[Leica] a morning walk

[Gene Duprey]

Great images Doug, the new gear is working well for you.  I know what your saying about the new A1, I’m tempted at Nikon’s announcement of the Z9.

Gene

Sent from my iPad

> On Mar 11, 2021, at 12:12 AM, Daniel Ridings via LUG <lug at leica-users.org> wrote:
> 
> Thanks Doug. I enjoyed your walk and am happy you used digital so that you
> knew what you had in focus before you came home.
> 
> I really enjoy your background information on birds as well. I have a very
> bird friendly yard and I work on it to make it even more so. I enjoy the
> creatures and enjoy knowing more about them.
> 
> Daniel
> 
> 
>> On Wed, 10 Mar 2021, 19:20 Douglas Herr via LUG <lug at leica-users.org> wrote:
>> 
>> I spent yesterday morning at a river floodplain re-purposed as a nature
>> study area with plentiful walking trails and wildlife.  One of the first
>> birds I found was a cooperative pair of California Towhees, munching on
>> filaree seeds.  By waiting quietly I was able to test the minimum focus
>> distance of the 600mm lens:
>> 
>> 
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/passerellidae/melozone/crissalis/melcri19.html
>> 
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/passerellidae/melozone/crissalis/melcri16.html
>> 
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/passerellidae/melozone/crissalis/melcri20.html
>> 
>> a side benefit of all this quiet waiting was a Hermit Thrush in a nearby
>> bush who un-skulked long enough for a few quick exposures:
>> 
>> 
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/turdidae/catharus/guttatus/catgut02.html
>> 
>> I then walked through the floodplain to an area with dense brush, perfect
>> habitat for a Spotted Towhee:
>> 
>> 
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/passerellidae/pipilo/maculatus/pipmac21.html
>> 
>> Towhees are basically a large sparrow and both the California Towhee and
>> Spotted Towhee are often found in suburban yards; this two-for (on a
>> Tuesday) in wilder habitat was a first for me.
>> 
>> Having adequately and delightfully spent the morning with these birds in
>> glorious overcast light I felt that I had used the day well, and with an
>> eye on the thickening cloud cover I packed the camera and started to head
>> home, but wait!  What was that in those distant trees?  It looks like a
>> woodpecker, near the area where last year both Acorn Woodpeckers and
>> Nuttall's Woodpeckers had nest cavities.  I unpacked the camera and walked
>> over to investigate the activity.
>> 
>> Turns out the woodpecker was neither Acorn nor Nuttall's: it was a
>> Red-breasted Sapsucker visiting the lowlands for the winter.  The sapsucker
>> drills little sap wells in the bark of trees, returning periodically to
>> check for sweet sap and any insects that may have been attracted to it.
>> 
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/ruber/sphrub09.html
>> 
>> This bird spent most of its time in one tree and was quite cooperative
>> allowing this onlooker to expose a few billion pixels.  The bird's M.O. was
>> to start on the lower trunk, working its way up to the higher limbs,
>> drilling new sap wells as it saw fit, and checking on the older sap wells
>> 
>> going up the trunk:
>> 
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/ruber/sphrub11.html
>> 
>> checking sap wells on the other side
>> 
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/ruber/sphrub08.html
>> 
>> new sap wells on a higher limb
>> 
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/ruber/sphrub12.html
>> 
>> oooh! nice sticky sap
>> 
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/ruber/sphrub10.html
>> 
>> equipment: "Leica" alpha 7rIII, "Leica" 600mm f/4 GM, big tripod.
>> 
>> With all of these birds, the camera's autofocus system struggled to lock
>> onto the bird so I often used center point focus (not my fav) and ended up
>> deleting a lot of images.  Demonstrations of the new alpha 1's Bird Eye AF
>> look promising.  My wallet is quaking in fear.
>> 
>> As usual, all comments are welcome.
>> 
>> Doug Herr
>> Birdman of Sacramento
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com
>> 
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>> 
> 
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