Birds

Mallard Duck

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During a late afternoon adventure, a handful of birds flew overhead. No time but to focus and shoot, and hope all ends well. Even without the characteristic green head, I still think it’s a mallard duck.

Mallard Duck

Nikon D800, Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, 300mm, ISO 640, f/8.0, 1/2,000s

Snowy Egret

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I really like the rich, blue color of Shoreline Lake. Lately, I have been experimenting with a polarized lens filter. Through the viewfinder, the effects are quite subtle. I can see a change, but cannot predict the full effect when viewed on the computer. Need more practice with the polarized lens filter, to say the least.

Snowy Egret

Nikon D800, Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6, ISO 360, 250mm, f/5.6, 1/1,250s

Mountain View Egrets

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Near the Google offices on Shorebird Way in Mountain View, CA lives a colony of egrets. To protect young egrets that may drop from the trees above, the city has closed down the street.

Shorebird Way Road Closure

This Snowy Egret is perched in one of the trees above Shorebird Way.

Snowy Egret

A few streets down, I spotted this egret hanging out in the Microsoft building.

Microsoft Egret

Western Bluebird

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At first, I wasn’t sure what was going on. One photo would be too bright. The next one would be pitch black. The exposure was all over the place. The correct response would have been to turn off the bracketing settings from the previous photo session.

I was looking for hummingbirds again, but this western bluebird demanded my attention instead. This bird is going to be eating well.

Western Bluebird

Nikon D800, Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 900, 300mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/1,600s

Bird Hat Trick

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In children stories, the owl is always perched on a tree asking “Who?” I saw this owl during a lunch time walk. Not its first encounter with a human since its leg is already adorned with a metallic band. It looks like a burrowing owl to me.

Owl

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 360, 300mm, f/8, 1/800s

Later, I spotted several turkey vultures hovering over air currents.

Turkey Vulture

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 450, 300mm, f/10, 1/1,600s

Finally, a hawk to round out the lunch hour.

Hawk

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 800, 300mm, f/10, 1/1,600s

Morning Melody

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I took the Nikon 300mm lens and TC-20E III 2x teleconverter to photograph some birds yesterday. At sunrise, I could hear the birds chirping their morning melody.

Morning Melody

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II, ISO 450, 600mm, 0 EV, f/8, 1/1,600s

I saw a lot of hummingbirds.

hummingbird_7237

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II, ISO 450, 600mm, 0 EV, f/8, 1/1,600s

Although it was low tide, I did see a handful of birds still around, including this American Avocet with two chicks in the background.

american-avocet_7266

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II, ISO 1250, 600mm, 0 EV, f/8, 1/1,600s

I like how the colors of the hummingbird’s head really came out. I didn’t notice the distracting branches until I was viewing the photo on the computer. 🙁

hummingbird_7453

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II, ISO 800, 600mm, 0 EV, f/8, 1/2,000s

Blue Crowned Pigeon at Safari West

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The 28-300mm is a convenient lens. At Safari West, I was at the 300mm end a lot, especially while in the aviary. Good for getting that close-up shot of a bird (or other animal) without having to spook them by getting too close.

I wanted a fast enough shutter speed because these birds were moving around. f/5.6 was the fastest aperture at 300mm. Auto ISO yielded ISO 6400. There’s a bit of grain in the background, but it’s all about compromises and trade-offs.

Blue Crowned Pigeon width=

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 6400, 300mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/1,000s

Flamingo at Safari West

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Flamingos are instantly recognizable from their pink plumage and their one-legged stance. Only when you look up close will you notice their piercing orange eye and the distinct shape of their beak. When the flamingos are feeding in water, their bottom bills are now on top.

Flamingo

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 400, 300mm, 0EV, f/13, 1/800s