"On the Waterfront" - Vol. #7

Migration is well underway as the numbers of shorebirds are increasing each day. I've got to get up earlier and travel farther but it is well worth it. The negatives have been the insect activity and the heat. I am starting a new thread with some recent activity at Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge near Smyrna, DE. For anyone wishing to revisit a previous thread of "On the Waterfront", just begin by following the noted link.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1103689/

One of my favorite shorebirds is the "Black-necked Stilt". It is a beautiful shorebird with black and white coloration coupled with long pink legs. They have the second-longest legs in proportion to their bodies of any bird, exceeded only by flamingos.

An in-flight photo of the Black-necked Stilt .....

A good look at the long pink legs. Although not rare, I never see a lot of them. But they tend to stand out in the crowd.

I found this photo fascinating in that just about each bird has a reflection in the water. I think I counted 7 different species in the photo, i.e. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Glossy Ibis, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Black-necked Stilt (somewhat shielded) and an American Avocet.

Lots of Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets migrating through. As is often the case, it is hit or miss. This photo was taken a week ago. This morning, the cupboard was bare. The tide was in so that may have been part of the reason because as of yesterday, they were still seeing some good numbers.

Lots of Snow ..... ees.

A few Snowy Egrets sitting in a tree ......

A Snowy Egret hunting from a log .......

A Snowy Egret just lifting off from the "muck".

A Snowy Egret "powwow" about the intrusion of two Glossy Ibis.

A six-pack of "Great Egrets" sitting in a tree ......

A 'Great Egret' in flight ........

Oh my, Linth. Your photos just amaze me. They're all awesome. That Stilt is a beauty and the "reflection" shot is gorgeous. What fun it must have been to listen to all that chatter. What a wonderful and rewarding trip you had!

Thanks, duc. There certainly was a lot of chatter. What is frustrating sometimes is the chatter that comes from within the marsh grasses and you can't see anything. I haven't learned all of the sounds. I've taken so many photos it takes forever to go through them. Two weeks ago, I took 1,300 photos in less than 4 hours. Of course, many of the same subject while trying to always get a better shot.

This photo of the Great Egret, with wings spreads, undoubtedly expresses why it is called the "GREAT" Egret.

Here is one of the many Glossy Ibis I saw on that day ......

And, another. The lighting has to be just right to show the gloss.

A big flock flew directly over my head but it's not much you can do at 500mm. I only got 12 of them in this photo.

Another favorite of mine is the 'American Avocet'.

It was nice to see a few with some of their remaining breeding plumage ........

There was a nice flock of them but, unfortunately, not too close.

Wonderful shots Linth! It's great to see such good numbers of birds.

Great thread, once again, Linth. Beautiful images.

Very busy place! Great photo's also Linth! Like every one of them!

Thanks, everyone ...... Bombay Hook is a great place for shorebirds. It's also an excellent location for wintering and migrating Snow Geese.

Obviously, I am not a very good birder or my eyesight is really bad. As I mentioned earlier, I visited Bombay Hook yesterday. Last night, I checked E-bird to see what some birders recorded. I didn't see anywhere near the numbers that were recorded. Of course, again, it could have been the time of day but I've always found mornings to be the best. One side of the roadway is fresh water and the other side is salt water. The roadway serves somewhat as a dam.

One will also see songbirds if they walk the trails but I hang out along the roadway looking for waterbirds. Most experienced bird photographers hang a material somewhat like cheese cloth over the driver's side window to keep the insects out of the car. They can then push their camera/lens through the material to take photos without being eaten alive.

Here is a photo of a male Blue Grosbeak taken from the car window while visiting there.

And, another ......

Here is the only 'Willet' that I saw. There are some subtle differences between the Western Willet and the Eastern specie. I assume this one is just passing through.

One more of the 'Willet' .......

In addition, I have only seen one Black-bellied Plover. I didn't realize it until I got home and looked at my photos. Otherwise, I would have tried to get a better photo. Maybe next time.

This is a 'Greater Yellowlegs', I think. I sometimes get them confused with the 'Lesser Yellowlegs' unless they are side-by-side.

Here is another in-flight photo of the 'American Avocet'. I liked the way the light cast the reflections on the water.

Another busy photo of various species .....

The coloration of this 'Great Egret' photo caught my eye.

A Snowy Egret with a blurred Great Egret in the foreground .......

Outstanding photos once again!! I'll never get tired of seeing your photos!

Can you you me your camera settings on the "busy photo of various species"-I just love it and that seems to be one of my big problems when I take pictures like this.

I am in awe Linth...fabulous shots of some fabulous birds. Thanks for posting them!

Thanks rose & duc.

duc, I took 900+ photos that day (8/17/10) so it took me awhile to find the original. The photo was taken at 9:15 a.m., at 500mm. I use Spot metering just about all of the time and especially when shooting white birds. I was using Aperture priority, F/8 setting, ISO set at 400, which resulted in a 1/1600 shutter speed. Exposure bias was set at -0.3. On a bright day I should have it set at -0.7, or -1.0. Each camera is a little different. The original needed a tad of darkening (at least for me). I pretty much always shoot Aperture priority (which doesn't always work. I usually have the Manual Mode set at 1/1600, f/8 because if it is focusing on a dark background the shutter speed is too slow and the photos are washed out. I can quickly switch back-and-forth between the Manual Mode and Aperture priority. And, if your subject is still, you can experiment with a multitude of settings. I could probably eliminate a lot of these issues if I shot in RAW format, but I don't.

Here is a photo taken about the same time but the shutter speed was 1/3200 of a second. The remaining settings are the same as the photo that you inquired about.

Anyway, hope it makes some sense.

Nice shots Linth. I really like the Blue Grosbeak shot and the flight shots.

Linth, that Grosbeak is stunning! The last shot is beautiful! It is very peaceful.

I have used my manual setting and have it set at 1/2000 and f6.3...one thing I have noticed is the picture's are much darker than with AV mode...anyway to lighten those? A sunny day does help though.
I use "spot metering" mostly also but do use the others on occasion.
Ive only used "RAW" once and that was for my R-b WP Elvis...and they were very good after a lil editing.

Thanks, Met & Burd.

Burd, the problem is that lighting is constantly changing. When I'm out in the field where the activity is high, I really don't have time to make a lot of adjustments. I prefer my photo to be more on the darker side. As you know, you can more effectively lighten them than trying to darken a light photo. Do you adjust your camera for Exposure Compensation ? Each camera may produce different results. As I mentioned above, on a sunny day, I set my EV at -0.7 or -1.0. You need to take several photos of the same subject at 4 or 5 different EV's. If you wish to lighten the photo your EV should be on the + side, i.e. +0.3 or +0.7, etc. Experiment, experiment, experiment !!!

I do use the exposure comp. and usually at +0.3 but will do as you suggest and experiment more. Thanks for the info!