac bushes and pine trees. To capture that background, the bluebirds would have to perch (fairly close) on one of the tall raspberry stalks before taking the food to the fledglings. This happened only once.

It was a rather low light day which made for nice balanced morning light and no harsh shadows. Sadly, there was not quite enough light to get the depth of field I needed and still keep the ISO below 1000. The bluebirds were cautiously watchful – but persistent in their duties, so I was able to get quite a few photos of feeding activity.

NOTE: This field of brambles was also the territory of a curious field sparrow who was much bolder and willing to pose for this photographer. Field sparrows are not cavity nesters and did not bother the bluebird parents. He just sang his heart out while they worked.

Photo of Female Bluebirds Feeding Young — Female Bluebird Coming in With Food Supplies.
ISO 1250; f/9.0; 1/2000 second

Photo of Male and Female Bluebirds — Both Male and Female Bluebirds Arriving at the Nest at the Same Time with Insects for Their Young
ISO 1600; f/9.0; 1/2500 Second

Closeup of Male Bluebird Bringing Insects to Young — Close up of Male Bluebird Collecting Insects For His Young.
Notice the Tick Attached Right Below the Neck.
ISO 1250; f/8.0; 1/1250 Second

Photo of Baby Bluebird — Baby Bluebird Getting Up the Courage to Leap and Soar From the Nest.
ISO 2000; f/9.0; 1/2000 Second

Photographing Cavity Nesters

Eastern bluebirds are cavity nesters, which means they build their nests in a chamber or cavity. The Michigan DNR pairs 2 blue bird houses per location in the prairie areas of the Allegan State Game Area. Blue birds are highly territorial. If a second male bluebird is foolish enough to try to establish a nest in the same location, the male of the first house will aggressively chase the second male away. Other cavity nesting species like house wrens or swallows will fight bluebirds over a single nesting box. This strategy will often bring two different cavity nesting species together, minimizing competition and avoiding a possible war over housing. See this link for another post and more photos of Eastern Bluebirds

Attracting Eastern Bluebirds

Over the last few decades, nesting habitat for cavity nesters has been depleted. To support the local population, the DNR sets up and maintains nest boxes in the Allegan SGA. To attract bluebirds, placement of the bluebird houses must be in a habitat and location that is suitable. Predatory controls, proper ventilation and drainage holes must be built into the design. Like most nest boxes, bluebird houses must be regularly monitored and have accessible doorways for opening and cleaning. Information on selecting the right nest box can be found at this link.

Welcome to NancyBirdPhotography.com

How To Photograph Wild Birds