Great Blue Heron...

IMG_9174, a photo by Michel (Mike) Soucy on Flickr.

Ok. It's that time of year where I can start putting some time shooting around sunrise before going into work.

First I'll check the local weather for the the following morning. I'm looking for mostly clear skies. Since I'm shooting with a 400 with perhaps a 1.4TC, I need as much light as I can get. My aims is to be on site when the sun is coming up, I don't always make it, but I'll aim for at least 15 minutes after its come up.

I know where I'm heading, though don't always know what I'm going to get, nature will dictate that. My job is to be ready for the unexpected, and, I'm usually rewarded with *something*.

This morning I'm standing near the water with a bed of reeds about 20ft from me. Robins are pecking the soild for worms, seagulls are making their way around. Lots of Red Wing Blackbirds. Off comes the lens cap, extend the hood, turn on the camera, check to make sure i'm secure to the tripod and mount is locked, pump up my iso to 1600 to get a bit more speed....and watch.

Then, this heron flies by. Wait, it's turning. Then lands no more than 50 or so feet from me unaware of my presence. I'd like to keep it that way....they can spook easily.

I shoot 2 dozen frames...my lens is hunting a lot due to low light with the TC, I switch to manual focus, grab a few more shots, then leave. As I walk away, the heron flies off and lands 100ft away on a rock.

Time to head to the office for my day job. :)

Cheers, and happy shutterbugging!

Goose at Rock Dunder.

IMG_8467, a photo by Michel (Mike) Soucy on Flickr.

A great hike this morning at Rock Dunder. The usual Turkey Vultures were present, a couple of chipmunks, and a few Garder Snakes were seen. The ice and snow were, for the most part, gone except for a few spots of ice hanging off the shaded rocks.

The view from the rock outcropping was, as always, spectacular. A few large trees had fell recently, with evidence of a recent cleanup on the trails. A few damp and muddy areas had to be navigated, but other than that, made for a good workout for the legs.

This goose was spotted and stood patiently for it's portrait.

My wife and I have come to enjoy this spot, seeing it's natural beauty in different seasons.

This might be a good activity to suggest for members of KPC (Kingston Photographic Club.)

And now the yard awaits me!

Cheers.

The Ospreys are back!

IMG_8378, a photo by Michel (Mike) Soucy on Flickr.

I would think that next to the Bald Eagle, the Osprey is next in line as the raptor that grabs a photographers attention! Well, *this* photographer at any rate. :)

I had seen one in a nest last week on Joyceville Rd, but my shots were in silhoutte. I knew that any day now, once all the ice was clear in the area, they'd be back. And sure enough, all the nests in the Kingston area were occupied by two Ospreys. An amazing fact is that Ospreys will usually mate for life.

I took this photo witha Canon 400 5.6L series lens and a Kenko 300 Pro 1.4 tc attached on a 60D. Effective focal length with the 1.6 crop factor is like shooting with a 896mm lens!

A steady/sturdy tripod is a must with a fast shutter speed, there is no Image Stabilization..and so ..."steady as she goes" is the norm with this setup.

I'm eager to see photos on the flickr groups start coming in...

Cheers!

IMG_8237

IMG_8237, a photo by Michel (Mike) Soucy on Flickr.

Double Breasted Cormorant taken during a rainy lunch hour. I try to take every opportunity I can for photo taking, no matter the weather. Sometimes it means shooting from my car window when a 15-20 minute break is possible, or, I'll grab a sub for lunch and hit my favorite spots. It's hard to not get *something*...if I'm paying attention that is. :)

Cheers!

20100826-IMG_6644

20100826-IMG_6644, a photo by Michel (Mike) Soucy on Flickr.

Heather and her pal. Color image slightly desaturated and softened using the clarity tool in LR3. She was wonderful to work with, she posed with great ease..tried some wonky camera angles resulting in some really great images.

20100826-IMG_6730-Rev-1

20100826-IMG_6730-Rev-1, a photo by Michel (Mike) Soucy on Flickr.

Heather and friend from a photo session last summer. I desaturated the image except for the boots using PS-CS5

Migrating Canada Geese (IMG_7791)

IMG_7791, a photo by Michel (Mike) Soucy on Flickr.

Four of us had gone to Presqu'ile Park in Brighton, Ontario Saturday morning. First lesson I learned (and I should know this by now) is...leave earlier than planned. I misjudged the time it would take us to get there, resulting in missing the sunrise, and what could have been some spectacular images captured by four gifted photographers.

And so we sought out water-fowl, expecting plenty to shoot...we really had to search hard.

In the end, we all walked away with *something*, though somewhat disappointed.

I captured these two geese in-flight with my 400+ 1.4tc. It did provide a good opportunity to practice some hand-held panning this image was a keeper.

I enjoy being up with the sun, I just need to get to bed early enough to be up early enough!

Thanks for dropping by!

Eastern Meadowlark (IMG_7991-1)

IMG_7991-1, a photo by Michel (Mike) Soucy on Flickr.

This little fellow was singing its little heart out as I was sitting on the side of the road.

Taken with a Canon 60D, Ef 400 5.6L and a Kenko Pro 300 1.4 tc.

This series of photos has really got me excited for the spring and photo opps it should present.

Eastern Meadowlark (IMG_8046-1)

IMG_8046-1, a photo by Michel (Mike) Soucy on Flickr.

My first sighting of an Eastern Meadowlark for the season, on a fence post.

Driving around east of highway 15 on the side roads got me my first sighting of this Eastern Meadowlark. With a Kenko Pro 1.4 tc on my 400, I was able to get a few nice shots. Not an easy bird to photograph, they can be skittish.

This is how I come across many of by "by chance" photos. I'll be up and out of the house at the crack of dawn and head out to the country side with two cameras on the front seat. My Canon 60D will have the 400 5.6L mounted on it, and a T1i/500D with a shorter lens, this might be a 17-85 or 55-250, tripod and monopod are on the floor. Sandwiches, apples and or other snacks are on the back seat with a bottle of water, and a large double-double just to wake me up a bit. Now the only thing missing is a bit of generosity from "Mother Nature".

Drive and watch, often pulling over to the shoulder for a better view or to inspect something I may have caught out of the corner of my eye. Sometimes I'll venture into a newly discovered trail to walk/inspect.

This has been a really productive week!

Dawn on the St. Lawrence (IMG_3823-1)

IMG_3823-1, a photo by Michel (Mike) Soucy on Flickr.

Here I go again...up at 5:30am to get out there for whatever awaits me. A spot off highway 2 allowed me to get a few shots a bit after the sun came up.

IMG_7866-1

IMG_7866-1, a photo by Michel (Mike) Soucy on Flickr.

Went to Presqu'ile Park this morning with 3 other flickr members. Not much going on with birds and such, but I think we all managed to walk away with a shot.

Mine was this Hairy Woodpecker that was playing dodge with us amongst some old wood. This was the one shot I managed to squeeze off. I was using my Kenko 1.4tc on the Canon 400 5.6L. Autofocusing was a bit challenging if I didn't have good direct light.

This was a lucky shot!

Tagged Cormorant...

A very cool thing happened (for me). I photographed a Double-Crested Cormormorant in flight a few days ago at Lemoines (see earlier post) , then discovered it had a leg band on it as I was pulling into LR. Well, able to read the code on the band, thanks to a fellow flickr member, I was eventually put into touch with the fellow who placed that band on the bird....back in June of 2004! I was pleased to have been able to speak with the research wildlife biologist from the National Wildlife Research Center at Mississippi State University this afternoon, and getting acquanted with the research efforts he and others put forth.


Cheers!

Tagged Cormorant...

IMG_7643, a photo by Michel (Mike) Soucy on Flickr.

This bird was banded as a pre-fledged DCCO on West Brothers Is. colony (near Kingston) June 2004 by a research wildlife biologist based with the National Wildlife Research Center Mississippi State University.

Via Flickr:
Double Crested Cormorant in flight, handheld, taken at Lemoines Point. Note the tag.
Would be interesting to find out the history on this bird (Tag # N14) See attached note.

Presqu'ile Park...

Off to Presqu'ile  Park on the weekend for some birding photos now that the migration is on.
do stay tuned!  :)

Michel