Photo By Shawn Weigelt
August 23, 2008
Carmel, Maine
Chickadee’s are definitely one of my favorite backyard birds. They are so inquisitive and have such an endearing disposition. I was a little disappointed with the tail being out of focus in this shot. Oh well, the rest of the bird looks okay.
Nikon D80 70-300mm VR at 300mm, 1/60sec, ISO 250, f/5.6, hand held.
I finally convinced my Dad to move from California to Washington to be closer to family members, so I’ve been busy finding him a place and getting a bunch of things taken care of. Sorry I’ve ignored the blog for a few days. I should be back to normal soon. Thanks, Shawn & Malia, for posting a few birds during my absence.
Photo By Shawn Weigelt
August 9, 2008
Carmel, Maine
When I first started seeing hummingbirds this summer I thought that they would be easy to photograph. Boy was I wrong. They almost never hold still and I haven’t been able to get a decent hovering shot where the body of the bird was in focus. Even when they perch for a few seconds I can’t do much better. Oh well, at least we can tell what it is!
Nikon D80 70-300mm VR at 300mm, 1/100sec, ISO 400, f/5.6, hand held.
Photos By Shawn Weigelt
August 16, 2008
Carmel, Maine
My wife and I were pleasantly surprised to see seven young Wild Turkeys in our backyard recently. The adults cautiously led them under our bird feeders where I snapped several photos. Unfortunately there was so little light that nearly all of them didn’t come out. These two were the best ones but that’s not saying much! Anyway, they were really cute and were about the size of grouse. I hope the adults keep them safe.
Nikon D80 70-300mm VR at 300mm, 1/30sec, ISO 320, f/5.6, hand held.
Photo By Shawn Weigelt
August 14, 2008
Carmel, Maine
This female Purple Finch looked so cute all puffed up on my deck railing that I just had to take a picture. The lighting was extremely poor so I had to turn the ISO way up. This resulted in a shutter speed so slow that had this bird not been holding perfectly still, this shot would have never come out.
Nikon D80 70-300mm VR at 300mm, 1/80sec, ISO 400, f/5.6, hand held.
Photos By Malia Weigelt
August 13, 2008
Carmel, Maine
Here are a couple of photos my wife took of an Eastern Phoebe perched on our front porch. If you look carefully you will notice the bristles around the base of the bill. This feature helps to funnel flying insects into the mouths of flycatchers.
Nikon D80 70-300mm VR at 300mm, 1/200sec, ISO 400, f/5.6, hand held.
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Moss Landing, California
March 31, 2008
I usually see Marbled Godwits in this location. The first two photos are the same – the second being a closer crop. The third and fourth photos are also the same with the fourth photo being a closer crop of the third photo. Got that?
Nikon D80, Tamron 200-500 zoom at 390mm, f6.0, 1/1000 sec, ISO 200, handheld
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Moss Landing, California
March 31, 2008
I count myself lucky to have seen this unusual bird on this trip. I have seen one once before on the other side of the lagoon where I saw these birds. This is the first time I’ve seen more than one of this species in one location. How would you like to carry around a snozzola like this bird?
Nikon D80, Tamron 200-500 zoom at 500mm, f6.3, 1/320 sec, ISO 200, Manfrotto tripod
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Moss Landing, California
March 31, 2008
Notice the eye is in the black area of the head. This is an indicator that this bird is a Western Grebe rather than a Clark’s Grebe. In the second photo a Western and Clark’s Grebe are swimming together.
Nikon D80, Tamron 200-500 zoom at 360mm, f6.0, 1/800 sec, ISO 400, Manfrotto tripod
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Moss Landing, California
March 31, 2008
These three photos show the Clark’s Grebe. Series 685 will show the very similar Western Grebe. One of the easiest ways to distinguish between the two birds is where the eye is located in relation to the black coloring of the head.
Nikon D80, Tamron 200-500 zoom at 500mm, f6.3, 1/640 sec, ISO 400, Manfrotto tripod
