What Artie Missed on Plateaufjellet/A Guest Blog Post by Patrick Sparkman

What Artie Missed on Plateaufjellet (PLAT-toe-FEE-el-ut)/A Guest Blog Post by Patrick Sparkman

After many spectacular days photographing eiders, jaegers, an Ivory Gull, Barnacle Geese, Red-throated Loon, Purple Sandpipers, and many other species, our only disappointment had been the total absence of Dovekies after we all made the strenuous climb up Plateaufjellet. As much as Artie wanted to get the Dovekies, he wussed out and stayed in his room to sleep. Actually, he was simply beat. So, while he was dreaming of them, Jasper and I went back up the hill the very next evening to see if we could do better. On the way up we created some nice scenic shots of an Artic Fox and were very excited to see big flocks of Dovekies circling the same spot where we had struck-out the night before. Best of all was that the birds were massing several hundred feet lower on the hill than we had been on our first dangerous climb.

We climbed easily right up to the very tame birds, giving only brief thought of how much easier it would have been for Artie to get up to this spot. We knew that he was gonna be sick when he heard…. The birds were amazing. It was easy to get any type of image that you desired. Portraits on different rocks, head shots, big flocks flying out over the incredible arctic scenery, and close-up flights shots as the birds flew off then circled around to land. There were almost too many birds; every time you would tee one up on an attractive rock, another bird would walk into the frame. The experience was magical, the scenery amazing, and the birds beautiful and cooperative. After skipping down the hill to the car, I noticed groups of Kittiwakes flying very low over the hill straight into the sun. I lay on the ground with a 15mm fish-eye lens and snapped pictures of the birds as they whizzed by 2 feet over my head. The only disappointment on one of the most memorable days of my life was knowing that my friend Artie (who was the inspiration for us–wife Robin and me) coming to this wonderful far away place) was only dreaming of Dovekies not photographing them.

Thanks Patrick!

Thanks a stack Patrick for your kind words and for preparing the images and the blog post for us to enjoy. I still have two more evenings….. If the weather cooperates, I will make the climb again and see how things work out.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear that Patrick used to create the images above and also some of my favorite gear. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM zoom lens. Though I used this lens only once I was quite impressed with the sharpness and quick initial focus acquisition. It would make a great starter lens for folks living near tame birds. (Note: it does not accept a 1.4X teleconverter.)
Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X III teleconverter. I also use it a lot with the 1.4X III TC which is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses. I used the 70-200 alone to create all of the images at Scott’s place.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. My two Mark IVs are my workhorse digital camera bodies.

And from the BAA On-line Store:

Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.

Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. These high capacity cards are fast and dependable. Clicking on the link below will bring you to the Delkin web site. There is lots of great stuff there. If you see a product that we do not carry let us know via e-mail; we will be glad to have it drop-shipped to you and save you a few bucks in the process.

I pack my 800 and tons of other gear in my ThinkTank Airport SecurityTM V2.0 rolling bag for all of my air travel and recommend the slightly smaller Airport InternationalTM V2.0 for most folks. These high capacity bags are well constructed and protect my gear when I have to gate check it on short-hops and puddle jumpers. Each will protect your gear just as well. By clicking on either link or the logo below, you will receive a free gift with each order over $50.

Think Tank Free Offer