Lead poisoning is still killing many birds, especially raptors who feed on carrion. When an animal is shot with lead ammunition and is later consumed by an eagle or other bird, the bird will also swallow the lead. That can either kill the bird or dramatically compromise it’s health through loss of balance, tremors or and impaired ability to fly. Such a bird will almost always end up as a dead bird. Sometimes, when found by humans, the bird can recover, but most of the time it’s too late.
According to a recent press release by the Peregrine Fund, Ravens in the Greater Yellowstone area show high lead levels during the hunting season. Hunters, after shooting elk and deer, left behind the gut piles which where consumed by the Ravens, of which many later had high levels of lead in their blood. Of course, the lead would not only affect Ravens, but all birds who feed on the gut piles like Golden Eagles or Bald Eagles. Grizzly Bears also are known to feed on the gut piles regularly.
Another problem are lead fishing weights which threaten loons and probably other birds with a similar biology than loons. See here for more information about this.
The best way to avoid future deaths of birds or other animals is to ban lead ammunition and fishing weights and replace it with something saver. Alternatives exist. It’s time that those unnecessary deaths of (often endangered) species come to an end.
Which digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera is best for bird photography? This is a question many birders who want to get serious about bird photography, are asking themselves.
Today, there are many companies who offer DSLRs, including Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus and more. The price of the models goes from below 1.000 Euros (or Dollars) up to more than 5.000 Euros for the professional cameras.
Which brand?
That’s an easy question. Canon or Nikon. Period. Although the cameras of other manufacturers are not bad, Canon and Nikon offer the best camers and are the only ones who currently offer professional bodies (Nikon with the D3 and D300, Canon with the 1D Mark III and 1Ds Mark III). In addition Nikon and Canon have the greatest selection of lenses and other useful utilities like extenders.
Canon and Nikon are currently the only companies that offer a 4/500 with image stabilization. Sigma has a 4.5/500, but without stabilization and a much slower AF than the Canon and Nikon lenses. And the Sigma is also available for Nikon and Canon, if you want to use them. The 4/500 is one of the best choices for the serious bird photographer. For more information about lenses, read my post Choosing the best lens for bird photography.
If you are serious about bird photography and want the best equipment currently available, choose either Nikon or Canon.
How many megapixels?
10 megapixels (MP) is the current standard of most consumer cameras and some professional models. Some new models like Nikon’s D300 offer about 12MP and Canon’s 1Ds Mark III even offers about 21 MP.
I think for most cases 10 or 12 MP are enough. If you are also doing a lot of landscape photography, you might want to get a camera with more than 12MP. At the time of this writing, there is only the Canon 1Ds Mark. But more cameras with a higher resolution from both Canon and Nikon are expected to follow soon.
Crop factor or full frame?
Let’s use an example to demonstrate the point why I like a camera with a crop factor. Nikon’s D300 and D3 both have about 12 MP of resolution. The 1.5 crop factor of the D300 will give you the bird with the same size in the image as if the picture were taken with the D3 and a 750 mm (500 x 1.5) lens. That means, when you photograph a bird with a 4/500 with both the D300 and the D3 from the same distance, you will get much more pixels per bird with the D300 than with the D3. That will allow you to make bigger prints.
But keep in mind, that the full frame sensor of the D3 has better image quality. You probably won’t notice this at all up to ISO 400 but above ISO 800, the D3 is the clear winner. That said, the D300 performs very well at high ISO values.
What else is important?
The camera should have a fast and accurate autofocus (AF). Canon and Nikon currently have both very good AF systems. The more expensive the camera, the better the AF. That’s because those cameras have more processing power and a more sophisticated AF system. A Nikon D3 will perform much better than a Nikon D60.
The camera should be able to shoot at least 5 frames per second (fps). That’s important when you are shooting action scenes like fighting birds or birds in flight. A camera with 8 fps will give you a much higher chance to get a good shot than a camera that can only shoot 3 fps.
The camera should have weather sealing, if you will be using it in difficult weather situations like heavy rain, or dusty areas like a dessert or at the ocean shore.
The camera should also deliver good image quality up to ISO 800, which is the case with most current Nikon and Canon cameras.
What do you recommend?
I currently use a Canon EOS 40D and am very happy with that camera. If you want an affordable but great camera for bird photography, the EOS 40D is a great choice. A serious alternative is the Nikon D300. This is a more expensive camera, but also overall a better one. It has a higher resolution than the EOS 40D (12 vs. 10 MP), can shoot 8 instead of 6.5 frames per second, has full weather sealing and a faster and better AF.
If you want to spend even more money, you can get either Nikon’s D3 (12 MP, full frame) or Canon’s 1D Mark III (10 MP and 1.3 Crop factor) or Canon’s 1Ds Mark III (21 MP and full frame).
The lens is more important than the camera
Keep in mind that the lens is more important than the camera. It’s better to bay a Canon EOS 40D with a 4/500 lens than a EOS 1D Mark III with just a 4/300 lens. For more about the right lens, read Choosing the best lens for bird photography
The Global Raptor Information Network is a wonderful website by the Peregrine Fund about the raptors of the world. It has detailed species accounts for all raptor species covering distribution, taxonony, movements, feeding, conservation and more. Below the species accounts are important references and a list of researchers working with the species.
The species can be grouped and searched by different criteria like continents where they live, conservation status or population trend.
If you want to learn more about a certain raptor species or all the raptors on the continent you live, then a visit to the Global Raptor Information Network will give you a lot of information. A must read website for both professionals working for the conservationi of the various species and for every birder serious about raptors.
The African Crowned Eagle ( Stephanoaetus coronatus ) is one of the most powerful raptors in Africa. Like most woodland raptors it has relatively short and broad wings, similar to a Goshawk. But the eagle is much bigger and more powerful than the Goshawk. Some consider it the African equivalent to the Harpy Eagle ( Harpia harpyja ) of Central and South America. But those two species are not closely related.
Here is an amazing video from National Geographic showing the (unsuccessful) attempt of an African Crowned Eagle to catch a Water Chevrotain ( Hyemoschus aquaticus ).
The White-tailed Eagle has a wingspan up to 245cm (the females) and is even a little bigger than the Golden Eagle. Once close to extinction in many European countries, the White-tailed Ealge has made a phenomenal comeback and populations have increased in many countries including Norway, Germany or Poland.
I just came across this wonderful post why bird conservation is important. Many people ask why we should care about birds and other animals at all. The Birdfreak Team has published that very helpful list about why the conservation of birds is so important. Read it and pass it on to your friends. It’s even available as a printable PDF.
Do you go out birding during bad weather? If your answer is “No”, change your birding habits. It’s well worth it. Let me tell you a small story of my birding adventures last Saturday.
I was birding near the German city of Günzburg in a protected area called “Gundelfinger Moos”. This is an open country with some artificial lakes. I like that area as I always find something interesting there - for example, I’ve already seen Merlin, White-tailed Eagles, Great Grey Shrike and about 150 Greater White-fronted Geese there.
Last Saturday I was scanning the meadows for shorebirds (Lapwings, Ruffs) and raptors (Common Buzzards). The weather was bad. It was snowing and the light was very bad so that you could not see much colors in most birds. I had already spotted 5 Common Buzzards when I noticed the sixth “Buzzard” sitting on a small wooden pole. But I immediately noticed that there was something “wrong” with the buzzard. It didn’t take me long to realize that the long tail and the overall gizz were clear signs of a Red Kite, one of the most beautiful and most elegant birds in the world.
If I had stayed at home, I would never have seen the Red Kite. So getting up early and going out, even in bad weather was definitely worth it.
The next time you decide to stay at home, think twice. If it’s not a hurricane, going out birding might be a good choice. And remember. There is not really something like bad weather. There is only bad clothing.
Another note about the red kite: Because I am very familiar with the Common Buzzard, it was easy for me to immediately see that the bird was not a Buzzard but a Red Kite. It’s always good to know the common birds. For more about this, read my post: Do not neglect the common birds
There are many ways to improve your birding skills. Of course, the most important way is to spend a lot of time out in the field actually watching birds. Others are talking to other birders, reading books and more.
A very interesting way I recently found is to use a blog to learn more. I learned about this in the Teach me about birdwatching blog. Mel, the owner of this wonderful blog uses her blog to write about birds she finds and asks readers of her blog to help her identifying the birds and give her more information. When you see the number of comments in her blog, you will realize that it’s a very popular blog and many people are participating in it. I want to encourage you to help Mel, too. Remember: When you help someone, you almost always also learn something. Mel lives in Peru and when you have a field guide for Peru you can help her identifying birds she found and photographed. This will also improve your own ID skills for the birds in Peru.
If you think this is a great idea, just start your own blog. You can do that, for example, at Wordpress.com or at Blogger. If you have your own domain and web server or hosting contract, you can use the free and open source Wordpress software. birdingnet.com uses Wordpress, too (for the start page).
Today I want to write about which telephoto lens is best for a bird photographer.
Let me tell you in advance that this is my personal opinion. Nature photographers like to discuss this topic a lot, especially if a 500mm or a 600mm lens is best.
I will just start describing the various choices and what I use:
70-200mm
That’s a popular zoom range. Nikon offers a 2.8/70-200 VR. Canon offers a 2.8/70-200 IS, a 4/70-200 without IS and a 4/70-200 with IS (which I use). VR stand for “vibration reduction” and IS for “image stabilization” and describes a technique to reduce the vibration of the lens when hand holding it or even when on a tripod. The 70-200 lens is too short for most bird pictures, but can be handy for tame birds like swans in a park or if you want to photograph a landscape with birds in it.
300mm lens
A 2.8/300mm lens is used by many photographers. Both the Nikon and Canon lenses are extremely sharp and have very fast AF (Autofocus). But 300mm is still to short for most situations. That’s why you will see most photographers who use a 2.8/300 using 1.4x or 2x extender with the lens. The 2.8/300 lenses are not cheap and cost several thousand Euros or Dollars. A cheaper choice is a 4/300 like the Canon 4/300 IS (which I use, too). Those lenses are also very sharp but much lighter and cheaper. The downside is that you will lose AF with many cameras when using a 2x extender with that lens. My Canon EOS 40D will not autofocus with the 4/300 and a 2x extender. The current Version of Nikon’s 4/300 does not yet offer VR (the Nikon 2.8/300 does have VR).
400mm lens
Canon and Nikon both offer a 2.8/400 with VR/IS. That’s a heavy beast (the Canon weighs more than 5kg ) and very expensive. I do not recommend that lens for bird photography. It’s too heavy, in my opinion and 400mm is still not very much when it comes to birds. But keep in mind that many photographers use that lens successfully, especially with good 1.4x and 2x extenders.
Canon also offers a 4/400 IS which is very light. That would make a great lens for flight photography and many photographers use it successfully. Some claim that it’s not as sharp as Canon’s 4/500 and 4/600. Canon also offers a very light and small 5.6/400 (without IS) which is very popular for birds in flight as it can be handhold for a long time.
200-400mm lens
Currently only Nikon offers a 4/200-400 lens. Canon does not although many Canon photographers (including me) would love to see such a lens. The Nikon lens is a dream of a lens. Very sharp and fast AF. Together with Nikon’s great D300 and it’s 1.5 crop factor, that lens would be like a 4/300-600 – a dream for bird and wildlife photographers. The downside of the lens is the high price.
100-400mm
Canon offers a very good 4.5-5.6/100-400 IS and Nikon a 4.5-5.6/80-400 VR. They are much cheaper than the 4/200-400 from Nikon and also much lighter. The sharpness is good, although not as good as with the 4/200-400 or 2.8/300. AF is slower due to the smaller f-stop. Nikon’s 4.5-5.6/80-400 is particularly slow, especially when used with an entry level DSLR from Nikon.
500mm
Canon and Nikon both offer a 4/500. Canon already introduced IS many years ago for this lens. Nikon recently (finally!!) came up with a new version of it’s 4/500 with VR. For me the 4/500 is the perfect bird lens. I love my Canon 4/500L IS. Those lenses are very sharp, f4 is still good, and they deliver amazing quality with a 1.4x extender and even with a 2x. I can handhold it for a while and have used it successfully for birds in flight like Black-headed Gulls, Griffon Vultures and Cinereous Vultures. It will still fit in a backpack that you can take with you on a plane. It’s cheaper than the 4/600 and although heavy (the Canon around 3.9kg). it’s still much lighter than the 4/600. That are the reasons why I chose the 4/500 over the 4/600. I use it a lot with a 1.4x extender on my Canon EOS 40D. That’s a dream combination for bird photography, as is Nikon’s 4/500VR together with the D300.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow, EOS 40D, EF 4/500L IS, 1.4x
600mm
The 4/600 lenses from Canon and Nikon (recently also with VR) give you a longer reach than the 4/500. That’s the only advantage of the 4/600 over the 4/500, but a significant one. If you are shooting a lot of shy birds and don’t have to travel by plane a lot, the 4/600 might be a better choice than the 4/500.
The best would be to own both, the 4/500 and the 4/600 but that’s quite an expensive option. I do not own the 4/600.
800mm
Recently Canon introduced a new 5.6/800 IS. It’s lighter than the 4/600 but more expensive. I would prefer the 4/600 + 1.4x as this is a more flexible solution but I am sure some bird photographers will be very happy with Canon’s new 5.6/800.
200-500mm
That lens does not yet exist. But what’s needed is a 4/200-500 with IS/VR from Canon or Nikon with a weight not over 3.5kg and the optical quality of Nikon’s 4/200-400. That would be the killer lens for bird photography. The zoom advantage would be great and allow for a much better composition of an image without the need the change your position of the lens (which is often not possible). I really hope that Canon or Nikon will come up with such a lens in the future.
You can buy some of the Canon lenses described here in the birdingnet store. There you will find the Canon equipment I use currently or used in the past (the 100-400L witch I replaced with the 4/70-200 and 4/300).
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