The sun came out! Fog lifted ( http://365project.org/taffy/the-also-ran-ph/2013-05-29)! The sandhill cranes (updated from wrong ID) arrived! We were getting dinner ready when we heard huge squawking, sounded like cranes. I switched to a longer lens and tiptoed down to the beach and watched four of them for a bit as they walked along. I tried following them for a bit, but they are much faster than I'd have expected. I couldn't get ahead of them, so ended up with photographs like this, or of them flying away (I thought of claiming ICM, but really, they were just blurry).
Thanks for the visit and the comment. I did feel lucky to be able to capture what I did, but kept wishing I had a bigger zoom! @yaorenliu I do feel very lucky -- in Chicago, seagulls and pigeons are mostly what I see as well.
@trudio Thanks Trudi -- I felt a little silly running after the birds, but there's no one here to see, so...off I went! I'm glad to have gotten the shot! @darylo Thanks Daryl. I kept wishing I had a 500 mm lens. If only they made a really really lightweight one that was inexpensive! @steampowered Thanks Paul. I do feel very fortunate, as I've only rarely been able to see these up close, and in multiples. There is one that watches the sunset from a rock off our beach, but it's probably 100 yards out. My goal this summer is to capture it in silhouette if it comes back (he/she?).
@amrita21 THanks Amrita! @busylady Thanks for the fav, Judith! @dreamatrix Thanks DMT! @bizziebeeme Thanks Loupy-Lou @kimshots Thanks -- and I think you are right. I thought they were sandhill cranes initially, but then Jim and I thought they wouldn't be here yet, so they must be blue heron. And not knowing birds, I made a guess. @havrotb Thanks Barbara! And for the fav too!
Definitely sandhills, Taffy. They have been back here (about 20 miles south of Cadillac) for a good month or so. Love that you were stalking them! They know just how far to stay ahead. I like this shot showing their silhouettes and just enough color to give away their identity.
Claiming ICM...haha "yes, I did this on purpose." So funny. I like it anyway. I do not think it is blurry. I rarely see pics of this bird on here. Very cool!
@seanoneill Ah -- I wasn't clear. The one I posted was the clear one. The closer one and the one where they are flying, which I didn't post, are the blurry ones! I'm glad you liked it Sean!
Thanks for the visit and the comment. I did feel lucky to be able to capture what I did, but kept wishing I had a bigger zoom! @yaorenliu I do feel very lucky -- in Chicago, seagulls and pigeons are mostly what I see as well.
Thanks Cora, Lisa, Elke, and Marloes! Your comments are so encouraging!
@darylo Thanks Daryl. I kept wishing I had a 500 mm lens. If only they made a really really lightweight one that was inexpensive!
@steampowered Thanks Paul. I do feel very fortunate, as I've only rarely been able to see these up close, and in multiples. There is one that watches the sunset from a rock off our beach, but it's probably 100 yards out. My goal this summer is to capture it in silhouette if it comes back (he/she?).
Thanks Carol and Nicole!
@busylady Thanks for the fav, Judith!
@dreamatrix Thanks DMT!
@bizziebeeme Thanks Loupy-Lou
@kimshots Thanks -- and I think you are right. I thought they were sandhill cranes initially, but then Jim and I thought they wouldn't be here yet, so they must be blue heron. And not knowing birds, I made a guess.
@havrotb Thanks Barbara! And for the fav too!
Thanks for your lovely comments on these great birds...and Barb, for clarifying that they are sandhill cranes and not blue herons! I hope they come back a lot this summer!
And thanks for the fav for this one!
@willowdragon Thanks Al!
@mwbc Megan, thanks for the fav and the lovely comments.