Thanksgiving Avocets
Started celebrating Thanksgiving early this year by heading to Bolivar about 4:45 a.m. before the rest of the family rolled out of bed. The stars were almost completely aligned for this trip except for the sun, which didn’t come out. Low tide and a flock of cooperative Avocets made for a great morning. My goal was to head to my favorite spot for some golden light photos but with no sun and a flock of Avocets near by, a change of plans was in order. The Avocets were about 50 yds off shore feeding next to a sandbar which was still under water by a few inches. Waded out in their direction and got down on my knees to take some initial test shots. Didn’t like what I was getting with being too high and the fact that the birds wouldn’t get close to me unless I was in the prone position. Debated on what to do next as the water was still covering the sand bar. Decided to get wet and laid down in the water in their path as they made their way towards me. My ground pod, which looks like a heavy-duty frisbee, immediately filled up with salt water but the level stayed below my ballhead, except when a few rogue waves came in.
The Avocets would feed and then walk up on the sand bar and then circle back into the water for more feeding. With the lack of sun, I had to crank up the ISO to 1600 for some shots and still had fairly slow shutter speeds so these came out a little soft. Having morning sun would have made all of the difference in the world but you have to take what you can get.
Didn’t try using fill flash initially just in case they got spooked by it. When I did try it, the flash wouldn’t work, of course. I’ve been known to not charge or leave the batteries at home but not this time. Had to take the flash off and put it back on the camera to get it to function, which was a little tricky while laying in water and trying not to let the birds see me. They eventually got very close to me and I had to zoom out to keep them in the frame. Most of these shots are close to full frame with only being cropped for pano’s.
When I stood up, it took a few minutes for my coat to drain from the sleeves before I could pick up my camera to keep it from getting covered in salt water. A little messy but well worth the effort and clean-up.
Taken with Canon 7D and 100-400 lens mounted on Skimmer ground pod.
1/160 sec @ F5.6, ISO 1600, spot metering, +1 exposure compensation, no flash
1/160 sec @ F5.6, ISO 1600, spot metering, +1 exposure compensation, no flash
1/200 sec @ F5.6, ISO 1600, spot metering, +1 exposure compensation, no flash
1/200 sec @ F5.6, ISO 1600, spot metering, +1 exposure compensation, no flash
1/200 sec @ F5.6, ISO 1600, spot metering, +1 exposure compensation, no flash
1/250 sec @ F5.6, ISO 1600, spot metering, +1 exposure compensation, no flash
1/200 sec @ F5.6, ISO 500, spot metering, no flash
1/500 sec @ F5.6, ISO 1600, spot metering, no flash
1/320 sec @ F5.6, ISO 400, spot metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, no flash
It’s all about the light…
Lighting can really make a bird photo stand out. I’m a big believer in breaking the rule of only taking photos with the sun at your back with full light on the front of the subject. To me, back or side lighting is much more dramatic. It can give the subject much more depth and interest.
Case in point is this little Sanderling from Bolivar. I was trying to get some shots of a flock of Avocets near by while I was laying on a sand bar with my ground pod. The Avocets weren’t in a good position for a decent shot so I changed my focus on the little shore birds right in front of me. Got this little guy with some side light and was able to get the proper exposure in the camera using spot metering. I would have been better off using manual exposure as he moved very quickly and I lost exposure when the camera metered off of the sand and not the white part of the bird. Got lucky with these two that I like with the catch light in his eye.
Taken with Canon 7D and 100-400 lens with ground pod
1/2500 sec @ F5.6, spot metering, +2/3 exposure compensation, ISO 400, fill flash with better beamer
1/1250 sec @ F5.6, spot metering, +1/3 exposure compensation, ISO 400, no flash
Golden Willet
Another Willet shot taken in the early morning golden light. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I kind of like the golden light eary in the mornings. Makes getting up at 4:00 a.m. worth it.
Taken with Canon 7D and 100-400 lens on Skimmer ground pod.
1/1250 sec @ F 5.6, spot metering + 2/3 exposure compensation, ISO 400, no flash
Avocets Landing in Golden Light
Here is a group of Avocets coming in for a landing showing some golden light on their wings. Taken shortly after sunrise at Bolivar Flats. I was crawling towards a group of Avocets at the end of a sandbar when several small groups would fly in and land near the other group. I could see the golden light reflecting of their wings and took bursts of shots when they would bank just before landing.
Taken with Canon 7D and 100-400 lens on skimmer ground pod
1/400 sec @ F5.6, ISO 500, spot metering + 2/3 exposure compensation
Willet Action
Here are a few Willet shots from last weekend at Bolivar Flats. Positioned myself near a grassy area to get some decent light with the grass reflecting on the water. The Willets were accommodating as usual with low tide and the temp in the 40’s at sunrise. Captured the shots with his wings extended as he was coming in for a landing. Tracked him from a distance and squeezed off a burst as he landed. Willet wings are quite dramatic on the underside compared to the top. They are not a colorful shorebird but really change the contrast when they open up their wings.
Taken with Canon 7D and 100-400 lens on ground pod.
1/1000 sec @ F5.6, ISO 250, spot metering with +2/3 exposure compensation
1/800 sec @ F6.3, ISO 250, spot metering with +2/3 exposure compensation
1/1000 sec @ F6.3, ISO 250, spot metering with +2/3 exposure compensation
Reddish Egret BIF
Here are some flight shots of a Reddish Egret from Bolivar Flats. These are full frame frame shots without any cropping, which is rare for me on flight shots. I was moving from one sand bar to another to try to sneak up on some birds and was on my knees walking in the water when this egret flew over me. I didn’t have time to zoom out which worked for these shots but I ended up clipping some wings on some others.
Taken with Canon 7D and 100-400 lens, hand-held
1/800 sec @ F5.6, spot metering, +1/3 exposure compensation, ISO 400, no flash
Bolivar Weekend
Bolivar is finally cooperating with low tides in the morning. I’ve been waiting months for this so I spent Sat and Sun mornings at the coast. It was just cool enough on Sat at 46 deg. to break out the neoprene waders and winter coat for laying in the wet sand. The only problem was that I forgot to bring my ground pod on Sat. Had to improvise and go old school to prove that you don’t need a ground pod to shoot from the prone position. But it really does help. Ended up spending 3 hours laying down handholding my camera with ye old elbows buried in the sand. It wasn’t too bad until my elbows worked their way down into the sand and the hole filled up with salt water, which of course dripped all over my gear when I finally stood up.
Anyway, the birds were out and it was a great weekend. Here are a few Willet and yellow legs shots.
All taken with Canon 7D and 100-400 lens.
Tim Timmis Photography 