Birding Time, Your local and international patch…

Ian, thank you.

We are north of Chicago on the Wisconsin border. 25% of the land of our small town is a nature preserve so that helps in regards to the wild life though it has been shrinking for quite sometime due to the population growth as well as the climate change.
I had to abandon the Nikkor 300mm and switch to a 105mm when shooting through our window because for some reason the longer lens loses a big chunk of its sharpness. Outdoors, both lenses become equal.

I have the same problem with my Canon 100-400.
I have double glazed sliding door windows facing the garden bird feeders and they get a lot of traffic & make excellent photo ops…
Through the glass the Canon is just ablout OK on 100, but poor on 400.
Problem is if I slide the door open, the birds fly off. But leaving the door open is only ‘permitted’ in warmer weather. The delema is in winter we get large flocks of different species compeating for feeder reservations, but in summer it tends to be single or pairs only.

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Had to slam the brakes on today driving through Pewsey due to a gaggle of 4 geese crossing the road !

Thanks for taking the time to reply Haim. I’ve always liked your images on the Nice Photos thread; you have a knack for capturing stark scenes in a really engaging way. I think the problem with big zooms through glass is caused as a result of the effects of compression, which effectively shortens the depth of focus - which brings the glass into play. Shorter lenses have less compression, so the effects are not as obvious…or, I could be completely wrong!

Cheers,

Ian

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Hi Ian, I believe your likely to be correct … it’s the same
with my Nikon 300/2.8 with extender. Probably made even worse on my DX chip Nikon D500 camera.

Happy shooting

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Thanks again, Ian.

Your images have the largest following and for a very good reason. Here, in our flat Midwestern plains, we specialize strictly in the mundane and starkness. We just take what they give us.

Haim

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Not a stealth bomber but a European Starling diving under the radar with a corn payload.

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Unknown caller?

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We’re off to Costa Rica shortly and looking for tips on how to take photos of humming birds please

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Chiloé Widgeon at WWT Slimbridge this afternoon.

Phil

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You won’t be disappointed! Lots of advice available, try starting with this…

Many more sites available. @Haim has taken some fantastic hummingbird shots, some of which are higher up this thread.

No need just to concentrate at hummingbird settings though as so many other birds in Costa Rica worth photographing and will generally be ok with other settings.
My own experience in CR was wonderful ! My no1 being a long term bucket list bird, Resplendent Quetzal.

Very diverse habitats !
You may need to think about the actual kit you will take if you are a birder and photographer. Like hifi some of which is cheap and cheerful and will do the job, others being costly and perfect for the job.

A fast lens with reasonable reach will always stand you in good stead.

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I’ve got my Sony Rx10 bridge which has a fast 600mm lens digital zoom.
I ditched my Dslr and long lenses before a trip to NZ a few years ago and find the Sony more than capable ,

I loved Costa Rica, particularly the scenery and wildlife. We saw a wonderful array of birdlife all over the country. Some of the hotels we stayed in put fruit out for the birds, creating amazing opportunity to see and photograph the “pecking order” in action. Fast shutter speed and at least 300mm lens will pay dividends, but so will a bit of research on where and what times to go. All in all, it’s one of my favourite holidays, and, along with Tanzania, definitely my favourite photographic destination.

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It’s a dedicated bird/ wildlife watching trip by Naturetrek, 5 different locations over 14 days. Only 10 of us plus guide and driver so really nice small group.
Last time we did one of their trips to Queensland was amazing

I don’t mind the squirrels coming in and having a snack but I do want to preserve much for the birds, so I have a mix of squirrel repelling feeders but this one, with the ever popular sunflower hearts, is a regular type feeder.

However they have been getting greedy, so in an attempt to preserve the contents for a little while longer and slow down the rate of consumption I hung the feeder on a flimsy branch and added a home-made anti squirrel baffle on top.

Pathetic.

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In a former life my wife did field biology studying parasites in birds and was a frequent visitor to Costa Rica for weeks at a time. I’ve never been and it’s on our short list.

We did a 10-day safari in Tanzania in 2012 and it was FABULOUS for sure!

Apologies if I posted this one already. Just a typical busy day at our backyard feeder.

We’d seen bluebirds in the fields near our home, but they have found our feeder now. Some times there will be 5 or 6 bluebirds at once on it. (As distinguished from blue jays; those are here too.)

Hairy woodpecker on the suit. Goldfinches, house finches, a bluebird.

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Mr. Cooper Hawk

…under the bird feeder. No blood nor feathers on the ground, just a quiet early morning reflective moment before flying away.

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Did you hang the squirrel there as well. :rofl::rofl: