Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR Lens !!

Nice detailed shots of these guys!
Mornings always seem to better with more activity!
Like you said over in the 90d post,shots from the d500 hardly ever need sharpening in post,compared to canon body,probably due to not having aa filter!

MatthewK wrote in post #18942992
Like myself and the other converts here will tell you, once you actually get the 500PF in hand and feel just how diminutive it is, and then see the shots that come out of this "little" lens, it's a photography "life changing event"

You Canadians are so lucky to have the Warblers over the summer, when they're in their finest garb. They must be common as pennies, right? "ahhh, nothing special, just another Gold-winged Warbler"...

This morning I got up before the sun again (easy when it doesn't rise until 7:30AM), and had to decide which rig to take out: D500PF vs. 90D600III. Chose the Nikon, as it seems to be my lucky charm. Saw a TON of birds, probably the most I've seen at one time, so many that it started to get a little overwhelming. Yet, I didn't come away with too many decent shots, and while I saw a few different species of Warblers, didn't get anything I'm stoked about. The light was just a little too low, and this is where you want one of those behemoth f/4 lenses.

There was one shot though, that made me first pump when I saw it in post. Carolina Wren are one of the most common birds here, but I'll take good portrait of one when the opportunity presents itself:

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And, my first ever decent shot of a Blue Jay. Seriously, I see these birds every single time I go out, but have never had one land anywhere near me.

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Both great. Me, very jealous of the J, I've been trying for one now and just not satisfied with my results (pose).

mandokid1 wrote in post #18943191
Nice detailed shots of these guys!
Mornings always seem to better with more activity!
Like you said over in the 90d post,shots from the d500 hardly ever need sharpening in post,compared to canon body,probably due to not having aa filter!

A clean shot (low ISO, good light) from Canon bodies are very nice, just need some sharpening as mentioned; but, the Texture slider in LR for me was a huge leap forward for my PP, it really brought my files up to the point where I felt they equaled my D500 files. Where the D500 files rule though, is that they give the ham-fisted amongst us (myself included!) more margin to recover and work files that at first look like total crap Some shots, I'm like: "no way this shot is going to worrrrrrrr WOW, would you look at that"

M-F I work very early in the mornings (at work at 5AM!), thus it's rare for me to bird in the mornings, because on the weekends I want to sleep in! When I do manage to get out, it's a different landscape because all of my favorite afternoon spots are all on the shade-side now, and I since I don't shoot in the shade in the afternoons, I don't quite yet know where all the good morning spots are Morning is so much better though, because you're always gaining light instead of losing it, meaning you can stay out as long as you want!

Here's an Eastern Phoebe after a meal, still has crumbs on his bill:

MedicineMan4040 wrote in post #18943254
Both great. Me, very jealous of the J, I've been trying for one now and just not satisfied with my results (pose).

The struggle is real, they are very stubborn customers. In terms of stubbornness, I place them in the top tier alongside owls and hawks. In fact, I think I have more decent shots of owls than I do of Blue Jays Let's just stick to our friendly birds who actually want to spend time with us

Nice Phoebe matthew!
Nice details on the robin Robert?
The same medicine man,who a few years ago asked me what macro gear to bring to Costa rica?
Anyhow nice images guys.i can only wait for my lens to come in,but still have many toys to play with until then!
P.S. Jays are so numerous here,even in the winter,that we don't usually bother with them!

mandokid1 wrote in post #18943524
Nice Phoebe matthew!
Nice details on the robin Robert?
The same medicine man,who a few years ago asked me what macro gear to bring to Costa rica?
Anyhow nice images guys.i can only wait for my lens to come in,but still have many toys to play with until then!
P.S. Jays are so numerous here,even in the winter,that we don't usually bother with them!

I heard peanuts are their weakness, but I don’t have feeders with which to employ them.

MatthewK wrote in post #18943483
A clean shot (low ISO, good light) from Canon bodies are very nice, just need some sharpening as mentioned; but, the Texture slider in LR for me was a huge leap forward for my PP, it really brought my files up to the point where I felt they equaled my D500 files. Where the D500 files rule though, is that they give the ham-fisted amongst us (myself included!) more margin to recover and work files that at first look like total crap Some shots, I'm like: "no way this shot is going to worrrrrrrr WOW, would you look at that"

M-F I work very early in the mornings (at work at 5AM!), thus it's rare for me to bird in the mornings, because on the weekends I want to sleep in! When I do manage to get out, it's a different landscape because all of my favorite afternoon spots are all on the shade-side now, and I since I don't shoot in the shade in the afternoons, I don't quite yet know where all the good morning spots are Morning is so much better though, because you're always gaining light instead of losing it, meaning you can stay out as long as you want!

Here's an Eastern Phoebe after a meal, still has crumbs on his bill:

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The struggle is real, they are very stubborn customers. In terms of stubbornness, I place them in the top tier alongside owls and hawks. In fact, I think I have more decent shots of owls than I do of Blue Jays Let's just stick to our friendly birds who actually want to spend time with us

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Another awesome pose! I don't know if any are friendly here...even Robins.

mandokid1 wrote in post #18943524
Nice Phoebe matthew!
Nice details on the robin Robert?
The same medicine man,who a few years ago asked me what macro gear to bring to Costa rica?
Anyhow nice images guys.i can only wait for my lens to come in,but still have many toys to play with until then!
P.S. Jays are so numerous here,even in the winter,that we don't usually bother with them!

I'm the Robert who asked macro advice, but not my Robin. Been a while since I've shot one.

Yes,we have nature parks where they have feeders,and it,s even possible to hand feed them,as long as you have peanuts!

MatthewK wrote in post #18943529
I heard peanuts are their weakness, but I don’t have feeders with which to employ them.

A POTN member who’s not active here anymore used to put peanuts in the cracks of a tree they often visited. It worked really well.

If you want an exercise in frustration, give a Palm Warbler a go sometime... I thought Magnolia Warblers were frustrating, but these Palmies are another level. They give you a promising look and will suddenly jump to the ground into brush; you wait for a minute or two for them to come back up, but they never reappear, only to materialize in a tree a hundred yards away. These little guys Houdini'd me so many times this afternoon.

MatthewK wrote in post #18943711
If you want an exercise in frustration, give a Palm Warbler a go sometime... I thought Magnolia Warblers were frustrating, but these Palmies are another level. They give you a promising look and will suddenly jump to the ground into brush; you wait for a minute or two for them to come back up, but they never reappear, only to materialize in a tree a hundred yards away. These little guys Houdini'd me so many times this afternoon.

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I can relate. I've been experiencing the same things when chasing these guys. They like to stick near the ground. A lot of times I see them close, but don't have a clean shot.

I've neglected shooting small birds in the past due to gear limitations and (to be honest) laziness. I enjoyed some time trying to capture shots.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2hqa​g3u

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2hqa​5Bj

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2hqa​8rC

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2hq9​PmK

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2hqd​pxo

KayakPhotos wrote in post #18944054
I've neglected shooting small birds in the past due to gear limitations and (to be honest) laziness. I enjoyed some time trying to capture shots.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2hqa​g3u yellow in the branches by Daniel, on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2hqa​5Bj amongst the branches by Daniel, on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2hqa​8rC tail up by Daniel, on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2hq9​PmK up the trunk by Daniel, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/2hqd​pxoevening dragon by Daniel, on Flickr

You did good here, Daniel! Really clear shot of the Yellow-throated Warbler, and of the Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. No idea what species that first shot is though!

Another shot of that Palm Warbler from yesterday: