Life in the age of Social Distancing - what are you up to?

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I've been up to my ears in bird photography. . As I've mentioned before, it is a full time endeavor at this time of year.

Some of what I've been up to with my bird pursuits over the past week or two:

A friend from Seattle came over for the Loons that I have north of me. . While here, he showed me how to photograph Warblers. . What a challenge! . It is completely unlike any other type of bird photography that I've done. In order to get them close enough for frame-filling shots, one must play recorded calls specific to whichever species is present. . And one must play the calls LOUD, so that they can be heard over all of the ambient noise (wind, babbling brooks, etc.)

So, in order to photograph Warblers effectively, I needed to get a bluetooth speaker and a cell phone capable of running a bird call app ..... specifically, iBird Pro. . Another friend came over to photograph the Loons, and he gave me his old iPhone. . It is old and has a cracked screen, but he already had iBird Pro installed on it, so I lucked out!

I ordered a bluetooth speaker last week and it should be in my P.O. box when I get my mail tomorrow morning. . It is the same kind of speaker that my Seattle friend has, so I know it will be good enough for Warbler calling. . Can't wait - as soon as I figure out how to get the iPhone to talk to the new speaker, I will be all outfitted and ready to start photographing Warblers on my own! . Excited about that! . It is like a whole other world of bird photography.

Here's a shot of a Nashville Warbler that I tool with my Seattle buddy when he showed me how it's done ..... my first ever quality Warbler image!

Tom Reichner wrote in post #19064834
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I've been up to my ears in bird photography. . As I've mentioned before, it is a full time endeavor at this time of year.

Some of what I've been up to with my bird pursuits over the past week or two:

A friend from Seattle came over for the Loons that I have north of me. . While here, he showed me how to photograph Warblers. . What a challenge!

It's nice to see people realize this. To anyone who hasn't done it, it seems infinitely more easy than it is. These birds do not wait for you to photograph them, and they can change position and location several times a second. People see the culled, edited results of many hours of hard work, and think that those photos are just a relaxed point-and-shoot.

When I was working, people would ask if I was photographing birds the day after I took a vacation day, and they seemed to have the impression that I was sitting in a hammock with a Margherita, with a camera, and it was hard to convey the fact that I worked harder to get bird photos than I needed to work on the job.

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Yes, John, it is a lot of hard work!

I think that there is a reason that some people fail to realize just how much effort and time it takes to do bird photography. . The reason, I think, is because there are a good number of people who photograph birds as an enjoyable pastime. . They like to relax by going out into nature with their camera, and if they see a bird, they like to take a photo of it. . That is an entirely different activity from someone who is determined to get the best images they can possibly get.

For me, bird photography means spending countless hours at home: . . making decoys, making and repairing blinds, repairing camo clothing, learning to memory the calls of various species of birds, getting bird call software loaded onto my phone, finding better playback calls, using the internet to research bird locations, keeping up with all of the messages and emails I get from other bird photographers, doing in-depth research on specific species, making perches for the birds to land on, making props like floating logs and natural-cavity bird houses, caring for and drying out chest waders, installing roof racks on my car for transporting my 12' tall orchard ladder, customizing the orchard ladder for use as a bird photography tool, maintaining and repairing my tripod, etc.

And that is just the work that I have to do when I am not in the field. . When in the field, I spend more time scouting and preparing than I do actually looking for birds and photographing them.

One example would be my Red-winged Blackbird location. . It is a cattail marsh, and Red-winged Blackbirds love to do courtship and nesting in the cattails. . But there are so many cattails so close together that I would never get a photo with a nice, clean, unobstructed composition. . So I need to spend a week or two down at the marsh, chest-deep in the cold water, breaking down 95% of the cattails, so that the cattails that remain have nice open surroundings that make for much better photos. . 30 to 40 hours spent breaking off cattail stalks while getting sucked into the muddy bottom of a marsh. . So that I can get nicer photos when the birds arrive.

That's what it takes to get nice photos of the blackbirds. . And every other species requires a similar level of effort in order for me to get the kinds of photos I want.

You are right when you say that few people realize that all of this work goes into getting nice bird photos. . And even fewer people are willing to put that much effort into it.

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Tom Reichner wrote in post #19065033
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Yes, John, it is a lot of hard work!

I think that there is a reason that some people fail to realize just how much effort and time it takes to do bird photography. . The reason, I think, is because there are a good number of people who photograph birds as an enjoyable pastime. . They like to relax by going out into nature with their camera, and if they see a bird, they like to take a photo of it. . That is an entirely different activity from someone who is determined to get the best images they can possibly get.

For me, bird photography means spending countless hours at home: . . making decoys, making and repairing blinds, repairing camo clothing, learning to memory the calls of various species of birds, getting bird call software loaded onto my phone, finding better playback calls, using the internet to research bird locations, keeping up with all of the messages and emails I get from other bird photographers, doing in-depth research on specific species, making perches for the birds to land on, making props like floating logs and natural-cavity bird houses, caring for and drying out chest waders, installing roof racks on my car for transporting my 12' tall orchard ladder, customizing the orchard ladder for use as a bird photography tool, maintaining and repairing my tripod, etc.

And that is just the work that I have to do when I am not in the field. . When in the field, I spend more time scouting and preparing than I do actually looking for birds and photographing them.

One example would be my Red-winged Blackbird location. . It is a cattail marsh, and Red-winged Blackbirds love to do courtship and nesting in the cattails. . But there are so many cattails so close together that I would never get a photo with a nice, clean, unobstructed composition. . So I need to spend a week or two down at the marsh, chest-deep in the cold water, breaking down 95% of the cattails, so that the cattails that remain have nice open surroundings that make for much better photos. . 30 to 40 hours spent breaking off cattail stalks while getting sucked into the muddy bottom of a marsh. . So that I can get nicer photos when the birds arrive.

That's what it takes to get nice photos of the blackbirds. . And every other species requires a similar level of effort in order for me to get the kinds of photos I want.

You are right when you say that few people realize that all of this work goes into getting nice bird photos. . And even fewer people are willing to put that much effort into it.

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Breaking down the cattails that the birds roost and nest in to get a photo of a red winged black bird seems a bit too much for me...its one thing to do calls, and what not, but destroying habitat for a photo makes no sense...

DreDaze wrote in post #19065085
Breaking down the cattails that the birds roost and nest in to get a photo of a red winged black bird seems a bit too much for me...its one thing to do calls, and what not, but destroying habitat for a photo makes no sense...

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With respect, I think you are speaking without an understanding of the situation.

The Blackbirds use the tops of the cattails to perch on, but they use the understory of the cattails for nesting. . They choose the thickest parts of the understory for nest locations.

Cattails stalks/seedheads naturally break off sometime in their 2nd year, and fall down into the understory. . By early April, when the first females start looking for nest sites, about 1/4 of last season's cattails have already broken down on their own. . Over the next two months, about 90% of the remaining seedhead stalks will break down on their own, as well. . The spots in the understory that have broken-down seedhead stalks are favored for nesting locations, because they are thicker and offer more cover for the nests.

When I break down the seedhead stalks in late February and early March, I am just doing what nature would do on its own, but I am doing it a month or three early. . Breaking down the seedhead stalks actually provides more favorable nesting habitat, because it creates more cover down in the cattail understory where the females build the nests.

What I am doing is not "destroying habitat", as you accuse me of doing. . If you had an understand of the Red-winged Blackbird, and an understanding of the cattail's annual lifecycle, then I doin't think you would have made such an accusation. . It is usually best to reserve judgement unless you are really familiar with the species and its nesting habitat preferences.


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I discovered a new area on Saturday in my province. I have shot along the shores of West Shoal Lake many times which a bird preserve. I decided to drive around the other side and found this awesome area at the base of North Shoal Lake. There is a road there but hard to see at this magnification. Rough road to get there. I was lucky that I didn't tear the oil pan off a few times but it was a rental so thats OK I have never gotten a shot of this bird yet. There were multiple ponds on the other side of the road It was a very nice are. Hundreds of red wing blackbirds.

Photo from digital paradise's gallery.
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digital paradise wrote in post #19065117
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I discovered a new area on Saturday in my province. I have shot along the shores of West Shoal Lake many times which a bird preserve.
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That's great! . Isn't it awesome to find new, productive areas close to home?!

I am interested in learning more about this bird preserve and the Shoal Lakes. . Does the bird preserve have a name that I can Google to learn more?

I'm also interested in knowing if there are Loons on either West Shoal or North Shoal Lakes. . I used to travel to southern Canada often, and it seemed that almost every lake and decent sized pond would have at least a pair of Loons on it at this time of year.


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Tom Reichner wrote in post #19065124
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That's great! . Isn't it awesome to find new, productive areas close to home?!

I am interested in learning more about this bird preserve and the Shoal Lakes. . Does the bird preserve have a name that I can Google to learn more?

I'm also interested in knowing if there are Loons on either West Shoal or North Shoal Lakes. . I used to travel to southern Canada often, and it seemed that almost every lake and decent sized pond would have at least a pair of Loons on it at this time of year.

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It is about 40 minutes north of Winnipeg so yes a nice short drive for me. I have been looking for another spot for a while.

http://www4.rncan.gc.c​a …abef911d892e208​0020a0f4c9

Common Loon is listed but there were only 3 sited.

https://importantbirda​reasmb.ca …t-shoal-lakes-on-may-4th/

I didn't do so well with BIF. I used my 400 DO and 2X and I still had to crop quite a bit so I'm missing the sharpness I'm used to. I think there was some atmospheric haze as well.

I had to crop a lot on this one too. After taking a few of the second bird I proceeded to put my 2x on and by the time I did it was gone. Some haze as well I think.

West Shoal I think from last year. Might be 2 years.

digital paradise wrote in post #19065157
West Shoal I think from last year. Might be 2 years.

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Nice shots!

I also like to explore around my area looking for new places with birds. And of course those places are around, lots of them. But I find that birds in remote locations are nervous and won't let a human get very close. I guess it is because they are not used to humans.

By contrast, birds in city parks are real easy to photograph.

Archibald wrote in post #19065188
Nice shots!

I also like to explore around my area looking for new places with birds. And of course those places are around, lots of them. But I find that birds in remote locations are nervous and won't let a human get very close. I guess it is because they are not used to humans.

By contrast, birds in city parks are real easy to photograph.

Yes that is the hard part. The birds are often shy. You need to get a blind and/or spend the time like Tom and others do. The American Avosets on the other hand were the opposite of shy. I might look into a blind. A friend is a bow hunter told me I wouldn't believe what comes out after about ½ sitting on his tree stand and being quiet.

Not a favourite either because if cropping but oh well.

I've known that most of my job could be done remotely. Now, my co-workers, boss and company all agree. So not much time has actually freed up. Still, I can break for lunch on most days and skipping the commute gives me more time around the yard.

I can break out lenses that I've not used as much lately. One of those is the Laowa 15mm f/4 macro shift lens. It's an interesting lens for sure, and gives a unique take on close-up images and still getting the environment for context. That context helps in creating a story.

In the front yard...