Merganserlings

COMMON MERGANSERS, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 8, 2017

Pentax K-3
Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5
1/800 sec f4.5
ISO 400

It was a cloudy 8 a.m. when this train of merganserlings swam by our cabin in Mama's wake, not the best conditions for photography. But even with the lens wide open and with the image heavily cropped, an acceptable photograph resulted.

Today's chippie

CHIPPING SPARROW, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 7, 2017

Pentax K-5
Pentax 55-300 at 300mm
1/400 sec. f8
ISO 400

This finch-sized sparrow is common on our feeders in the Upper Peninsula. Only occasionally can I capture one calling to its comrades, as this one seems to be doing.

Today's red-bellied

RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 7, 2017

Both:
Pentax K-3
Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 with Pentax HD 1.4x converter (420mm)
Top: 1/640 sec. Bottom: 1/1250 sec. Both at f6.7

I had been set up for bird-in-flight photography, hence the high ISO, but I wish I had dialed back to ISO 400 and f8 for these shots at rest on the feeders. The image quality would have been better. Still, they're OK, especially for Internet use.

Levitation

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 6, 2017

Pentax K-3
Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5
1/2500 sec. f5.6
ISO 1600

Continuing my experiments with on-the-fly bird photography, here's a red-breasted nuthatch launching itself into the air after snatching a peanut from one of our feeders. It's not easy to photograph these birds. They tend to land on a feeder for less than half a second before grabbing a tidbit and vamoosing into the woods. I just got lucky.

Short final to touchdown

GOLDFINCH, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 6, 2017

Both photos:
Pentax K-3
Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5
1/3200 sec. f4.5
ISO 1600

I've been experimenting with action bird photography in the last two days. The old film-era Pentax 300 is super-sharp from center to corner even wide open and makes a good lens for this kind of work. The trick is to nail the focus, which didn't quite happen in these two consecutive frames, but came acceptably close.

Chipping sparrow

CHIPPING SPARROW, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 5, 2017

Pentax K-5
Pentax 55-300 at 300mm
1/500 sec. f8
ISO 400

Cheerful little chipping sparrows hang around our feeders with the finches all day. Similarly colored tree sparrows also sport brown beanies but are distinguished by the black spots on their chests as well as their larger size.

Mr.and Ms. Purple Finch

MALE AND FEMALE PURPLE FINCHES, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 2, 2017

Both photos:
Pentax K-3
Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5
1/800 sec. f8
ISO 400

Within ten minutes, both finches posed atop a bird feeder standard in the back yard of our cabin on Lake Superior.

So far this wet early summer we have seen geese, mallards, crows, blue jays, mourning doves, goldfinches, indigo buntings, purple finches, pine siskins, downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, rose-breasted grosbeaks and ruby-throated hummingbirds.

Nigel feeding his fat little face

CHIPMUNK, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 1, 2017

Pentax K-3
Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5
1/1000 sec. f6.3
ISO 400

People are always asking me how I know this is Nigel. It's easy. The score or more of chipmunks in our back yard are all named Nigel. Nigel One, Nigel Two, Nigel Here, Nigel There, Nigel Over There . . .

Today's red-bellied

RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 1, 2017

Pentax K-3
Pentax F* 300mm f4.5
1/800 sec. f8
ISO 400

Perfect sunlight, perfect exposure, but a man-made stage. Still, it's not bad, and I'm happy with it.