Month: May 2010

Probably the greatest disappointment of my recent trip to Malheur was just how badly these photos of a pair of Eared Grebes turned out. (They actually look much better at this size than they do full screen on my computer.)

Even the impressive noise-reduction capabilities of Photoshop CS5 cannot make them printable, though it can make this shot look a little better.

As you can tell from the surface of the water, they shots were taken in the middle of a downpour when clouds had blacked out what little light there had been before.

I was staring down at the water when these two emerged, only to immediately dive back under the water. I was almost dumbfounded by their sudden, strange appearance. I knew immediately I had never seen them before, though I was pretty sure they were grebes.

I could have kicked myself in the butt when I realized I had my camera set on AV with a shutter speed of 1/1600 of a second. If I’d had it set on automatic ( P ) I would have had a better picture. Of course, if hadn’t had the 1.4 extender on, I would have had an even better chance of getting a good shot.

I’ve known for awhile that I’m pushing my equipment to its limits even though it’s top-of-the-line Canon photographic equipment. I now generally shoot with an EOS1-D with a 1.4 extender and a 5.6 400mm lens, resulting in an f 8.0 aperture setting, far from the ideal 1.4 or 2.8 aperture setting. However, the low noise, high ISO capability of the 1-D makes this a workable solution when it’s bright enough. The best of my shots are razor sharp, revealing every feather on the birds.

In addition, I generally bird with the camera set to 1/1600 in order to capture birds in flight, my favorite way of depicting birds. Using automatic ( P ) generally means that any shots of birds flying horizontal to the camera will be too blurry to use unless I pan perfectly. Unfortunately, using a 1/1600 setting means I’m unlikely to get a good shot of a bird in the shade of a tree, though the 1-D’s high ISO has improved the odds of the shot being acceptable.

Of course, I also own a 500mm lens which nearly matches the 560mm combination I get with my 400mm lens and 1.4 extender while shooting at an f 4.0 aperture. The difference is that I can’t hand-hold the 500mm lens so I would miss any shots I get while walking. I have to set it up on a tripod in a good location and wait for birds to come to the camera.

That works fine in some areas, but the truth is that my best shots have almost always come while I’m walking. What’s more, I enjoy walking and don’t particularly enjoy sitting. I think I’ve always had a little bit of that ADD thing, thank goodness.

The more you push your equipment, the more you realize its limitations, and your own.

I like that.

I’d intended to stop at the Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge on my way home since I’d had such good luck the first time I stopped there. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize how different the refuge looks at different times of the year. When I stopped much of the area was flooded and birds were spread out over such a wide area that it was nearly impossible to locate them.

In fact, the only picture that I’ve saved from this visit is this shot a killdeer that I had to wade through a foot or so of water to get.

I decided it was foolish to try to go on since there were no birds in sight, had no idea how deep the water was and had already waded over the top of my GoreTex hiking boots once before.

However, the visitor’s center was open for the first time since I’ve visited there, and I found a number of interesting pamphlets, the most interesting being on one on Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Trout Lake, an area I hiked for years but somehow missed entirely.

When I heard that it was one of the only places in Washington where Sandhill Cranes nested, I knew I was meant to visit there. While the refuge itself was somewhat of a disappointment, I would have missed those glorious views of Mt. Adams if I hadn’t decided to visit.

I did enjoy visiting the Whitcomb-Cole house,

but I saw very little beside deer on the four-mile hike that skirted the perimeter of the refuge. The hike was saved, though, when I managed to get a shot of this Red-Breasted Nuthatch, the first time ever.

It was quite a challenge getting a decent shot since it spent its entire time in the darkest part of the forest.

The best birding of the visit to the refuge, though, took place while crossing the refuge as I headed to Vancouver, I spotted a Wood Duck in the pond and when I got out of the car to look I found several ducks, including this pair of Cinnamon Teal, a duck I had found at virtually every stop on my trip.

And when I looked across the road, I saw a large herd of elk grazing in the meadow.

It’s not that uncommon to see elk when you drive around Washington during the winter since they’re forced out of the mountains by the snow, but it’s almost always a treat to see them.

It’s amazing how well things often turn out when you don’t have a plan or a schedule. This side trip might have been the highlight of my week on the road.