Welcome to another edition of Phun Phriday! Over the past year and a half or so I have been trying to capture a descent photo of a flying bird. The most available ones around here are Seagulls, which happen to be the Utah State Bird and I have really struggled to even get an acceptable one of them.
Wednesday was the last of an unseasonable warm spell and a cold front was moving in to our area being led by very strong winds. I went out to a bird refuge about 20 miles from my house to try to get some shots of migrating bald Eagles, which have been spotted in the area. All I saw were hundreds of Seagulls.
The interesting thing is that the average forward air speed of these Seagulls was approximately 0 miles per hour or less. All they were doing was flying into the wind, so it meant that mostly they were bobbing up and down, left and right and even backwards.
To get these shots I was using my longest lens and sitting in my car with the window down, because when I got out I was constantly fighting the winds - just like the birds. I took over 200 shots and deleted about 150 of them.
Below is the one that got away! Look closely and you may see tears on your screen. My tears.
The bald Eagle that I really went out for finally appeared, but by the time I noticed him I did not have time to refocus before he was starting to leave, so as I tried to focus I fired off 4 burst shots, and this, the very first one, was the closest to acceptable. Imagine how beautiful this would have been, had it been in focus. I shared this with you because it is my very first photograph of a bald Eagle in flight in the wild. I don't think it will be my last because now I am on a quest.
As you know by now photography should be Phun and that's why I have my Phun Phriday! posts. Have you done something Phun, weird and/or creative lately? If so, leave a link to it in your comment or just tell us it's there so we can go find it. If not, I'd really love to hear from you anyway.
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27 comments:
OOHHH MMMAAANNN...yes, tears of frustration...it's worth a try, and you almost made it...the gull photos are nice...
You got very good images of the bird. It is not easy to take this. But you got it!
i can see the tears, i really do. i know that was frustrating. the gulls are really good, did not know Utah has gulls, i always think of them as being close to the gulf or oceans.
awwww Scott, I have had that heppen too, but not with anything as majestic as a bald eagle. I think it was with seagulls :-) Have a good weekend!
I see those tears,they are making the picture out of focus.:) I'm sure you will be back there and wow us with some amazing shots.
I too was waiting last week, on a beach in southwestern Oklahoma, for the bald eagles to come in and roost in the cottonwood trees. They did come to roost, only quite some distance from where we were waiting. We walked the beach as far as we could and I got a couple shots of them in the trees but my lens was just now powerful enough. You could barely make out what they were. :( ~ Hey I had kind of a Phun post on the 15th called Redneck Security. If you missed it you might go check it out. It was one of the phun sights I found when we got off the beaten path. Have a great weekend!
I was inspired to do the same today when I say a falcon being chased away by a seagull, but they were too high in the sky and I did not get anything worth keeping. Thank you for the challenge idea, Scott :-)
i hope that you can look back and be thankful to see such a beauty of nature and not just remember regret.
you day will come.
i'm sure of it.
:)
have a great weekend~
chas
I look forward to seeing the results of your quest in the days ahead. I have seen birds flying backward at the beach, but I haven't gotten any pictures. I'm going to have to remedy that situation.
Oh my, yes, that would have been a wonderful picture had you the time to focus! I know you will be successful in your quest in getting an eagle in flight.
Don't you just love digital? What is the zoom you used for these photos?
nellie
Birds are so tough. I think the third one of the seagull landing might be my favorite.
Thank you all for your kind comments and encouragement. I made a mistake by including the Eagle shot and talking about that. I was pleased with the seagull shots I got and should have used just them.
To Answer Nellie's question, I was using a lens that is equivalent to 600 mm in 35mm film cameras.
You got very nice seagull shots so the day was still successful. I don't think it was a mistake including your bald eagle shot. I like hearing about other photographer's trials - makes me feel like I'm not alone :)
Over time I have come to realize birds are smarter than we give them credit for. Their line of thinking goes like this: "Oh, there's a person with a camera. Hmm...I think I am just far enough away perched right here. Oh, he's moving in...real slow...he's adjusting his camera...NOW! I fly away. Ha,ha,ha. Oh this is great fun." I don't think including the eagle was a mistake. All of us feel better knowing what happens to us happens to everyone.
I really love the blur of the eagle photo. I know it would be more satisfying with beautiful clarity but it's more than most of can manage. I have gulls around all the time and never seem to get a clear shot and now from reading yours, I don't think I take enough pics!
wonderful flying bird photos!!
I'm not generally interested in birds so, however clever people are to take pictures of them (and I recognise that) they leave me unmoved. Gulls are an exception. There a thousands of gulls where I live but I never tire of them. They are large and agressive yet, however evil and arrogant they look, they are never without dignity. The bald eagle - of course that would have been good to have a top notch photo of that - but there are loads of them already. It might have come out as yet another 'wild-life-shot' - but I'd be oozing pride if I had taken those gull ones.
Lucy
Fantastic photos Scott !!!
It's a great success !!!!
Have a nice weekend !
Aw. Dry your tears, my friend! You will go back and try again because you had Phun! :o)
The seagull shots are really great - I love 'shooting' seagulls when I am out fishing. It almost looks like they hover, doesn't it? I know the science is different but they can stay so stationary in the air; I almost wonder if they have jets pointing straight down. ;o)
There is a spot not far from where I live that the bald eagles congregate. You can climb through the briars and brambles (where the rabbits couldn't go) and get some good vantage points... and it is still a challenge!
"On a quest" -- hey good luck... Persistence generally pays off... And yeah, I've been in that same situation where I just can't get a good focus or the camera won't cooperate at the exact moment it needs to behave.
But seagulls -- yep, they are AMAZING flyers -- they seem to love holding steady in the heavy winds -- lots of fun to watch -- much more interesting than seeing them scavenge for garbage.
Each of these is just stunning Scott!
A beautiful creature, beautifully photographed!
Scott, great in flights. Funny with the Eagle. It's always the best poses that don't come out!
Cool stuff!
Better luck next time with the eagle. I have certainly been there and always hate to revisit!
Oh Scott! Wow!!!!! I'm so sorry you missed that Eagle ...but I know you will capture the perfect shot!!! I saw an Eagle the other day - but didn't have camera in hand to even try to capture it (riding in a car!)
Love your in flights.....
what a life!
Oh yes, I empathize. I spent a good portion of the last few summers up at a cottage where a Bald eagle family had set up shop further along the lake. We spotted them often, always in the distance. I did get a couple of decent shots of them but never a great shot. Still, they're SUCH a thrill. I don't doubt you'll get your chance again and do great.
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