I spent several days at Magee Marsh (near Toledo, Ohio) recently in hopes of capturing as much of the spring migration as I could get my lens on, and I was not disappointed. I caught this female Summer Tanager gorging on bees in the same tree/branch for several hours without ever flying off to explore other options. She seemed to have plenty of food on hand to continue the journey north, and I enjoyed the opportunity to capture her as she went about her business. Comments appreciated as always.
Hi Brian - was at Magee a few weekends ago. It was a cool and kind of windy morning and there were more people than warblers on the boardwalk. Got some good shots on the trail by the bird center (much less crowded). Then went over to Ottowa NWR and got some shots. Last weekend my sister was able to get a shot of a Kirtland's on the boardwalk. The Tanager is colorful. Nice shot!
Thanks for the comments, they are very much appreciated.
Kirk, I agree, Magee is a magical place during spring migration. I never hit a really a great day this year, but I still wouldn't trade any time spent there with being anywhere else!
Michael, even when the boardwalk is crowded, there are always places to go where you can find solitude and suitable subjects to shoot!
Phil, I was using a Canon 400 f4 L/IS DO with a 1.4 TC that I rented for the week (from lensrentals,com). I also had the opportunity to try a 500 f4 during the week and now have a better feel for what I would buy if I had the $ on hand. For small, fast moving birds, I really like the 400 DO, because you can quickly move from the tripod to handhold mode and get shots that you might not get when using the 500. You can also quickly remove or add the 1.4 TC if the birds are really close, and the AF is superfast and really responsive, even with the TC.
Cindy, thanks for the reply. I am hoping to head your way later this week. I'll email you again, and hopefully will avoid the spam box.
Discussion
7 repliesKirk, I agree, Magee is a magical place during spring migration. I never hit a really a great day this year, but I still wouldn't trade any time spent there with being anywhere else!
Michael, even when the boardwalk is crowded, there are always places to go where you can find solitude and suitable subjects to shoot!
Phil, I was using a Canon 400 f4 L/IS DO with a 1.4 TC that I rented for the week (from lensrentals,com). I also had the opportunity to try a 500 f4 during the week and now have a better feel for what I would buy if I had the $ on hand. For small, fast moving birds, I really like the 400 DO, because you can quickly move from the tripod to handhold mode and get shots that you might not get when using the 500. You can also quickly remove or add the 1.4 TC if the birds are really close, and the AF is superfast and really responsive, even with the TC.
Cindy, thanks for the reply. I am hoping to head your way later this week. I'll email you again, and hopefully will avoid the spam box.