I have had little time for birding lately, but I did get an afternoon spent at the local National Park and was lucky enough to get a few little birds.
1) Red-browed Finch, AKA Red-browed Firetail
Z9 + Z 600 TC, 1/400s f/5.6 at 840.0mm iso800
2) Variegated wren - female
Z9 + Z 600 TC, 1/400s f/5.6 at 840.0mm iso400
3) Rufous Fantail - been chasing a decent shot of one of these for a while. They are fairly uncommon near me and they flit about all over the place at breakneck speed rarely stopping for a moment. Just lucky this guy decided to take a rest on a clear branch. I have many shot of him behind leaves and branches etc.
Yesterday evening in the Skagit River estuary... A bald eagle on a tree stump observes the sunset over Skagit Bay, with the Olympic Mountains in the background. Besides looking for a meal, I sometimes wonder if they just enjoy the views. They do often perch for extended periods of time. The second image shows a juvenile bald eagle adjusting its perch, with Mount Baker looming in the distance. Both images taken with the Z9 and 400mm f/4.5 (first image at f/10, second image at f/4.5).
Taken recently at Deception Pass state park, with the Z9 and the 600mm f/4 TC. Shot wide open at 840mm. This is near the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, and several jets were on approach for landing while I was doing bird photography. I think these are Boeing EA-18G Growlers.
This was the first day where I wished I had 30 frames per second RAW on my Z9...these kids are getting so fast that the movement between frames is actually meaningful for the first time...on to my wish list for the Z9 II
