Sarus Crane shooting how to : Vietnam

[paranoidx]

Good afternoon everyone,

My name is Vu, newcommer at this forum, and bird photography is what made me in love with photography until today. I am living at Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.

I and my friends at Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam on arranging a fews for Sarus Crane (http://images.google.com.vn/images?hl=vi&client=firefox-a&hs=OVk&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&resnum=0&q=sarus+crane&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=VOeMS4-8G47W7APSzoyLBA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBoQsAQwAA) at Kien Giang, Vietnam (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Kien+Giang+Vietnam&sll=9.817329,105.185852&sspn=0.718535,0.810242&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=R%E1%BA%A1ch+Gi%C3%A1,+80,+Ch%C3%A2u+Th%C3%A 0nh,+Kien+Giang,+Vietnam&ll=10.018891,105.14328&spn=0.718093,0.810242&t=h&z=11) in around the end of next week.

I would like to ask for somebody who experience could have time please show me some tricks over for field guild to sneak and shoot these birds. This is my first time taking photo of these species, I have heard these kind of crane really hard to shoot, they got some very good pose while they sing or fight each other. For one of my friend, this is 2nd time, the 1st time he failed due to always flying away.

Some of photos I taken from internet.
http://nature.org.vn/vn/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/cranebook.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aOmz0YT4Mo4/Sn-z1bB609I/AAAAAAAAG2s/TScvyP5QmK8/s400/V%C5%A9+%C4%91i%E1%BB%87u+th%E1%BA%A7n+ti%C3%AAn+s %E1%BA%BFu+%C4%91%E1%BA%A7u+%C4%91%E1%BB%8F1.jpg

http://www.vietimes.com.vn/Library/Images/32/2008/06/8623_6.jpg

This time I bring my gears :
Canon 40D - primary body
Canon 450D - 2ndary body
Canon 100-400mm f/4-5.6 + x2 Sigma Converter
Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro - just in case
Flash 580EXII + Extender
Normal lens for wide in case I failed the mission then I think I go for macro and landscape around :p

If you guy are staying at Vietnam or intend to travel Vietnam next, would love to have you guys join our group. A great journey await.

Back to the topic, just because lost of rumor that these birds hard to photography, like this :
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll207/quangbao_2008/09.jpg?t=1209139711

So, if you guys know any thing about these, please let me know. Thanks in advance.

[Harshad Barve]

Big welcome to BPN
We have Saras cranes here in India and trust me they are tough nuts , I have photographed them and here is link , http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=53231

Got this image after stalking for 2 hrs for 50 mtrs , good luck for trip and looking forward to see images

[paranoidx]

Wow, What a really sharp photo, you shot it with Flash Extender right ? I can see its eyes got reflection. What a great capture.
Even you with top gear like you show they still in tough then I believe this will be a interesting trip. I heard that when they get noisy while people invade their domain, they will no come back until tomorrow. There is a heard here at Kieng Giang but seem they only hanging around there for sweet food only, by the late evening they come back to Campodia where their living habitat. So we should say for me, these birds are foreign wonder if they got visa for Vietnam yet :D

[Harshad Barve]

Wow, What a really sharp photo, you shot it with Flash Extender right

I never use flash in wildlife :)

[paranoidx]

and your photo still great. What a honor :)

[john j. henderson]

Sarus, Red-crowned, White-naped, Hooded, Siberian, etc cranes are indeed hard to photograph. I have worked with them in Russia. It is best to build a semi-permanent blind made of bales of hay in a place they feed. Plan to arrive before the sun rises and stay until noon when the birds leave the feeding area. Also, plan for many days for the birds to never show at the feeding area.