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After the successful morning of May 9th, I thought about where to go on Thursday, May 10, 2007. Evergreen Cemetery was a consideration and fairly close to home but in the end result I decided to go back to Hinckley Park. The schedule indicated some Audubon folks would be present and I felt I knew the ‘lay of the land’. There were several areas I wished to try out with the camera from my few visits to this park. Everyone met in the parking area at 0700 hours and this day proved to be a smaller group than the day before. I was pleased to see Bob once again; he is visiting from Colorado and I’d enjoyed spending time with him on Wednesday.
I've been asked about my camera gear so will offer a brief synopsis of what I’ve been taking the field with. The primary camera is a Canon 5d and 500mm f/4L Imaged Stabilized lens. I use a Canon 1.4X extender on the lens so image with this at 700mm focal length at f/5.6. I shoot this on a Gitzo G1325 tripod, Really Right Stuff BH-55LR ballhead and use a Wimberley Sidekick to balance the lens. I also carry a Canon 30d body with a Canon 400mm f/5.6L lens on a strap over my shoulder; I shoot this lens at f/5.6. This is excellent for fly-bys or images where the tripod mounted lens can’t be maneuvered for whatever reason.
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Not far from the parking area is a field with pole mounted nesting boxes. Several Tree Swallows appear to have taken up residence
in these, so the first image of the day was of one of these beautiful birds.
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As appears to be typical, Yellow-rumped Warblers were everywhere to be seen. I kind of liked this photograph and decided to post it.
Looks like we disturbed this bird’s morning…
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We viewed the contingent of Black-crowned Night-Herons and this bird was photographed as we walked by the pond.
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As we walked along we viewed several birds flying in the distance. They were far distant but within reach of the lens as can be seen here.
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We viewed this Cowbird on the walk yesterday on the same high pole. Today he was joined by a lady friend. |
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the effort but the observation was fleeting and off he went. When viewed on the camera I didn’t even believe we had a focused exposure, so as stated, I felt fortunate with these…
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One of the capable observers in our group spotted this oriole at the very top of a tall tree not far from where the Chestnut-sided Warbler was spotted. After a few moments working on the tripod to obtain the elevation required on the lens I was able to get two frames exposed before the bird flew off to parts unknown. This image doesn’t do the bird justice but it certainly confirms the observation. |
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As we walked by the pond heading towards our vehicles this heron was spotted. We stopped and observed this bird once again and I couldn’t
resist taking another frame or two…
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I walked back to the pond and using the handheld camera took a series of shots.
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Kiro
May 2007
A note about the photography...Unless specifically credited otherwise, all images in this account are by the author. Any images viewed that are digitally framed and labeled have been printed and added to my collection of works for sale. The web versions are nice, but a full resolution print significantly enhances the beauty of these images; all are ©2007 Photography by Kirk M. Rogers - any reproduction, publication or transmission of this content without the consent of the author is prohibited. Please contact me should you have an interest in obtaining any of the images.