The Stand Out
How do you make a white bird stand out? White bird + golden light + dark background + down low + eye contact + water+ reflection = Stand Out.
Got several action shots of this White Morph Reddish Egret along with this pose against a grassy background. I’m pleased with how this one came out. Took a few shots with spot metering and checked the histogram to confirm the exposure was good and then switched to manual exposure mode using the settings that I came up with.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II head
1/800 sec @ F9, manual exposure, ISO 400
Snowy Egret on the Move
Spent some quality time yesterday morning at Bolivar Flats. The tide and sun were cooperating for once. Found a decent spot where birds were feeding and laid down on a sand bar for about 1.5 hrs to get some shorebird action shots. There was a White Morph Reddish Egret feeding along with this Snowy Egret. They would tolerate each other to a point but the White Morph finally had enough and tried to chase the Snowy away. Caught this shot when the Snowy was running from the White Morph. Luckily he didn’t leave and I ended up with over 3200 photos to sort through. Used manual mode for shooting these white birds to maintain the proper exposure as they were on the move.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberlly II head
1/1000 sec @ F9 on manual mode
Sanderling Feeding
Sometimes it takes some effort to get to your veggies. This Sanderling is in full stretch mode to get his breakfast out of the sand.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II lens with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod and Wimberley II head.
1/1250 sec @ F5.6, ISO 400, evaluative metering, +1/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
Willet Feeding
If all else fails, I’ll take photos of Willets at Bolivar Flats. They are the old stand-by that are always around and cooperative. This one was busy feeding on some local vegetation. Made for some cool splashing activity while down at its level with ye old ground pod. Went back to Bolivar yesterday and hit the jackpot. More to come…
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II lens with 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head.
1/2000 sec @ F7.1, ISO 400, spot metering, + 2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
1/2000 sec @ F7.1, ISO 400, spot metering, + 2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
1/1000 sec @ F7.1, ISO 400, spot metering, + 2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
1/1250 sec @ F7.1, ISO 400, spot metering, + 2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
1/800 sec @ F7.1, ISO 400, spot metering, + 2/3 exposure compensation, 700mm
Like Feathers Floating on Water
While the tide rolled in, the feathers on the sand bar around me floated away and helped to highlight this Willet. I didn’t want to move with this Willet being so close so I got a little wet as well. Stayed in place until the water got above my ground pod. The biggest issue with laying in the salt water is that it streams off of your coat sleeves when you get up and can run all over your camera equipment. My Lenscoat raincoat helps to keep the gear dry.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II, 1.4x III teleconverter mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley II gimbal head
1/500 sec @ F 7.1, ISO 500, evaluative metering, +2/3 exposure compensation
Reddish Egret Fishing
I’m always amazed at how good Reddish Egrets are at catching fish. They dart around with their wings extended and almost always come up with a fish. Other shore birds tend to stand around and watch as these guys are getting their stomachs full. I thought that last weekend was going to be a bust at Bolivar but it turned out to be one of my best Reddish Egret outings to date. There were tons of people camping out on the beach and lots of wade fisherman in the water off of the beach, which is not a good combination for bird photography. The beach was also not cooperating. About 75% of the beach was covered in several inches of dead seaweed, which I haven’t seen in this area before. It was also high tide which is the worst time to go. However, with wanting to try out my new 500 F4 IS II lens, I wasn’t going to wait.
Got some silhouette shots at sunrise and then headed down the beach to see if any Peregrine Falcons were around. No dice on the falcons so I headed back towards the car. A Reddish Egret was standing on the lone exposed sand bar near the parking area. He flew back down the beach so I followed him around for a while. Didn’t have much luck and ended up back at the sand bar and laid down to get some Willet shots. Then the fun began. Three Reddish Egrets then showed up to fish in my area with one being right in front of me. Good times were had by all of the local critters, especially me.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II lens, 1.4x III teleconverter, mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley gimbal head.
1/400 sec @ F7.1, ISO 400, evaluative metering, + 1 exposure compensation
1/400 sec @ F7.1, ISO 400, evaluative metering, + 1 exposure compensation
1/500 sec @ F7.1, ISO 400, evaluative metering, + 1 exposure compensation
Willet with Wings Extended
Here is the full series of my recent Willet encounter at Galveston Island. After you are around these birds for a while you learn their behavior and can be ready for the action shot. After they take a bath, they flap their wings to dry them off. Always a good opportunity to get a shot of their colorful wings, which aren’t evident when they are just walking around. You would think that they are kind of boring looking until you see them in flight. They tend to be my go-to shorebird as they always seem to be around and are fairly cooperative, especially when you lay down to shoot them. They will come within a few feet of you before noticing that you don’t belong on the beach.
Taken with Canon 7D and Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on Skimmer ground pod with Wimberley gimbal head.
1/1250 sec @ F4, ISO 400, spot metering, +1/3 exposure compensation
1/1250 sec @ F4, ISO 400, spot metering, +1/3 exposure compensation
1/800 sec @ F4, ISO 400, spot metering, +1/3 exposure compensation
Tim Timmis Photography 