Oops! And Lesser Yellowlegs

How it happened, I do not know.  But I can tell you do not try to take pictures of birds in flight or action shots with your camera set on bracketing.  I was out photographing with my D 500 and for the first photos,  everything was fine and until I came home and downloaded the pictures I found that I somehow turned on the bracketing mode and shot a  large number of photos that were bracketed.  Because I was shooting in manual and auto ISO.  I found that usually only one picture in the set was in focus.  If I chimp the lot, I probably would have found this out sooner than arriving at home.  I missed out on some exciting sequences because of this.

Set of bracketed photos

Set of bracketed photos

Set of bracketed photos

There was a pair of lesser yellowlegs chasing each other over the pannes, which would have made a great series.  Thank goodness there were salvageable photos.

Lesser Yellowlegs Chasing a Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs Chasing a Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs Chasing a Lesser Yellowlegs

Daniel Webster and Needing Patience

Canada Goose in Flight

Today was another spring day, with the sky a beautiful blue and hardly any clouds. However, the temperature was only in the mid-40s, and there was a strong Northwind, which added a chill factor. Doug and I traveled today to Daniel Webster Massachusetts Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield, Massachusetts.

Today show the value of patience. We first stopped at the morning blind and observed some birds flying back and forth. What we were hoping for was a Wilson Snipe. Doug located one feeding in the grasses at the edge of the marsh and pond. We had a watch at least 20 minutes the Snipe moving back and forth until finally it gave me a clear shot. The Snipe would keep hiding its head behind brushes of grasses. Patience paid off.

Wilson Snipe

From the blind looking across to the other side, there was a pair of bluebirds, so we traveled over to that blind to see if we could find photograph the bluebirds. No such luck. But, a few savanna sparrows were around in the grass in front of the blind feeding. Again it took a while till I was able to get a photograph of one where it was not completely hidden in the grass and bushes.

Savannah Sparrow

We then went for a walk and came across a kestrel sitting on a bluebird box; I did get a picture of the kestrel peering over his shoulder at me. I slowly made the way down the path so I could adjust the light on the kestrel that it was coming over my shoulder and even though I went slowly and was a least 50 feet away and the kestrel took off into a tree further away and still when it's back toward us.

Kestrel

Further down the walk, we noticed a bird in the tree and when we looked at it with the binocular's it turned out to be a wild turkey.

Wild Turkey in the Tree

Finally, walking back toward the parking lot, we came across a pine warbler, which again took some time getting a picture where the warbler wasn't hidden behind branches.

Pine Warbler

As I keep saying a better day is out birding and photographing a natural world than working behind the desk. And for a finale a Cooper's Hawk.

Cooper's Hawk

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A Morning Birding and Photographing at Daniel Webster Sanctuary

The view from the afternoon blind across the pond, looking toward the morning blind

Finally, this Thursday my friend Doug and I finally have gotten out again to go birding.  Because Doug's back is still not completely well,  we went down to Daniel Webster Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield, where we could observe the birds, utilizing the blinds.  Arriving at the sanctuary, there was a lot of activity around the parking lot, including a number of bluebirds.

After settling down in the morning blind, the activity was slow with a group of mallards in the water in front of us, feeding.  The two best birds at that we saw was a Solitary Sandpiper and a pair of Glossy Ibis.  It was an enjoyable just watching the activity occurring in front of us.

Glossy Ibis preening

Glossy Ibis catching its food

Glossy Ibis looking for food

Solitary Sandpiper

We decided to go around to the afternoon blind to see if there was anything else occurring at that area.  What surprised us, when we reached the blind, was the real low level of the water at that end of the pond.  Bird activity was slow, except for a group of mallards, which were preening and did give a wing flap.

Mallard with the wing flap

Walking back to the parking lot.  We did come across a Cedar Waxwing and a Savannah Sparrow.  Along the fence and Eastern chipmunk was going to with stand with his cheek pockets filled with seeds that it took from the bird feeders.

Eastern Phoebe

Savannah Sparrow

Cedar waxwing

Eastern chipmunk with its cheeks full

In total we identified 33 different species of birds, in the few hours that we were there at the sanctuary.

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Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

Queen Anne's Lace

As I stated in my last blog, my plan today was to travel back to Daniel Webster and photograph the plants and spider webs covered with dew.  However, the weather forecasters were wrong and we did not get any fog, although my car was covered with moisture.  I arrived at Daniel Webster earlier than yesterday and the majority of plants and spider webs were dry with no dew on them.  I did some macro photography, since that was the equipment that I brought down to the area with me.  I did find a scorpion fly, so-called name because it's rear abdomen, is curled up like scorpions.  However, this insect is harmless and there of 54 species recognized in North America, all of which are located in the East.  The scorpion flies belong to the genius Panorpa.

Scorpion Fly

I stopped at the morning blind, saw the little blue Heron again and talk to my friend Dan.  I went back to the car, picked up my long lens and converters and went down to the afternoon blind.  The afternoon blind is named, because the light is better in the afternoon.  The one problem that I noticed with the afternoon blind.  That is great for bird watching, but on the right front side of the blind, the vegetation is very high, and it is hard to get a clean photograph.  The left front side is more open.  I watched the Glossy Ibis move from the right side, to the middle, and then right in front of us, but hidden by vegetation.  The Ibis finally moved into a clear shaded area on the right side and allowed the opportunity for photographs.

Glossy Ibis

 A flight of Canada geese came over, and one of the photos that I took I named "Bombs Away", for the reason you will see when you look at the picture.

"Bombs Away."

 A couple of Canada geese put on a great show cleaning themselves.  They with duck their head into the water, then bring the had up up and sprayed water all over themselves.  When they finally finished, the Canada geese gave great wing flaps.  I knew they were going to do that from watching ducks and geese bathing, so I was prepared and able to obtain the photographs.

Canada Goose Bathing Sequence

Canada Goose Bathing Sequence

Canada Goose Bathing Sequence

Canada Goose Bathing Sequence

Canada Goose Bathing Sequence

Canada Goose Bathing Sequence

I will have to watch the weather report again, and when there is fog forecast I will check in the morning before I leave, because I really want those pictures of the flowers and spider webs back lit by the sun and covered with the morning dew.

So everybody keep on photographing and joy the natural world around us

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Little Blue Heron, and More at Daniel Webster

Juvenile Little Blue Heron

This Sunday was a beautiful morning with a great sunrise.  As I traveled to Marshfield to visit Daniel Webster Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary.  The reason I traveled was because there have been reports of a juvenile Little Blue Heron present at the sanctuary.  Normally I have seen the juvenile Little Blue Heron down in Florida.  As opposed to the adult Little Blue Heron, the juvenile plumage is usually all white as opposed to the dark bluish-gray body that the adult has.

Arriving at the sanctuary, I walked down to the morning blind that overlooks the small pond.  The sanctuary has two blinds, a morning blind and an afternoon blind.  The blinds are positioned so the sun is coming over your shoulder and illuminating the creatures that are in front of you.  In the blind, there are screws that you can mount your tripod head on.  I set my gimbal head and attached my 500 mm F/4 lens starting out with a 1.4 converter and utilizing my Nikon D800.

Red-shoulder Hawk

The morning started out with a Hawk in the distance, and to capture it, I switched my converter to the 2X.  We then got a Green Heron closer was which required switching back to the 1.4 converter.  Later on, a Sandpiper appeared, which required the 2X converter plus changing the crop mode of my camera to 1.5, so that I could get a decent picture.  The question was, was this a Solitary Sandpiper or a Spotted Sandpiper.  After reviewing the pictures on my computer, there was no white notch before the wing, therefore, I called it a solitary Sandpiper.

Green Heron with its crest up

Solitary Sandpiper

This is a morning where I had to change from using converter's of various lengths to no converter's so that I get the photograph that I wanted.

All of a sudden, in front of us appeared the Little Blue Heron, which was so close that I almost had too much glass to take its picture.

Little Blue Heron

After finishing all of photography, I came home and downloaded the pictures and am thinking about returning again to Daniel Webster tomorrow.  The reason is that the plants and spiderwebs were covered with dew, and would make very interesting pictures.  The weather report is for fog in the morning so I hope we will get the great dew on the subjects.  This will require my macro lens, rather than my 500 mm lens.

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A Morning at Daniel Webster Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary

Yellow Warbler with Inchworm

As I mentioned in my last blog, I went out photographing and traveled down to Daniel Webster Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary.  When we left the house, there was cloudy and a little windy and, when we arrived at the sanctuary, it was drizzling, windy, and the temperatures were in the low 40s.  During the morning intermittently it cleared up on an off.  The main problem most of the time was the birds would just flying back and forth and not landing anywhere for decent photos.  We were set up in the morning blind.  However, by waiting long enough a few birds did honor us by coming in and letting us take their picture.

Yellow warblers were flitting back and forth and landing in the bushes capturing inchworm caterpillars.

Yellow Warbler with Inchworm

Tree swallows were flitting back and forth in one landed in front of us, and was preening.

Tree Swallow Preening

A Spotted Sandpiper made its appearance flying from rock to rock.

Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper in Flight

Normally, the logs a loaded with painted turtles sunning themselves, but today only one made its appearance.

Painted Turtle Climbing the Log

Walking back to the car, a male bobolink was on the top of the grasses seeing in its boisterous song.  I took this picture at eye level with the bobolink.

Bobolink Singing

Although there was not a lot of different photo opportunities, we made the best of what was there.  Other people joined us and the blind and we had good discussions about birding, photography, equipment's, so all in all, it was a good morning