Mid-March birding can be a bit of a challenge in Southern Ontario since the spring bird migration is only in its earliest phase with robins and grackles starting to arrive. We are left with a limited number of species… many of which some folks do not find particularly exciting to photograph. Birds like Canada geese, gulls, fairly common ducks, swans, and small species like sparrows and chickadees.
Category Archives: Birds in Flight
Intensive Practise Session
This article discusses a recent bird-in-flight, intensive practise session I did along the shoreline of Forty Mile Creek Park… and some of the planning that went into it.
In my mind, casually grabbing a camera and going out to create a few impromptu photographs does not constitute a practise session. There is no clear objective. There is no forethought or preparation. Nor is there any discipline involved with the activity.
Gulls Landing on Snow
This article features a selection of recent handheld images of gulls landing on snow along the shoreline of Forty Mile Creek Park.
Jigsaws or Drills
Sometimes we get drawn into heated discussions, like deciding whether jigsaws or drills are the best woodworking tools. 🙂 I appreciate that some of you may be thinking that the comparison posed is ludicrous… perhaps even bordering on asinine. And yet as photographers… we sometimes get drawn into these types of pointless comparisons on a regular basis… especially in online chatrooms.
New Zealand Birds
This article shares a selection of photographs of New Zealand birds captured handheld with M.Zuiko 75-300 mm f/4.8-6.7 II and M.Zuiko PRO 12-100 mm f/4 IS zoom lenses. As regular readers know, I spent some time deciding on which lenses to bring on our recent photography tour of New Zealand… especially when it came to a birding lens.
Eastern Rosella Taking Flight
During a recent trip to New Zealand I had a single opportunity to photograph an Eastern Rosella taking flight. This brightly coloured parakeet is native to south-eastern Australia, and was introduced to New Zealand in the early 1900s.
Bird Kingdom BIF Test Images
This article features some Bird Kingdom BIF test images captured handheld with an M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS zoom. As regular readers know, Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls is one of my favourite spots to visit… especially when wild bird migration periods are over.
Dry Run
Doing a dry run with the camera equipment planned to be used for an extended photography tour, is always a prudent thing to do. Our initial gear assessments can have us lean in a certain direction. It’s not until we get out in the field and spend some time doing a dry run, that we can put our thought process to the test.
Best Lens Realities
Online discussions about what the best lens is for various photographic genres, or for specific focal lengths, or sensor sizes, are endless. The reality is that everyone has their own best lens opinion based on their individual needs and preferences. Those needs and preferences are really only relevant for the person that holds them.
Photographing Swallows In-Flight
Photographing swallows in-flight has been one of my favourite pastimes for a number of years now, but one that has come with a lot of challenges. Swallows can be swift and erratic flyers which can represent an exercise in frustration when starting on this journey. This article shares a number of photographs of swallows in-flight and discusses my journey with this subject matter over the past number of years.