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Nuthatch, Z9, 500mm PF, 1/6400s, f5.6, ISO 2800

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Handholding the Canon 600mm L F4 (about 10-11lbs) is no joke. Very few keepers, the sky was cloudless, almost the middle of the day, Canon lens on a Nikon ZII which did not help in focusing but ... it wa quite exhilarating.

I had never seen Cranes in person, ever. So having them do flybys such as these with thousands of Snow Geese to boot was quite an experience.

I have a much lighter 600mm zoom lens now which will help the next time. Sometime in fall / winter coming up (2022, 2023). Can't wait.
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A second try on this group of birds. I think based on their look and my field guide, these are Cedar Waxwings.

They fit the description of being in groups and they have a bandit's mask like feature. Yellow tip tail.

These are a first for me, or at least the first time I'm able to at least get a semblance of what they look like. I'll have to wait for them with binoculars to be more precise..

Sony A74 with Sony FE 200-600mm at F8, 1/2500 sec, ISO 12800. Processed in DXOPureRaw 2.
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A very long shot of a gliding, twisting, diving northern harrier on the hunt.
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After not touching a camera for 30 to 35 years, I am amazed with the increase in technology pertaining to the camera world! Back in high school and collage I did black and white photography only where I shot wildlife and urban scenes. I recently bought a Nikon D850 along with the 70-200mm f 2.8 lens for family outings and to document the dog shows that we compete in. This set up works well at inside dog shows that are not well lite. I had a chance to get in the field awhile back and try this system out. The above shots were taken at a great distance, handheld, heavily cropped, and were taken in the single shot mode (I later read about burst mode!) I am just amazed that I could actual AF on this hawk at all at such a long distance with such an erratic flight path. I was particular amazed that the AF could track the hawk flying closely against the bank where there is not much contract or distance between the two. I think the two shots above show interesting flight configurations for a hawk on the hunt, but after looking at shots from this forum (many of the pics on this forum are simply amazing!) I have much learning ahead! A 500mm pf might be nice as well!
 
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Get ready...

Set...

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Go...
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Go.. Go..Go!
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Until the focus failed.
Rental: Canon R6 with RF to EF adapter with my Canon 600mm F4 !/2000 sec ISO 6400 F8 with 1.4 Canon Extender.

Scrub Jay was on the other side of my white fence which went completely soft and the background trees hit by the sunset light were turned into a ball of yellow / green mirage.

Since I've owned the lens, its the first time I've used a Canon camera with it. This is the original 600mm F4 IS lens from Canon, the R6 is making it act like a teenager.

One more thing, first time using the camera and so I accidentally shot all 4,000 images as JPGs. Did not realize it until I started loading the images. Shooting 20 frames per second can make you go overboard, especially if you don't even realize that you're still shooting.
 
What's the rule, never point up to the sky? Well if it is, I violated the rule. The White Tailed Kite in turn wanted to reward me with its catch. A rodent in tow. I passed.

Sony A74 with Sony FE_200_600mm at F7.1, ISO 640, 600mm, 1/2000 sec. I think I need to turn off the stabilization on the lens. Upon close inspection it's a little soft.

I'll do a high black and white as well.
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