***Weekly Wildlife Thread: May 29th - June 4th***

It's time to post your wildlife images, and view & comment on everyone else's wildlife images!

All wildlife not contained or restricted (NO Pets or Zoo Animals please).

All systems are welcome. When not Sony, please indicate the equipment.

When posting your own images, please reply to this first post in the thread; otherwise, thread viewers will likely overlook your contribution.

And please feel free to view and comment on the wildlife photos you see, to keep the thread friendly and active!

Last thread I was posting some shots with the mirrorless kit, since that's what I mostly shoot with through the long hot summer...the shots last week were with the excellent FE70-200mm F4 G OSS lens...and a few folks asked if I had shot with the new FE70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS lens. Indeed I have - I pre-ordered it as soon as it was announced and was one of the first to get hold of it...so here are some of the first batch of shots out in the wetlands with the A6300 and that new lens:




One of the nicest things about the lens is that it has a very short minimum focus distance, so it's pretty good for closeups like this halloween pennant dragonfly




A strongly back/top lit anhinga sitting in a tree, giving a nice glow through the wings




An indoor shot - sleeping baby alligators inside the nature center under artificial light at ISO2500




A basilisk lizard hiding out on the shady ground under tree cover - needed ISO2500 for this guy too.




A lovely male blackpoll warbler earlier this month - the last wave of migrating birds passing through




One more pose with the blackpoll warbler




Tricolor chick bothering momma, to give it some food!




Big wood stork in flight, spreading those huge wings - water reflections of sun were causing the dappled light underwing




Cattle egret revealing its eggs as it stood to rearrange things




Two baby anhingas waiting patiently for a parent to return with food



--
Justin
galleries: www.pbase.com/zackiedawg

Very nice an sharp photo, the 70-300 seems to work really well with the 6300. Maybe I'm wrong but the IQ of the 70-300 + A6300 seems better than the one of the A6000 + 70-200 F4 ?

particularly like the dragon fly!

with olympus 4/3 micro camera. 14-150 lens






bull frog




not wildlife but wildflowers, lady slippers.

Nice, I like a lot frog's photo so very happy with your topic. Maybe one day I'll succed to do a jumping frog but for the moment I'm to slow to take this kind of shot.

Few photos with the 7S and the BigTam. I tried the A58 with the BigTam but for the moment as the weather is still overcast and as I do photo under trees the result was not that good : I have less resolution than with the 7S ! (even if it is an APSC 20Mp vs a FF 12Mp : because at 3200 ISO the 20Mp doesnt exist anymore, and the IQ is not as good than the IQ of the 7S).


A juvenile Goldcrest, the real size of this bird is 2 inches (5cm) so you can see it bigger than it is. I did not modify the background but it looks a bit too sharp.


The same bird near thorns : the thorns measure less than 1.5 inches (3cm-4cm) so you can imagine the size of this bird. It was a real challenge for the AF of the camera to get it.


A Jay : I was really lucky to see this jay just in front of me. He was not afraid by the bigtam !


Same bird walking


The same bird on the other side




A moorhen's chick : the chick looks like to the coot's chick


Nice foot !


Same bird on the other side




Now a strange bird : a mandarin duck ! This is only the 2nd time that I can see this kind of duck in Paris ! I dont know if it is real wildlife or if it escpaded from somewhere. He was here with a female. I saw them flying and I followed them to be sure that I was not dreaming !


The same nice boy


A close up from a bridge.













--
Franck

Well, we had four days last week w/o rain, but I was away for two of them. I did get out a few times in between the drops. A-77 and 70-400mm G2.


Carolina Chickadee - in the rain




Recently fledged female Downy Woodpecker - in the rain




Our resident female Ruby-throated Hummingbird - in the rain




Gray Catbird under the heavy tree canopy




Mom feeding junior (male Downy Woodpecker)




Junior checking out the new world. Check that nest entrance. Looks like it was made with a drill bit!




Junior watching mom leave




Red-shouldered Hawk with Garter Snake for the chicks




Ready to head back to the nest




Red-shouldered Hawk chick waiting for lunch



--
AEH
Question: What do you do all week?
Answer: Mon to Fri. Nothing, Sat & Sun I rest!

Male Northern Cardinal in difficult light


American Crow giving me a funny look


Four points sprouting


Another four pointer


Cedar Waxwing under heavy tree canopy


Eastern Chipmunk on a very thin branch


Female House Finch - at ISO-200!! - a rarity this spring


Carolina Chickadee gives me an odd look


Male House Finch


Blue Jay on our deck rail

--
AEH
http://aehass.zenfolio.com/
http://aehass.zenfolio.com/blog
Question: What do you do all week?
Answer: Mon to Fri. Nothing, Sat & Sun I rest!

Well another very nice serie with some impressive photos ! The IQ is still on TOP , fe the catbird photo is Amazing : so sharp so detailed ! And the shutter speed was 1/80s !!!! This is really incredible. I have a question for you : with so slow shutter speed how is you keeper rate ? I mean your shutter speed are always between 1/80 and 1/320s that's not really fast with a 600mm lens so if the bird move a bit the photo should be blured.

ps : the woodpecker's nest photo is very nice !

Ed at Ridersite said:

Well, we had four days last week w/o rain, but I was away for two of them. I did get out a few times in between the drops. A-77 and 70-400mm G2.

Carolina Chickadee - in the rain

Recently fledged female Downy Woodpecker - in the rain

Our resident female Ruby-throated Hummingbird - in the rain

Gray Catbird under the heavy tree canopy

Mom feeding junior (male Downy Woodpecker)

Junior checking out the new world. Check that nest entrance. Looks like it was made with a drill bit!

Junior watching mom leave

Red-shouldered Hawk with Garter Snake for the chicks

Ready to head back to the nest

Red-shouldered Hawk chick waiting for lunch

--
AEH
http://aehass.zenfolio.com/
http://aehass.zenfolio.com/blog
Question: What do you do all week?
Answer: Mon to Fri. Nothing, Sat & Sun I rest!

Click to expand...

--
Franck

Another one of my Eastern Chipmunk buddies




Doe in the undergrowth




Two Red-shouldered Hawk chicks about ready to fledge



--
AEH
Question: What do you do all week?
Answer: Mon to Fri. Nothing, Sat & Sun I rest!

like the jay- different. assume it was in Paris where you appear to be?

fzrTom said:

Well another very nice serie with some impressive photos ! The IQ is still on TOP , fe the catbird photo is Amazing : so sharp so detailed ! And the shutter speed was 1/80s !!!! This is really incredible. I have a question for you : with so slow shutter speed how is you keeper rate ? I mean your shutter speed are always between 1/80 and 1/320s that's not really fast with a 600mm lens so if the bird move a bit the photo should be blured.

ps : the woodpecker's nest photo is very nice !

Click to expand...

Thanks Franck.

The keeper rate is maybe between 25-50% depending on if I'm braced against a tree or not. In a shot like the Catbird, I may shoot between five and ten frames in single shot mode unless he flies off. I have a method which seems to work well for me. When editing, I may process just one or two of the best and post one on my web site. In that one, I think it was actually totally hand held - just lucky I guess. It did turn out pretty sharp with nice detail. But, Catbirds are pretty easy. They will sit for several shots even if you are close. At 1/80th, I'd be lucky to get one of ten real sharp if at 400mm unless I was braced against a tree. Against a tree, it's considerably easier - probably better than a monopod and maybe as good as having a tripod with the ball loose.

Here are several from the local wetlands this week. Taken with A7II, A6300 and A77II.




Great Blue Herons




Limpkin with Apple Snail




Roseate Spoonbill




Woodstork and Roseate Spoonbill




Woodstork




Anhinga and Woodstork Challenge




Purple Gallinule




Stilt Chicks




Stilt




Least Bittern




Dragonfly




Dragonfly

A nice sharp series. Really like the warblers. A great lens.

Nice series. The J and the Wood Duck are just beautiful.

Another really nice series of photos Ed. Like the Downy nest. The Hawk with the snake is nice.

Great series.

Great images. you manage to have beautiful images all the time. what is your secret????

Really nice frog photos.