What Are The Best Camera Settings For Ospreys On A Blue Sky?

Springtime brings millions of alewives to the state of Maine on their annual spawning run from the Atlantic Ocean. Using both large rivers and modest streams, they make their way inland to lakes and backwaters of streams, where they deposit and fertilize their eggs. It's a perfect opportunity for photographing osprey angling and in-flight.

With water aerosol exploding, the osprey emerges from the stream with a nice catch. Canon EOS-1D Ten Marker Ii, Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM and Canon Extender EF 1.4x Three. Exposure: 1/3200 sec., ƒ/8, ISO 10000.

The Alewife is a species of herring that is 10 to fourteen inches in length and weighs up to 1 pound. While non every bit well-known every bit the salmon runs of the Northwest Pacific coasts of the United States and Canada, the alewife migration is ane of nature's great happenings. Like salmon, alewives are an anadromous species that migrate into freshwater from the sea to spawn. Even so, unlike salmon, they do non usually die just instead return to the sea—providing they can successfully run the gauntlet and avoid being defenseless by human or wild fauna predators.

Several species utilize the annual alewife run as a source of food to aid in raising their young, including the osprey, bald hawkeye, cormorant, gulls, mink and raccoon. Smoked alewife is considered a New England effeminateness.

Conservation efforts have been critical to maintaining and expanding the alewife fishery. Native Americans fished for alewives for millennia, and European settlers also exploited this resource. In more recent times, overfishing, dam construction and pollution have decimated the alewife population. Nineteenth-century logging and dam building for industrialization forth the rivers destroyed the environs for many wildlife species. As a result, many New England Rivers take no alewives today.

Fortunately, ongoing conservation efforts to restore the environment have led to a resurgence of the alewife population in some streams. Pollution cleanup, restoration and building of fish ladders and removal of dams take provided an environs conducive to the health of the alewife fishery.

Photographing Osprey Fishing The Alewife Migration

As a photographer, my primary interest is photographing osprey, which I deem to exist the stars of the alewife migration with their dramatic dives to grab the alewives. Watching an osprey striking the water at over threescore miles per hour and then emerge with a fish is one of nature'due south spectacular events. The 6-human foot wingspan of the osprey enables it to begin flight with powerful strokes as it emerges from the water after being totally submerged. Sometimes they volition emerge with 2 or even three fish clamped in their sharp talons, though the struggles of the fish, coupled with their weight, will usually effect in the osprey flying off with merely a single fish for all of its efforts.

The osprey performs a "wet dog" shake to shed water to ensure polish and efficient flying. Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender one.4x at 560mm. Exposure: 1/2500, ƒ/6.3, ISO 6400.

From a photographer's perspective, the osprey exiting the stream amid a spray of water aerosol with its catch is a wonderful activeness shot to be had. Equally information technology begins its climb, several shot opportunities are present, and one of my favorites is the "wet canis familiaris" shake when the osprey twists vigorously to rid itself of water from its feathers for smoother flight.

Ospreys are successful on most of their dives based on my experience. However, they are not abode gratuitous once they capture their prey, as they have two thieving competitors: gulls and bald eagles.

A herring gull is similar in size to an osprey and is very ambitious. While it tin catch fish itself, it will assail an osprey when it is still in the water and vulnerable to rob information technology of its catch. The bald eagle has a unlike strategy. It waits until the osprey has gained some distance before it attacks. The eagle volition fly upward under the osprey, forcing information technology higher and higher until the osprey tires and drops the fish, which the hawkeye will then snag in mid-air. Sometimes some other eagle will bring together the fun and endeavor stealing the fish from the eagle that only stole it.

The osprey leaves without its fish subsequently being attacked by a herring gull. Catechism EOS-1D Ten Mark II, Canon EF 800mm f/five.6L IS USM. Exposure: 1/2500 sec., ƒ5.6, ISO 640.

Tips For Capturing The Scene

Here are some tips for photographing osprey to capture shots like those shown in this article.

Timing

The fish are typically nearly numerous with the incoming tide; cheque the tide tabular array for the stream that you are virtually. You may be several miles inland, so programme for the additional time it takes for the tide to move upstream.

Finding Your Spot

Seek out a position on the river with good over-the-shoulder lighting. Also, beingness at the h2o's border or nearby to become a depression shooting angle is beneficial. Be aware of the groundwork to avoid distracting elements like bridges, buildings, houses and especially other photographers.

Patience & Persistence

As with any wildlife shoot, exist patient since unpredictability is role of the challenge. Sometimes there are osprey but no fish running, or no osprey but fish are running, or neither osprey nor fish present. Then there is that fourth dimension when everything comes together, like the solar day I counted 17 osprey in the air hovering and circling as they scanned the water for fish. Information technology was an backlog of riches because for a successful shot you need to watch one osprey and focus on it equally information technology begins information technology swoop and and so follow information technology to the water. With so many ospreys present, information technology was inevitable that some great shot opportunities would exist missed.

An osprey shows off its nice catch equally it flies overhead on its deviation from the river. Canon EOS-1D 10 Mark Two, Catechism EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM. Exposure: 1/3200 sec., ƒ/v.6, ISO 320.

Bring A Fast Photographic camera—Or Three

I used to be tickled when I would run across a professional photographer carrying multiple cameras. Well, I am no longer laughing, as the correct tools are needed for the job. I prefer high-frame-charge per unit (10 fps or more than) cameras that will yield more wing positions in a sequence. This gives you a better chance to obtain the ideal shot, equally some wing positions are more pleasing to the eye.

I tin be constitute in the field photographing ospreys fishing with a large telephoto lens on a tripod, a telephoto zoom lens on a diagonal strap and wide-angle zoom around my neck. Thus, I tin cover range of 24mm to 1120mm. I never know what circumstances may occur with the intended subjects or if an unexpected creature may make an appearance. While I may be looking for wildlife, a bang-up mural shot might present itself, too.

I use three photographic camera bodies, every bit I take learned to avoid changing lenses in the field. The time involved to alter a lens could result in a missed shot. This approach likewise helps avoid the possibility of getting dust or moisture on the camera's focal plane sensor.

Punch In Your Exposure Showtime

When setting upwards, I take test shots and cheque the histogram to make sure there is no clipping of the lights or darks. To ensure that the bird'southward head is not overexposed, I zoom in on my camera'south LCD to bank check for head particular. In changing light conditions, judgment is ofttimes necessary to make on-the-fly adjustment of settings. Depending on conditions, I accept employed exposure compensation values from minus 2 to plus 2 stops. While some "fixing" can be possible afterward with processing, don't count on information technology. Get it right in the camera.

This osprey is off with a "twofer" after striking a dense group of alewives on their spawning run. Catechism EOS-1D 10 Mark II, Catechism EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender i.4x at 560mm. Exposure: one/2500, ƒ/five.six, ISO 10000.

Composition & Photographic camera Settings

When choosing the lens length, be sure to leave space around "bird in flying" situations as it is meliorate to crop some later than prune the bird'south wing. My rule of pollex is that the sitting bird should only have upwards one-third to i-quarter of the frame height in the viewfinder. This may seem like too much room, and perhaps it is if yous desire but a sitting portrait, but I accept found an osprey launching for casualty can fill up the empty area pretty chop-chop.

The osprey might exist diving 100 yards distant or as shut equally but 20 yards away. Their dives will be from the sky or a tree perch along the river. I listen for their chirping to locate them as they volition oft vocalize before they dive. Given that their diving speed is upwardly to threescore mph and the background along the river is cluttered with trees, I find it helpful to use back button focus to lock on to the bird earlier information technology dives. I typically shoot in shutter priority with a shutter speed of at least ane/2500 sec. to "stop" the activity. Also, I use Machine ISO to compensate for the irresolute low-cal weather from the sky. Depending on the scene's brightness, a negative exposure compensation of -1 stop is typically warranted to avoid over-exposing the osprey's white head and feathers.

While I have invested in pinnacle-of-the-line camera equipment, I have seen excellent shots taken with a range of cameras and lenses from 100mm to 400mm. A 150-600mm telephoto zoom is a popular lens that I oftentimes meet in the field. So, don't think that only the "pros" or those with super-telephoto primes can be successful photographing ospreys fishing.

A close-up view equally the osprey flies past with the alewife, which is ever oriented head-offset. Canon EOS-1D Ten Marker Two, Catechism EF 800mm f/v.6L IS USM. Exposure: ane/3200 sec., ƒ/5.six, ISO 2000.

Planning Your Trip To Maine

If you would like to endeavor your paw at photographing osprey, some planning is required. The alewife run is in the May and June timeframe, simply the exact timing varies from year to year. A web search volition yield condition reports to assistance your planning.

One of my favorite places to visit is the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder. 2 other popular shooting places are on the Saint George River in Warren, Maine, at Payson Park; and downtown, east of the bridge on Main Street. Also, I accept had adept luck but driving effectually and looking for ospreys in the air. I accept found them on small streams and narrow inlets in addition to the major rivers. It's a slap-up chance, and I wish you lot good shooting if you decide to go.

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See more of Howard Arndt's piece of work at howardarndtphoto.com.

Source: https://www.outdoorphotographer.com/tips-techniques/wildlife-techniques/photographing-osprey-in-flight/

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