Hooded Merganser Help

[Jim Thomas]

I'm posting this cruddy image because I want to know how to do this. This hoodie was a bit upstream about 50 yards away. I didn't even know what it was until i magnified it in my viewfinder. All I could see was black and white and I just thought bufflehead or something like that. This was the first image but after the first shutter click, he turned around and started back upstream. So, is it even possible to get a quality image with a 150-500 mm zoom, and if it is how? if it isn't what kind of gear could? Also, the white is totally burnt, how would you even expose for this? I've never seen one of these so am crushed that I didn't get a usable shot. I also have some wood ducks, and a goldeneye with the same IQ. Everyone refuses to come over to my side of the river.

I posted all of the camera info, and the image is just the zero'd raw image converted to 8 bit. Inset image is 100%.

Thanks in advance,
Jim

File Info 1
File: DSC_5986.NEF, DSC_5986.JPG
Date Created: 5/1/2013 95054 AM
Date Modified: 5/1/2013 95054 AM
File Size: 10.1 MB, 4.12 MB
Image Size: L (4288 x 2848)
File Info 2
Date Shot: 5/1/2013 09505150
World Time: UTC-6, DST:ON
Image Quality: Compressed RAW (12-bit), Jpeg Fine (8-bit)
Artist:
Copyright:
Image Comment:
Camera Info
Device: Nikon D5000
Lens: VR 150-500mm F/5-6.3G
Focal Length: 500mm
Focus Mode: AF-C
AF-Area Mode: Dynamic
VR: ON
AF Fine Tune:
Exposure
Aperture: F/8
Shutter Speed: 1/800s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: 0EV
Exposure Tuning:
Metering: Matrix
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 800
Flash
Flash Sync Mode
Flash Mode:
Flash Exposure Comp.
Colored Gel Filter:
Image Settings
White Balance: Cloudy, 0, 0
Color Space: sRGB
High ISO NR: ON (High)
Long Exposure NR: OFF
Active D-Lighting: OFF
Image Authentication:
Vignette Control
Auto Distortion Control: OFF
Picture Control
Picture Control: [NL] NEUTRAL
Base
Quick Adjust: -
Sharpening: 2

[John Chardine]

Hi Jim- Well, the image isn't bad considering how far you were away from your subject. All things being equal, the farther you are away from your subject, the fewer pixels you are laying over your subject so when you magnify like here, you also magnify noise and the effects of the anti-aliasing filter over the sensor. Fewer pixels on subject compromises your ability to render fine detail. So, get closer to your subject. This you do with experience and the development of your field craft. The 150-500mm lens you have is perfectly capable of making sharp images for you.

Regarding exposure, here you have a scene with lots of dark tones and a few very small areas of highlights. Your meter measures the light levels in the scene and tries to render the average tone a neutral grey. This results in lots of detail in your shadow areas but clipped highlights. You need to expose for the highlights so that they are not clipped and let the rest of the scene fall where it may. This may result in dark shadow areas with little detail but you can't have everything. It is better to prioritise the highlight exposure. In this case a -EV value, perhaps -2/3rds of a stop may be all you needed. What does help in high contrast scenes is shooting with as low an ISO as you can afford- which provides more dynamic range- and picking your lighting conditions, which means staying away from bright sun.

[Jim Thomas]

Thanks for the reply. It seems that any ISO over 400 and the noise just gets bigger and bigger. In fact, on this occassion, I turned on the high iso NR to see if it made any difference. Still not sure if it did anything. It was morning and the sun was just starting to make it above the trees so it lit the scene. I was hand holding which was probably a mistake, but I thought the less gear I had the less likely I would be to spook the birds. What settings would you have changed? In this instance would spot metering have worked better? I've managed sharp, clear shots in the past, but only if the subject is relatively close, here I'm right on the riverbank and couldn't get closer.

Thanks again,

Jim

[Clyde Hopper]

Hi Jim ,I find myself on the river bank quite often too .I have found that a cheap "Pop-up" type blind is light enough to carry on my back with a foldout chair and the ducks will swim up and not pay you any attention when in it. I never seem to get the same results hiding behind trees ,and without the blind I seem to always get grasses in the frame as a blur/oof spot of Oops. Just a thought ,but the blind helps me anyway.

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Jim,

Great questions, and the back and forth above is educational. As noted, you are simply too far away from the subject - working the subject and field technique can be as important or more that the cameral acumen. To give you a general rule of distance that I use,...try and ensure the subject is at least 15% of the frame,..20% or more is better. The old saying is "if your pictures are not good enough,..you are not close enough"

Keep em coming!!

[Jim Thomas]

Funny that you mention the pop up blind, as I was planning on trying that route this weekend. It's nice to know that the ducks don't freak over them. I had gotten it to get closer to deer, and I had it set up in my yard so they would get used to it. Turns out with my deer, they prefer a less sneaky approach. Now I just plop my chair out in the open and wait.

Thanks again,
Jim

Hi Jim ,I find myself on the river bank quite often too .I have found that a cheap "Pop-up" type blind is light enough to carry on my back with a foldout chair and the ducks will swim up and not pay you any attention when in it. I never seem to get the same results hiding behind trees ,and without the blind I seem to always get grasses in the frame as a blur/oof spot of Oops. Just a thought ,but the blind helps me anyway.

[Doug West]

This is what I do for Wood Ducks.

A lot of ponds I visit are 'no feed' zones. What I'll do is, throw a little pebble or two in the water. That's
usually enough to arouse their curiosity, which is usually followed by them swimming near me to check
out what's going on. By the time they've figured it was a false alarm and start swimming away, I've
already fired off a few shots.

Like Jeff, I also have my own rule on when not to snap the shutter. For me, the bird has to be at least
bigger than one focus point. If my focus point is bigger than the bird, I wait.

Doug

[PhilCook]

A little something I wrote up a while back that may help....or at least offer a laugh or two.






So you want to photograph birds: by Colin, Phil, Seesee and a couple of other names not as polite







Nankeen Kestral




Black shouldered Kite




Red backed Kingfisher



Black winged Stilt


So you want to photograph birds......this works for me...........get very close ........and then get closer still



I'll do my best to enlighten you on how to get the most out of your birding with a few tips that I use to get results, sometimes they work, just as often they don't. Having lots of time up your sleeve and having your camera on hand is a big step in getting " that shot " I put in a lot of time and effort into getting bird images, sometimes I get lucky quickly, sometimes I spend days, or wait many months to get a particular shot. A lot of my best shots have only been achieved because I was by chance there at the time...and did not leave the camera home. There are infinite variables in birding, and one needs to be versatile and adaptable to lots of situations, mainly because so much of the time things will not be the same second time round. My methods and perceived tips will no doubt conflict with others opinions and techniques. I'm a firm believer in " keeping it simple ". I seem to achieve better shots much of the time by not over complicating anything, I don't fill my head with numerous thoughts about shall I use IS/VR or not, or a thousand other functions my lens or camera is capable of, which I have no need for in the field, too many shots are lost because I hesitated in contemplating some camera functions use, special camera and lens features imo are designed for the studio, not on the fly. I personally find IS/VR more hit an miss than its value, I prefer the old and tried method of pick your lighting direction well to maintain a good shutter speed etc, pick your moment well and almost always use a sturdy tripod. Sturdy tripods are heavy to lug around, but more often make all the difference imo. If I haven't the tripod, as does happen now and then, I utilise what is around me, lean the camera and/or yourself against a tree for stability, or rest the camera and lens on a branch, rock or similar for extra good support, there is almost always something nearby to assist in holding the camera steady.

There are no rules set in stone !....but.....


#1...basic birding equipment and tips

...minimum 300mm focal length lens, prime preferably so a TC can be used on it as well
...sturdy tripod preferably to lessen the incidence of blurred shots

...external flash { although I rarely use mine }

...binoculars or long focal length lens


#2...Wear drab clothing, camo colours help but are not essential, just don't wear anything bright and obvious....hot pink makes me look silly. Karki is very good as it blends in with a lot of flora and terrain in various regions... tends to be durable as well. Wear a hat, the simple addition of a hat can make quite a difference in the way a bird perceives you, your human form. The outline of a hat breaks up the human form, birds seem to have a natural wariness of the human shape. I choose to wear a Sloppy Joe hat as it breaks up my outline and at the same time I can put my eye to the camera viewfinder without removing it.

get closer


#3.....get close....and then get closer still to get that fine detail we all like. A 70-300 kit lens at minimum focus distance will deliver as sharp a result as a good prime lens, good glass is more important at longer focal distances, but excellent shots can be had with lesser lenses...some of my best shots to date have been done with my old Tamron 70-300 f4.5-5.6 but only by getting very close.


#4...to get the best shot possible is go out at every opportunity with the camera and look for suitable subjects, I have the fortune to have a lot of time to pursue my interests. The species you go after of course will depend on the region you are covering. A good knowledge of birds in that region is important, you must understand their habits to know where and when to go, seasonal habits etc. You need to know what to expect from a particular birds behaviour...how it feeds and perching and nesting preferences for example. If you see a bird, observe it's habits by watching and waiting in an inconspicuous manner as possible. Take note of it's habitual perching routine if it has one, a particular bush it's feeding upon and set up near to that spot and wait, be observant......and wait......and wait

then get very very close


#5...getting close is hit and miss, emphasis on miss, I don't give up easily,but keep trying until hopefully I get generally within 20 feet of the subject. [ for most of my smallish bird shots if I don't get within 20 feet/6 metres I don't take the shot, even at 500mm focal length, less cropping later in PS the better.

....Getting close can involve staking out a water hole where the birds are known to drink or bathe from. Look for shallow puddles or very shallow marshes or lake edges, preferably with branches or rocks in the shallows the birds can drink from, or jump back and forth off to bathe. Set up some sticks in the water if you can, if the birds come in to drink there is a good chance they will land on the stick just above the water to observe first. If you place or poke the stick in the puddle at an angle then it tends to be even more an attraction for drinking easily. Obviously Summer time tends to attract birds to water more so than cooler weather, and a secluded water source in hot weather will attract birds from quite a distance, but even in Winter birds will still come for a shallow water source. A water source with bushes or trees on the edges is often best as it gives the birds a safer entry/exit point to come in to drink. Find some cover near the water source such as bushes to hide in as inconspicuously as you can. I have also used various water drums secreted in the forest to bring in a large variety of birds at close range. Find a secluded place in the forest where the birds are known to be, usually in a small opening in the forest, but surrounded by bushes so the birds feel more secure, rather than out in the open. Pre-focus you camera on the spot you think, or hope the birds will come to as it saves precious micro seconds to get the shot before it flies off.....gotta be quick much of the time, slow reactions will be your downfall

Food can also be a great attraction for birds, one can easily see that if one has a bird feeder in the back yard. I would not suggest taking bird seed into the native bush lands however for fear that uneaten seed would germinate and become yet another feral weed infestation A few Mealworms or the like placed on a log or ground can be a huge temptation for a number of birds species without harming the native bush. Many a photograph of Ospreys, Pelicans, etc catching fish have been achieved by throwing dead fish into the water and waiting for them to pounce on it. Even staking out road kill on one of our highways can bring great photographic rewards when raptors like Eagles, Hawks etc home in on it, and often shots at close range are achievable, just watch out for high speed cars using the same roadway.

then get real close


#6...The use of hides can be very rewarding, so long as you know where the birds are going to be. Hides I use are generally makeshift arrangements using a simple piece of see through cameo cloth, and/or in combination with a few stick poles found in the bush to erect some form of tent like arrangement. I find the simplest and quickest makeshift cameo tent arrangement is 3 to 5 sticks about 5 or 6 foot long, bound together at the top with a simple rubber band Teepee style with the cameo cloth wrapped around it works well in many situations. {{ a few rubber bands and bulldog clips are extra good items to have in you camera bag }. By far the simplest, and by no means least effective hide is simply drape the cameo cloth over your head { Gurka style } and keep still...this breaks up the human form as mentioned earlier and puts the birds more at ease.

Below is an image of the cameo cloth I use and a basic bush hide I made earlier in the week using the cloth and wind fallen branches in the forest, set up in front of a small pool of water and perching/staging sticks I made to attract birds in.



or alternatively you can buy something like these, but myself I find they get very hot to sit in sometimes and a bit bulky to transport along with other gear, but they work great !http://www.manvswild...rod&productId=2

...cars make great bird hides, some of my best shots are taken from the car whilst driving slowly along back roads...or even highways. I simply drive around slowly and if I see a bird get as close as I can and simply rest the camera and lens on the window ledge. I often find too that if I approach a bird with the car I keep the windows right up, and only let them down accordingly when close enough to the bird. Dark tinted windows I think tend to hide the occupants better as well, and I do believe the birds are more wary of the human shapes seen through the glass than they are of a car approaching. I guess birds are used to seeing cars coming along a road rather than humans....and of course, turn off radios doof doof

The other method of course is hike around in hope to find something special because not all birds will visit the water holes or come near your hide...and they are in the vast majority sadly. Sometimes I only need to hike a small way, I may see some flowering trees that attract birds and there they are. But most of the time I spend a lot of weary times lugging camera gear through some pretty inhospitable terrain. The area you are birding may have more birds than you would think initially, so take time and explore at a slow pace. Some pretty obvious tips for doing the bird walk thing would be......

...be quiet !.....be aware of where you tread, snapping twigs are a dead giveaway

...move slowly and pause for 5 to 10 minutes often and just watch and listen.

...keep all movements slow and deliberate.

still not close enough


#7....Stalking is a skill that needs practice { and a lot of luck } but some basic rules are....

.....walk very slowly, no sudden movement, not even to swat a fly

.....approach your subject keeping trees and bushes between you and the bird as much as possible so it cant see you.

.....walk at an angle to the bird, not straight towards it

.....try not to make eye contact, peer out of the corner of your eye or from under your hat from time to time, but keep watch on the birds movements.

....watch for edginess from the bird, if it seems like it's about to fly off,or is jittery then stop walking, and watch and wait. As soon as you see the bird settle down a little or turn it's head away from your direction then approach another step or two closer. Don't rush the approach, step by step, inch by inch so as not to startle the bird......sudden movements will have the same reaction in the bird...it'll suddenly fly off Watching and waiting for the bird to start preening is usually a good sign it's feeling at ease.

....I often find keeping my tripod directly in front of me obscuring my face is a big help often, { or maybe I';m just downright ugly ? }....but once again because it breaks up the human outline putting the bird more at ease. Or I will drape my 12 foot x 5 foot of cameo cloth over my head, with hat over the top to essentially make myself a walking hide.....or possibly a zombie looking bush creature {Zombies dont eat birds, only the brains of humans }


#8...More attractions...."playback" which is the term used for playing back a particular birds call by using any one of various recording devices, mp3 players, mobile phones etc There are a number of different recordings of bird song available on the Internet, buy them in CD form and transfer to your portable playback device, they can be attained through people like David Stewart http://www.naturesound.com.au/ or other sources. The use of playback can be a controversial issue, some folk don't approve of it's use, but I'm of the opinion it is fine in moderation, not abused in one spot, on one bird repeatedly. Repeated use of playback can have the effect that the particular species of bird pays no more attention to it and will not react in the way one hopes. Some Conservation Park areas these days that contain various endangered birds ask you not to use playback as it can make it impossible for the researchers to call the birds in for their scientific research.

Playback does not work on all species, on many, if not most, it has the reverse effect of scaring the birds away, whether that's because in bird language we are actually saying to it " I'm going to kill you, you worthless flying turkey ! " ....or do you want to build a nest with me my little chickadee ?

Playback often works well on many of the Wren species, Fantails, Whistlers,Robins, Pardalotes, and a number of other smaller species to name a few. It doesn't often work well with flocking birds, especially the parrot species, and most water birds pay no heed to it at all....nor do the raptors, which is probably a good thing. Using playback can be fun, in fact it's fascinating when a Robin or Wren comes right down to stand in ones own personal space....that gets real cute.

Using playback can be even more useful when using an external speaker to emit the sound to attract a bird to a particular perch, or other area. Simply place the external speaker to a spot under or near where you hope the birds will come and play the call using your mp3 to control volume, species, frequency etc. .........on the odd occasion it works out ... but there are a lot of failures before it works the way you want it.... like most things. There a variety of external speakers on the market and I've tried a few, most of the cheapest don't work well enough from lack of volume. The external speakers will probably need to have it's own inbuilt amplifier, some are louder than others. I was using this external speakerhttp://www.amazon.co...t/dp/B001COYG26 attached to my mobile phone earphone jack. Works well, is rugged and semi water proof. I have since found out the sound quality of reproduction is a bit lousy so I bought a cheap, more lightweight speaker made by Memorex...but there are lots to choose from.

The curiosity of many birds can be aroused by even simple things like the sound of coins jingled in your pocket, making kissy kissy noises or tapping/scraping, or tearing softly the bark of the nearest tree to imitate something feeding nearby.

So..........that's it for the moment, if anything else comes to mind I'll add to it, but in essence I don't have any real secrets or special techniques for getting bird photos. My main reason for getting good shots is simply I go birding often, mostly on weekdays and never leave home without the camera....the more you do it, the more opportunities come your way...law of averages.



oh yeah....and did I mention get close...and then get closer still ....and if all else fails...buy a Chicken Suit and cover yourself with bird seed LOL

[Jim Thomas]

Excellent ideas! The focuspoint rule is a great one, much easier than percentages or numbers.

Jim

This is what I do for Wood Ducks.

A lot of ponds I visit are 'no feed' zones. What I'll do is, throw a little pebble or two in the water. That's
usually enough to arouse their curiosity, which is usually followed by them swimming near me to check
out what's going on. By the time they've figured it was a false alarm and start swimming away, I've
already fired off a few shots.

Like Jeff, I also have my own rule on when not to snap the shutter. For me, the bird has to be at least
bigger than one focus point. If my focus point is bigger than the bird, I wait.

Doug

[Jim Thomas]

Thanks Phil. I pretty much do all of the above and on this occassion I was draped with a cammo cloth, had food scattered around, used various calls from my phone, etc. Despite all those efforts, nobody wanted to come over to my side of the river. I was just dissapointed that even with the long lens i still wasn't close enough. The river is also high and fast right now, so maybe crossing it is treacherous.

Jim