Day 332 - The Story of the Red-Shouldered Hawk

I did some serious birding yesterday - I went deep into the woods, sank my feet into swamps, got scratched by thorns and underbrush, but I managed to get some shots of the Red-Shouldered Hawk couple that is nesting out there.

I had already got a couple of really nice shots of the Northern Flicker and a Thrush earlier during the day, but I still wanted to go out and see what other birds have migrated to these parts.  I didn't think I would get into birding so seriously when I started taking the first bird shots last Spring, but here I am a year later, doing something exciting and educating.

I found the nest quite by chance.  I kept hearing the calls of this hawk, which initially I wasn't aware of being a hawk's call at all!  And as I've become quite adept at following bird calls and then tracking them down, I soon spotted this hawk on a really high branch of a tree deep in the woods.  I took a few first shots of the beautiful bird right from where I stood - this is a habit, even if they don't turn out that well and I ultimately discard, because I need these images to identify them, in case I'm meeting them for the first time.

So, I took the few first shots, and then tried to find a way of getting closer to it.  It meant I would have to walk through the swampy spots, and then walk through the thick brambly bushes to get there, all the while keeping my eye on the subject since I didn't want it flying off to where I wouldn't be able to track it again.

Finally, I came much closer and could now just point my camera right overhead to get a few shots - and that's when I discovered that there was a nest right there, and there was the second hawk that was sitting on the eggs!  What a find!  And all this was possible, because there are still no leaves on the trees, but I'm seeing the buds and my heart sinks at the thought that when the little ones are ready to come out, I might not be able to sight the nest again!  :(

I spent close to 2.5 hours watching the movements of both the hawks (and being watched in turn by them) and noticed a couple of crows trying to bother them.  The partner that was standing watch wasn't always near the nest, so the nesting partner would call out and the guardian did the due diligence and chased the crows away from time to time.

I didn't get good shots of the chase through the branches, but got a couple good enough to record the behaviour.  What was funny was that at times, the crow ended up chasing the hawk around!  And what was even more amazing was that there were smaller birds and squirrels flitting around the hawks without an ounce of fear for their lives!  However, there was a little pond just a few feet away, and when I trained my lens on the surface on the little floating bits, I observed they were bird carcasses.  I immediately knew what they indicated!

And while waiting around to see what happens next, I caught one of the hawks finishing off his meal!  Uggh.. that was a little creepy, watching the hawk tear away at its food, but I guess I have to stop feeling squeamish at these things - this is Mother Nature in her truest character!

I met three other birders while I kept up my vigil, and had a chance to chat with them to learn that they were serious hobbyists as well.   I actually pointed out the hawks to a couple of them who stood around and took a few pictures.  The third one had me look through his telescopic spotting device that made the hawk seem like it was right in front of me, when in reality it was at least a hundred feet away!  And I just looked it up on the Internet, and that device retails at $2400!  Not much more expensive than my 100 - 400 mm lens, but oh what a difference!

I have posted a few more shots on Flickr, so please feel free to check them out if you are interested in seeing more.

Day 330 - For Want of Energy and Subject

I had been meaning to take a few nice shots of the  Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras, but it just didn't happen.  Although these aren't the kind of shots I wanted to put up at all, I didn't want to miss the shot of the day.  I will definitely revisit this subject again - sooner or later.  But I'm not going to give up in the last leg of the 365 project - I'll post snapshots if I have to! :-(

As I've mentioned in one of my previous posts, the camera and lens together weigh close to 2.3 kgs!  But I'm slowly getting used to the weight and although tiring, I shot at 1/60s yesterday, and I was still able to keep a steady hand!

Day 329 - More Birds in the Bush

This White-breasted Nuthatch was pulling something out of the tree trunk and it looked like a snail or some kind of worm.  Ugghh!

My first time seeing Dark-Eyed Juncos - there were a few flocking around.

My second time seeing a Northern Flicker, but first time in my neck of the woods.  The first time I ever saw them was when I was visiting my friend in Fremont, CA last Christmas.

Day 325 - First Flowers

I saw the first flowers, purple crocuses, on the forest floor by the river.  I had almost passed them by because they were so tiny, but things seldom get overlooked these days.  I only had my  Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras with me, and therefore, I was a little bit constrained with trying to get the perspective right.  In the end, it's just recording the detail that was more important for me.

It had been extremely chilly and windy, and I hardly saw many birds.  It seemed like they were all hiding from the cold and the wind somewhere, because a lot of the birds have just migrated, and they are probably as surprised as we are at the lack of milder Spring temperatures. 

The waters were extremely choppy and I had fun watching this Mallard couple bobbing up and down on the waves.  They kept getting pushed up on the crests of the waves and then dipping into the troughs.  They looked really cute! 

And a few others from the evening:

Day 319 - The Canon EF 100 - 400L IS USM Lens

So, I finally got myself the lens I was looking to get for my birding.  And what's my verdict?

Well, I am not that happy with what I got.  I think I had really high expectations, especially since it's an L series lens. But (and there's a big BUT in it), I tried the lens in poor light.  The little park in front had very little light, and I had to not only pump up the ISO, I had to slow down the shutter as well.

The rule for shutter speed is dictated by the focal length of the lens, if you want to obtain a really sharp image.  For instance, when I was shooting racked out at 400 mm, my shutter speed should have been at least 1/400s, so I wouldn't have camera shake.  However, I was shooting at 1/90s.  Although there is no visible camera shake, the images are soft.  And this is a monster of a lens, and weighs nearly 1.4 kgs!  The combined weight of my camera and lens is about 2.2 kgs.  And I was shooting handheld.  Whose fault is it that I wasn't satisfied with the quality of images?

And the ISO being at 1600 didn't help any!

Therefore, before I judge my new Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras, I should probably try it out under better lighting conditions.

This image was the only one that was passable enough to post.  No, this isn't my pet.  This adorable doggy was sitting on my neighbour's balcony all by himself looking out longingly at the other doggies in the park.  I hope he gets to go out at times.

And I need to acknowledge how good the autofocus is on my Canon EOS 7D.   It was a challenge shooting through the numerous tree branches and the railing bars on the balcony.  I am slowly trying to wrap my head around the AF functions on the camera.  They are so numerous, that I would probably need a week of dedicated practise to master them.

I think I really need to try the lens in better light, and give it a chance at justifying the price I paid, which is incidentally a lot cheaper than the posted price on Amazon.  The camera store I go to gave me a decent deal on it.