andre-photo

I’ve seen this nest some days before these photos, following a continuous, acute lation.
And there, about twelve meters over, a chick was looking at me.

D700 at 720ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I with TC-20E II, f8, 1/800sec, bias 0EV

A Great spotted woodpecker’s chick.

Ok, I know it isn’t uncommon, but I’ve never seen a nest in a convenient place like this. It’s with a good exposure, in the park south of Århus in front of a clean position where shoot from (only with some nettles).
In short, here.
I had only the 180mm with me, but it’s too short, so I returned back some days later with the long tele.

I stood there about half an hour, watching and photographing both parents feed the chick (I think it was always the same, but I’m not so sure).
Both parents. Him:

D700 at 1000ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I with TC-20E II, f8, 1/800sec, bias 0EV

And, when he fly away…

D2x at 200ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I, f4, 1/640sec, bias 0EV

…Her:

D700 at 1000ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I with TC-20E II, f8, 1/800sec, bias 0EV

Neckback’s color show the woodpecker’s gender.

And both contribute breeding chick with tasty insects and so…

D700 at 1400ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I with TC-20E II, f8, 1/800sec, bias 0EV

D700 at 1000ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I with TC-20E II, f8, 1/800sec, bias 0EV

D700 at 1250ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I with TC-20E II, f8, 1/800sec, bias 0EV

D700 at 720ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I with TC-20E II, f5.6, 1/800sec, bias 0EV

D700 at 1600ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I with TC-20E II, f8, 1/800sec, bias 0EV

And both tongues…

D2x at 200ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I, f4, 1/640sec, bias 0EV

I must thank once again the D700′ sensor, because its high sensitivity’s rendition, but also che lens was very important in these shoots.
Despite the duplication, it makes possible to crop the images til what I’ve shown.
The originals are like this:

And I can crop til this:

D700 at 900ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I with TC-20E II, f8, 1/800sec, bias 0EV

And this is one of my preferred shots, which end this post.
a_

After the landscape from the Bulbjerg cliff’s top, we went down to the beach.
Approaching the klint’s bottom, only the colors and the sea.

D700 at 200ISO, 16mm f2.8 AF, f8, 1/1250sec, bias -2/3EV

…And some gulls flying…

D700 at 200ISO, 20mm f2.8 AF, f8, 1/800sec, bias 0EV

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Last Sunday weather was the best as possible, here in Nordjylland. The ideal day for a little trip til North Sea.
After a pair of hours into Bygholm Vejle’s Nature Reserve (something like the birdwatcher’s heaven), me and Fra went to the northen coast, in another natural park, on the Bulbjerg Klint.
These beautiful 47 meters tall’s cliffs host one of the nesting and breeding’ site for a rare gull: the kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla or Ride, in danish).

D700 at 100ISO, 180mm f2.8 AF, f5.6, 1/250sec, bias -1/3EV

But, first we saw the cliffs from the top, where the landscape is one of the best wiew possible in Jylland.
Something like this:

D700 at 200ISO, 20mm f2.8 AF, f5.6, 1/1600sec, bias -1/3EV

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See the Thematic Galleries Page!
There’s a new entry… By human being

One of my recurrent subjects, sought everywhere I go.

Disguised

And… Don’t forget the other galleries…

From “HERE“, and “HERE“.

Wait for others.
a_

A wonderful first may, in a sunny Danmark. I went to read on a lawn in Fussingsø.
I’m very proud of myself, despite che birds, the flowers and the insects around me I’ve studied hard.
But near the end… a little thing passed on my book’s page:

I took the photo with my 105mm Micro mounted on D700 together a 20+36mm extension tubes (at minimum focus distance, so the RR was about 2:1), but a more closer view is needed…

It was the beginning. In about half an hour I looked for all was under few millimeters.
I’ve shotter with my D700 handheld, the Micro lenses and the Metz ringflash.
The 105mm was always mounted together a 20mm extension tube, and the 60mm was with a 12mm extension tube.
So I can go under the actual size limit (over RR 1:1)… and the ladibirds needed these magnifications:

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And, especially, my new toy the AF-I 300mm f2.8 (with and without the TC-20E II teleconverter).
Below you can see some of the first session, made to take confidence with the new lens, bigger and heavier than any other I’ve ever had.
All photos are taken with handheld camera, often at full aperture (especially with the teleconverter).

This first gallery is about wild birds, and except the buzzards all the photos are shooted in Fussingsø area, few Km from Randers, where I live.

For everyone lives here in Danmark, and maybe in other countries, the subject could be quite normal… But coming from Italy, taking a nuthatch’s photo walking normally in the wood is quite a miracle.
And a treepeecker is a vision.
Here’s possible to go close enough to a chaffinch for photos like this without the teleconverter:

D2x at 220ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I, f4.0, 1/800sec, bias 0EV

But, for the same bird, the D700 full frame’s format needs the TC-20 (and its fantastic high sensibility):

D700 at 450ISO, 300mm f2.8 AF-I and 2X converter, f8, 1/800sec, bias -1/3EV

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