Today we have a batch of bird photos taken by young Jamie Blilie and sent by his father, James Blilie. James’s notes are indented:
Here are some more from my son, Jamie. He is now using both his old Canon Powershot SX530 HS super-zoom camera and also now an Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mirrorless Digital Camera, which he got for Christmas, and mostly, my Lumix 100-300 f/5.6-6.3 lens. These are from Key West and other parts of the Florida Keys, from April:
Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus:
Brown Pelicans, Pelecanus occidentalis (burst exposures, he was borrowing one of my spare SD cards):
Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea:
Laughing Gulls, Leucophaeus atricilla:
Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularius, (possibly a Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos?):
An old friend from the North: a Gray Catbird, Dumetella carolinensis. These are very common in Minnesota too.
Great set. The catbird seems to be lurking in the shrubbery. Which is what they do.
It is really special that Jamie Blilie has become so aware of the various birds in different venues. I suspect he is a budding biologist. Kudos to the father for fostering his interest in photography & wild life.
I am awed by Jamie’s talent, and his obvious enthusiasm for what he does.
How special it is that he shares the results with all of us.
L
Great stuff!
Great pictures, Jamie! The little blue heron is new to me. The near-synchronized dive of the pelicans is an impressive capture. Well done!
You know you will soon be needing a longer lens. This is the natural order of things.
Pretty soon that 100-300 (200-600 Equiv) will be Jamie’s not mine! 🙂
I’m thinking he’ll need a proper DSLR soon (he’s young and strong! I’ve moved to M4/3 to save weight and bulk). He gets frustrated by the contrast detect AF with moving objects.
AF can be a pain in nature photography. So often, there are branches, grass, or another critter that grabs focus from your main subject. I’ve resorted to using manual focus for most things. It can be tricky too, but I find it less frustrating.
I’ve been trying to convince him to use MF.
I used to be (when my eyes worked and I was young and strong) all-manual, all the time. I used only Kodachrome 64 and Tri-X-Pan and didn’t even bother with a light meter, except in unusual lighting conditions. 🙂
I am a witness to the fact that age incurs penalties to the serious photographer. The weight of your equipment must be balanced against rheumatoid arthritis and focus must be guessed as much as set.
I second those thoughts! 🙂
I would be a very frustrated photographer without modern AF systems! 😉
Lovely
I have strong associations – that is, general memories – that come back by looking at these beautiful sea birds – there’s a personality to the laughing gulls – I almost sense they are hunkered down in a cold wind…
The timed pics of the pelicans’ dives are satisfying.
Great set of pictures! I would say the sandpiper is definitely not Actitis hypoleucos judging by leg and bill colouring, spotting on white breast and black edges to feathers on the upperparts.
I like the ‘Loch Ness Heron’ especially!