Attention Shifts To Whiterails As Turkey Activity Dies

Mid to late May and turkeys may still be seen, but gobbling activity is really dying down.  It is still possible to hear a gobbler or see one strutting, but one is more likely to spend a morning without hearing one and when they do see a mature bird it is most likely to be feeding. 

Leaving The Meadow: Canon 7D-Canon 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 118mm-ISO 400-1/200 sec. f 6.3

Mature Gobbler: Canon 7D-Canon 55-250mm f 4.5-5.6 IS STM @ 250mm -ISO 400-1/400 sec. f8.0

I normally use Canon L lenses for most of my photography, but I have used two non-L lenses quite a bit this spring.  The Canon 70D does an excellent job at shooting video, as it has superb auto-focus in video mode instead of the slow, hunting auto focus that was the norm in previous versions.  This was unusable for wildlife filming so I always filmed in manual focus mode.  The focusing problem was solved with the 70D and in fact may have been solved with the Rebel T4i or 5i, but I never tried those as they did not have the 3x crop mode.

At any rate focusing is now very acceptable with the exception that the built in microphone or a shotgun mike mounted on camera picks up the noise of the focus motor.  There are some work arounds for this including putting the mike off-camera, but the solution with the least hassle is using Canon  STM lenses which were built to give silent operation in video mode.  The downside is there are only a few models of these  lenses and they do not use premium quality glass or construction. They are available only in the EF-S mount and must  be used only on crop-sensor Canons.  I acquired used copies of the  18-135mm f 3.5-5.6 IS STM and  55-250mm 4.5-5.6  IS STM  lenses this spring from KEH in Atlanta, Georgia.

Both lenses perform very well for video and they do a decent job at still photography.  It seems that my copy of the 18-135mm is a bit better built than the 55-250mm, but I really have no complaints about either considering that the 55-250 cost less than $300.00, while the 18-135 was under $350.00.  They do not have the stinging sharpness of the L lenses for still photos and I miss the wider maximum f stop of lens like the 70-200mm f 2.8, but of course when needed one can still use the L lenses when needed in video mode and use work-arounds for the sound.  The STM lenses were instrumental in causing me to use the old 7D quite a bit more this spring for still photograhy than I usually would have,  as it was common to have whichever lens which was not on the 70D mounted on the 7D and lying close at hand.

I take few landscapes, but I used the 18-135mm for many of those that I did take. It compares  well with lenses such as the 28-135mm IS in EF mount on a full frame camera,  as with the 1.6 sensor crop factor of the 7D--70D, etc. this lens has a focal length equivalent of  about 29mm--216m.

Late Evening : Canon 7D-Canon 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 18mm-ISO 400-1/125 sec-. f 8.0

My attention is shifting to the whitetail deer as turkey activity winds down,  the time for the birth of the whitetail fawns is at hand and  bucks with significant antler growth are appearing.

New Growth : Canon 7D-Canon 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 135mm-ISO 400-1/200 sec-. f6.3

The one below is the largest I have seen so far this spring.  In my experience bucks in our area that are this size now usually make bucks of eight points or more by early July.  Both bucks are at least two years old. This photo below is also  the only one shown today that was taken with an L (600mm) lens and the 5D MK III.  At first glance it may not look  as good as those taken with the 7D and STM lenses, but this is a photo that could not have been taken with those lenses.  It was very early and the buck was much farther away than the one above.  In retrospect I should have started at ISO 1600 and tried a lower shutter speed, but I fired a few frames at ISO 3200 first and it had the most pleasing pose so I posted it today, but the frames taken at ISO 1600 showed less grain and better sharpness.

Mature Buck : Canon 5D MK III-Canon 600mm F4 IS L-ISO 3200-1/160 sec-. f5.0

Hopefully I will have some young fawn photos to post soon. Some fawns in this area are born as early as Mid-May, but the bulk are born during the first two weeks of June so I should be seeing them any day now.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

A Quartet Of Gobblers

Just a short time ago it was common, to see gobblers strutting and gobbling while courting the hens, but now it is becoming rare.  Today we will look at a few of my best gobbler photos taken this spring. In most cases I prefer to be very close to the birds, but the gobblers in the photos below are 150 yards away as measured by my Bushnell rangefinder.

Quartet Of Gobblers: Canon 5D MKIII-Canon 600mm F 4.0 IS L- ISO 400-1/250 sec - f 8.0

I began my session with the birds by using the 5D MK III camera body on the 600mm F 4.0 with 1.4X extender, but soon changed to the 7D body to take advantage of the 1.6 crop sensor. I have owned a 5D MK III since 2012 and I am still not certain if there is an advantage to  using the crop sensors for long range work or if one is better off using the full frame and cropping more in post production.  With that being said the photos shown today are not the best for comparison as they are cropped in post and  do not show what frame size and detail each camera captures at that distance. They are also cropped to different aspect ratios with two of them being 3:2 and two 4:5. In addition the sun was not out when I the 5D MK III and  it was in those that I used the 7D. Compared to the 7D, I can get sharp focus more reliably with the 5D MK III and it performs much better at higher ISO settings, but  the bottom line is that the 7D is still capable of excellent results even though it will soon have been out there for five years.

There are actually four gobblers in the photos below, but only three are plainly visible.  If one looks closer  you can see a rear view of the top of the tail of the fourth one in the first photo and a side view of the tail in the second.

Trio Of Gobblers: Canon 7D-Canon 600mm F 4.0 IS L- ISO 400-1/500 sec @ f 8.0

Attaching the 1.4x to the 600mm f 4.0 gives it a maximum aperture of 5.6 and I have found through  that sharpness is improved by stopping down to at least f 8.0.

Trio Of Gobblers-Pose 2: Canon 7D-Canon 600mm F 4.0 IS L- ISO 400-1/500 sec @ f 8.0

These photos were taken in mid-April.  I had an encounter with what I presume is the same four gobblers just eight days later--strutting and gobbling in the same spot and again I used the 7D.

Quartet Of Gobblers: Canon 5D MKIII-Canon 600mm F 4.0 IS L- ISO 400-1/400 sec - f 8.0

I have not seen the quartet for some time now, but the encounters I had with them will provide memories to treasure for years to come.

Originally published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Turkey Encounters

I have been concentrating on Eastern Wild Turkey photography and filming since returning from my trip to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in late March.  When many think of turkeys strutting and gobbling they think of April and May, but a great deal of this happens in the winter also.  I have seen little strutting strutting or gobbling in summer or fall (except for late June). Below is a flock of turkeys photographed at around 300 yards on January 19th. This is only a portion of  mixed flock of hens, young turkeys born last spring, jakes, and mature gobblers.  It is likely these are the same gobblers featured in the other photos below.

Gobblers Strutting-Mid-January: Canon 7D-Canon 600mm f 4.0 L IS- ISO-400- 1/160 sec. f4.5

Gobblers Strutting-Mid-January: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 500mm f 4.0 L IS- ISO 1000- 1/640 sec. f4.5

It seems that most winter strutting and gobbling is not directed at the hens and is common when two or more flocks of gobblers converge on an area to feed.  The gobblers strut and gobble at each other for a time and then the opposing flocks may pitch into each other and a noisy brawl results with a lot of running about, kick-boxing, and flogging.

Attention shifts to the hens sometime in March and early April and it is common to see one or more mature gobblers putting on an impressive courtship display  for them.

It's All About The Hens: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 600mm f4.0 L  IS+ 1.4x extender-ISO 400- 1/6000 sec. f  8.0

Woodland Hen: Canon 5D MK III-Canon 600mm f4.0 L IS- ISO 640- 1/250 sec. f 5.0

One of the ultimate turkey experiences is  when a mature gobbler comes close in the woodlands. 

Mature Gobbler Approaches: Canon 7D -Canon 55-250 mm f 4-5.6- ISO 400- 1/250 sec. f 5.6

When I was younger, my heart rate increased dramatically in this type of situation and I felt under intense pressure to get the photograph. But since retirement  I have spent so much time afield and photographed so many gobblers- or  the same gobblers so many times- that I no longer get so excited. Instead I feel a deep sense of satisfaction when everything comes together and one captures an exceptional image--not to mention that it is so rewarding just  be afield at daybreak and watch the natural world come to life.

Originally published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Middle Creek Part IV- Wintry Day Brings Varied Photo Opportunities

Wednesday March 26th and as I left for Middle Creek before dawn it was snowing lightly, the snow driven by a strong northwest wind.  By the time I reached Mount Joy the snow was so heavy that the reduced visibility made driving difficult.  I briefly considered turning back, but then pressed on.  In Manheim I encountered black ice at some of the stop lights, but the snow soon stopped and conditions improved a bit as I neared Middle Creek. I drove the tour loop shortly after daybreak and even though waterfowl numbers were down substantially from a few days ago, I still saw quite a few birds leaving the lake and flying north.

Waterfowl Leaving Lake In Morning: Canon 70D-Canon 70-200mm f 2.8 IS II -ISO 400-1/640 sec. f 8.0

After returning to my favorite spot along Hopeland Road, I captured a Canada Goose taking off.  The skies were mostly clear by this time, but there were periodic light snow squalls and there were snow flakes in the air when this photograph was taken.

Canada Goose In Flight: Canon 5DMKIII-Canon 600mm f 4.0 IS+1.4 extender -ISO 400-1/800 sec. f 8.0

The highlight of the morning was when I noticed three small birds busily picking away in a ditch between the road and the pothole. At one time I would have thought they were Woodcock, but now I believe they are Wilson's Snipe.

Wilson's Snipe: Canon 70D-Canon100-400mm f 4.-5.60 IS -ISO 400-1/400 sec. f 8.0

Wilson's Snipe: Canon 70D-Canon100-400mm f 4.-5.60 IS -ISO 400-1/400 sec. f 8.0

Wilson's Snipe: Canon Canon 5DMKIII-Canon 600mm f 4.0 IS+1.4 extender -ISO 400-1/4000 sec. f 5.0

 With this the trip was over and it was time to leave for Fulton County and resume photographing the deer, turkeys, and other wildlife of that mountainous County.

Originally published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.