Wednesday walk and the last chance birdies
Hey Steemies!
Now that the fall is here, the pretty birdies are starting to leave on their southern journey, I can hear and see them flying over my house, makes me a little sad that I wont see them until next spring. Given that fall also means get off the couch and go back to work and fix shit (or fuck it up even more, depends who you ask...nah just being funny) My time will be limited for the next few months both for going out to get photos and writing. I wanted to enter @tattoodjay's #wednesdaywalk movement because I think it's a great idea to get people up and moving even if it's doing something simple and just about anybody can do it but for some reason I haven't participated yet. I thought it would be a great time to do it before I run out of time.
Shot 1/640 sec. f/6.3 300 mm, ISO 200
Shot 1/640 sec. f/6.3 240 mm, ISO 200
Muskrat feeding from plants at the bottom of the pond. I liked the ripples forming around him as he moved. Shot 1/640 sec. f/6.3 300 mm, ISO 200.
Where did I go? To the neighborhood dog park...but...but...I don't have a dog! Is that weird? I think it is and feel a bit awkward especially the fact that everyone kindly points out that I don't have a dog...No shit Sherlock! Thanks for letting me know, I hadn't noticed! The neighborhood dog park also doubles as a somewhat natural looking rainwater drainage pond & filtration system that seems to be a food bonanza for various shy waterfowls that don't go to my usual park and it's right next door to my baby birdies, 2 birds with one stone (no birdies where stoned or harmed!) Well the goslings are all grown up and not as cute and fluffy as they were a few months ago but next year, many of them will come back to nest as the circle of life continues. In the fall, they are very active in the ponds and do a lot of goosing around with a lot of wing action now that they are strong enough to fly and it's fun to watch.
Shot 1/500 sec. f/5.6 300 mm, ISO 250
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Shot 1/500 sec. f/5.6 220 mm, ISO 250
They will have a long journey ahead on their return south flying up to 1500 miles per day with speeds of 40 mph all the way to 70mph with the right wind conditions, that requires some massive strength and training for the youngsters to keep up with the experienced adult that have already undertaken the incredible journey. Many of the ducks have already left some remain but very few, all the grebes and blackbirds are gone. The hearty Canada geese tend to stick around a bit longer even when snow hits the ground, it's not over yet but that time is near.
Last year, the snow fell before the leaves had time to turn into their pretty fall colors, this year we seem to have a more temperate season.
Sleeping beauties taking a peaceful nap on the pond.
The pond has 2 bird observation deck over the water to catch a closer view of the various waterfowls floating by. I generally get lucky in getting closer pictures earlier in the summer.
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Interestingly enough, this duck looks like it's hitching a ride,
injury or is this normal behavior? I see babies floating on their
mother's back but this is no baby! I briefly looked for information
on this without success. Just goes to show the kindness and team
work in the animal kingdom.
We started our walk with our usual goose hunt but we stayed just long enough to watch for a little bit since the main objective was to head on down to the dog park and see if my blue heron was still there and what other species still remained, maybe we would be lucky and even catch some different species that we never seen yet. Well it was our lucky day!! All of my new friends I never posted about were still there plus a bonus. I might need help to identify, maybe black heron? Anyhow the pond has an island where many of the shy creatures sunbath away from the human and canine traffic. Sorry this next picture is not the best but I'm happy to have caught a new species and just the first attempt so I want to share it anyway, don't judge, ladybug takes crappy pictures at times too. For next year, I will try to get a tele-converter so I can get a closer view with my 300mm (with the added range will be 420mm). Hopefully I don't embarrass myself too much with the next 2 pictures. 😂😜😱
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I think they are noticing me noticing them...😉 I wonder if their staring at me and judging because I don't have a dog too! 😂 In this pic is the two mystery birds and whatever is left of the mallards.
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If you know what type of bird this is, please let me know, I tried looking on the internet but was unsuccessful at identifying.
The water looks a bit swampy, that's actually aquatic plants that become overgrown by the end of the summer and is a very nutritious food for ducks, coots and other plant eaters in the shallow water to get plenty of minerals and stores of fat before they begin their exhausting migration. Near the edge of the pond, there was another bunch of ducks eating whatever the gross looking stuff is, all you could hear was the loud sipping noise in the water from the dozen or so young ducks that were feeding. It must have been quite the buffet because even with me approaching them, didn't seem to disturb them one bit but the pics turned pretty terrible because of the sun was low and reflecting too much on the pond. I did mention about a blue heron earlier, I didn't see it at first but when I later looked in my pictures ,it was hiding in the background so instead I will post a picture from one of my previous walks of the summer so you still get to enjoy it.
There it is, we walked around slowly for about an hour and then we went for dinner. The sun sets pretty early now at around 8 pm compared to almost 11 pm just a few months back, just to give you an idea how much daylight we loose. Just try to imagine in 3 months from now! We will have 17 hour long nights...Ouch. This post is more so for myself to keep track of temperatures and migration patterns so that I can learn to time when each species leave. Work starts tomorrow, I have no idea when I'll have to to write an other post but I'll try to not just disappear for the next 3 months. I'll still be here quietly up-voting your great content but not sure how much commenting I will be doing. Those who have been with me long enough know what's going down.
Cheers my friends! X🐞X
Isn’t that a cormorant?🤔
You think the teleconverter will bring you enough quality? Think there are better zoom alternatives nowadays...
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Whoa, your good! I just googled cormorant and yes it looks pretty much identical, thanks. I just took an interest in bird watching this year so still have tons to learn!
What do you recommend on a budget if tele-converter will cheapen the quality, keeping in mind that I plan to get another camera with a different mount in the next few years to replace my 9yr old camera? I don't want to spend to much either and distract from the main goal but 300 isn't quite cutting it for bird watching.
Well don't think I'm a birdwatcher, but my girlfriend started to have some interest in birds since our trip to New Zealand last year. So I think I did pick-up some knowledge here and there 😅
What mount are you looking at? Maybe it is more wise to invest already in that mount and try to help yourself out on your current mount with a adapter? Otherwise you where shooting Nikon right? When you switch to their mirrorless camera's they have the FTZ adapter added when you buy a body. That way I would advise a 200-500 from Nikon. that lens works great with the FTZ adapter. But the 60-600 from Sigma is also a great object to buy. Only not sure how that one works on the Z mount from Nikon. So that would be something you have to try for yourself.
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This was such a fun post to read and if it makes you feel better I have had the same looks for going to a god park without a dog and from your shots that’s so much more than a dog park
I was complaining about the days getting shorter with the sun setting at 7Pm now but you just put that into focus for me our days donor get as short as yours
Sorry I am terrible with knowing the names for various birds
As for the teleconverter that will give you more reach and is something I have considered getting as my longest lens only goes to 240 and may be an option I go for as it’s a lot cheaper than buying a big lens they do reduce the amount of light to the sensor of course but if your thinking of changing camera and mount in the future it may be the best option for now
Thanks for joining Wednesday Walk :)
Haha, it does make me feel better, a bit! I never cared much to begin with tho, I just think it's funny. I go where the action is, dog park or not. I think that's one of the hardest things to accept is the loss of so much sunlight for so long. The more north you get the worse it gets. When I worked in Northern Alberta in the middle of the Borealis forest in winter, we used to get like 5 hours of daylight/day. The sun would start to set in mid-afternoon.
As @guchtere mentioned above, I've always been scared to lose quality in the image. I have tried a 500mm lens once and it was like walking around with a bazooka on my shoulder and extremely cumbersome, maybe it was just the model. I do have tripods I should set up but I'm not really a staying in one place kind of photographer. I plan on going mirror-less with my next camera but my brand only has one lens available for it last time I checked, no rush but my baby is getting old and obsolete. Changing gear is pretty expensive too, I pay for my toys cash or I don't get em at all. I'll see if I can afford one by next summer if not maybe the year after next (Given my camera doesn't fall apart too much till then) but I also have to save up for some college towards my second degree to progress in my career that is a priority over new gear... Ahhhh adult life & responsibilities eh! WHYYYY lol
I have been meaning to join your walk all summer, some reason haven't until now.
I to am not a staying in one place kind of person, thats why you seldom see bird or wildlife shots from me you need to be patient and stay still for ages to get those shots and I am too hyper to do that myself LOL, and thats also why even though I have bene considering getting a 150-600 MM lens I have t way down my list as I like walk around lens and thatis heavy, hence why my next lens will be a wider lens
I switch to mirrorless a coupe or more years ago and I love them to be honest
The good thing with Sony and maybe with other mirrorless cameras there are adapters so you you can use just about any lens on them, today I am walking with a 50+ year old lens :)
I hope your camera hangs in there till you are ready for a new one 👍
I know it goes against all rules of wildlife photography, but somehow I tend to get lucky with wildlife but I also track them in the middle of nowhere like a hunter, especially in winter when bears are hibernating (it somehow makes me feel a bit safer) but that also has it's dangers especially with large game.
I keep hearing from those who made the plunge that they much prefer mirror-less and it's also lighter, great for the mountain climbing I do, always looking for ways to lighten the load and only carry a few lighter items. I will also be looking to get extension tubes for mountain macros of wildflowers where I can't bring my "full pack" of lenses to make room for essential supplies for backpacking. Once 600mm is available for nikon mirror-less I would look into one of them for sure over a tele-converter but that wont be for a while. All z-6 and z-7 come with a free adapter for now, obviously changing all my gear at once will be too expensive so I will slowly replace to have all new matching tech in time. 150-600 has a lot of versatility, must have a nice price tag attached to that! Wide lens are fun too. I never tried vintage lenses before, I bet they give a different feel to photos. I dunno about the camera holding up, the main functional parts are fine but some of the bells and whistles are now in my coat pocket. 😂
I'm looking for ways to diversify my game and getting experience in photography types that I'm not used to and have been booking myself "free-gigs" for nov-dec(basically getting a pass to get my camera where I normally can't for my blog) , getting my foot in the door where ever I can, hopefully in time lead to bigger things as my blog continues to grow. Wouldn't mind getting out of the oil industry before it gets obsolete but that's not for a while since we are building new test technologies in emission capture and production of cleaner burning fuels.
The Sony 150-600 is around 2K but the sigma one is around 1K so could be an option for me, but for now I am thinking the wider lens will be better for me,
Mirrorless is for sure lighter thats why I switched initially, but then we carry heavy lens anyway LOL
The Helios 44-2 gives a nice bokeh an swirl, I took a few shots with it today but the su kept hiding behind clouds so did not use it as much as I was hoping
I dont get out in places with wildlife much but maybe that is something i will look into when I retire and have more time
Those gigs sound interesting good luck with them
2k US is a lot to dish out for a lens, even more with Canadian shitcoin that's worth like 65-75 cents on the US dollar (not keeping up anymore because the fast devaluation is depressing) I was looking at the sigma as well for that one. They do make some good lenses (not all). Given the big NY landscape, you would probably have fun with a wide angle, also more affordable. I got one second hand years ago for the rockies, pretty sure that is a sigma as well.
I know right! Lighter camera with a big monster lens! lol
Well the sun has to come out at some point, try again another day. Interesting to see the finish tho. I might have to hit markets for vintage at some point, would be an interesting twist to new projects.
Just, before you get carried away with large wildlife, do some reading up on it like safe distances, behaviors and body language, how to protect yourself and what to do in case SHTF first to stay safe and know when to abandon ship, running away is not an option in most cases. Certain periods like mating or calf season are more dangerous and not a preferable scenario if your are out with nowhere to hide. That will make for fun retirement projects!
Well the one I'm really excited about involves local world champion pro-boxing but that's not a for sure yet until that pass is in my hands but that's in the works for possible approval at the moment. (I did get some iphone pics for now, don't know if I'm going to share them yet, quality is kinda meh)
I have had two sigma and two Tamron lenses over the years I think back when I had a Pentax camera and hey were great and affordable, of course I did read many views before getting them, as some of their lenses are not as good as others, but the sigma 150-600 and the Tamron 17-28 both have great reviews, infact what I am leaning for now is to eventually get the 12-28 2.8 and 28-70 2.8 Tamrons and as the 28-70 is a lot better than the kit lens that came with the camera, and they use the same filter size which. Is handy and those are good ranges for city shooting and for each visits also
Back int he day I used to do a lot of bush walks and hikes even camping overnight so I am pretty good with knowing what to do and not do to stay safe, but that said I dont think I will ever be heading to deep into wild areas i am not as young as I used to be LOL
WOW getting a pass for pro boxing would be so cool and a greta experience, now that you mention that I think if I ever got a chance to pal=ply for and get a pass to shoot events like that then the bigger lens would be a must
Sorry for breaking in on the conversation, but is the new released Tamron 17-28 (or is that the 12-28 you're mentioning?🤔) nothing for you @tattoodjay combined with the already strong performer 28-75 from Tamron it is a golden combo. Wish Tamron released those for the Z-mount as well. But can't complain, Nikon just delivered my new toy the 14-30
I never tried Tamron, I know a few people that had some and they weren't impressed but each their own. I have sigma 18-200 (my work horse) and my first lens + 10-24mm (or something like that) like them both very much. I have an other sigma I think it's a 18-300 macro-tele combo. I'm not thrilled with that one, it's ok in high sun but that's about it. If I can sneak in with my Nikor 40mm, I'll go with that any day. The rest of my lenses are Nikkor and I really like them, so crisp and vivid.
Haha "deep into the wild". Different camping then in Canada then. Some of our camping is deep into the wild with nothing more than a cheap camp site and what you bring. No phone, internet or signal for 30km all around!! They are not all like that. hehe
Yeah for sure bigger lens. I will be bringing my 18-200 and my 300. I got a phone call this afternoon, IT IS A GO!!! Whoaaaaa. lol. Can't use flash but the ring is well lit. Harder because once the boxers get sweaty, they look like big white glow in the dark blobs with iphone fully zoomed in. I don't like violence and never thought I would like to watch ppl punch each other in the face repeatedly but I have a coworker that had his pro-debut last weekend and we went to support him and it was so much fun. It's actually an elegant sport to be there, they have so much grace even outside the ring. The next match is almost on my birthday so we are getting ring side table seats with other co-workers anyway(that's what I asked @silvergingerman for my birthday gift & outing). Nice that I will get to bring my camera at least for this event. I can also get pretty close when they come out to get in and off the ring, get some hugz and handshakes & fist bumps from the boxers...so special.
Hello Ladybug,
Wonderful pictures - thank you for sharing you walk. Beautiful birds - and I love that Musk Rat!
Upvoted and resteemed :D
Thank you! Yes the muskrat is cute, he's a long term resident of the park.
Awesome photos, @ladybug146! I think that the first 2 photos are amazing! I can't even take one single decent photo of my Yorkies because they can't hold still! Hehehe, what a great walk you had in that dog park, even without a dog,. I wonder if any of the dogs sometimes play with the geese or venture into the pond.
Awwe!! dogs are hyper!! My cats are the same, they are not hyper but also don't like getting their pic taken and hide. haha I dunno about chasing the birds but they definitely run into the pond and get all muddy! Sometimes I can get pics of dogs when they are the more calm sort but that's mostly bigger dogs. Thanks for coming by!! xox
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It looks familiar to me:
Lol, it sure does!! Do we live in the same neighborhood? lol
I use to live on Ada on 50 st, but we moved this spring.
Now I'm close to that big boiler tower you wrote about.
Small world, hehe. Totally took me by surprise!
Quite some time ago I stumbled upon a post with photos of Street art from 118 st. I'm not sure if it was yours.
Not likely mine, I have some from Whyte and Ice District mostly. I have to go check 118 out still, they do have nice ones. Something about bringing my camera there worries me a bit!! haha
It's not that bad.
They only took one bicycle from my garage.
They left one behind, hehe.
You are lucky, they at least left you with one!! haha...Someone used to break in to my place just to play video games at random times. Some stuff went missing at some point too. I got my first camera stolen, did get it back from the cops after it was pawned because I still had the serial number written down.
That "duck hicking" is very impressive !!! Great, you had the chance to capture it :)
Thanks! I thought that was pretty cool too. I never seen that before.
In South Africa our Egyptian geese stay all the year round because our weather is beautifully mild all the year round.
Love your pics and text except (may I be brave enough to say) not the odd word that spoils excellent writing. Yes, I'm old school but still HAD to upvote.
It must be wonderful to live in a place where it's always mild and summer temperatures and year round geese. Here We only get a few short months and then it turns really cold with -40 celcius at times. I just enjoy them more when they are here I suppose. Don't worry, I can take criticism!! 😅 I'm glad you enjoyed most of it, sorry for the few choice words. I suppose here in Canada and our generation we are more open about it.
I've got the perfect cure for your doglessness! They make these little dog leashes that hold their shape, so it loks like you're walking an invisible dog. You could really mess with people :-)
I wonder what those ducks eat. THey like to poke and gulp the pond scum around here, too. Maybe it's insect larvae or something. It's funny when they go under and all you see is their ass end sticking out of the water.
Those Canada geese stick around all year in my hometown of Rochester, MN. There is a power plant that keeps the water warm-ish and thawed in a spot, and they use it as a permanent winter oasis.
Haha ,that would be funny. That would be my sorta thing to do just to mess with everyone, I shall call my pup Ghosty. If I had an acreage I would have a dog but I'm also allergic to them. I want a pack of wolf dogs or sled dogs would be cool too but those need a lot of outdoor exercise and not suitable for city living. We do have a wolf sanctuary in the province for me to learn about upkeep of the special breeds when I'm ready.
When the ducks stick their butts in the air, I think they are eating plants that grow in the water and fish, yes it's funny as well, I have a few pictures like that. I suppose as long as it doesn't get too cold and they have an open food source they stick around. I have seen the geese as late as november when we get a mild fall. We didn't get any snow yet so we still see them flying north for now. The fish is also bigger near power plants. I think the water flow oxygenates the water, that also helps for more fish population. We have a good deal of pelicans near our plants for that reason.