Yearly Archives: 2015

Photographing Birds That Have Flown the Nest – Part II

August 13, 2015Dickcissel, Warblersnmckown

A Most Dangerous Time for Birds

The birds in our Certified Wildlife Habitat® are mostly “Temperate Altricial Birds”. They are helpless, naked, and dependent after hatching…..not unlike human newborns. When these fledglings finally do leave the nest, they stay hidden in the brush as best they can, peck at an insect once in a while, remain motionless when threatened, and depend on the parent to stuff food in their faces. Soon enough, the parents have to stop feeding them in order to direct resources to the new nestlings or to migration readiness. The fledglings must then survive on their own.

Photo of Young Yellow Warbler — Fledging Yellow Warbler,
looking very new.
ISO800; f/8; 1/1000 Second

NOTE: Altricial means requiring nourishment. Altricial birds are very different than “precocial” baby chicks; those who hatch from their protein rich eggs in a more developed fledgling state. Precocial baby chicks are mobile almost immediately, feed on their own and are not waited on in the nest. Quite a different set of responsibilities for the parents.

Photo of Fledging Dickcissel — Fledging Dickcissel, looking rather
vulnerable and watching for a parent.
This Little Bird is Perched Out in the Open,
Making Him an Easy Target for Predators.
ISO1250; f/11; 1/1000 Second

Photo of Parent and Young Yellow Warbling — Yellow Warblers, Parent and
Fledging. Sometimes the Only Way to ID a Young Fledging
is to get lucky and photograph it with a parent.
ISO1600; f/8; 1/1000 second

Achieving Self Sufficiency

Fledglings face what is probably the most dangerous part of their lives. They are too big to remain inconspicuous in the nest. Their survival depends on the number of predators nearby, the weather, rate of growth and overall strength, and how competent they are at learning to forage for food and hide from danger.

It’s fascinating to watch and photograph these young birds as they beg for food and work to strengthen their flight feathers. Some of these photos show chicks that look extremely vulnerable, while others show fledglings that are clearly on their way to self sufficiency.

Young birds have to mature fast. Migration is just around the corner.

Photo of Common Yellowthroat — Juvenile Common Yellowthroat
Warbler.
ISO1000; f/8; 1/1250 Second

Photo of Fledging Female American Redstart Warbler — Fledging Female American Redstart.
ISO2500; f/8; 1/1250 Second

Young Birds are So Cute and Fluffy, But…..

For the birds’ safety, it’s prudent to keep your distance when photographing young birds. I do not search out or photograph birds still in the nest. When photographing birds that have flown the nest, I generally use my longest lens and stay hidden in my car or behind a blind. Young birds are rarely alone, and I don’t want to frighten them or their caretakers away.

As you can see from the photos, I found most of these fledglings hidden within dense foliage. I stayed in my car, rested the camera on the door window and maneuvered my long lens as best I could to get past the greenery and lock focus on the birds.

The Experts at Whatbird.com

It may be easy (and amusing) to recognize that a bird is young by its looks and behavior, but it is often difficult for me to identify the species of a young fledgling, especially if it’s a warbler. Young birds can look very different than the adults of the species. It helps if I look around to see if I can spot a caregiver and protector- and then photograph and ID that bird. I upload the photos to WhatBird.com for definitive ID before posting.

An excellent article on Fledging survival can be found at this link.

Photographing Birds That Have Flown the Nest – Part 1

August 6, 2015Cardinals, Orioles, Woodpeckersnmckown

So Many Fledglings To Photograph

It all progresses pretty fast in the bird world (and ours) … mating, nesting, (2 or 3 times) – and then migration comes around again.

This time of year, the parents are looking haggard and spent…. but they keep at it, even feeding the fledglings who are as big as they are. (Is it possible that these birds are doing double duty….. feeding the begging fledgings while at the same time gathering food for the nestlings?)

Photo of Fledging Red Bellied Woodpecker — Fledging Red Bellied Woodpecker
Nestled near a Tree Trunk, Looking for a Parent.
ISO4000; f/5.6; 1/400 Second

Photo of Immature Cardinal — Immature Cardinal- Black Beak Instead of Red.
ISO1600; f/4; 1/640 Second

Flown the Nest

A fledgling is a young bird who has grown enough to acquire its initial flight feathers and has flown out of the nest. They look babyish and are unsure in flight. Inexperience and immature feathers make them especially awkward when taking off and landing.

There are lots of fledglings of many different species to photograph in our yard. Young birds fledge as soon as 7-11 days after hatching. These curious young birds have not yet learned to feed themselves. They look so new, so vulnerable as they ignore the camera (and potential predators) and follow their parents around begging for food. It takes them a couple weeks before they can fly confidently and acquire food without parental help.

Photo of Two Fledging Baltimore Orioles — A line of Two Fledgling Baltimore Orioles,
Waiting to be Fed by Male Parent.
ISO1600; f/4; 1/640 Second

Photo of Male Cardinal Feeding Fledging — Male Cardinal Feeding his Fledging.
ISO2000; f/4; 1/640 Second

The light is not optimal in my heavily shaded yard, but I will continue photographing the newbies as they struggle to become independent.

Until next week…….

Photographing Indigo Buntings and Pre-Visualizing Images

July 30, 2015Buntingsnmckown

Pre-Visualizing the Perfect Photo

Often when I’m out in the field with my camera, I see the perfect shot…..a scene with shimmering light, balanced and beautiful. The only thing missing is the bird.

My imagination starts rolling over a wide variety of picture perfect scenarios, I swap out different ideas. Creativity is sparked. Time flies. Visions are embossed in the back of my mind, and I move on, always hoping, always measuring those visions against the images I actually shoot.

Am I day dreaming, or is this a mental exercise heavily mixed with hope and inspiration? (No doubt some of these visions are just improbable scenarios.)

And Then It Happens

I pass by a graceful field of flowers, a golden sunrise low in the sky, mist droplets shimmering on the leaves. A male Indigo Bunting in glorious plumage swoops in, perches low within the flowers, but still in full view. I fire off a burst, and then he’s gone.

One of those shots was perfectly lovely. For once I had an image that matched my vision.

Photo of Indigo Bunting — A Peaceful Setting for this Singing
Indigo Bunting.
ISO800; f/8; 1/1000 Second

Acting Out Your Dream

Start pre-visualizing your ideal photo. (NOTE: This is not the same as arriving on site with an open mind.) When your dream bird suddenly arrives in the perfect place at the perfect time to act out your vision, be ready with all your best equipment and a steady hand.

You will know when you’ve got it. Doesn’t matter if anyone else likes it or even knows. In the meantime, stay open to all the dreamy possibilities your mind may have to offer.

To read more about Indigo Buntings, visit this post.

Photographing Gray Catbirds and Playing with the Light

July 22, 2015Catbirdsnmckown

Photographing the Subtle Beauty of the Gray Catbird

Catbirds are unknown to most of my non-birding friends. I think these birds are often overlooked because they resemble the more common and conspicuous blackbirds. The Gray Catbirds’ beauty is quite subtle. Both male and female are overall gray, with dark eyes, and black on its cap, tail, bill, legs and feet. Rich rusty feathers peek out from under its wings and tail. Not shy, Gray Catbirds are commonly found at feeders, snacking on everything we have to offer. Once in a while, I’ll see them eat the oranges we put out for the Woodpeckers and Orioles.

Photo of Catbird — Gray Catbird
The Morning Light and the Creamy Background
Bring Out more Rusty Brown in the Wings.
ISO 1000; f/4.5; 1/800 second

Playing with Natural Light

The Catbirds in our yard are numerous and stay around all summer. I photographed these Catbirds before the heavy leaf cover from our tall trees grew to block much of the good light in our yard. I set up the tripod, camera and 500 mm lens on the porch and got a cup of coffee. No need to hide behind a blind for these curious birds. As long as I didn’t make any sudden movements, they flew in close to the house and went about their business with hardly a look in my direction.

I had the time and opportunity to just play -photographing the Catbirds at different times against diverse backgrounds. I got off the porch and experimented with the directionality of light.

Compare the shadows, textures, and the colors in the two photos (above and below) to see what a difference changing out the natural light can make.

If you want to explore how to manipulate light in your images, don’t get into the rut of going to the same place at the same time. Move the camera and tripod around. Observe and learn how your lens sees light.

Photo of Gray Catbird — Gray Catbird, Tail held High
Perching Against a Lush
Green Background in Late Afternoon..
More Gray and Less Brown on the Feathers.
ISO 2000; f/4; 1/500 Second

Listening for the Gray Catbird

For the longest time, I heard but did not see what I thought was a Brown Thrasher singing in our yard. There may have been a Brown Thrasher or two around, but the songs I heard most likely emanated from the much more numerous Gray Catbirds–another mimic thrush.

The Gray Catbird is a member of the mockingbird and thrasher family and known to imitate other birds, mammals and electronic devices. Catbirds are best known for their scolding, screeching, nasally, cat sounding song. Besides his cat calls, the Catbird repertoire includes stringing together many, many lesser known songs, some joyful, but most just odd twitters and tweets. When they are not singing or eating, they like to roll around and splash in the fountain.

The Catbird Seat

According to Wikipedia, “The catbird seat is an idiomatic phrase used to describe an enviable position, often in terms of having the upper hand or greater advantage”. Easy to speculate as to why the catbird is associated with this folksy phrase. It’s most likely because the males stake their territorial claim by singing a wide variety of birdsong (loudly and early in the morning) from the highest and most advantageous point around.

(Please click on this link to learn more about another mimicking thrush, the Brown Thrasher)

Photographing Baltimore Orioles – and Basics for All Photographers

July 16, 2015Oriolesnmckown

Summertime Photography

It’s summer time, and the Baltimore Orioles abound in their splendor.

Summer is also the time when we are invited to a lot of outdoor weddings. Lots of splendor to ponder there as well… the couple, the gowns, the flowers, the guests. My mind drifts to making observations about the wedding photographers who are engaged in a very different sort of photography than the craft I practice.

Photo of Male Baltimore Oriole — Male Baltimore Oriole Singing His Heart Out.
ISO 500; f/4.5; 1/640 Second

Basics for All Photographers

But is wedding photography so very different than bird photography? I look over the photographer’s camera and her moves, looking for evidence of skill, efficiency, art, and respect. I can’t help but conclude that all photographers must share the same basic principles to be effective and productive.

At the Low End

On the wide spectrum that includes the best and worst of photographers, it’s easy to spot the rookies…or the ones who just don’t care. These are the people who rank on the low end of the effectiveness meter. Somehow, whether due to ignorance or arrogance, they do not understand what it takes to be successful and are often delusional about what is expected in a situation fraught with uncertainties and uncontrollable events.

Some specific observations:

They think showing up accomplishes 95% of what they are there to do.
They plan to get in and get out as they are squeezing this shoot in on their way to somewhere else.
No time is set aside to check the weather, understand the layout of the location, study the lighting challenges and opportunities, evaluate the backgrounds, and mentally setup the shots for optimal results.
Respect for their subjects is seriously lacking as is an understanding of group dynamics.
They do not know how best to get their subjects posed attractively.
They are not in the right place at the right time to capture those special moments.
They arrive unprepared. Worse, they do not anticipate complications nor do they know how to troubleshoot.
They bring only themselves, one all purpose camera and lens, one compact disk, and one blinding flash affixed to the top of the camera and aimed directly at their subjects.
They do not dress appropriately nor do they try to be unobtrusive to the events around them.
They do not search out opportunities that have the potential for candid and stunning photographs.
They put no effort into post processing, nor do they screen the photos to eliminate those that are out of focus, poorly framed, uninteresting, and/or redundant.

Photo of Baltimore Oriole — Baltimore Oriole
ISO 800; f/4.5/ 1/800 Second

Photographers’ Skill Set

The skill set of a good photographer consists of a hard earned complement of components – all working together with the best equipment that the photographer can afford. Photographers at the top of their game are diligent in observing and respecting their subjects as they struggle to achieve the milestones of their lives. They understand that things do not automatically fall into place and when something unexpected and wonderful happens, they react quickly and professionally.

Beautiful photos are the result.

Press this link to read about Control as an Illusion.

Press this link to read more about photographing Baltimore Orioles.

Photographing Bobolinks – and Being Respectful of Bird Habitats

July 9, 2015Bobolinksnmckown

Photographing Bobolinks in Restricted Areas

A friend and I were having a marvelous time photographing, from the side of the road, two (or possibly three) male Bobolinks.The birds were taking turns scaring each other off. They would circle multiple landing sites and then light on an isolated mullein flower, close to the cameras, that offered a lush green background. The Bobolinks were definitely competitive, carving out territories and vying for ownership of this one little mullein stalk. It gave us ample opportunities to practice landing shots.

Photo of Bobolink — Bobolink Coming in for a Landing.
I like the Motion Blur and His Right Wing
Although, I Just Barely Got that Wing in the Frame.
ISO640; f/9; 1/1250 Second

Photographing Landings and Takeoffs

The morning was sunny and windless. Over and over, a Bobolink would gracefully touch down and try to stabilize himself. My lens was resting firmly on the car door and focused on the top of the closest mullein flower. Trying to anticipate the perfect moment to press that shutter button, my eyes intensely tracked the flight of each bird as he circled and then came in for his landing.

This task definitely requires some precision, and lots of practice. I was successful only a couple times with the landing and take-off shots, but was able to capture the complex efforts the birds made to brace themselves on the mullein stalk. The legs and feet on Bobolinks are large, long and prominent, perfect for grasping and clamping on all sorts of perches. The toes are independent and flexible, three toes in front and one stabilizer in the rear. You can see in the photo below how this Bobolink works his feet and his wings to balance himself.

Photo of Male Bobolink — Male Bobolink, Using
Both Legs and His Wings to Try to Steady
Himself on the Mullein Flower.
ISO400; f/8; 1/800 Second.

Noticing Deformities While Photographing Birds

My 500mm lens allows me to get close to the action and see many details. It was not until after I downloaded the photos onto my computer that I noticed that the right leg on one of these male Bobolinks has only a partial foot and one claw. Sadly, I was not able to get a landing shot of this handicapped bird, but the three photos below reveal that even with one deformed leg, he accomplishes his takeoffs and landings quite well.

Photo of Deformed Male Bobolink — Close up of Deformed
Leg of Male Bobolink, as he Leaps of the Mullein Stalk.
ISO800; f/9; 1/1250 Second.

Photographing Birds in Restricted Areas

Not all birders and/or photographers respect the birds’ habitats. They trespass into restricted areas and cause serious disruptions as the birds go about their mating and nesting rituals. The DNR officers are charged with protecting the wildlife and enforcing the rules on all birders and photographers, respectful or not.

I was born well into the last century and I have always been a member of the teacher pleaser class known for respecting and following the rules. So why did I feel offended when the DNR officers told me recently that while photographing birds at the Todd Farm Bird Refuge (in the Allegan County Game Area), I could not stop the car in the road, prop the camera on the door window and photograph birds from the car. The officers said that I must first park the car in one of the designated parking areas and walk (hauling all the equipment) to an approved location (mainly on the road) from which I could set up and shoot.

Of course, I’ve parked, hauled and set up equipment in the past when I found a location that, given time and favorable conditions, would be productive to photograph birds. Being the rule follower that I am, I have always set up on the roads and pathways, staying well clear of the prairie and wooded nesting areas.

A Little Mutiny

I’m feeling offended because bird photography is so much more than walking to a location with all the photo gear, then waiting and hoping for the best. More important and exciting is the opportunity to explore beautiful back country roads in a vehicle, camera at the ready on my lap. There is always the hope that on these exploits, a fabulous and serendipitous encounter will occur, unknown, exciting and captivating. Seconds later, if I’m on my game, I will have a wildly pounding heart and wonderful photos.

Well…Just saying…. that driving around on public roads with my camera in my car, looking for an occasional and unanticipated thrill is too much to give up, teacher pleaser or not. Nope. They can’t take that away from me.

To read more about photographing Bobolinks, press this link.

Photographing A Dickcissel and Field Sparrow – and Fun with Nik Plugins

July 2, 2015Dickcissel, Sparrows and Finchesnmckown

Making Adjustments in Lightroom

Post Processing is a necessity for today’s digital photographer. I use Lightroom by Adobe. The fun part of bird photography is watching the birds in their natural environment and then sizing up the light, equipment and scenery to most effectively capture what I hope will be beautiful images. I don’t spend a lot of time with post processing chores. Usually, I just apply one or two global adjustments.

For the Artistically Inclined Photographer

A quick search on the web brings up several post processing toolchests that work with Lightroom and Photoshop. According to the reviews, these work well if you wish to selectively add a little drama through intensifying certain colors, or if you wish to fix one little thing so it draws the eye more (or less), or you want to massively change all aspects of an image to your liking.

I downloaded the 15 day free trial (no credit card required) of Nik Software, mainly because it came highly recommended by a friend. My favorite tool was Vivenza 2. You can purchase the package from Google for $150. It’s a good deal.

Warning: Artistic inclination is a must.

Nik Software, by Google

It was fun to play and it didn’t take long to figure out the functionality of the seven plug-ins included with NIK software. These include:

Simulate the retro film emulsion look with Analog Effects Pro 2,
Selectively sharpen portions of the image with Sharpener Pro 3;
Selectively reduce noise to portions of the image with Define 2;
Selectively adjust color (and add borders) with Color Efex,
Selectively adjust brightness, contrast and white balance with Viveza 2
Be creative with black and white with Silver Efex Pro.
Process HDR images with HDR Efex Pro.

Photo of Field Sparrow — Field Sparrow
Coming in for a Landing
I sharpened the sparrows head and beak.
ISO800; f/8; 1/1000 Second

Shine Light into Dark Corners

Certainly it’s easier and more gratifying to get everything in the image perfect right when you snap the shutter. That doesn’t happen very often in bird photography. Lightroom does have the functionality to allow the user to tweak portions of an image by setting up “masks”, but I find that to be a tedious process resulting in unimpressive results. It’s so much easier to download a set of plugins that offers user-friendly options and good results. You can remove all or part of the adjustments if you don’t like them.

An excellent description and review of the Nik Software package by William Beem, is available at this link.

NOTE:

NOTE: As of May, 2017, Google will not update the Nik software suite. Specifically, “We have no plans to update the Collection or add new features over time.”

To read another blog posting on Dickcissels, press this link.

To read another blog posting on Field Sparrows, press this link

Photographing the Anna’s Hummingbird

June 25, 2015Hummingbirdsnmckown

Photographing the Anna’s Hummer in SanDiego

Hummingbirds are fascinating to watch and photograph, especially when the light is just right and the camera catches their shimmering iridescent colors sparkling in the light.

Photo of male Anna's Hummingbird — Male Anna’s Hummingbird
ISO 640; f/6.3; 1/3200 Second

Feather Science

When the light hits on the microscopic structures on the surface of the male hummer’s feathers, it breaks up into its component colors (just like it would on a prism). On a sunny day, amplified iridescent reds, blues and purples are refracted back to the human eye. The intensity of these colors vary, depending on brightness of light, the angle of light, the movement of the feather surface, and whether the hummer is displaying his breeding or non breeding plumage.

Photographing the Light Just Right

This male Anna’s Hummingbird was photographed in late February, 2015 in San Diego, California. He displays beautiful iridescent colors on the “gorget patch” or reflective feathers on his throat. In the photograph above, the camera’s lens caught the luminous colors displayed in hummer’s forehead and gorget patch. In the photo below, the angle of light is slightly different, and the lens sees very little iridescent color.

NOTE: It’s easy to see in both of these photos that this hummer’s upper beak is shorter than his lower beak. I assume that he broke it off somewhere during one of his adventures. It did not seem to impact his ability to get nourishment.

A Perfect Hummingbird Photo Shoot

This male hummer perched on the top branch of a nearby evergreen, very close to our condo rental. He kept coming back to the very same perch, insistent in is efforts to attract a mate and unconcerned with my presence. It was the closest and easiest Hummingbird I’ve ever photographed. I had plenty of opportunities to move the camera setup, choose a different time of day to play with the light, and change lenses and telephoto extenders. Several other male hummers wandered close and were immediately chased away. I did not observe any females, despite the glorious display of color on his gorget patch.

To read more about how structural color plays a role in most birds of blue… see this post.

To read more about photographing Hummingbirds in flight, see this post.

Photographing Yellow Warblers in Spring

June 18, 2015Warblersnmckown

Photographing Bright Yellow Warblers

Tiny brilliant yellow balls flash across my path….so bright and exquisitely delicate.

Photo of Yellow Warbler — Showing off his Spring Finery.
Closeup of Male Yellow Warbler
ISO500; f/8; 1/2000 Second

Photographing Yellow Warblers

Yellow Warblers are one of the most numerous and widespread warbler species, and very common in Michigan in the summer. Male and female Yellow Warblers have solid yellow faces, black eyes, and thin pointy beaks. The adult males have a brighter yellow head and pronounced chestnut streaking on their breasts and bellies. Like most wood warblers, they are difficult to photograph because they spend most of their time weaving in and out of dense foliage, eating caterpillars and other insects.

Camera Setup Options

I often spend time with my camera on my lap, just watching and waiting to see what birds are lurking in the shadows of dense foliage. It didn’t take long before I was able to discern two yellow bursts of light in a dense growth of shrubs near a stream. I parked my car on the road and proceeded to set up my camera, 500 mm lens and tripod approximately 15 feet from these woods. I chose a spot where there were some attractive, open perches. I could see the pair of Yellow Warblers foraging in the thickets, but when I tried for a shot, the lens searched back and forth -utterly confused with the tangle of overlapping branches and leaves.

Photo of Female Yellow Warbler — Female Yellow Warbler.
Her Colors are Not Quite as Bright and
She has less Pronounced Stripes on her Breast
ISO800; f/8; 1/2500 Second.

The Trusty Car Door as My Tripod

Both the male and female Yellow Warblers are highly territorial and will perch out in the open to investigate any sign of other Yellow Warblers intruding into their space. To entice this pair to perch in a less congested area, I set up the blue tooth speaker under several isolated branches.

No luck. The warblers were watching, but stayed hidden in the brush. Clearly, I was too much of a presence for them to feel comfortable. Leaving the speaker in place, I disengaged the tripod from the camera, put everything back in the car and then moved the car to the same spot where I had set up the tripod. I sat in the car and rested my camera and lens on the car door window.

Like many birds in this modern age, the warblers were highly acclimated to the presence of vehicles. With multiple fly-bys and aggressive sounding chirping, they rushed in to investigate the source of the song. It took less than 2 minutes for them to figure out that there was no foreign invader and retreat back to the foliage, but it was long enough to capture 25+ photos.

Yellow Warbler Nesting Habits

NOTE: A tribute to the diligence of the tiny female Yellow Warbler (2nd photo above). She is not often fooled when her nest is parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds. She may abandon the nest- or she may start a new brood by building a new nest layer on top of the parasitized nest-(even if it means burying her own eggs). These diligent female Yellow Warblers will keep building if the problem persists to as high as 6 tiers.

To read a blog post about Yellow Warbler Identification, visit this link.

To read about the pros and cons of setting up shots in the wild, visit this blog post.

Photographing Shorebirds -Form Aligning with Function

June 11, 2015Wading Birdsnmckown

Photographing Shorebirds

One of the first things I noticed when photographing the shorebirds foraging for food on the Mission Bay beach in San Diego was that so many of the different species seemed to get along. For the most part, it was a tranquil beach. That’s because physical and behavioral adaptations have made these shorebirds uniquely adept at feeding and nesting on the shoreline without the need for much competition between different species. These adaptations include beak size and shape, size and shape of body, legs and toes, plumage, habitat requirements, and migratory patterns.

Photo of Long Curvy Beak — Curlew with its Long Curvy Beak
ISO500; f/8; 1/2000 Second

Form Aligning With Function

So godwits, plovers, willets, curlews and other shorebird species can work the same beach and rarely waste energy fighting over resources. They have adapted to depend on their highly specialized beaks and feeding behaviors to probe for the food that meets their dietary requirements.

Depending on the season and their location, they forage in mud, water, sand and grass for crustaceans, marine worms, crabs, insects (including flies and their larvae), small mollusks, small fish and plant material, including grass, fresh shoots, and seeds.

These shorebirds are a wonderful example of how nature aligns form with function.

Photo of Long Beak — Marbled Godwit with its Long Beak, pointy and straight.
ISO 320; f/6; 1/2000 Second

Photo of Shorebird — Willet
With His Medium length Beak.
ISO 500; f/6.3; 1/2000 Second

Tripod on the Beach

I walked a long way on this shorebird photographic adventure. I decided that my camera and lens were too heavy to hold without support, so I took my Manfrotto aluminum tripod and Gimbel head with me to help stabilize the equipment on the mucky sand. (I regretted not take my lighter, sturdier carbon fiber Manfrotto on this trip.) The sand was uneven, wet and squishy, but the tripod still steadied the camera much better than I could have without it. As I moved from place to place, the feet and lower end of the tripod legs were sinking more and more into the wet sand and grit. It didn’t take long for these tiny particles to get stuck in the leg locking mechanisms, so much so that function was impaired and wet sand had to be cleaned out before I was able to collapse the tripod legs.

Just like the camera and lens, tripods need routine care. It’s important to clean the dirt, dust and moisture off the tripod after each use, (especially when it’s been exposed to salt water and air) otherwise the mechanism gets sticky and uncooperative. Like most equipment essential in producing good photography, a tripod will let you down if you don’t take care of it.

Photo of Little Beak — A Shorter Beak on this Black Bellied Plover;
ISO 2000; f/13; 1/2000 Second

Photo of Semi Palmated Plover — Semi Palmated Plover; the Smallest Shorebird I photographed.
ISO 800; f/6.3; 1/2000 second

For more information on how to photograph Sandpipers on the Beach, press this blog link.