Nesting Blue Herons

Gallery: AvianPosted May 3, 201055 views6 comments

Blue Heron pair, (<i>Ardea herodias</i>)
Taken March 3, 2010, 08:13 AM in Yukon, PA. USA.
Yukon Heronry, along Swickley Creek, 75 foot up in a sycamore tree.

Camera: Olympus E3
Lens: Sigma 50-500 4/3 format, Plus Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter
combined focal length, 1000mm.
Exposure: 1/50 second at f / 29, ISO: 100
Support: Giottos Aluminum Convertible Tripod with pan tilt head.
Lighting: Early morning sunlight, just after sun came over eastern hill.

For additional shots of this session at the heronry see:

<a href="http://photography.getcloseto.us/YukonHeronry20100327/"> Yukon Heronry, March 2010</a>

I keep returning to this site, and find that each time I do a little
bit better. There was a slight wind this day so the feathers are not
quite as clear as I would have liked. Still an interesting shoot.

Thank you for your comments.

Gary

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on May 3, 2010 at 11:46 PM

Hi Gary,
A nice scene you captured here. The lack of clarity in the feathers may also have to do with softness from the slow shutter speed. I doubt if you needed F29 to get both birds in focus at that distance. I think more reasonable techs for this would have been something like F14 or so, bumping your iso to 200 and getting 1/400 of a second for shutter speed. At 1/50 of a second there's not much margin for error especially on a windy day. I like the nice look at the nest with both parents.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on May 3, 2010 at 11:50 PM

Nice job, Gary. This looks like you had a better observation point than the ground. Very good detail for all that lens. I see a bit of blue fringe in places, but herons against the blue sky seem to produce that almost all the time. Given the direction the birds are facing,I might have placed them a bit further to the right in the frame and possibly a bit higher. I look forward to seeing your future shoots here.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on May 4, 2010 at 12:36 AM

Good job over all Gary, nice having two birds together like this. I agree with the earlier suggestions whole heartedly.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Gary W. Sherwin on May 4, 2010 at 5:45 AM

Nate:
Dennis:
Gary:

Thank you so much for your comments and suggestions. Although I have a good deal of
experience in micro, macro and landscape photography, I am not very experienced as a
telephoto wildlife photographer. I have only had my long lens a couple of years, so I am
very much a novice at using it. I so appreciate your understanding of the tradeoffs and your
instructions for bumbing ISO, apperture and shutter. Will try that on my next outing.

Thanks again

Gary
Gary W. Sherwin

Registered on May 8, 2005, 56 Posts, 153 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on May 4, 2010 at 8:43 AM

cool shot, Gary, and good advice given. not sure how your camera performs noise wise, but if ISO 400 is acceptable, that can get you some more SS.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Gary W. Sherwin on May 4, 2010 at 7:44 PM

Dennis:

By the way, this was taken from the ground. The stream makes a 90 degree bend,
poviding a fairly clear fairway across the bend to the tree top. I am about 200 feet from
the tree base. Not much time left to shoot them, as the leaves are coming on the trees.

http://photography.getcloseto.us/YukonHeronry20100327/

Gary

Registered on May 8, 2005, 56 Posts, 153 Comments