Birds Birds in Flight Thread - Post Your Shots Here

[GvilleRick]

I was watching a ruby-throated hummingbird at my feeder and then saw him fly over to to harass a praying mantis that was hanging upside down on the shepherd's hook.

• ILCE-7RM5
• FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
• 200.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/1600 sec
• ISO 5000

• ILCE-7RM5
• FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
• 200.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/1600 sec
• ISO 4000

• ILCE-7RM5
• FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
• 200.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/1600 sec
• ISO 3200

• ILCE-7RM5
• FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
• 200.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/2500 sec
• ISO 8000

• ILCE-7RM5
• FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
• 200.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/2500 sec
• ISO 5000

 

[GrünerBär]

Being just an amateur in BIF I start with this Gunnet. I got him at the Brampton cliffs in Yorkshire this Summer.
Hope you like it.

Cheers Mario

PS. The second picture shows the rush hour at the cliffs

 

[Doug Herr]

Forster's Tern, San Francisco bay area

• ILCE-1
• FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS + 2X Teleconverter
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/3200 sec
• ISO 640

 

[spudhead]

kestrel at long range not sure if I have posted this before so sorry if that is the case

• ILCE-1
• FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS + 2X Teleconverter
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/5000 sec
• ISO 2000

 

[spudhead]

gull a

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/7.1
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 500

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 200–600 mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G) + 1.4X Teleconverter (SEL14TC)
• 840.0 mm
• ƒ/9
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 1000

bit boring

 

[AlphaWorld]

A black kite in flight enjoying a windy day - there were multiple black kites around enjoying it.

Bright sun - so bright I was at 1/16000 f/2.8 ISO 250 at 188mm on the 70-200mm GM II on the A9 III. This is about a 1/3 x 1/3 crop from the original frame.

 

[Doug Herr]

Rufous Hummingbird, Yolo County California USA

• ILCE-1
• FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS + 2X Teleconverter
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/500 sec
• ISO 800

• ILCE-1
• FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS + 2X Teleconverter
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/1250 sec
• ISO 1600

• ILCE-1
• FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS + 2X Teleconverter
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/1600 sec
• ISO 1600

• ILCE-1
• FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS + 2X Teleconverter
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/1600 sec
• ISO 1600

 

[spudhead]

male kestrel

• ILCE-1
• FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS + 2X Teleconverter
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/4000 sec
• ISO 1600

 

[Slug]

Fan-tailed Cuckoo.

• ILCE-1
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 245.0 mm
• ƒ/7.1
• 1/2500 sec
• ISO 1250

 

[AlphaWorld]

Australian White Ibis (aka "bin chicken")

I like this shot because I imagine the bird on the left calling out "Wait for me!".

Shot on the A9III using the 70-200 GM II (200mm) wide open at f/2.8, ISO 250, 1/10000

 

[AlphaWorld]

Major Mitchell Cockatoo - full flaps as it comes in to land

This is 100% - 2000x2000 cropped from 6000x4000
A9 III with a 70-200 GM II + 1.4x TC, full zoom to 280mm, wide open at f/4, 1/2000, ISO 250

 

[GT12]

A lilac breasted roller, a vulture and a Great Horned Owl (well, just finishing flying) in Zimbabwe a few months ago.

• ILCE-7RM5
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 481.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 250

• ILCE-7RM5
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/8
• 1/500 sec
• ISO 500

• ILCE-7C
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 259.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/800 sec
• ISO 320

 

[iamdlewis]

A lilac breasted roller, a vulture and a Great Horned Owl (well, just finishing flying) in Zimbabwe a few months ago.

I don't know what that hawk is for certain, think some kind of Goshawk, but it is defiantly not a Great Horned Owl.

 

[GT12]

I don't know what that hawk is for certain, think some kind of Goshawk, but it is defiantly not a Great Horned Owl.

I’m sure you’re right. I’m really not a birder and made the classic error of relying on my iPhone identifying the image!

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Flamingo Fly By at Salina de San Pedro

• ILCE-7RM4
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 394.0 mm
• ƒ/10
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 400

 

[AlphaWorld]

NOT a closeup shot. Not even a great shot (sorry!)

Just an answer to "Why aren't there more birds flying?"...

When there are a pair (probably a mated pair) of wedge tail eagles casually orbiting in the sky, I think the average bird looks up and thinks, "nope, not today!".

A wedgetail can soar for hours on end, using minimal energy, and their sight is far more acute than ours. They are the apex predators of the Australian skies.

 

[Ralph]

Australian Pelican

• ILCE-7M3
• 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports 021
• 284.1 mm
• ƒ/7.1
• 1/5000 sec
• ISO 640

• ILCE-7M3
• 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports 021
• 284.1 mm
• ƒ/7.1
• 1/5000 sec
• ISO 640

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Black-Headed Gull dive sequence

• ILCE-7RM4
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/10
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 800

• ILCE-7RM4
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/10
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 1000

• ILCE-7RM4
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/10
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 1000

 

[EdHarrison]

So, I'm asking for some advice. I am shooting with Sony a1, 200-600 G with 1.4x teleconverter and stabilization on. Even with, what I think is adequate lighting and somewhat lower ISO, and high shutter speed, my images seem noisy and soft. Take, for example, this image below. The subject is backlit by the sun coming from left. ISO is 1250, shutter speed 1/3200, I was locked on with the focus. I was on a tripod with a gimbal, panning the bird as it was in flight. What am I doing wrong? Or am I expecting too much?

 

[EdHarrison]

Sorry, here's the image. I tried to upload the RAW file but the server wouldn't let me. Here's the export from Lightroom with no adjustments.

• ILCE-1
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS + 1.4X Teleconverter
• 280.0 mm
• ƒ/8
• 1/3200 sec
• ISO 1250

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Sorry, here's the image. I tried to upload the RAW file but the server wouldn't let me. Here's the export from Lightroom with no adjustments.

View attachment 67563

I would say that the main cause of noise with those settings is underexposure, which is a killer on high resolution sensors like the A1. Your subject here is a tricky one to expose well, lots of highlights will throw the sensor off being accurate. The bird is in focus, and the noise isn't terribly bad either, but exposure will be the key, especially with the TC involved, as you are losing a stop of light. I would try over exposing a little, as it's easier to correct and causes far less noise. BTW, don't worry about ISO creeping up, with a bit of processing it's easy to sort. I'll post an image below, taken at 4000 to give you an idea.
Hope that helps.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Whiskered Tern , a first for me. Taken at El Fondo, Spain.

• ILCE-7RM4
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/10
• 1/3200 sec
• ISO 4000

 

[EdHarrison]

I would try over exposing a little, as it's easier to correct and causes far less noise.

So, shoot to the right (STTR) - seems like I remember reading that somewhere before.

I'll give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion. Much appreciated.

 

[EdHarrison]

Whiskered Tern , a first for me. Taken at El Fondo, Spain.

Beautiful photo!

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

So, shoot to the right (STTR) - seems like I remember reading that somewhere before.

I'll give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion. Much appreciated.

No worries. Another thing to try is different metering modes. Centre Weighted, full etc. Spot is good with bright subjects sometimes, but can overexpose the background.

 

[iamdlewis]

So, I'm asking for some advice. I am shooting with Sony a1, 200-600 G with 1.4x teleconverter and stabilization on. Even with, what I think is adequate lighting and somewhat lower ISO, and high shutter speed, my images seem noisy and soft. Take, for example, this image below. The subject is backlit by the sun coming from left. ISO is 1250, shutter speed 1/3200, I was locked on with the focus. I was on a tripod with a gimbal, panning the bird as it was in flight. What am I doing wrong? Or am I expecting too much?

I don't like using the teleconverters with the 200-600 as one of the issues I encounter with that is not realizing how far away the subject actually is. 840mm mean that the subject can be quite far which means that there is a lot of air between the two of you and even on cooler days there can be atmospheric interference that you just can't see. So I just go with if it seems small at 600mm it isn't worth taking.

 

[spudhead]

• ILCE-1
• FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS + 2X Teleconverter
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 1250

 

[AlphaWorld]

Sorry, here's the image. I tried to upload the RAW file but the server wouldn't let me. Here's the export from Lightroom with no adjustments.

View attachment 67563

Pretty sure you cannot upload RAW files, and for best results you should scale your JPEGs to 2000 pixels on the long edge ( @Tim Mayo can confirm that ).

I like the shot, but I’d be inclined to crop it.

 

[EdHarrison]

Pretty sure you cannot upload RAW files, and for best results you should scale your JPEGs to 2000 pixels on the long edge ( @Tim Mayo can confirm that ).

I like the shot, but I’d be inclined to crop it.

Yes, I agree. Normally I would crop it. But for context I wanted to show the entire photo.

 

[spudhead]

Sorry, here's the image. I tried to upload the RAW file but the server wouldn't let me. Here's the export from Lightroom with no adjustments.

View attachment 67563

Hi Ed I note from the metadata that you have the 1.4x on but are using the lens at the short end 200 mm giving 280 mm , I do use the 1.4x on the 200-600 with the 1.4x but mainly to gain reach at the long end, so most of my shots are at f9 840mm, the combo doe`s work if you are careful. As Kev states exposing for egrets is tricky, its just a case of practice really I don`t have many shots of egrets with 1.4x and the ones I do have are not the best here is one of mine a bit soft and -0.3 ev

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 200–600 mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G) + 1.4X Teleconverter (SEL14TC)
• 840.0 mm
• ƒ/10
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 800