[RockvilleBob]

A couple of the usual suspects from yesterday's trip to Everglades National Park. @600mm.

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[onlineflyer]

A couple of the usual suspects from yesterday's trip to Everglades National Park. @600mm.

When I saw your 1st set of photos I was thinking, watch out for alligators.

Then this pops up. Good shots

[Robe]

Nice pictures, and thant you for sharing your strategy

[Audi 5 cyl]

Are these Anhinga chicks?

Yes they are. Great documentary shots! Thank you for posting them, haven't seen anhingas in a long while.

[RockvilleBob]

Yes they are. Great documentary shots! Thank you for posting them, haven't seen anhingas in a long while.

Thanks - I was guessing since there were a couple of mature anhigas nearby. I couldn't get closer due to water between me and the nest.

[onlineflyer]

Thanks - I was guessing since there were a couple of mature anhigas nearby. I couldn't get closer due to water between me and the nest.

And alligators.

[Audi 5 cyl]

The Gray Jay study has been going on for 50 years now... ( Wildlife Research Station )
Dan Strickland, the patron scientist of the study even has me sending him pictures from time to time, and he from time to time sends me the list of mating pairs and where they are, in case I feel the urge to go out photographing them.

It is kind of funny them being picked as our national bird. When I was camping in Banf, where they will steal your lunch if you stray too far from it or leave it on a picnic table, I heard them referred to as "flying rats". Around here that term is reserved for herring gulls.

Thank you for the story and the link Norm. Dan has to be an amazing person because most of the lengthy color ringing schemes that I know of, hang on the enthusiasm of one or a small number of individuals. I am ringing systematically several species in color but those are not a very long programs, a decade at most, 50 years is the longest color ringing program that I've heard of. Chapeau!

I've never seen one (hope to change that) but we did study their natural history on ethology classes at university. It is a special bird for sure, breeding in winter, very intelligent and a master thief. I would've chosen it as a national bird as well I think.

Regards,
Marko

P.S. And here is a 300mm shot, just to reduce the spam factor of this message.


Calidris alba by Marko Jankovic, on Flickr

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Last edited by Audi 5 cyl; 01-23-2017 at 08:08 AM.

[WPRESTO]

And alligators.

Alligators in the USA average one human death in two to three years, but why be the one who maintains the average?

[kengoh]

As always, Kengoh, a superb shot.

I've always found woodpeckers tough because of the movement. This is lovely.

Thanks onlineflyer and luftfluss, glad you like this shot.

Crimson Sunbird sold last month.

Shot with K5+ DA*300

[noelpolar]

Busy Bee at the Community Garden this morning.... K3 and DFA 150-450


Busy Bee at the Community garden today by Noel Leahy, on Flickr

[clackers]

FA*300 f4.5, wide open.

[marcusBMG]

A recent acquisition.


This was one of those "selling for a friend" auctions. There aren't many of these old sigma 500mm f7.2's around, this one was obviously a PKA mount so of interest to me for my K5. The original spec is actually quite impressive: 12 elements in 9 groups with 3 LD elements, USP of "smallest non-reflex 500mm" (that's my tamron 500mm mirror behind for comparison) and the indicated price bracket is of prosumer proportions. So I was quite keen; in the event only a couple of other bidders pursued it and my snipe was an easy winner.
However it proved to have the infamous disintegrating "zen" rubberised coating on arrival. Yep, that's sticky!

However the more the coating is deteriorated the easier it cleans off with meths/similar. Only trouble is the distance scale and other markings come off with it, for the moment I have taped over those. Optically it looks very good, and its construction and mechanics seem on a par with that original ~£400 price tag .
Another problem I discovered on use was with the aperture - the lens was only starting to stop down at the click between f11 and f16 on the aperture ring. So my test pics of regular subject the castle turret for f7.2, f11, f16 came out with shutter speeds 1/500th, 1/500th, 1/400th! But this was fixed by taking off the mount and bending the lever that actuates the iris.
Friday 20th was the first time in ages to get good light and really try to check this lens out. I am overal favourably impressed actually, but focus is really ticklish, due to that base f7.2 (I really notice the increased difficulty by eye through the OVF as lenses get slower than f5.6), and the really short focus throw on this IF lens - only ~ 135° throw to cover from 3.5m to ∞.

Test crops f7.2, f11, f16 - samsung NX20. I was looking for good performance straight from f7.2 and I can suggest that the lens delivers.





Pentax K5, mostly f9.












Samsung NX20.

[WPRESTO]

Looks like a good find. I can remember when this lens was introduced, but at that time out of my price bracket. The "Zen coating" was a significant advertising point.

[Pentaxians]

Nice shots guys!!

Sharing some shots of the Silver pheasant. The silver pheasant (Lophura nycthemera) is a species of pheasant found in forests, mainly in mountains, of mainland Southeast Asia, and eastern and southern China, with introduced populations in Hawaii and various locations in the US mainland. The male is black and white, while the female is mainly brown. Both sexes have a bare red face and red legs (the latter separating it from the greyish-legged kalij pheasant).[2] It is common in aviculture, and overall also remains common in the wild, but some of its subspecies (notably whiteheadi from Hainan, engelbachi from southern Laos, and annamensis from southern Vietnam) are rare and threatened. (Above Info from Wiki)

This is the first time in the situation that I'm encountering the object is too huge on my Sigma 150-500mm lens I do have the 55-300mm DAL but not always in my bag.

[sculptor666]

wild black vultures that have taken up residence at a zoo near me: