As a Friday treat, I’ll put up two videos from among reader Tara Tanaka’s many wonderful digiscoped vignettes from Florida and elsewhere. Her Vimeo page, which has 188 videos, is here, and her Flickr site with photos is here. Tara’s notes are indented below.
The first one, from June, 2014, shows a brood of wood ducks, Aix sponsa, hitting the water for the first time.
This box was farther away than the one in the June 24th video, right in front of a large stand of cypress trees. As with the first one, I slowed all of their jumps to 25% of normal speed. I’d thought that the first one had landed on his back, but in slow motion you can see that like a cat, he righted himself before hitting the water just below.
This hen had very distinctive markings around her eyes and on her beak, so when I saw a hen and five young ducklings on August 6th, it was easy to go back to the videos I’d taken of the hens in their boxes and determine that she is the hen that emerged from “box 2” with her 8 hatchlings on June 26th, almost 6 weeks before. A couple of the 6-week old ducklings had some funny feathers on the sides of their heads, and I couldn’t help but wonder if one of them was “Albert Einstein.”
I believe Einstein is the last duckling to emerge—at about 1:42.
And here’s a really nice video of a pair of whooping cranes (Grus americana) leaving at sunrise and returning in the evening. These are the tallest birds in America and one of the rarest. Hunting and habitat destruction drove the species down to just 15 individuals in 1941 (estimates range up to 21), but arduous conservation efforts have caused a modest recovery: there are now about 600 total, with two-thirds of those in the wild and the rest in captivity. That’s still not many, and the species is listed as endangered. Tara’s notes on the video:
The chance of seeing a Whooping Crane in the wild is 1 in 13,000,000, so having this pair winter in Tallahassee for the last 3 years has been extremely special.
On this foggy morning the pair left their usual nightly roosting pond just as the sun was rising, and they returned after the sun had set.
This was shot with the GH3 + 20mm mounted on a Swarovski STX95 scope using manual focus. They were a handful to keep in the frame, and I almost lost him on take-off when I had to step around and over one of my tripod legs. I had to bump the ISO up to 5000 for the evening part of the video.I hope you enjoy these special birds.
Here’s the range of the bird; as you’ve seen before, the hand-raised young ones are taught to migrate using ultralight aircraft:
Aside: Go to Flight Aware and learn all about how the religious high mucky-mucks talk to god to justify their private jets.
Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, defending their private jets
pulpitandpen.org.
You know those paper bags on the back of the seat in front of you? Have one handy…
Outstanding, as usual.
Thanks Steve!
Could you tellme the name of the composition playing in the background?
The music is listed at the end of the video.
For Whooping Cranes, yes. Could not find at end of duck video.
I just answered a few minutes ago – I love that one too!
The one in the Wood Duck video was called “Epic Nature” – one I licensed, and I don’t know who performed it.
If I get music for free with a Creative Commons license I always list what it is as they request that you do; if I pay for the license I don’t.
Thanks!
I think the Einstein duckie had some down on its head.
I think you’re right, but he sure LOOKED like Einstein!
That is one heart-melting video, Tara. Love the cranes too.
Thanks so much, that means a lot :-).
Again, WOW. I know what to ask for on my next birthday. A Swarovski STX95. Of course, then I would have to try and develop the skill and experience to be able to do what Tara is capable of. Which may not be possible!
Keeping the crane in the field of view when it took off was very impressive to me. I am an amateur at best, and at high mags like that I’m lucky to keep a moving target like that in the field of view for a still shot, let alone seconds of video.
Thank you Darrelle!! The “bobble” right after he took off was when I had to step over a tripod leg to continue panning – I *almost* lost him but managed to smooth it back out – whew!
p.s. I’ve since gone to the STX85 which allows you to only zoom 25x instead of the minimum 30x on the STX95, allowing me a more manageable 1000mm vs the 1200mm I was getting with the STX95. The STX85 is also sharper.
Do these cameras have image stabilization? That would be a useful feature; one that I certainly covet for my photography.
The Panasonic GH3 and GH4 do not have IS in the body. The Panny lenses normally do, but Tara is not using a Panny lens. So, I’d have to say – no stabilization.
I am using the 20mm Pany lens on this (with no IS), but I don’t think it would work right if it did have it since the system is actually 1000mm. My new camera, a Sony a7RII does have in-camera stabilization, but I have yet to try that feature. You have to manually set it for your focal length, and again since I’m using a 40mm behind a 25x scope, it’s probably going to take some testing to figure out what works, if anything. My solution has been to get a much smoother tripod.
The tripod you are using in these films seems pretty smooth. What legs are they and what do you want to move up to? (if you don’t mind spilling the beans before next Christmas).
I’m using the RRS TVC-33 legs, and I’ve been thinking I kind of wish I had the longer ones, but I love the tripod. The bottom sections of the legs are the same diameter as the top sections of my old Manfrotto legs.
What head do you use? The ideal is fluid of course, for video.
Vinten Vision Blue.
That looks like a very nice head. I’m using a Libec H22 which tends to have a little whiplash, but it works quite well.
Very inspiring!
Thank you Anne-Marie!
We see and hear the Sandhill Cranes as they pass through Minnesota each spring and fall (they are more in evidence in the spring).
Some have taken to staying the whole summer and presumably nesting locally. They also stay all summer in NE Wisconsin now.
Wonderful to see them coming back so well.
Unfortunately, 15 US states now have hunting seasons for Sandhill Cranes (as of 2015), including Minnesota, and Wisconsin is considering it, I’m ashamed to say.
I’d love to just SEE a Whooping Crane in the wild! 🙂
There are some at Wheeler NWR in northern Alabama — maybe it’s time for a little trip!
I wrote to the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife before they approved Sandhill hunting there, and sent them photos of those two Whooping Cranes with a pair of Sandhills, showing how hard it can be to tell them apart when they are silhouetted…to no avail.
Thanks!
Can’t start the day any better than to watch these videos. Instant good mood!
The take-off of the Whooping Crane was very emotional for me. I don’t know why, but the music I think added to the feeling.
BTW, your choice of sound tracks that accompany your videos are always spot on, and really enhance the experience.
Thanks so much Mark for letting me know, that means a lot – it’s why I do it!! I try to pick music that captures what I’m feeling when I see the birds, and some people relate to it and a few are really bothered by it, but I guess that’s what the volume control is for :-).
Excellent footage, as always Tara.
Thanks Rick! Thanks for fielding technical questions for me too :-).