Rare Rufous-Vented Ground Cuckoo Photographed

It has been a number of months since my last blog entry. I have been busy with trips to Peru, Panama and Mexico. I have numerous photographs and stories to share.

I thought it would be fitting to first share this photograph of the Rufous Vented Ground Cuckoo. On a recent Birding Life Tours trip to Panama we were heading up the famous Pipeline road and ran into an Ant Swarm and were likely enough not only to spot this rare bird but also get this one photograph. Not a spectacular shot but given the circumstances I was happy to get the capture. Our guide, Guido Berguido spotted him first. A rare bird and a great find for our checklist. About 20 seconds after this photograph was taken a tiny Hawk swooped in and attempted to capture one of the many birds following this ant swarm.

Join me on our trip to Brazil in Jun. www.birdinglifetours.com

Sandhill Crane

Its been a few months since I have been on my Blog, so I remembered I had these pictures of the Sandhill Crane I wanted to share. Not much of a summer in Ontario - lots of rain and not that warm. One of the highlights of the summer was this picture I was able to take of these Sandhill Cranes with their chicks. My wife and I were only 10 minutes from our Cottage and she spotted a car stopped on the side of the road looking at something. Naturally we thought it was deer or a bear since we see them often. Nope!!! We saw these new parents. As always I had my camera ready and was able to take a few shots before they became skittish. I have never seen Sandhill Chicks in Northern Ontario before so I was very excited. It seems to becoming a more regular occurrence.

Speaking of excitement, I will be hosting two tours coming up soon. Come tour with me in either Panama in December or Costa Rica in January. Only a few spots left!! Check us out at www.birdinglifetours.com. Hard to beat prices with a very different service offering.

Highlights from Point Pelee 2009

The highlight of this years trip to Point Pelee for Spring Migration was the Prothonotary Warbler. Most of the time he was very far away and we needed our binoculars to get a good look, however, luck was on our side when he flew in for a quick look at us!!!


I have never been this close to an American Coot. It was after a long day in the park and we were heading out and decided to have a quick stop at the boardwalk. We were very glad we did.

This Black Billed Cuckoo is a lifer for me. Never ran across one before and would have missed this one if the group in front of us on the trail didn't spot him. He was motionless for a very long time. Lots of cameras captured him that fine day.

One of my favorite photographs is this action shot of two male Red Breasted Mergansers. What is missing from the photograph is the female just to the left of the image and a third male to the right. Spring is wonderful!


Last and least, is this Black Throated Green Warbler. Rather a boring photograph, however it does capture a colorful male.

Join me on Birding Tours around the world. Check out my site at www.birdinglifetours.com for details and reduced recession prices.

Birding Clothing - Basics and Extras

I am taking a bit of a diversion from my normal photography blogging to talk about Birding Clothing - Basics and Extras. Birding can take many shapes, from a quick stroll after breakfast to a formal birding trip into the rainforest. Naturally, your clothing needs to adjust as well.

The Basics

• comfort - first and foremost wear what is comfortable. Get rid of what looks good if it is not comfortable. You want to be watching the birds NOT thinking about how sore your foot is because your shoes are not comfortable.
• footwear - hiking boots, hiking shoes and rubber boots are all good choices depending on the terrain. Hiking boots and shoes are waterproof and will keep your feet dry in rain and in wet terrain. If you bird a lot in uneven terrain then get the extra ankle support provided by hiking boots. Rubber boots can get you much closer to the birds when your are birding in wetlands.
• clothes - earth tone clothes are best - please no bright colors or white. Stick with Khaki, brown, green, and gray. A comfortable hat will come in handy for the rain and sun. Pick the same colors as mentioned above. Make sure you wear clothes that don't squeak or rustle when you walk. Sometimes the most expensive rain gear can make a lot of noise when walking.

The Extras

• Vest - a lightweight vest with lots of mesh can be a good addition to your birding gear. Lots of pockets always come in handy for fieldguides, protein bars, camera gear etc. Also it provides an additional layer of clothing which will keep you warm.
  
• Repellent - Insect repellent is handy at times and fits easily in a vest pocket. I would recommend only using it when the bugs are really bad as it can be quite greasy and make marks on your plastic equipment - binoculars and cameras. That is because of the chemical "Deet" used in most effective repellents. Be careful!!
• Poncho - a cheap poncho that goes into one of your vest pockets comes in handy for those sudden rainfalls and helps keep your equipment dry too.
• First Aid Kit - a very small kit that contains painkillers, bandages, and tensor bandages are best and can fit into a vest pocket as well. Don't let a headache or a sore knee, ankle spoil your birding experience.

Here is a short video that describes the basics.


Join me and my guides on one of my birding tours to Central and South America. I have new recession price cuts for the remainder of my 2009 tours. Have a peek and see an example of the hardcover birding journal that is included with each tour at www.birdinglifetours.com

Cinnamon Hummingbird - Mexico

Cinnamon Hummingbird, originally uploaded by Michael A. Nelson.

This photo was taken in the Yucatan. We were staying at one of the resorts and this particular Hummingbird was seen just off the resort during a birding walk. In my travels I am always amazed at why there are not hummingbird feeders everywhere. The different types of hummingbirds that can be attracted can be quite amazing in Central and South America yet most general resorts don't have them. Hummingbirds are generally liked by not just birders, but all types of people.

I find Hummingbirds extremely hard to identify. I usually need a photograph so that I can pick it out from the many types in Central and South America.

It is great now that our one Hummingbird in Ontario (Ruby-throated) is now making its way north and should be here sometime in April. A number of them nest very close to where we keep our Hummingbird feeder. In fact wearing a red t-shirt near a Hummingbird feeder can bring some interesting results. Try it sometime!!

I remember I was amazed that the first time I did not get my feeder out in early spring the Hummingbirds would go right to the exact spot of where the feeder was the year before and just hover. The guilt quickly made me ensure our feeders are up early every year.

Join me in one of my birding tours in Central and South America. Look for details at www.birdinglifetours.com

How Technology is changing Bird Photography

The Traditonal Approach to Great Bird Photography

Taking quality Bird photographs has always been a trade off. Buying a quality DSLR with a quality 500mm lens (the best for bird photography) would not only set you back thousands but you would have a weight of about 9-10 pounds as well as a tripod for most situations. Plus you want to take your binoculars as well, right? So you are talking about at least 12 pounds to lug around with you. Does this sound like a practical solution for bird photography if you are a serious birder and want great photographs? Now with this setup the photos you do take will be exceptional. There is no question about that. Shooting bird photographs from a 500mm prime lens sitting on a tripod will get you the highest quality photographs that technology will allow you today. But how many will you miss? Setup time is long. Can you really carry all this around for a few hours while birding? Of course not!! You will shorten your walks with the equipment and miss many birding photographic opportunities.

The Digiscoping Alternative

For many years, digiscoping was an alternative solution that many people followed and were able to capture good photographs in an affordable way. The major trade off here was the quality of the photograph and of course you still needed to carry a tripod along with you. Setup time was also a problem as it is in the first alternative above.

So what do we need to fix for a much better solution? First, we don't want to spend the kids college fund to take bird pictures. So we need something affordable. Second we need to realize that we are birders and we will be walking for hours on many of our trips so weight of our equipment is important. Lastly we want photographs that we can be proud of and hang on the wall if we so desire.

Because of all the increased technology options at much reduced prices, I offer a solution to these challenges with minimal trade offs. This is what I ended up doing myself.

The Solution

How to minimize weight?

First thing we need to do is get rid of our 500mm prime. This is the heaviest piece of equiment and restricts our mobility the most. Luckily this is also our most expensive item so helps enormously to bring our cost down. The alternative is a lower cost (not cheap), lighter (not light) 200mm - 500mm zoom lens. Tamron and Sigma choices will not only save you money but save you weight as well. You can expect to pay $800 - $1200 as a rough guideline. Your weight reduction will be around 6 lbs!

Now before everyone jumps all over me. This does create a problem. These lenses do NOT let in as much light as the more expensive 500mm lens. This is a problem that needs to be addressed which I will do later.

How do I improve reaction time and get more bird pics?

This is an easy one, we leave the tripod at home. Contrary to popular belief you can handhold a telephoto 200-500 lens and get great shots. The key is to shoot at high shutter speeds of at least 1/500th sec. This will also let in less light and greatly contibute to our lighting problem described above. What you will achieve is a reaction time that no other solution can hope to compete with.

How does AUTOISO solve my problems?

Most DLSRs today have an autoiso feature. What this does is automatically change the ISO or ASA setting with each picture you take. What this does is effectively allow you to shoot at 1/500th sec and lets say F6.3 but at a higher ISO which would allow you to take the picture that normally you could not.

Whats the problem with AUTOISO?

Shooting at higher ISO creates noise on your photographs. The conventional way of thinking which is still correct is to be able to shoot at the lowest ISO as possible.

How is newer technology solving this problem?

Two equally important technology developments are going along way in reducing noise. First, and most importantly the latest cameras are beginning to reduce noise significantly at high ISOs. I was shocked at the lack of noise in my Nikon D90. The second way is through using post processing software to reduce the noise in your images.

The photograph below of the Indigo Bunting was shot using an ISO of 2000. Although there is still some noise, it is much reduced from what you would have seen just a year ago using older technology.

There are many other advantages to shooting in the method I am describing however I do want to just get my main hypothesis out as clearly as possible. Using Flash will again minimize the high ISOs as much as possible.

I hope this has helped people think of more creative solutions in their bird photography and increase the number of quality bird photographs they are able to achieve.

Join me on one of my birding tours. Visit www.birdinglifetours.com for details.

Memories of Point Pelee

Henslow Sparrow, originally uploaded by Michael A. Nelson.

This years Point Pelee trip is scheduled for May 4-7. I have been thinking what excitement will happen this year. Over the past 2 years we had great luck as my brother and I had seen the Henslow's Sparrow in 2007 and in 2008 we were lucky enough to get a photograph of Kirtland's Warbler. You can see that photograph in an earlier post.

The Henslow's Sparrow was so tired from its long trip that we were able to get a few photographs. Here is one from my collection.

I have recently returned from my trip to the Yucatan and have some great photographs that I am excited to share with you. I am just getting over a bad cold and should be able to put them up soon.

Join us on one of our tours, visit www.birdinglifetours.com for more information.

In Search of the Snowy Owl

It was rather a cloudy day - not a great day for taking photographs but I was keen on searching for a Snowy Owl. With Birding you never know what can show up at any particular time however this is the time to find the Snowy Owls as they come south in search of food. Now I did not find a Snowy Owl that day but I had my camera ready when I literally ran right into these 2 White Tailed Deer.

With all the snow and cold weather we have been having it has made me dream about my Costa Rica Birding Tour I am hosting in late May. Why not join us. Come checkout the details at www.birdinglifetours.com

BirdingLife Tours

My apologies for not making a blog post since the end of October. I have been very busy concentrating on building my new company - BirdingLife Tours.

Until now my career has focused on business and technology. For most of that time, I’ve had a passion for birding and photography - two hobbies that seem to overlap for so many people.

While hiking through the Monteverde Cloud Forest in 1992, I saw my first Resplendent Quetzal. To say I was amazed is an understatement. The surroundings of the cloud forest mixed with the Quetzal touched me deeply and left me speechless. I knew I experienced something special, but to this day I could never truly portray how that changed me. From that moment on, my hobby of birding became a passion. I began my lifelist and gradually started to become more aware of the world around me.

Always interested in photography, I then started taking pictures of birds. I gradually upgraded my equipment and skills until I was satisfied that I was capturing many of those magical moments in photographs to be enjoyed forever.

BirdingLife Tours wants to not only take you on that magical journey but capture those moments forever. A beautiful hardcover bound book is included with every tour. This photo journal will include all the highlights of your trip, the birds, that special meal, new friends, as well as a list of all the birds seen on the trip.

I started BirdingLife Tours so that I could create magical moments for others and be able to give them lasting memories, as well as contribute to environmental awareness and conservation.

Please have a look at www.birdinglifetours.com to learn more about this exciting new company!!!

Red Tailed Hawk

You should always travel with your binoculars and camera in your vehicle. Most of us will have the best of intentions but rarely follow this simple rule. If you do manage to do it I guarantee that it will pay off once in a while. I was travelling down a back road and ran into this Red Tailed Hawk. I reached into the back seat and grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots before risking getting closer. This was the best shot I was able to capture.

Red Eyed Vireo in the rain

I have recently created a website to display my best photographs over at photos.birdinglifetours.com. I will be adding photographs on a regular basis as it is a little time consuming to get each photograph prepared to be sold. It is an opportunity for individuals who like my photographs to purchase them in many different formats including, prints, canvas mounted, frame mounted and strange things like puzzles and magnets. You can also crop my pictures to your personal taste on checkout. Use the coupon code Blog-November at checkout and the first 10 people will save 20% during the month of November.

Loon Baby with Fish

Loon Baby with Fish, originally uploaded by Michael A. Nelson.

Here is another shot I captured on the same boating trip I described in my last blog entry. At first I didn't realize there was a small fish in the loon's mouth. I cropped the photograph slightly so now you can see the minnow quite clearly. Again, the light is quite good. My poor brother who forgot his camera :-(

Common Loon and Baby

Common Loon and Baby-1, originally uploaded by Michael A. Nelson.

We are now moving away from India to Northern Ontario in Canada where this Mother has just fed her baby loon. My brother Tim was taking me for a boat ride but he forgot his camera however I did have mine. We stayed with this pair for about thirty minutes and I got a lot of great photographs. This is one of my favorites. The picture was taken on Deer Lake.

Asian Openbill - India

Asian Openbill, originally uploaded by Michael A. Nelson.

Staying in the same sanctuary location as the last few posts, I noticed this Asian Openbill Stork bringing nesting material over to her nest. The sun was perfect and I was able to get a few pictures of the chicks as well.

Darter - India

Darter, originally uploaded by Michael A. Nelson.

I have always enjoyed taking photographs of nesting birds. Here is a Darter from my trip to India. A big nest compared to what I see in Canada. I was able to get fairly close as we were traveling in a small row boat as we moved around the sanctuary.

Rose Ringed Parakeet - India

Rose Ringed Parakeet, originally uploaded by Michael A. Nelson.

This is a favorite of mine. I love the morning light. I was in a park in Bangalore just when the sun was rising. It was a little scary at first as there were a few roaming dogs around that didn't look that friendly however more people started arriving and I was feeling safer by the minute so I could get back to serious birding.

White Browed Wagtail - India

White Browed Fantail, originally uploaded by Michael A. Nelson.

In the same bird sanctuary (Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary near Mysore) I captured this photograph of the White Browed Wagtail. So many of the birds at the Sanctuary were large storks. I am surprised I was able to notice this much smaller bird.

It was a very hot day with bright sun. I would have preferred to be there earlier in the morning to get better light however I was very happy to be at such a wonderful location.

As you can see from this photograph the White-browed Wagtail is insectivorous, and often fans its tail as it moves through the undergrowth.

Painted Stork - India

Painted Stork, originally uploaded by Michael A. Nelson.

Well I think its time to cover some photographs from my India trip. This picture was taken in Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary near Mysore in Southern India. We were on a small raft with many kinds of birds all around us on small Islands nesting. I will post more from this incredible area over the next few weeks.

This photograph is of the Painted Stork. It is a tropical species which breeds in Asia from India and Sri Lanka to southeast Asia. This is one of my favorites. It was a very hot and humid day and catching the stork drinking water was very lucky.

Ruddy Turnstone - Hawaii

Ruddy Turnstone, originally uploaded by Michael A. Nelson.

Keeping with the theme of long range migratory birds, here is the Ruddy Turnstone which breeds in Northern Alaska and the far north of Canada. The Turnstone winters in many areas of the world with this one staying in Hawaii.

Pacific Golden Plover - Hawaii

Pacific Golden Plover, originally uploaded by Michael A. Nelson.

Its been awhile since my last entry - busy busy times. While I was in Hawaii there were numerous Golden Plovers all over Hawaii. Most parks and lawns had a few. This one allowed me to get pretty close.

The migration of the Plover is quite amazing with most making the Alaska to Hawaii trip non-stop. If you want to read more about the migration of this Plover check out this site