I have a terrific love/hate relationship with the Glendale Recharge Ponds. They bring in more waterfowl and shorebirds than just about any other site in Maricopa County, including rarities and vagrants, but are forever frustrating photographically, due to the distances and adverse lighting that is often involved.
About thirty minutes away from the apartment, it's a doable stop after work, and one that has produced many FOY birds in the last several weeks. It has been during these weekday explorations, however, that I discovered my camera lens is malfunctioning. With no autofocus, it has made many aspects of photography difficult, difficult and very frustrating.
Stationary shorebirds aren't too problematic, but my weekend trips elsewhere have been hurting, particularly in trying to photograph the smaller, quicker birds. I sent the lens into Sony for repairs--hopefully it will get back by Friday of this week--so here are a few of the ol' 55mm photos from this past week. To offset the tragedy of the lens, here are some risque, PG-13 photos of beautiful birds making more beautiful birds.
Avocet Amore
I guess birds are feeling the love everywhere these days! That last photo of the avocets walking wing in wing is sweet:)
ReplyDeleteThey're in a happy place : )
DeleteSo sorry to hear about the lens, Laurence. I had to send mine in for repair about a year ago and had withdrawals until I was back in action with a borrowed lens and then my own. I hope you get it back this week so you get a weekend fix. I saw my first Avocet mating ritual a couple of years ago and thought it was amusing to watch the male splash and preen near the female before making his move. Watching them run off together in the water afterward looked like something you'd see in an animated movie and should have had a caption like "and they lived happily ever after".
ReplyDelete"...and they lived happily ever after...until the local Peregrine Falcon..."
DeleteYeah I'm with you Jeff. It was charming stuff. Maybe for decency's sake too it was for the best I didn't have more zoom : )
Awww! Total empathy here.
ReplyDeleteI realized today that my camera isn't focusing consistently. And sometimes when I press the shutter button, the lens will retract.
I do like the lighting on the first photo though!
Yes, it will be several more days of worries and sniffles for me. The bigger, more expensive gear always has the problems too. It comes with complications, in both senses of the word.
DeleteIn a way, it's liberating to just go birding with binoculars again, but also not as satisfying, especially the day after.
I actually didn't want it for birding yesterday - would have been sweet if had it, but I was trying to document the process of fieldwork. And binoculars doesn't help anyone with that.
DeleteIn fact the binoculars were a distraction. We'd be data collecting and I'd yell "bird!" and drop everything to raise my binoculars to try to figure out what I saw. We were supposed to be working with turtles. Which are not birds.
That's a bummer Laurence. I hope you get it fixed ASAP. You know, I've been wondering the same thing about my own camera lately. I don't know if it's just the light in our state getting brighter and stronger(if that's even possible) or if there's something else going on. Sweetwater is my spot after work as well but as you have the issues with lighting/birds. I have the issues with the recharge ponds being so farrrrrrr away! There will be over several hundred peeps out in the basins but you wouldn't know it without a scope.
ReplyDeletePS. I dipped again today on the Trogon! I helped two people find lifebirds and someone gave me the location of the Trogons! Now I have to get the timing down:) But even then.....
Ugh. Recharge Ponds. It's the same trouble up here. With the Binoculars you can get visual IDs, but forget about photography (needless to say, I will continue to bring all my junk every single time, just in case : )
DeleteI didn't know the Trogon was still around--would've assumed it left by now, with things warming up. You're a sport for helping some other folks, and that's a nice consolation, but the Trogon is one of those birds for which proxies and substitutes will never suffice.
When you find one (Madera in a month will have plenty!) it will be all the sweeter!
Not in Patagonia. In Madera. Finally am able to figure out the trail lingo. It's been Sweetwater and Madera back and forth this past week. I'm on a mission finding flycatchers! They are not as exciting as the Trogon but they still fun to try and ID:)
DeleteHa! As you know, I'm a glutton for the Flycatcher punishment too.
DeleteBummer on the lens but yabba dabba doo on the birds!! That is some sweet avocet lovin.
ReplyDeleteOh my!? Is that what Fred Flinstone meant when he said it?
DeleteAhhh the birds are tough enough to photograph without lens/camera problems. I've bought most of my stuff refurbished from eBay and luckily never had a problem. Hope the lens comes back soon. Great photos, nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteCheers Moe,
DeleteI had bad news about the lens today. The jerks at Sony registered it 4 days late and now won't have it back to me until May 7th, after both this coming weekend and a trip to Florida (!!!). I told them to go to hell (just about) and send it back. I'll have to find something local for repairs, which will cost $$
Everything is the worst, except for Avocet love.
Oh geez... I hope you can get the lens fixed locally, you don't want to be without it for your trip to Florida. I'd be climbing walls. Can you rent a lens through Borrowlenses.com?
ReplyDeleteLove the images, hate the angst you are going through.
Thanks Mia. I've never heard of that site. How interesting...
Delete