photography – Page 2 – The Jersey Birder

Birds kissed by morning light

A Northern cardinal, deep red with some black streaks about its head for missing feathers, snacks on a rolled up leaf whiile perched on a tree branch.

We’ve had a delightful run of sunny days of late. I’ve donned a jacket a few times on my morning walks because the post-dawn temperatures have dipped into the low 60s and even the 50s. This morning dawned gloriously, and I got out to the Pole Farm hoping to photograph some of the warblers thatContinue reading “Birds kissed by morning light”

Braving shoe-sucking mud for photos

A green heron, feet obscured by grasses, stands on a downed log in a swamp.

The Dyson Tract along the Delaware and Raritan Canal has been drawing lots of birders to check out the little blue herons that have taken up residence for the last week or so. I’d stopped by a few days ago and went back Sunday afternoon. At this time of year, the trees are thick withContinue reading “Braving shoe-sucking mud for photos”

When birds turn their backs to you

A willow flycatcher, facing away from the camera, perches on a stalk in a field of green grasses, with a few purple blossoms from a plant to its left.

Grateful for an overnight temperature drop from the 90s into the mid-60s, I headed to the Pole Farm this morning. The sky was overcast, with little sun to coax the birds out into the open. I had walked nearly two miles without even lifting my camera up to shoot when I heard the buzzy callContinue reading “When birds turn their backs to you”

No camera for birds? No problem – switch to wildflowers!

One ripe blackberry and several unripe red berries appear on the edge of the bush's branches, with green leaves in background.

A couple of times a year, I forget to stick the SD card back into my camera and discover the problem only when I reach the Pole Farm parking lot. It happened again today, and I was even more irritated to discover my backup card wasn’t in the car. Rather than head back home, IContinue reading “No camera for birds? No problem – switch to wildflowers!”

A goldfinch saves the day on the photo front

Male American goldfinch sitting on tree branch with dark green leaves behind him.

One of the things I love about birding is its unpredictability. Some days birds abound, other days they hunker down. Then there’s a day like yesterday, when plenty of birds were out but only a few came into view for photos. When I got back home from the Pole Farm, I took stock of whatContinue reading “A goldfinch saves the day on the photo front”

Another yellow warbler brightens a gray day

Yellow warbler singing from skinny vertical branch at the top of a tree, with a few leaves below it.

For the past few years, yellow warblers have made a home in a group of trees about 100 yards up from the Cold Soil Road parking lot at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. From their arrival during Spring migration until their departure in Fall, I can count on hearing one of them in this sameContinue reading “Another yellow warbler brightens a gray day”

It pays to shoot, even when in doubt

American goldfinch stretches its wings as it flies off from a muddy trail.

Morning broke foggy in my part of the world. A couple of days of heavy rain left us soggy and humid conditions. I dodged puddles as I headed up the central trail at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm this morning and spotted an American goldfinch ahead of me. It was poking in the wet dirtContinue reading “It pays to shoot, even when in doubt”

Bird counts ramp up as the weather warms

An American robin sings from a spindly tree branch, with leaves budding out on nearby stalks.

There’s no denying that Spring brings out the birds. It was sunny and light-jacket warm this morning when I visited the Pole Farm, and I was hoping to get a few shots of the common yellowthroats that have returned to the fields. I heard many but was only able to spot one, a male whoContinue reading “Bird counts ramp up as the weather warms”

My big zoom is back!

A song sparrow sings from a tree branch at the edge of a grassy field.

I was able to pick up my Sigma 150-600 mm Contemporary lens from the camera shop on Friday afternoon. I am happily back out shooting with it again. The problem with the zoom mechanism locking up is gone, and the repair gave me another fix I wasn’t expecting. Ever since my Canon R7 arrived severalContinue reading “My big zoom is back!”

Zoom troubles take my Sigma lens offline

A red-winged blackbird squawks while sitting on a tree branch.

The blackbird above must have been channeling my feelings this morning. Over the last several weeks, my Sigma 150-600 mm Contemporary lens that I use for almost all my birding outings was increasingly acting up. The lens’ zoom function was locking up intermittently, limiting my shooting to a narrow band of 400 mm to 500Continue reading “Zoom troubles take my Sigma lens offline”