Thursday, March 23, 2023

ADVENTURES WITH A NEW LENS

 

I’ve been trying different telephoto lenses and finally decided on a 100-500 mm lens, which will give me more reach and do better in low light.  The lens arrived late last week when the weather was bad and I didn’t want to drive.  Saturday afternoon things seemed to brighten up so I ventured out into my neighborhood.




I caught this robin with fruit in its mouth in a nearby tree.  Most people associate robins with eating worms, but that’s what they feed their young.  They prefer fruit as their favored meal.





Feeling confident in the driving conditions, I headed over to Clinch Park where there are always birds in the marina to practice on.  I found this seagull just ready to fly off the breakwater.





It lifted off and I grabbed a good action shot.  I headed home, but wrestled with myself whether to drive to Kingsley farm country.  It was less than ten miles and wasn’t snowing at all, yet the wind had picked up some.





The trip to Kingsley ended up being uneventful.  I entered farm country where I often shoot, and went straight to the Roadkill Cafe where I found two Bald Eagles and two crows feasting on a carcass there. 






Fairly soon, a juvenile eagle joined its parents in the eating frenzy.  I could tell the wind was picking up and the snow was blowing around. 





It wasn’t long before whiteout conditions nearly concealed the eagles.  I decided it was time to head back to TC and home.





I stopped to snap this picture of the field where I’d seen a solitary crane a few days earlier.  I hoped it had found safety somewhere nearby.





Suddenly, two Sandhill Cranes flew in front of my car from right to left, their loud bugling call waking Gracie from a sound sleep in the seat beside me.  My camera had been in my lap so I hurried to get off a shot, capturing just one of them in flight.





Not being able to resist a trip around the block to see where they’d landed, I found them eating corn dregs in a field next to where I’ve seen them in the past.  I left then, and had an uneventful drive home.  I took 626 pictures that afternoon, giving the new lens a good workout.  I’ve decided it’s a keeper.



10 comments:

  1. Nice story and pictures. Enjoy your new lens.

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  2. Enjoyed every picture!

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  3. Wow! Much better images with your new lens. You work hard enough that you deserve a new lens!

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  4. Thanks so much! I'm happy too about how well these images turned out.

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  5. Wow! That is a lot of shots! Glad you are happy with your new lens. I wish I had not been so quick to compromise when lens shopping, as I would have been happier in the long run if I'd been willing to spend more.

    Cranes in the snow! Your photographs are lovely!

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  6. Thanks, Pamela. I too compromised on lens price when I went to my new mirrorless system. Not only was that 100-400 lens less expensive, it was very lightweight. It was sharp as long as the light was good, but where we live, it's low light half the year. The new lens will serve me better.

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  7. Nice work with that new long lens, Karen. I agree with whoever said that you work hard enough that you deserve a new lens; and a good long one, too!

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  8. Thanks, Jan. I’ve been having fun with the new lens…at least until all this snow came.

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