South Georgia - Falklands Expedition Report - Part 8 - Rockhopper Penguins

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Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 135mm
1/2000 sec at f/4.5, ISO 1000, handheld

The photos were taken in November 2018 on West Point Island in the Falklands, 300 miles east of the tip of South America.

Click on horizontally oriented images to see a larger version.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 100mm
1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 250, handheld

The tussac grass and rocky ledges of the “Devil’s Nose” region of West Point Island is a little over a mile away from where our zodiacs landed. Two thousand pairs of Black-browed Albatross breed and nest here, as do 400 pairs of Rockhopper penguins. Three other species of penguins (Gentoo, Magellanic, and King) can be seen in the Falklands.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 106mm
1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640, handheld

One of the smallest species of penguins, Rockhoppers have red eyes, orange beaks, pink webbed feet, and yellow and black spiky feathers on their heads. They hop from place to place rather than waddling or sliding on their bellies like most penguins, because of the rocky environment in which they live.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 106mm
1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640, handheld

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 150mm
1/2000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 2500, handheld

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 150mm
1/2000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 2500, handheld

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 90mm
1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640, handheld

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David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit. 

American White Pelicans at Barr Lake State Park

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The 8.8 mile trail that circles Barr Lake State Park near Brighton CO goes past several wildlife viewing stations. A boardwalk leading to a gazebo with a permanently mounted spotting scope for viewing the rookery area is located a little over a mile from the Nature Center parking area. Over 350 species have been observed in the park but birding has not been as good for the past several months because much of the water in the lake was drained to make repairs to the dam. Water levels are back to normal now and there were hundreds of American White Pelicans visible from the gazebo when I was there last month.

When I reached the gazebo, the pelicans were widely scattered throughout the trees along the distant shoreline. Later, activity in the water closer to the gazebo attracted several small groups of the pelicans. The activity of these groups attracted even more small groups until, eventually, every visible pelican was actively feeding relatively close to my location. With hundreds of active birds flying in different directions, it was difficult to select the subject of a photo. Ten of the more coherent images are presented here (1 above and 9 below). The sixth image below was taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera and 300mm f/4 lens, handheld. The 1.4x teleconverter was attached for the remaining shots.

Click on horizontally oriented images for a larger view.

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David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit. 

Testing the photographer, not the lens

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I have used Olympus gear almost exclusively since Jan. 2016. But I did not get rid of the Nikon camera and lens I used most frequently before I purchased the Olympus equipment. Last month I saw the 500mm f/4 G lens in the closet and wondered if, after 3+ years of using lighter gear, I could still handhold that 8.6 lb monster and get reasonably sharp images. So, I grabbed the D500, a couple of teleconverters, and the 500mm lens and headed to a local park - without a tripod. I was reasonably optimistic. I was still doing 100 curls with 12 lb weights and holding one weight in shooting position periodically most mornings. I think that helps even with the lighter Olympus gear. I acquired images that were not bad (in my opinion). But I’m not sure how I would do handholding the lens over a longer time period and I know my aged knees complain when I carry it over long distances.

Say’s Phoebe - D500 + 500mm f/4; 1/2500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 900

Click on images to see a larger view.

Double-crested Cormorant; D500 + 500mm f/4; 1/2500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 720

Snowy Egret; D500 + 500mm f/4; 1/2500 sec at f/7.1, ISO 320

Snowy Egret; D500 + 500mm f/4 + 1.7x teleconverter; 1/3200 sec at f/8, ISO 400

Snowy Egret; D500 + 500mm f/4; 1/2000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 125

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David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit. 

A "lifer" for birdwatchers Ben and Luke

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Lifer (LEYE-furr)—a designation for a species that an individual birder has never seen previously.

The birders Ben and Luke (5 and 3 years old) view a Great Horned Owl. Note the toilet tissue roll binocular being used by Luke. He made those at a birthday party. He was enticed to use a real binoc later.

The bird they saw (4 views)

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David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit.