Your Call?
Which of today’s two featured student images would you wish was yours? Why did you make your choice? Though I love both of them, my choice would be crystal clear. I will share that along with my reasons in the next post.
I’ve been saying for years that beginning and intermediate photographers with their high end cameras set up properly and a modicum of instruction can often create photographs that would be the envy of experienced professionals. Even those with 42 years of experience 🙂
What’s Up?
On Tuesday morning everything at Nickerson Beach was relatively normal. We had a good morning with skimmers and terns in flight — mostly sunny with a northeast wind. Though we had heard of the possibility of coastal flooding on Long Island, we were shocked when we got to the top of the boardwalk that afternoon; the beach had become a series of large saltwater lakes. By Wednesday morning, the water had receded somewhat. We set up behind a low snow fence and enjoyed a good session with flying and bathing terns and skimmers. On Wednesday evening beach access was denied and the entire visible beach was a huge saltwater lake. Both the East and the West colonies are several feet above sea level and hopes are that the majority of chicks have survived.
Today is Thursday 21 August 2025 and our plans are up in the air. Whatever you opt to do today, I hope that you chose to have fun and be happy.
I still have room at the AirBnB for the last Nickerson Beach IPT:
Nickerson Beach 4-Day Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT): MON AUG 25 afternoon thru the morning session on FRI AUG 29, 2025: $2299.00.
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.
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This image was created on 19 August 2025 by student/friend/multiple IPT veteran Vasili Chernishof on a Nickerson Beach Extended IPT. Seated on damp sand, he used the handheld Canon RF 600mm f/4 L IS USM lens with the Canon Extender RF 1.4x (at 840mm) and the remarkable Canon EOS R1 Mirrorless Camera. ISO 250: 1/4000 sec at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:57:25am on a sunny morning with a N/NE wind,
Image #1: Great Black-backed Gull swallowing Black Skimmer chick
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The Second Predation
As mentioned here previously, I had seen an adult great black-backed grab and swallow a skimmer chick about a week ago. On Tuesday morning, Vasili wandered down the beach and when he rejoined me, he had a big grin on his face. He had stumbled upon an adult Great Black-Backed Gull killing and devouring a Black Skimmer chick. In his own inimitable style, he created about 2,000 images in a very short time. Cherry picking from his card, I picked four of my favorites. The image above is a fairly large crop but the 24MP R1 files stood up nicely to having 75% of the original pixels eliminated. I was very proud of my student, envious of the opportunity he had, and thrilled that he had mastered the skills needed to take advantage of his great luck.
Important Note
If you have not studied and practiced and if your camera is not set up properly, it does not matter if you have the best gear in the world and are the luckiest bird photographer alive. But if you cannot make sharp, pleasingly designed images with acceptable exposures you will head home empty-handed.
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This image was created on 11 August 2025 by student/friend/multiple IPT veteran Steve Shore on a wind-against-sun morning on a Nickerson Beach Extended IPT. Seated on day sand behind his 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 by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 320: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 6:43.38am as a faint sun broke through the haze. Tracking: Spot S/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 Skimmer chick digging scrape |
Scrape Digging
Both male and female black skimmers participate in digging nest scrapes. While both sexes share this responsibility, males tend to do more scraping and create larger scrapes than females. After several scrapes are made, one is eventually chosen to be the nest. After the eggs hatch the chicks will begin to wander. For the first few days, the adult bird that is tending the chicks will create a new scrape and invite the chicks to brood beneath her. Rinse and repeat. By the first week, the chicks instinctually begin digging their own scrapes. In heavy used areas, it is not unusual to count several dozen scrapes in a ten yard square.
On the morning Steve created this gem, I was thrilled to get some nice stuff on an adult digging a scrape with the sand flying. When he shared his best chick image on the camera body’s rear monitor, I was both proud and envious. Since Steve’s bird photography has improved so drastically since Sebastian last fall, I am wondering how much the a-1 ii has to do with it …
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Composite #1: All with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
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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.
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Composite #2: All with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
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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.
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Composite #3: All the result of using Pre-Capture with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
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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!
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All with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
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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.
For me, the second one because it’s a shot I would hang on a wall and look at over and over.
Both amazing shots! But, I’m going with the first one — the very sharp image of the gull eating the chick — it is such an unusual image.
Of the two images in today’s blog, I prefer Steve’s capture of the chick digging a scrape with the sand flying. He managed to capture both action and the bird’s environment, all with a pleasing background that places emphasis on the subject.