Herons and Eagles on the Cowichan River, Vancouver Island

When the Salmons have spawned, you can smell the Salmon carcasses from a long way and I guess so can the birds, so they congregate in thousands to the rivermouth of the Cowichan River here on Vancouver Island and I guess everywhere else up here as well. Today just when the sun had gone down I drove by the river on the reservation and counted 33 eagles in 300 yards in trees and no camera! To dark anyway....

But the last two days we have had good weather and I have gone to other places here and gotten decent shots, and I have made a discovery about my 500mm lens, that I find astounding, you might recall that I was unhappy about my Owl shots...

I was shooting at F5.6-8 and suddenly I took 2 shots at F11, and when I came home the two at F11 and 1/100 and 1/125 where razor sharp! The ones at F5.6-8 where not even close, and they where taken with faster shutter speed. I called Nikon Service and asked them if they can adjust the lenses for this so they are sharper wide open and yes he said they can and he also said that sometimes it is just a matter of tweaking the electronics in the lens. So my 500mm lens, D2X and TC14EII is going in after I return from the Christmas trip. I'm elated that I have found out something repeatable, and have confirmed it with my shots the last two days....

Enough of that here are a few decent shots from the last two days:

Heron in a tree probably 60 feet away only... Didn't flinch when i spent 5 minutes shooting, here are one of the F11 shots!

NIKON D2X    ---    500mm    f/11.0    1/125s    ISO 100

Eagles waiting for a meal in the trees

NIKON D2X    ---    500mm    f/11.0    1/100s    ISO 100

View attachment 21024
Ducks of many kinds are pretty much everywhere, these ones with the 80-400mm VR, not that bad Eh?
View attachment 21025
Wood duck

NIKON D2X    ---    400mm    f/8.0    1/500s    ISO 200

 

Thanks Ben, I'm heading down your way on the 19th, no time for shooting though will be going on a road trip with the Wife.....

 

Yes but there is something wrong with my lens it should be sharp a bit before F11 or I would have to wait for sunshine everyday....