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We got a fresh light blanket of snow last night which seemed to drive the birds away. Pretty windy so I went to the lake with the camera. Didn't see much, but, I got these shots of birds in flight. I was using the Nikon 300mm 2.8 with a Kenko converter. That lens weighs about 5 and 1/2 to 6 lbs by itself making it pretty difficult to handhold it and try to follow the flight and get a focus lock on the birds. Still its fun just to be out there. Not sure of what type of swallow this is. I think it might be a violet green.

Swallow   1/1250 f4 ISO 100

Great Blue Heron   1/2000 f4 ISO 100

Turkey vulture   1/200 f7.1 ISO 100 

 

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Southwestern New Mexico

Great pics, raptrlvr!  I think you may be right about the violet-green Swallow.

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Matthew 6:26
James 1:2-5

Nice photos, and yes, it is a violet green swallow.

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Last Life Birds-
Lincoln's Sparrow

American Avocet, Stilt Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Red Knot

www.birdersflightlog.blogspot.com

Thanks. I was trying to sneak up on the great blue heron, but, a guy and his dog got there before I did and it started flying right into the sun.

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Southwestern New Mexico

How the heck did you track that swallow with that giant lens?  I had trouble with my comparatively tiny f/5.6 zoom, and I had a whole swarm to pick from.  Nice work!

I tried to sneak up on a Great Blue once.  The odds were with me, he was facing directly away from me, and it was very windy, which helped with noise.  This is as close as I got, though.  Two more steps and he turned around, spotted me, and was gone.

These are nice shots rapterlover... I guess that is what the abbreviation is for... Big lens... subject in motion.. there is no time to adjust. 

On my shots I am lucky to get the critical focus right on about one of 20.   I'm never sure if it was me or the camera... probably me.

Fraser 

I'm so jealous! (lol). I get so excited when I try to get a flight shot that I either miss it or its blurry. I manage a decent shot 1 out of about 200! Seriously!

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Life List: 73

The picture of the swallow in flight was the best one out of about 40 shots. I was trying to see if it made a difference in shutter speed if I shot in raw or in jpeg fine. The only thing I forgot to do was actually make the change in the program to put the camera in jpeg fine,so, I ended up shooting in raw. I'll have to try it again. I love trying to follow the fast moving swallows although, I have never taken a really decent picture of them in flight. Practice makes perfect one of these days.

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Southwestern New Mexico

My statement of one in 20... is perhaps my dream...

I love "birds in flight" shots... but alas the really good ones are rare.

I post a shot of a swallow that I took in Kansas... I think.  With age, memories fade and ... well ... Who could remember exactly where you were,  when making a road trip across country, last year.

I remember that I started from Arizona and ended in Duluth.  I remember that I was behind a Walmart.  Beyond that is speculation.

Fraser

Hey, is this turning into another theme thread?  I've got a few!

Here are three pair of Blue-Winged Teal.  This was a one-off shot that somehow turned out pretty good.

 

 

Wow,

lyceel,  that almost looks like one of those 3-D illusions where you kind of cross your eyes to see the 3-D image pop out!   Great photo!

Everybody's photos are great!

Thanks for sharing!

Nancy

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Nancy

Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.
-- William Cullen Bryant

You say "pretty good"... I'd say Terrific.  in focus... action... the light from the right side.  These are rare... at least for me.

Fraser

I spotted this guy landing in the reeds just up ahead of me.  I figured he would pop up again as I walked down the trail a bit farther (that's just what Great Blue Herons do).  Sure enough, as soon as I got fairly close to him, up he came and I was ready for him.  You can still see the water from the marsh dripping off his feet.

This is a full-frame shot (no crop), and no sharpening.  I had my EV a bit low on the original photo, so I did alter the exposure a bit.

EDIT:  Changed my mind, I think a small crop looks better...

OK, one more, and then it's someone else's turn

I kind of like the lighting in this one.  It's almost like a spotlight on his head.  Osprey are one of my favorites.

 

Lyceel... amazing shot of the group of ducks flying...what did you set your camera at on this shot? i have chances for shots like this daily, and i never get it right...love to see photos like this, look just like what they looked like in the field. great job.

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