What’s Up?
Thursday and Friday afternoons on the beach at Nickerson were awe-inspiring with thousands of migrant Common Terns and many hundreds of Black Skimmers blasting off every three minutes into the 20+ mph wind that roared in off the Atlantic. It was a wild scene as the flocks flew off, swirled around, and then re-landed on the outer beach in ever-larger tight groups. You could actually feel the energy of the flocks growing until the next blastoff.
By Friday morning the remaining coastal flooding pool was down to two nearly connected large puddles. There were several photographers having fun in the mud with dozens of small shorebirds right in front of them in the smaller of the two puddles. Many of the mostly young birds were often too close to focus on. And there were lots of almost impossible to photograph squabbles. It was amazing to see the pond shrinking in size right before our eyes; the size of the pond diminishing by perhaps a foot every five minutes. By Friday afternoon that puddle had disappeared leaving medium sized puddle.
Today is Saturday 6 September 2025. Early in the morning, I headed to one of my soul places, the birthplace of my birding and photography career, the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY. Working with the tripod-mounted 600mm f/4 lens alone and later on with the 1.4X TC in place, I enjoyed a very good morning with soft hazy light, not too many bugs, and beautiful green reflections in my favorite corner of the pond. I am pretty sure that I made some very good images of the expected and usual suspects: juvenile and adult Lesser Yellowlegs, a single young Greater Yellowlegs, a very sweet juvenile Semipalmated Plover, perhaps a half dozen worn juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher, a few Least Sandpipers, and several dozen Semipalmated Sandpipers including a very few worn, molting adults.
Whatever you opt to do today, I hope that you chose to have fun and be happy.
If an item — a Delkin flash card or reader, a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro, or a Wimberley lens plate or low foot — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match or beat any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedford by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BirdPhotographer’s.Net, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.
Don’t Just Shoot: Learn
If you are interested in changing your life and becoming a better photographer by joining me on the Extended IPT at Sebastian Inlet for Ospreys and more (SEPT 25 to NOV 24, 2025), in San Diego for Pacific-race Brown Pelicans and more (JAN 6 to FEB 2, 2026), or for Roseate Spoonbills at Stick Marsh (March 2026), please e-mail for dates, rates, terms, and additional information. Or shoot me a text to 863-221-2372. Some offerings include options for shared AirBnB lodging and meals. Ground transportation during your stay is a possibility at times.
B&H Simplified
To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but using my affiliate links is greatly appreciated. And, with B&H, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. You cannot get your free guides if you make a phone order. Once you have an item in your cart, you must complete the order within two hours. Huge thanks!
B&H
Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1-ii from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1-ii Info and Updates Group, a roughly $225.00 value. But when I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.
Bedfords Simplified
Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Using either my affiliate links is greatly appreciated and will often earn you free guides or discounts.
Bedfords Amazing BAA Discount Policy
Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can always use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase when your product ships. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or prior purchases.
You can visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.
|
|
This image was created on 3 September 2025 by yours truly at Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. Standing at full height along the edge of the remaining coastal flooding pool, I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined with Sony Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250: 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 9:27:55am on a cloudy morning. Wide/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Photo Mechanic Screen Capture of birds in flight |
Insta-Delete?
In the last blog post, I asked if folks would delete this image instantly and if not, what their plan might be for the image optimization. Very few responded. Cliff Beitel suggested a possible version that involved a moderate crop. When my reply included this:ps: my solution might shock you. Or not, Cliff replied, Won’t be shocked if it focuses on that pretty dowitcher. You might say that he hit the nail right on the head. See my optimized version immediately below.
|
|
This image was created on 3 September 2025 by yours truly at Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. Standing at full height along the edge of the remaining coastal flooding pool, I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined with Sony Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250: 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 9:27:55am on a cloudy morning. Wide/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #1: Dorsal view of juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher in flight |
The Aggressive Image Optimization
After converting the raw file, I first cleaned the playing field in the center of the frame, painted a generous quick mask of the dowitcher hard on the right frame edge, moved it to the center of the frame, adjusted the tonality of the layer to match the tonality of the background, and added and fine-tuned a Regular Layer Mask so that the new layer blended seamlessly with the layer below. A healthy crop yielded the final image immediately above.
Though the optimized .TIF file represents less than 17% of the original 51 million pixels, the resulting JPEG is fine for internet presentation. With the relatively huge crop, image quality has of course suffered a bit; I would not want to make a large print of this image.
|
|
This image was also created on 2 September 2025 by yours truly at Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. Seated on damp sand near the edge of the surf, I used the handheld (!) Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined with Sony Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 7:07:21am on a mostly sunny morning. Wide/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #2: Black-bellied Plover molting adult taking flight |
Operator Error
Thanks in part to the Pre-Capture feature of the a-1 ii (set to 0.3 seconds), I was able to create a nice take-off sequence of this large plover while handholding the 600mm f/4 at 840mm. Though the earlier frames in the series were tack sharp on the bird’s eye, I panned a bit too slowly to keep up with the bird in this frame; the eye was not quite tack sharp. In addition, the shutter speed was a bit too low; 1/4000 or even 1/5000 second would likely have produced a sharper eye. As I did love the pose, however, I selectively sharpened the eye first with Topaz Sharpen AI and then with a contrast mask, all as detailed in both Digital Basics II and the Digital Basics III Video Series.
|
|
This image was also created on 2 September 2025 by yours truly at Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. Seated on damp sand near the edge of the surf, I used the handheld (!) Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined with Sony Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 7:10:30am on a mostly sunny morning. Wide/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. American Oystercatcher juvenile in flat flight |
Astounding a-1 ii AF Performance
About three minutes after the Black-bellied Plover flew to my right, my good fortune continued when a handsome young American Oystercatcher flew almost directly at me. As I was a bit late getting on the bird, I was astounded to see that the AF system tracked the AMOY’s eye perfectly in every frame. I kept four only four raw files because as the bird got closer and closer I began clipping wings.
I have had a million chances on oystercatchers in flight and this one is my favorite by a zillion miles; enlarge the image and check out the sharpness of the grains of sand on the bird’s bill.
I could never have even dreamed of creating sharp images of shorebirds in flight before I switched to Sony in 2019. And the a-1 ii makes almost everything possible.
|
The Viewer screen capture from IEDT (Imaging Edge Desktop) for the American Oystercatcher juvenile in flat flight image |
A Screen Capture is Worth a Thousand Words
The tiny green box on this raw file as seen in IEDT Viewer shows the active eye tracking AF point. Activate this feature by clicking on the Focus Frame Display icon (seen in orange on the task bar). It is two to the left of the Info icon (i) that is also highlighted in orange.
|
Composite #1: All with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
|
The a-1 ii for General Bird Photography
I have found that eye-tracking for general bird photography with the a-1 ii is far, far better than with the original Sony a-1. It grabs the eye and tracks it faster and far more consistently and focus is rarely lost, even with backgrounds other than sky.
|
Composite #2: All with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
|
The a-1 ii for Birds in Flight
For birds in flight, the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body has no equal. As Arash Hazeghi says, “It is better than the a-1.” When I am late getting on a bird in flight, I have consistently been amazed at how often the AF system of the a-1 ii finds and tracks the bird’s eye.
|
Composite #3: All the result of using Pre-Capture with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
|
Pre-Capture with the Sony a-1 ii
When it comes to Pre-Capture with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body, Arash and I agree 100%. And with my slower reflexes, Pre-Capture is more important for me than it is for Arash. Understand that in each of the images in Composite #3, I did not push the shutter button until after the bird took flight!
|
All with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
|
Purchasing or Upgrading to a Sony a-1 ii
The Sony a-1 ii e-Mail Set-up and Info Guide
I now own and use two Sony a-1 ii bodies. Every day that I use them, the more I am amazed by speed and accuracy of the Bird Face-Eye tracking in AF-C and the overall performance of the camera.
Aside from the improved ergonomics as compared to the a-1, other nice features include the fact that the rear screen tilts both ways — the lack of a tilting rear screen on the original a-1 always ticked me off. Pre-capture has proven to be a huge plus almost exclusively for take-off flight images. In my opinion, the Speed Boost feature is a total waste for bird photography because you should always be utilizing the maximum frame rate. In addition, the resolution on the rear monitor has been improved dramatically. I must mention again that Bird Face-Eye tracking on the a-1 ii is vastly improved as compared to both the a-1 and the a9 iii and that the 51MP files are to die for.
So, the big question is, is the a-1 ii “worth” a gear upgrade. Remembering that I can never know whether or not something is worth it to you, I can say that I was not floored when first using my a-1 ii. The differences between the a-1 ii and the original a-1, seemed to be neither huge nor eye-opening. But over time, I have come to realize that I was 100% wrong. The huge difference between the new camera body and the a9 iii is, of course, the 51MP a-1 raw files (as compared to the 24MP files rendered by the a9 iii).
The price of a new a-1 is $5,898.00. The price of a new a-1 ii is $1,100.00 more: $6,998.00. As the a-1 ii is clearly far superior for bird photography to the original a-1, the choice for folks new to Sony or for those upgrading from lesser Sony camera bodies is an easy one. Prices for used a-1 bodies has not dropped drastically as I anticipated. At this point, a-1 folks who like showing flight and action and can afford an a-1 ii, are advised to purchase an a-1 ii. Please remember that life is short; we only get one ride on the merry-go-round.
If you do purchase an a-1 ii, be sure to use one of my two affiliate links so that you will receive my a-1 ii settings (in the form of a CAMSEa1ii.DAT file), the Buttons and Dials Guide, and an Info Sheet for free. Using my links will never cost you one penny and may actually save you some money. Folks who do not purchase their new a-i using my B&H link or from Bedfords here and entering the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout will be able to purchase the a-1 ii guide for $244.93. If you are at all confused and do not want to screw up your order, please get in touch via e-mail. If you would like to chat about upgrading, shoot me a text to 863-221-2372 and LMK a good time to call you.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
I was surprised by your choice of the dowitcher on the far right of the image and amazed at the results. I thought you might choose to save the three birds in the middle.