November 29 -- The 2nd Outing With the Canon 7D MK II

I went back to the Overton Wildlife Management Area here in the Moapa Valley yesterday the 29th, spending 10 hours there -- and having all 17,000-plus acres virtually to myself. (Hunt days at the WMA are on even days, so today, the 30th, it's a no-no for non-hunters to enter there. And I can hear the gunfire sitting here at the RV park.) I had a grand time, and if possible had even more fun at the WMA than the previous time I spent there. The bird photos were taken with the MK II, and for the landscapes, which are included to give you a "feel" for the place, I used my "new" landscape camera the 7D MK I, which replaces the 40D which has been relegated to "backup" status. The lenses used are the 500 f/4 with a 1.4x TC, and the landscape lens is the 17-55 f/2.8 IS. So once again, come along for the hike, which took 10 hours... ;o)

The scene is set with this photo, taken in the Overton WMA looking west to the Valley of Fire in the center distance, with its signature red rock. Many of the fields in the WMA are half-flooded this time of year, providing good habitat for, as an example, Wilson's Snipe; I saw at least 20 of them yesterday, usually as they were flying away from me (they blend in very well with their surroundings) --

 

Here's a Sharp-shinned Hawk -- at least I'm pretty sure it is and not a Cooper's Hawk; look at those thin "sharp shins", i.e., "legs", and there was a larger Cooper's in the same tree just below this one. Camera exif ISO 200, f/10 @ 1/500 sec -- 

This next photo is a tad blurry -- there were a lot of branches in the way, always a challenge for any camera to focus through -- but here's the juvenile Cooper's Hawk that was sharing the same tree as the Sharp-shinned above, which was to its left and above when I took the photo. ISO 200, f/10 @ 1/500 sec. I shoot almost exclusively in Aperture Priority, just because.. I do. :o)

I KNEW the Sharpie was about to take off, so I switched over from AI Servo to AI Focus and put the focusing point ahead of the bird, in the direction I thought it was going to fly. And it did...But the subsequent shots weren't as sharp, as the Sharpie flew into a screen of branches, so I'm glad I got the is one from the sequence -- ISO 200, f/8 @ 1/800 sec -- 

Next up is a whole mess o' Red-winged Blackbirds in one of the WMA's agricultural fields. There must've been at least -- let's see, 1, 2, 3...500 in this flock. ;o) ISO 200, f/6.3 @ 1/320 sec -- 

Here's the same flock a bit later, wheeling around in the air in a fairly tight formation above the agricultural field. How they can do that and not crash into each other I do not know... ISO 200, f/6.3 @ 1/400 sec -- 

Next up is "just" a juvie White-crowned Sparrow, but in great light and a complimentary bg, ISO 200, f/8 @ 1/640 sec -- 

Here's a Kildeer poking around the mucky mudflat, which also had a small flock of Least Sandpipers. ISO 200, f/9 @ 1/640 sec. -- 

I managed to get focus on both of these Kildeer, not all that easy to accomplish as they're at different distances from the camera. And for those prurient few out there, the female was raising her behind so the male could mount her, which they did just after this photo was taken... ISO 200, f/8 @ 1/640 sec -- 

Marsh Wrens rarely come out in the open, preferring to stay hidden in marshes or cattails. For whatever reason, this Marsh Wren gave me about 30 seconds of its time, out in the open for all to see, and after it fled back into the cattails I thanked it for giving me some of its valuable time.. ISO 200, f/8 @ 1/500 sec --

I think scenics like this put the WMA in perspective, and gives the viewer a "feel" for the area...This is a crossing of the Muddy River, which goes through the wildlife area. Fun to drive through FAST -- well, you can't really go THAT fast... 

Honeybee Pond, the northernmost of the "ponds" at the WMA, which depending on the time of year can be the size of small lakes. Lots of water birds can be found here -- Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Cormorants, ducks, Canada Geese... 

The next photo was taken near Honeybee Pond, which is just out of the photo to the right, and is looking east to the Moapa Valley mesa (see the "M" for Moapa), with Virgin Peak, er, "peeking' over the mesa on the right. It's just an awesome area scenically, and when you throw in clouds, my my....

Next up is one of those Great Blue Herons I mentioned that can be found at Honeybee Pond, though this one is in a "wet" area just north of Honeybee. ISO 100, f5.6 @ 1/800 sec. --

Song Sparrow, ISO 200, f/5.6 @ 1/800 sec -- 

This is one of my favorite areas at the WMA -- I call it Butter Butt Lane as it invariably has lots of Y 

Yellow-rumped Warblers that sally forth from the branches to fly-catch. Spotted Towhee, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and the occasional Hairy Woodpecker can be found here, too -- 

Coming up is Butter Butt Lane, looking south. The fall colors now on display at the WMA are gorgeous -- 

Also taken along Butter Butt Lane, with the autumnal colors reflected in the pond, and trees with fall color in the background -- 

Getting back to the 7D MK II -- it can even focus on a bird WAY out there. I accomplished the same thing with the 7D MK I, but not with the same degree of success. Most cameras would have trouble focusing on a white dot with a multicolored background -- not the MK II. Snowy Egret, ISO 100, f/5.6 @ 1/800 sec -- 

A Sage Sparrow popped up in a "sage-brushy" habitat when I pished -- sometimes it works, other times it doesn't, but it seems like Sparrows are more apt to respond to it than other birds. ISO 100, f/5.6 @ 1/500 sec -- 

This inquisitive Orange-crowned Warbler came pretty close to me -- I almost had to back up with the 500 plus 1.4TC as the minimum focusing distance for the pair is about 20 feet. ISO 200, f/9 @ 1/800 sec -- 

Pintails on parade!  BIF shot, ISO 100, f/6.3 @ 1/800 sec -- 

Pintails on parade, part II... Same settings as the previous photo  as this was part of a 10fps burst mode sequence -- 

A Snowy Egret in-flight, with a desert mountain backdrop. You can even see its tongue here... ISO 100, f/5.6 @ 1/800 sec -- 

Autumn colors at the WMA, with desert mountains in the background -- 

Here's a Say's Phoebe that I captured just as he was poised to fly -- but decided not to after I snapped this photo. ISO 400, f/5.6 @ 1/640 sec -- 

The next was taken just before sunset, and the sun had just gone behind low-lying clouds, so as an experiment I upped the ISO setting to 1000, and snapped away at the Red-tailed Hawk. Didn't turn out too bad!  ISO 1000, f/5.6 @ 1/500 sec -- 

It was now 10 hours after I started -- what a day! And I am convinced more than ever that the Canon 7D MK II is THE perfect camera for me, and "camera lust" has been assuaged for at least another 5 years...