PANNING PRACTICE WITH GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS


Immature Great Black-backed Gull, Mississippi River, lock & dam #14, Le Claire, Iowa

Here are a couple more photos from my trip last weekend to lock & dam #14, down in Le Claire, Iowa. The goal was to practice panning with the Nikon Z6II and Sigma 150-600 lens attached. There is always a number of gulls around this area, mostly Ring-billed Gulls, but this time I found only three birds and they all seemed to be Great Black-backed Gulls. This is an uncommon species for this part of the country but I have photographed them before at this location and some other, more experienced birders than me, have documented their presence as well.

Gulls are a great subject for practice with the long lens. They fly often in circles and return over and over again during their hunt for fish, giving the photographer multiple chances to try different settings for the autofocus system and to find out what works best for a fast flying subject. It doesn’t matter how good the autofocus system on a new camera is, proper panning and handholding is still essential for a high keeper rate of sharp images. I could tell that I’m well out of shape. The keeper rate wasn’t bad but there is a lot room for improvement. The Mississippi was still covered with ice here in the Dubuque area yesterday. Once the ice breaks, which will be soon with the warm weather we have since a few days, the birds will move in and I hope my panning skills can improve with more practice down at the river…

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,

1. photo   @ 600 mm, 1/2500 s, f/6.3, ISO 200

2. photo   @ 600 mm, 1/1600 s, f/6.3, ISO 200

INTERESTING GULL


Great Black-backed Gull, Mississippi River, lock & dam #14, LeClaire, Iowa

On my way back from a business trip I stopped briefly at lock & dam #14 after crossing the Mississippi River. The pool below #14 near LeClaire, Iowa has been often a good place for watching and photographing Bald Eagles. Unfortunately the relativ mild winters during the last couple years led to a drastic decline in the numbers of eagles that spend the cold season at this location. In addition some trees, used as a perch by the eagles, have died and had to be removed. They have been replaced by some man-made wooden structures but I have not seen any eagle using them.

I saw a couple Bald Eagles, circling high up in the sky, but none of them was within the range for a photo. As always, some Ring-billed Gulls were catching fish and among them I saw two Great Black-backed Gulls. They breed in northeastern North America at the Atlantic coast but may wander inland during the winter. To make it clear, I’m never one hundred percent sure about identification of gulls but I think this one is a Great Black-backed Gull in its first winter. However, there are similarities to a young Herring Gull and if someone can give me a second opinion I will appreciate it.

So how about the photography? I only had a few minutes to make a picture and since I haven’t aimed the lens at birds in flight for a while, I was a little “rusty” and missed a number of shots.

NATURE CLICKS #358 - GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL (1ST SIGTHING)


Mississippi River, L&D 314, Le Claire, Iowa ---------

Yesterday, on my way back home from Davenport, Iowa I stopped briefly at lock & dam #14 at the Mississippi River. As always, a few photographers were present and tried to make a great shot of a Bald Eagle. I was told the eagles were kinda lazy that day and just sat in the trees most of the time.

While looking for some ducks, mergansers, and pelicans I suddenly saw another photographer shooting very determined one big particular gull. He confirmed that it was a Great Black-backed Gull, a first sighting for me here in the Mississippi Valley. I had read in the IA-Bird Google group that someone had seen this species already a few days earlier and I was more than happy to add a few photos of this gull to my library. They breed in northeastern North America and Greenland but may wander inland to the Great Plains.

Plumage and colors indicate that the bird is in its 1st winter. According to all my bird guides the Great Black-backed Gull is the largest gull in the world and is very pugnacious, predatory, and opportunistic. I saw it fighting for a fish with a Common Goldeneye and that makes me believe every word I read about its feeding habits…