My first Osprey and a few baby wood ducks

[james thiel]

After going all the way to Florida to find osprey and never getting a picture of one, I made it my number one priority when returning to Seattle to find one. I got a lead and found a nest in a major park here in the Seattle area. I waited and waited and finally the adult showed up. These are not on par with all the other great osprey shots but at least I found some Osprey after traveling across the country. These were all shot with the D100 and Sigma 500 f4.5 and nikon 1.4tc.

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And then a few of the baby wood ducks at a local spot near Lake Washington.

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[Keith]

Some beautiful shots James, looks like you lucked out! Man do they have nails or what, thats scary. LOL...............keep them coming

Keith

 

[james thiel]

Thanks Keith. I sure wish I had that D2X!!! The D100 with only 3 frames buffer really hurts.

 

[Flew]

Jim,

These are very good Osprey shots, especially considering that they were at 700mm. Your D100 / Sigma 500 combo is pretty impressive. Which Nikon TC were you using? I have the TC-14EII and I've yet to find a non Nikon AF-S lens that it will work with.

 

[greyflash]

Very nice images Jim. The little ducks are sooo cute. I like the procession through the lilly pads the best.

 

[hillrg]

Glad you finally caught up with an Osprey. They can be a challenging beast to capture and I think you are off to a fine start!

 

[Gilles]

The middle one in the duck serie is the one i like the most, amazing.

 

[james thiel]

Frank, Thank you. I was using the Nikon 14EII but I had to modify it. I cut the little tab off and then it worked just fine with the Sigma.

Thanks Gordon and Gilles. I too like the ducks. They are sure a lot easier to capture than the osprey.

Thanks Rory. I am happy to have seen some osprey now. You are right, these are pretty hard to shoot. Eagles seem to be a bit easier. My camera does not make the process any easier thats for sure. (I would hate to upgrade and then have nothing to blame for my errors. ) Some day.

 

[Gale]

I am jolly well impressed with your sigma 500 and the nikon tc.. WOW

Those Osprey shots are fantastic, clear as a tack, great color and proceessed to perfection.

Congratulations on a job well done.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[mike mac]

Sweet shots verynicely done be careful they are addicting

 

[james thiel]

Thank you for the kind words Gale and Mike. You are sure correct on the addicting part Mike. I am afraid I will need rehab soon. At least that is what my wife says.

 

[Terri French]

I had the chance to photograph an Osprey in Harriman State Park, in Idaho. I don't have the equipment to do it. Only got a very distant, noisy shot with my 70-300 lens.

I didn't even know what the bird was--someone here had to educate me. With your great pictures, I am really educated now!!!

I'll probably never be a bird photographer, but I sure love looking at the great pictures all of you take.

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[Flew]

Hey Terri,

This is not a bad Osprey shot. The 70-300 may not be 'pro' glass, but it ain't bad, and you did a good job of getting it focused and getting a nice steady hold on the cam.

Good job. :wink: