Green Heron and other Winged Things

I went with a friend this morning to a nearby boating access area that is run by the NC Wildlife Commission.  We were after the Green Heron.  The area was fairly busy but before long the heron put in an appearance.  We had hoped that the cloud cover was going to clear early however by the time we left, there was still a light drizzle from time to time and low clouds.







There were lots of small birds in the area.  Several patches of blackberries had birds coming in for a bite.  This Eastern Kingbird would duck in and grab a berry from time to time.

Several areas were planted with what looks to be millet were attracting lots of Goldfinches and some Indigo Buntings.  I thought it was a really good thing that thought was given to planting these areas.

Of course almost as soon as I arrived home, the sun finally started peeking out from the cloud cover.  Definitely an area to revisit another time.  We have been in this cycle of rain and storms on almost a daily basis.  It REALLY is getting old.  For sure the mosquitoes are having a big time with plenty of breeding areas from standing water.

Panasonic Lumix GX1 Test Shot

My new 4/3 camera arrived yesterday so I took it out for a test drive this morning.  I wanted a smaller camera to take on hiking trips or when I did not want the weight of the DSLR.  My intentions are also to attempt for it to be my digiscoping camera which I have not tried yet but will give it a go later today.

Panasonic Lumix GX1, 300mm and 2x optical zoom

With it only to be a back up type camera, I really did not want to go top of the line so after much research decided on the Panasonic Lumix GX1.  I spent more on the 100-300 lens than I did on the camera body.  I had hoped that by using the optical zoom (it has a 2x and 4x) I could get some additional distance when or if needed.

A couple of Great Bluer Herons were posing nicely this morning so I gave it a test.  This one thing I wish that I had done was to hook up the remote cable before shooting.  I can tell that any residual movement from manually pressing the shutter button shows when the image stabilization is off (due to being tripod mounted) has an effect.

The files are really large even saving at the lowest compression rate.  I did change the resolution down to 250 from 300 on this shot just to get a smaller file size.  I am hoping with a little more practice and learning the camera the shot quality will improve.  This was shot in jpeg vs raw which I usually shoot.  I believe on the next test I will change to raw format.

By comparison, the shot below was taken with my Canon 5D Mk III using a 100-400 lens.

Canon 5D Mk III, 100-400 lens,

Slow Saturday

Not much going on today.  A gray day with bouts of drizzle.  A good day to be sort of lazy.  Someone gave me the nicest zucchini yesterday, way more than I could grill so I decided to make some zucchini bread.  I have five mini loaves baking in the oven now.  I decided to do the small loaves to give some away.  Too much temptation to have much in the house.  I am trying a new recipe as I have misplaced my tried and true so I am keeping fingers crossed it is good.

The deer are having a bit of a lazy day too.  They have been hanging around the edge of the yard chilling out.

I spent the morning reading reviews and comparing features on the micro 4/3 cameras.  I am giving some serious thought on getting one to use in digiscoping and for when I don't want to haul a full size camera around.  There are so many and everyone has an opinion on their performance so I am just as confused now as before I spent several hours looking.

The bread aroma is filling the house so time to go check.

Tree Slider

More Practice

I went back for some more practice today and to check out my engineering efforts to keep unwanted light from entering the back of the eyepiece on the scope.

Getting closer!  I kept a log as I was shooting today and learned more today than I have in two weeks.

Digiscoping Practice

I bought a fairly nice scope almost two years ago with the intent to attempt to become somewhat proficient at digiscoping.  Work at that time was so demanding that I never gave it any really serious attempt.  Since I can't afford to put out 5K for the next size up lens, I decided it was time to give it a go.

I have been making the effort to each day get some practice in over the last couple of weeks and am finally starting to have some success.  Slowly but surely there is improvement.  After spending about an hour out today and reviewing the shots, I have figured out that some extraneous light coming in from the rear is affecting the shots.  Hopefully some engineering this afternoon will solve that issue tomorrow.

Today's practice was on an obliging Kingfisher.  She was probably about 100 feet out.  I missed some great shots because at the moment of opportunity, a large group of kids came walking over the bridge causing too much vibration.

Tree Hugger