Your Call/My Call
Which of today’s two featured images do you think is the strongest? Why do you like it most?
In the Pelicans Dwarfed in La Jolla. Honest! blog post here, my favorite image was #5: Brown Pelican breeding plumage adult resting. This is one case where I love shooting down at a subject well below me as you get a great look at the feathers on the big bird’s back. That the red of the bill pouch is often quite visible is just icing on the cake. Tom Redd and David + Policansky agreed with me. Pat Fishburne went with the singing Song Sparrow photo while James Saxon liked the turning Western Gull in flight best. And Joe Randle went with my second choice, the dorsal view pelican flight shot.
Today is Monday 26 January 2026. It is cloudy dark at 7:30am and is threatening to rain. I will surely head down to the lake to check on the woodpecker nest that I found yesterday. I have lots of important phone calls to make dealing with upcoming appointments and such. I hope that you too choose to have a wonderful and productive day and that you have fun too. Please remember that happiness is a choice — Byron Katie, The Work.Com (and as discussed in the previous blog post).
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.
Repeated Warnings
#1: Always use a flash card large enough so that you never have to change cards in the field. If you are using small cards and need to change cards in the field you are astronomically increasing the chances of losing a card. In a quarter of a century, I have never lost a single image due to a Delkin card failure so I do not buy the “don’t put all your eggs in one basket theory.”
#2: With a Delkin Devices 960GB BLACK CFexpress Type A 4.0 Memory Card in each body, I never have to change cards. I never take a card out of a camera at the shooting location. If you do so, you again increase the chance of losing a card by leaps and bounds. When I get back to my home or AirBnB, I remove the card or cards from my camera bodies, hold them in my hand, walk inside, and start to download them. The chance of losing a card between your parking spot or garage and your computer are as close to zero as you can get.
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.
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 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 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. To receive a free guide or free entry into a Sony Set-up and Info Notes e-Mail group, you need to shoot me your receipt via e-mail. The B&H receipts need to include the order number.
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 25 January 2026 by yours truly at Indian Lake Estates, FL. La Jolla, CA. Working from the front seat of my SUV I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS lens (Sony E) (at 785mm) and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 3200: 1/320 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:233:29am in the shade on what would turn out to be a sunny morning. Tracking: Spot XS/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #1: (South Florida) Red-bellied Woodpecker female peeking out of nest hole |
Things Were Looking Bleak on Sunday Morning
Things were looking bleak on Sunday morning. There was no fire in the mist in the South Canal, and no vultures in the vulture trees. The kestrel was not hunting from the old eagle tree stump. There was nada in the bay south of the pier, and nothing on any of the three primary perches. There were several pairs of Sandhill Cranes around but not in any situations that excited me.
As the local Ospreys have been busy building new nests on several platforms I headed down to the north end of Palmetto Drive to see if the birds were at the natural nest along the North Canal. There were not. So, I headed back south pretty much resigned to a nothing morning as the sun was just about to make its way over the large gray cloud in the east. When I spotted a Red-bellied Woodpecker on a small (about ten feet tall) cabbage palm stump I made a u-turn and put the 400-800 on the BLUBB and guessed at the low flight exposure. Once I got into position the bird was not in sight.
Figuring that it might be in the nest hole, I spished, and the male poked its head out of the nest hole. I shot some horizontals when I realized that a vertical might be more powerful. As the male woodpecker had stayed put, I was successful.
I love the design of Image #1 despite the fact that the bird is looking out of the short side of the frame. I wanted to include the entire width of the nest tree and was able to leave just a bit more room on the left side of the tree than on the right. I placed the subject high up in the frame by moving the AF point because there was another nest hole above the active one, most likely last year’s nest hole. And by going vertical, I was able to include a lot more of the nest tree in the frame. The male woodpecker obliged with a 45° stare to my left that left his bill visible against a clean backdrop. Not to mention that I love the 2/3 earth toned — 1/3 white sky background.
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This image was created on 25 January 2026 by yours truly at Indian Lake Estates, FL. La Jolla, CA. Working from the front seat of my SUV I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS lens (Sony E) (at 800mm) and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 3200: 1/1000 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:00:44am on a then sunny morning. Tracking: Spot XS/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #1: (South Florida) Red-bellied Woodpecker female peeking out of nest hole |
Keep Checking the Good Situations
Once the male left the hole and flew off, I left the site in search of other subjects but came up pretty much empty. Several times in the next half hour I parked by the nest for a few minutes. The third time was the charm; the female flew in within a minute and perched on the side of the stump for the classic woodpecker shot. I was very lucky as the AF point was a bit too high in the frame and the bird held the pose for perhaps one second. I got only a single image before she hopped down to the nest hole. Because the AF point was placed less than ideally this image needed a significant crop from the right and from below.
I succeeded because I knew that I had to work quickly and be aggressive with the shutter button by shooting before everything was perfect. Had I hesitated for even a fraction of a second I would have failed miserably.
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The Incredibly Versatile and Affordable Sony 400-800mm G LensRegular visitors to the blog know that I have loved the Sony 400-800 lens ever since I got my hands on one early last spring and have made dozens of new and different images with it handheld, on a monopod, on the tripod, and on the BLUBB when working from my vehicle. When working on a tripod, adding a 1.4X teleconverter gives you an effective focal length of 1120mm (albeit at f/11). The sharpness of the results are nothing short of astounding. Sony shooters who photograph birds need to consider this relatively inexpensive super-telephoto zoom lens even if they already own and use the fabulous 200-600 G lens. The two are totally different animals. |
The BIRDS AS ART SONY 400-800mm f/6.3-9 G Super-telephoto Zoom Lens Guide
When I first borrowed this lens from Sony, I assumed that at 5.45 pounds it was too heavy to handhold for long and that at f/8 at the long end (800mm,) it was too slow for most bird photography applications. In short, I did not want to like the lens. After a month of using it, I cannot live without it. After returning the loaner, I was miraculously able to get my own from Bedfords on 16 April 2025. In this guide I share everything that I have learned about using the 400-800. For best results, you need to know exactly what you are doing to get the most out of this zoom lens. It would be best, therefore, to consider and study the material in the guide so that you can begin making great images with your new lens. This guide is free to folks who use one of my two affiliate links to purchase their Sony 400-800 G lens. Otherwise, please send a PayPal for $115.43 to birdsasart@verizon.net and include the words “400-800 Lens Guide” in your e-mail.
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Free to folks who use one of my two affiliate links to purchase their Sony 400-800 G lens. Otherwise, please send a PayPal for $115.43 to birdsasart@verizon.net and include the words “400-800 Lens Guide” in your e-mail. |
What You Will Learn
You will learn how to deal with the relatively show apertures: f/6.3, f/7.1, and f/8 when working in Manual mode.
You will learn how to ensure that you are working at the widest aperture by working in Shutter Priority mode with AUTO ISO.
If you are able to hand hold the lens, you will learn proper hand holding techniques.
If you can’t, you will learn when, why, and how to employ other options. Those include:
1- The knee-pod, heel-pod, and toe-pod techniques
2- Using the lens on a monopod.
3- The best lens plate and low foot for your 4-8.
4- The best tripod and head for the 4-8 and how best to utilize them.
5- How to use the lens from your vehicle while supporting it on a BLUBB (or not and why not).
6- Detailed instructions on how to set and use the lens controls and buttons:
a- AF/MF
b- DMF Switch
c- Limit Range Switch
d- OSS (Optical Steady Shot) Switch
e- OSS Mode Switch
f- Focus Hold Buttons
The guide also includes a Hand Holding Shutter Speed Primer and an illustrative, educational, and inspiring 67-image gallery.
How to Get This Guide
This guide is free to folks who use one of my two affiliate links to purchase their Sony 400-800 G lens. Otherwise, please send a PayPal for $115.43 to birdsasart@verizon.net and include the words “400-800 Lens Guide” in your e-mail.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
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