Hummingbirds
Female Anna’s Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are a surprisingly cooperative photographic subject. My experience is that they seem to be quite willing to be photographed, and even if spooked a bit, will usually return in a minute or so to the same tree or one near it. I have seen the most hummingbirds, both in variety and numbers, at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine. I have gotten as close as six feet to a hummingbird, in this case a Costa’s, while it preened on a branch.
Costa’s Hummingbird.In this photo, you can see droplets of sap on the bird’s chest.
In SoCal, there are several year round species, the most common being the Anna’s.
Anna’s Hummingbird, taken at Yorba Regional Park
At San Joaquin I have seen a lot of Costa’s. They are identifiable by their olive back, black head and cream white breast. They are quite similar in appearance and size to the Black Chinned Hummingbird; the difference that I can distinguish is that the BCH seems to have a more defined shape, whereas the Costa’s is a bit fuzzy in appearance. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo yet of the BCH for comparison.
Costa’s Hummingbird
One of the most unusual and easily identifiable hummingbirds is the Allen’s. The combination of copper and olive over most of it’s body, with a black chin, is quite striking, in my opinion. They are easy to spot, as they seem to like to post themselves on a twig at the top of a tree, and sort of sit there hunched over. This particular Allen’s kept flying off, then returning, allowing me to finally get a shot in just the right light.
In the sequence below I captured this female Anna’s as she preens and scratches. She knew I was there, as I adjusted my position to get the best light, but did not seem at all concerned.
You’re going to need a big lens and a monopod if you want to get sharp shots, as these birds are very small, averaging about 2-3 inches in length, and very fast. You are not likely to get a photo of them in flight, but they will stay relatively stationary while they are hovering near a flower. They also like to perch on outer tree branches and branches near the tops of trees. This makes spotting them and getting a clear shot fairly easy, as you can see from most of these photos. Due to the contrast in colors I recommend overexposing slightly. This also will help bring out the eyes, as they are deep black, and usually set in lack or dark brown feathers.
For these shots I used both a Canon 50d and a Canon EOS 1d Mk II, and a Sigma 100-300 EX f4 lens. Most shots were taken with available light, although using the on-board flash brings out detail and also puts a catchlight in the bird’s eye. You may have to bump up the ISO to 320 or 400 to get the shutter speed you need if you want to capture the wingbeats. Hummingbirds wings beat at about 12 beats per second, so if you want to stop that you will need to shoot at around 1/1000. I like to shoot them at around 1/250 to 1/500; by doing so I get about 3-4 wingbeats, which gives some sense of motion.
Osprey
I went to San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary today and got some good shots of species I either haven’t seen before or haven’t been able to get a good shot of. A female Osprey was perched near a nesting box. While I watched, two other Osprey in succession landed on her back, then hopped into the nest. Another birder (with a nice Canon 500mm f2 lens) said that, according to the docents, this Osprey was due to lay eggs March 1.
There are lots of hummingbirds down here, including Anna’s, Costa’s and this one:
which is an Allan’s hummingbird.
Also finally got a shot of a tree swallow, of which there are plenty, however this is the first one I have seen that isn’t on the wing. They are almost impossible to shoot while flying due to their speed and erratic flight paths.
The rest of the shots were various flycatchers, phoebes and a sparrow.
Yorba Regional Park
This morning I went birding in Yorba Regional Park, which is along the 91 freeway in Anaheim/Yorba Linda. I was looking for a way to get to the Santa Ana Riverbed, and came upon this park by accident as I was looking for access. Entry fee was $5. The park is elongated, and runs east/west parallel to the riverbed. The park has series of ponds connected by a small creek. The north side of the ponds the park is typical city park, with lawn and playgrounds, and large trees. The south side, however, is much more interesting, with groves of deciduous and evergreen trees, and grassy meadow. There is also easy access too the river trail.
My first spot was one of the ponds. In the pond was a small flock of Double-Crested Cormorants. Although they are an ocean species, they like to frequent inland ponds that are stocked regularly with trout, as they seem to be easy pickings.
There were several egrets, including Great Egrets, Little Egrets, and Cattle egrets.
Great Egrets
They are obviously used to humans, as my proximity didn’t seem to bother them much. In other birding sights I have been to they are much more skittish.
This Cattle Egret was catching a little of the Santa Ana winds that we have had all weekend.
From there I wandered over to a little clearing that had brush and some small trees. Lots of Black Phoebes in this area, which is typical . Phoebes usually aren’t too skittish, and even when they do fly off, if you stay still they will usually return to the same spot.
They like tables, posts, wire fences and branches that are about 4 feet off the ground. When the alight, they make an elongated loop back to their perch.
This female Vermillion flycatcher wasn’t too difficult to spot as she hunted for seeds in the short grass.
I was in this spot about 8am. my goal was to keep the sun behind me as I worked my way in a counterclockwise direction through this clearing. What I found was that by walking slowly and keeping my eyes open, I could get the birds moving into shootable positions. They stayed within this small area, so I just mage several revolutions while I got the shots I wanted. This Flicker was harder to spot as he blended in well with the leaves surrounding him.
These Willow Flycatchers were cooperative as they worked themselves into a variety of positions;
I believe this is either a Ladderback or Nuthall’s woodpecker. Hard to tell from the angle.
This Anna’s hummingbird kept coming back to the same area so I was able to get a shot. The picture doesn’t really do justice to their actual size; she was maybe two inches long at most. they will sit still long enough for a shot, but focusing becomes an issue. They are olive and black so they really have to be in the light to get a sharp and interesting shot. Strangely, the ruby coloring around the head only appears at certain angles, and the turn their heads frequently, so pre-focusing and a quick trigger finger are required for a colorful shot.
On my way back to my truck I spotted what I thought was a nest wedged into some branched about four feet off the ground. When I got close enough I realized it was actually a colony of bees grouped so tightly together they formed a single mass. I got about 5 feet away, which is my minimum focusing distance anyway, and snapped a few shots. On-camera flash helped bring out the colors. I think the chill morning air kept them from buzzing around much. They didn’t seem especially upset at my presence.
I was pleased with the birding here. it’s a nice little park, with a good variety of birds common to the area, and they seem acclimated to people, which made for some good shots.
To see some more shots from this trip, go here.
Whitewater Preserve
These shots were taken at the Whitewater Preserve, about 45 miles east of San Bernardino. Pictured here is what I believe to be a flycatcher, although I’m not sure exactly which one. Anyone? I also photographed a Black Phoebe, what what I think is a Cordilleran or Pacific slope flycatcher, and a sparrow. Again, I am not sure which specific variation it is.
Asking for help in identifying these birds, from any experienced birders. Habitat for all was brush and low trees surrounding a pond.
Equipment: Canon D50, Sigma 100-300 f4 EX lens
Bolsa Chica
I got a few shots at Bolsa Chica Conservancy today. This small preserve is midway between Huntington Beach and Seal Beach.
Canon 50d, Sigma 100-300 f4 EX lens.
Dog Beach, San Diego
Like dogs? Like the beach? Get the best of both at Dog Beach, in San Diego. Its in Point Loma, off Rosecrans Ave, where the 8 freeway ends. Google it.
I could spend hours hear watching these dogs frolic in the sand and water. It’s an exercise in pack behavior; in fact, its almost like watching children on the playground. There are athletes, bullies, wallflowers, wanna-be suitors. It’s a great place for photos but you will need a good, fast SLR camera, a decent lens, and patience.
Tips:
Plan on getting sandy and wet. You have to get down to their level. Shots taken from a standing position don’t work.
Portraits are nice, but try and combine those with action shots, shots that show the dog’s behaviors and interactions and shots that show the relationship between dogs and humans.
Take lots and lots of photos. I’m pretty good at this, I have good gear and experience,but I still took about 250 photos to get a handful of decent ones. They will look good on your viewfinder but when loaded up on your computer, many will be soft and out of focus.
Use photo editing software to (slightly) sharpen, bump up contrast and crop. Crop tight. You are better off shooting at your lens midrange focal length, if a telephoto, and cropping down. Focusing will be easier and sharper, and it will be easier to follow the action.
Put the sun behind you, depending on what time of the day it is. Work in that direction. Shots taken towards the sun just won’t come out.
Prado Lake
I went to Prado Lake Park to do some fishing. It’s a regional bark with a decent size lake with a nice shoreline. There is plenty of parking, as well as nice trails to walk. I didn’t do well at fishing so after a couple of hours I packed it in, got my camera, and hiked around looking for some photos. I got some good photos of smaller birds a some decent ones of a hawk.
Salton Sea
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Friday I went birding at the Salton Sea. I had read this is a major stopping point for migratory waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway. I got there about 8:30am or so. I had a map off the internet which listed about 15 likely spots. As it turns out, I had better luck just by keeping my eyes open as I drove around. My first stop was a marina in the town of North Shore. There I aw a lot of White Pelicans, Egrets and gulls.
I followed my map, which showed a series of grid-like roads running near the lake shore. These were really nothing more that dirt farm roads, and roads leading to the numerous energy plants along the lake shore. By keeping my eyes open I managed to get some shots of Cattle Egrets and White-faced Ibises feeding in fields and wading along the roadside. I stopped at the north segment of the Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge. Not much luck there, so I moved on. I wound up at the south end of the sea, at the south segment of the SBNWR. That was a big disappointment, as they had most of the roads and trails closed. I did get one good shot there, of a flock of Snow Geese taking off en masse.
It was getting late, so I headed back. Overall, I’d have to say I was disappointed. There were plenty of birds but they seemed unusually skittish. I think this was due to the fact that hunting is also allowed in most of these areas, and as it turns out, I was there during the last week of the season.
UCR Botanical Gardens
Vermillion Flycatcher
I went to the Botanical Gardens at UCR in Riverside today. It’s a heavily wooded, hilly area, with brushy areas along the top of the ridge. I didn’t have much luck until I walked along the fence line that borders private yards. There were more birds in the yard than at the BG’s. I saw hummingbirds, a juvenile Western Scrub Jay ( very vocal bird), and several vermillion flycatchers. I saw a couple others I haven’t identified but I think are warblers or some sort of flycatcher or bushtit. I had good light, and think I got some good photos. The jay was sitting in the top of a palm tree,and he wouldn’t shut up. I tried to record it on my cell, not sure if it worked yet.
So I think the plan for future birding will be to find accessible areas along roadsides and creeks, and fruit groves.
Canon 50d, Sigma 100-300 f4 EX lens