For a number of years now, I have been photographing Eastern Bluebirds in our mountaintop cemetery in Montreal. Currently I have more than enough photos of these birds perched on various nest boxes and trees on t
he property.
My recent purchase of a Nikon D300 body and battery grip has given me the ability to shoot at a rate of 8 frames per second. This combined with my fast 300mm f 2.8 VR lens and matching tele-converter, has put me in the position of attempting flight shots of these bluebirds feeding their young.
Just recently, at a nest box in a quiet section of the property, I put my new setup to the test. With my gear on a tripod, about 50 or 60 feet to one side of the nest box, I locked in focus just on the very front edge of the box.
I then re-composed and made sure the gear was locked into a position that left lots of air space for the adult to fly into. I sat quietly off to the side, partly hidden and with m
y cable release in hand, waited patiently.
The female, who in this case, was the only one feeding the young, always perched nearby- before making a bee line for the box opening. As soon as I sensed her leaving her perch- I fired away at 8 frames per second- often catching her suspended in mid-air, with a mouthful of insects!
My current shooting has been done in ever-changing morning light and often at 1/3200 second, f4 and iso 800.
Finally….I had some variety to enliven my portfolio!
Chuck Kling.
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