A Day For The Birds

I've been trying to stay away from simply photographing objects with longer lenses in an attempt to vary the types of images I'm producing. But sometimes it's just fun to go out with a longer telephoto lens and look for wildlife.

It doesn't usually work out that I find good subjects when I'm carrying a wildlife setup. The other day, for instance, I had only a 7D and 24mm lens and got to watch a Bald Eagle catch a fish at the mouth of the Mohawk River.

Yesterday morning, however, was an exception. I carried a 7D body, with battery grip, attached to an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L lens with 2XIII extender. This setup weighs in at 6.5 pounds although I have a ThinkTank Photo holster shoulder bag that carries it nicely.

I walked up along the old Champlain Canal, an area with marshes that I  know are frequented by a variety of birds. Over an hour and a half I viewed Red-winged Blackbirds, Mourning Doves, Yellow Warblers, a Green Heron, Mallards, Herring Gulls, Cardinals, Tree Swallows, Crows, a Mockingbird, Turkey Vultures and a Red Tailed Hawk.

Here are some of the nicer results:

Yellow Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Mating Tree Swallows

These two Mallard shots were made seconds apart and I moved only a few feet from one to the other yet the differing background reflection in the water totally changes the resulting image.

Mallard Pair

Mallard Pair