Birds Eyes And Butterflies

The picture of this male breeding Blackpoll Warbler was taken in Prospect Park, Brooklyn NY on a very fruitful day sighting birds in migration.
I was able to get fairly close to capture this picture. I found a platform with a bench near a tree or two that the birds were coming to and clicked away.

Even though I do not want to accept the fact that I need to be in a certain proximity to the bird and have the right light to get that good picture, I am beginning to see the light. This is especially so when taking pictures with my CANONEO7D of the tiny migrating birds that are around now. They are usually really far away, in dark parts of the park and moving all the time. But if I wait in a spot that has the right factors in a place the bird has a chance to appear, I can perhaps get a decent shot.
The picture of this Scarlet Tanager is not really an example of the patience I have yet to develop, but I could not resist this beautiful bird. It was pretty close – and I mainly used my flash to capture the image.

Taking pictures of Warblers presents quite a challenge. They are tiny and in constant motion. And now that the trees are in full bloom, they are really hard to see.
I captured this picture at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge really early when there were lots of warblers flitting around. I used my CanonEOS7D with a Canon Speedlite 580EX2 flash. I just recently purchased a battery pack for the flash which makes the recycling of the flash much faster.

After a nice brunch on Lincoln Road after the first Sunday of the month bird walk with Brooklyn Birders Club in Prospect Park, we took a leisurely walk around the Lake. I was happy to be able to view this Great Egret feeding in the lake and got the capture as he was taking off.
It is is always difficult to get a good capture with the CANONEOS7D with alot of dark and light contrast. I did use the EV compensation to lessen the light in order to bring in the whites of the bird and not overexpose the feathers.

Being in the presence of The Tree Swallows at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is among my most favorite visual experiences. The constant activity of these birds flitting around chasing insects and each other is totally delightful to me. And also watching the Tree Swallows go in and out of their nesting boxes and seeing their little heads peeking out.
And now a juvenile!
They also do stay still for a few moments to allow me to get some good captures. Again I was able to take my time to set up the camera settings properly and enjoy using my CanonEOS7D instead of feeling like I am in battle with it.
I started to focus with the manual focusing ring on the CanonEOS7D after the auto focus did its thing. I could see the image coming into clearer focus.

When it is right – it is good! In my pursuit of trying to get the most out the CanonEOS7D I am so happy when I get a good capture. This lovely Spotted Sandpiper landed on this perfect perch in very nice light and stayed there for quite awhile so that I could work on the shot with the CanonEOS7D instead of my usual battle.
I was at one of the blinds in Jamaica Bay and had a nice cradle for the camera and Canon 100-400 mm lens. I set the CanonEOS7D focus mode to AF point expansion (manual selection) which I am starting to use more regularly and was able to use an ISO of 200 which helps so much with reducing the noise.