The 'Birder'

This is a bird photographer, 'chasing' the 'Snowy Plover' an

endangered species, which builds a shallow nest for its eggs on

areas like the sandy soil on the edge of this former sald pond (then

wonders why fox find them and eat them) -- not a particularlyt smart

bird. Your ratings and critiques are invited and most welcome. If

you rate harshly or very critically, please submit a helpful and

constructive comment/Please share your superior photographic

knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks! Enjoy! John

This is the shore/birm of a 'salt' pond from older times when marshes were not valued for their place in the food chain. Pardon the misspelling above in Request for Critique. I missed it and cannot correct it.

John (Crosley)

His camera is a Nikon D2X, but if if not, then it would be the largest Canon.

I have a pair of D2Xs and it looked, from a distance (I didn't want to disturb him) like a D2X body from the back when he moved his head. About the white lens, Nikon also makes white lenses, as well as Canon, but there indeed may be ways to hook a Canon lens to a Nikon, if you're into high-end custom stuff.

Of course, I may be wrong about the camera, it may be a Canon and this may be a Canon lens -- white barrel is their standard because of fluorite elements which are heat sensitive and need reflective coating to avoid heat aberration.

I did not understand when the man spoke to me, because of wind noises.

I gave him ample leeway - this is a 450 mm (film equiv.) telephoto capture.

John (Crosley)

White lens says "Canon." Snowy Plovers are found near here also. The road must be closed during nesting season because they nest on the shoulder, and the chicks wander into the roadway, or worse, the nearby freeway. Dumb bird, no wonder they are endangered.

Nice capture of an endangered species: birder w/Canon camera, lens, and elaborate tripod mount. Often posessed of more dollars than sense. ;-)

I know the camera, the D2X and would swear when he moved aside he was shooting a Nikon D2X.

White lens often says Canon, but Nikon also makes white lenses, though few may know that.

When you custom order a lens of that size, they'll probably make it to order.

They'd probably inlay it with diamonds if you paid a sufficient price or coat it with titanium.

Maybe is is shooting with a 16 megapixel, top-of-the-line Canon full-size sensor. He was clicking away his shutter click click click click click click sometimes when he got one in focus. It seemed a ittle eccentric to me. He certainly was equipped for the job with a hat that shielded not only his head but backlighting through his meter and clothes for the occasion.

This was a color photo, but the browning sandy soil he was sitting on made a very poor photo, so I desaturated. The rule: if color doesn't help, desaturate.

This is far better in B&W and for photographers at least, a most interesting photo, I think.

The gimble tripod is extremely expensive and very necessary for such a huge lense -- probably 600 mm.

Also good for doing video work, I think, at least for panning, although videographers use different tripods entirely.

I seldom use a tripod -- I shoot action and am entirely flexible. I'm not a documentarian, but someone who's a photographic opportunist.

Thanks for the pithy comment. Yes, snowy plovers are very stupid.

Where is 'here'?

John (Crosley)

True dedication may only mean he's got a wife at home who doesn't like him at home or he doesn't get along with kids very well, but that's probably too snarky.

He probably truly is a bird and photography lover, God bless him.

I'm a photography lover; birds I like too, but as subjects for my photography.

However, I note as a reporter for AP, I attended perhaps the nation's first interdisciplinary course on 'ecology' when the word was barely coined -- a long, long time ago.

AP didn't sponsor it, but it was concurrent with my AP duties and they made room for me to attend the class by adjusting my schedule -- it was composed as students of people who even were full professors, associate professors, department heads, and others from throughout a university in a western state that largely is undeveloped and has much wildlife and a fragile ecology in parts.

So, I'm no stranger to tree-hugging, but also no pushover for the word 'nature' as I have things in perspective.

My largest lens is just shorter than this one, and I don't use it.

John (Crosley)

John,

"Here" is the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, near the Don Edwards National Wildlife Preserve, a popular place for watching/photographing shorebirds.

I didn't know what a "Snowy Plover" look like and had to google/images it - with much anticipation of what I will find. I must admit, my dissapointment was great when I saw the little fella.

I just don't get bird photography.

But I love photos of people taking photos, and will view them time and time again. Thanks for this one.

Regards

JH

Someone wanted to know what that dark patch was in front of him on the sandy earth.

That's the shadow of the pterodactyl that snatched him.

I missed the capture, my Compact flash card was full and my camera wouldn't fire.

The 'birder's' missing now.

John (Crosley)

Ah, you are somewhat nearby, less than 90 miles away from where this photo was taken, so the climate is somewhat similar -- Pacific Coastal.

And Don Edwards, esteemed chairman of the House Judiciary Committee -- I went to law school with one of his sons and know a host of stories about him, about how he got his start in business after a career in the FBI by having his wife pose as a student doing 'research' on development to get official copies of 'tracts' in Santa Clara County (San Jose, etc.) which formed the basis of the title Company which he and she founded, and which financed his career -- she ran it, he worked in Congress and eventually she became a rancher in somewhere like King City (Valley Title Company) The County officials did not let the public inspect the records, so she managed to use her ruse to get into the records while the big boss was away, apparently on vacation. (probably they were 'private' to protect the established title company(ies). He foxed 'em.

And stories of House Speaker Carl Albert on Broadway with the silicone injected Strippers -- think Carol Doda.

One is his sons is a local judge; his swearing in was delayed because of claims he took crime money as a fee in a hallway, I seem to remember, but he overcame objections and has been a relatively good judge.

My 'friend' became a 'drug addict' -- he visited my house and late wife for the first visit he and started acting weird, and telling me the value (and fence value) of everything in our house. He since apparently straightend out. He had graduated law school and may have passed the bar -- a victim of spina bifida, lack of vitamin C as his fetus developed.

Funny, the triggers a name means, and I never met the powerful and laudable Don Edwards, having known so many true, personal things about him (as told by his son).

These little guys surely are disappointing. I could last about 15 minutes sitting there taking photos before I'd pack up and leave unless someone were paying me.

Thanks for the observation.

John (Crosley)

This is the sort of lens one needs if one lives in New York City and wants to find out what the couple in the distant skyscraper are doing -- their mating rituals ;~))

Instead this guy hauls it out of his van and sits there all day, taking photos of such disappointing little guys, and stupid guys too --- no wonder they're endangered.

Would the world really be at a loss if a fox got their last egg?

That's heresy in this world, of course, and this is a wildlife reserve, run by the state and protected by the Nature Conservancy.

And I do enjoy going there recently -- few know about it and the place is a treasure, full of birds, seals, sea lions, and a hundred sea otter.

Happy to hear from you.

John (Crosley)

;~))

John (Crosley)

I also like photos of photographers, particularly nutters like this one :)

It is indeed a Canon lens, specifically an EF600/4L (maybe IS), so I'd imagine that to be a 1 series body too. They look pretty similar to a D2X. The gimbal mount looks useful.

I can always count on you for accurate research. I'm just not motivated. I just know that's one d*mn big lens. And it seems to focus fairly closely for such a long lens. He's focusing on a bird, unseen, at pond's edge (see edge of pond in upper photo) in front of him, and I'll bet he can crop the top off of that little 'sucker' in the lens.

John (Crosley)

I looked in my camera bag and then at my beat-up car and realized why my car is a little beat-up and older. I'm taking photos with my new car, and a very nice new car at that, a hybrid with all the bells and whistles --- at least in my imagination. It says 'built by Nikon in Japan and/or Thailand'.

John (Crosley)

Can't see the point. The bird was almost at his feet -- actually a little bit out from the water's edge. With the lens, he could be taking eyeball photos (with a bit of eyelash -- so to speak, it being a bird and all).

;~))

John (Crosley)

Now that's a lens! Wonderful capture which definitely deserves a story to accompany it :)

I attempted, from a distance, to talk to this man, but prevailing breezes meant I could not understand what he said, and I didn't approach him across many, many feet of bare, sandy soil, for fear of frightening off the snowy plover he was chasing, so there, regrettably, is no story.

Sad, but true. Respectfulness got the better of me, and you know how much I like a good story.

John (Crosley)

I assumed by 'extension tube' you meant 'tele-extender', but you did indeed mean 'extension tube' and for that you are exactly correct.

Go to the head of the class!

John (Crosley)

Hey, John,

A great shot and a great story. And saying less-than-complimentary things about Carl Albert around here (Oklahoma) is cause for hangin'.

We have plovers here, too. They lay their eggs in gravel parking lots and wonder why they get run over. They do have some interesting ways of trying to divert you from their nests, though.

That sure is some gear he's got there, anyway. Probably takes him a week to get ready for the shoot.

Best Regards,

Barry