Sanibel, Florida (67 degrees, cloudy, rain)
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| Love Birds |
We have been volunteering at J.N. Ding Darling NWR for almost three months. It's been a wonderful experience and the time has gone by very quickly. One of the great benefits of being here has been the opportunity to attend the lecture series given by Ding Darling (Friday) and in addition, the Audubon Society (Thursday).
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| Great Egret Eggs |
One of my favorite lectures was given by Donald & Lillian Stokes who publish lots of great guides about birding. They live on the island and their free program was excellent offering great tips on photography and birding. They recommended a camera recently developed by Canon called the SX-50 which offers a tremendous zoom, amazing photographs, ease of use, and best of all a great price. Taking close up pictures of birds in the past required a fairly significant outlay of money for long lenses. Lugging these around and changing them back and forth really did not appeal to me. This camera is lightweight and gets a close up photo which certainly facilitates identifying a bird much easier. I finally convinced John that I NEEDED one and have been playing around with it for a couple of weeks.
The pictures I'm taking are blog worthy. So, I've recommitted myself to writing again. Todays photographs were taken at the Venice Area Audubon Rockery. There is a little island in the middle of rockery which is grand central station for nesting birds of all kinds right now. These photos are of a very vocal baby Great Egret. Seeing the action up so close is really a treat. Binoculars are hardly necessary.
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| Hello ...I'm hungry |
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| Is anybody listening?? |
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| I'm starving to death...can't you tell. |
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| At last....thanks Mom! |
Over the next week I'll write a few posts about what we have been doing and great visits we have had with friends. Plus, we will update you on some of our upcoming travel plans. Stay tuned!
Enjoy your new camera,they sure are good quality shots.
ReplyDeletehmmmmm I need a new camera too... tell John... ;)
ReplyDeleteLOL! Sorry, but John said "no way".
DeleteI'm so happy that the camera us a good fit....click on my friend.
ReplyDeleteThanks France. Your photos with this camera inspired me to purchase one too.
DeleteThat is definitely better than the old camera did but don't discount it. I happen to take pictures with my new camera almost identical to the old point and shoot HP and I liked the effect of the old camera. For wildlife the new one will do the best job.
ReplyDeleteBe Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
You are right Rick. I still use my Panasonic and think its a great camera. My new Canon, however, is much better for birding and close up shots.
DeleteI bought that same camera about a year ago and I also love it. I also bought a DSLR, but rarely use it because it's so heavy and I hate having to change the lens so often. Great shots. Looking forward to more!
ReplyDeletePhotos taken with a DSLR cannot be beat for their beauty and detail. However, having a camera that is lightweight and handles most situations makes the Canon a perfect choice for me.
DeleteI was sure I had put a comment here saying how glad I was that you would be doing more blogging and pictures. I was loving being in Ding Darling with you. My camera just died today so I may follow in your footsteps. Where did you get it that you thought was a great price?
ReplyDeleteI think the best price and vendor is with Amazon or your local camera shop. I paid about $350. There was a store in NY with a price on line for $269, however, the reviews were very negative and there were many VERY unhappy customers.
DeleteNothing like photography to document the journey. . .love your pics!
ReplyDelete