NATURE CLICKS #523 - FOSTER’S TERN

Foster’s Tern, Mississippi River, near Mud Lake, Iowa

Despite a stiff breeze it was a perfect day for a paddle trip with the kayaks on the Mississippi River this afternoon. It wasn’t the first time that I saw a Foster’s Tern just outside of the marina at Mud Lake but it is a bird we don’d see very often. The tern was in good company with a number of Ring-billed Gulls. They all enjoyed resting in the sun on this massive log that was stranded in the mud. The diet of a Foster’s Tern consists mostly of fish, but they also do not reject insects, small crustaceans, mollusks, or frogs. They catch fish at the surface or by plunging into the water from a perch or a hover.

The challenge was to isolate the bird from the rest of the bunch for this photo. The water was a little choppy and that’s when image stabilization in camera or lens really helps to get a sharp shot. I had to paddle into a field of water lilies in order to get between the sun in the west and the bird.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,     @ 600 mm, 1/1250 s, f/8, ISO 200, image slightly cropped

Big patches of water lilies in full bloom along the shore of the mighty Mississippi

NATURE CLICKS #508 - SOLITARY SANDPIPER

Solitary Sandpiper, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

Today was one these humid days when you just don’t want to move at all but last Tuesday evening it was the perfect weather agin to take the kayak to the water. It has been six years ago when I had the last time a Solitary Sandpiper in front of the lens and I wonder if this bird is already on its way back to the south from the breeding grounds in the wooded northland regions of Canada. They are not truly solitary but this sandpiper doesn’t migrate in large flocks. (source: iBirdPro app)

Being just slightly above the water surface with camera and lens was the key for today’s photos. Shooting from a kayak makes you aware how useful the optical stabilization in the lens can be. There are a lot of things that can lead to an unsharp image, the bird moves, the boat moves, the photographer can’t hold the camera steady…, you get the idea.

Killdeer competing for the feeding spots

Here is a bonus picture for today. The Killdeer was competing with the Solitary Sandpiper for the best feeding spots along the muddy banks. They are a lot more common and usually one of the first shorebirds that arrive here in eastern Iowa in spring. They are considered shorebirds but the Killdeer often lives and nests far away from the water.

All photos: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG

PHOTOGRAPHY HAS TO BE FUN…

White-tailed Deer, Upper Mississippi Valley, near Finley’s Landing, Iowa

I know this White-tailed Deer. Have seen it many times during the last few months while I took our dog Cooper down into the Mississippi Valley for a walk or hike. Quite often it is grazing beside the road that leads down to Finley’s Landing and moves out of the way as soon a car comes around the corner. Most of the time it isn’t worth to raise the lens because the deer hides quickly between dense underbrush, but that day, earlier in May, the deer stopped in a spot that had some good light. This is the time when optical stabilization in a lens can make the difference between a sharp or blurry image. The engine of the car is running, vibration is introduced, and of course, the photographer may not have the best position to keep the camera with the heavy lens in a stabile position. Practicing handhold shooting almost every day is the only way to make a successful click when it really matters. The avid reader of my blog knows that I like to go for the environmental shot in my wildlife photography. With the fallen trunk, of probably an old oak in the background, and new shoots of green around, this image has everything to tell the story about the landscape in this part of the Mississippi Valley and its side valleys. It was one of the moments when I drove up the hill with a big smile on my face. Photography has to be fun…. 😊

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 360 mm, 1/200 s, f/6.3, ISO400

GEAR TALK: FIRMWARE UPDATE AND LENS OPTIMIZATION

White-breasted Nuthatch, Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S ———

I made an overdue update of the firmware for the SIGMA 150-600 Sports lens today. Thanks to the USB dock and optimization software from SIGMA I can customize the lens to my shooting preferences and create two presets for autofocus and optical stabilization (aka vibration reduction), or even correct the focal point if necessary (although I never had to correct the focal point yet). This sounds complicated but is very easy to do. After the presets are created on your computer screen and transmitted to the lens you can choose either customized setting by just flipping a switch on the lens barrel or you can leave it off. For example, I can switch from a more dynamic autofocus and optical lens stabilization that I use quite often during bird photography, where fast movements of the subject are most likely, to a smoother focus and stabilization behavior with slightly better accuracy.

In order to test my new presets I just stepped outside and looked for a bird. The White-breasted Nuthatches are permanent residents here all year long, they are just fun to watch, and seem to be the perfect subject for such a test. It looks like the nuthatch was sitting on this branch forever but this was just a couple seconds that the bird remained in this pose. Their movements are usually fast and erratic, and it is a challenge to get them in focus while handholding the camera with the relatively heavy SIGMA 150-600 Sports lens attached. I liked the focus behavior of the lens before, but after reviewing the first few images, made with new firmware and refined custom settings, I could already tell that the focus speed and accuracy, as well as image stabilization were even better. Don’t take me wrong, I still believe that proper hand holding and constant practice with such a heavy lens are the basics for a sharp image, but it is nice to have confidence about the technical side of the gear. If my photos are out of focus I can only blame the pilot…