Lesser Yellowlegs

While scouting the Meadows in Cape May (Cape May Migratory Bird Sanctuary, The Nature Conservancy) for the World Series of Birding, I was able to capture this Lesser Yellowlegs in the pool under then new observation tower. No particular challenge here. Good bird, good light. The only obstacle was the roaring wind which had the tripod dancing so badly I did not feel safe letting go of it. Always something!

Canon SD1400IS behind a prototype of the new 20-75x Vario Eyepiece on the old style Diascope 65FL. The new Vario, despite any logic to the contrary, and despite my fears, actually works better for digiscoping than the old 20-60x model. It is easier, somehow, to set the camera for a long unvignetted zoom range. This was a considerable surprise to me…made my day when I discovered it, in fact! It removed the last reason I can think of to resist the new zoom design if you are considering the new DiaScope. More information on this new eyepiece will be available shortly on the Zeiss site. (It fits on the old Diascope, obviously from I have already said…it just does not lock in place as it will on the new DiaScope.)

Combined focal length for this shot was in the range of 3000mm. Exif data reads: f4.5 @ 1/500th @ ISO 125. Programmed auto. Macro focus mode. Limiting f-stop, computed for the camera/scope combo was f8.

In Lightroom, I added some Fill Light, moved the Blackpoint to the right slightly, added Clarity and Vibrance, and used the Sharpen landscape preset. Click the image above for a larger view.

Or for an even larger view (up to original file size) you can find this image in the World Series of Birding 2010 gallery on my weiw.lightshedder.com site.

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From Rich Moncrief – Training Manager

Driving back home to Virginia in the rain on Monday was kind of a downer after all the great weather and even greater event we had this past weekend in New Jersey. As seven hours of driving often goes, you are all alone with your thoughts and it was very relaxing to go back through the past few days and commit to memory what we did and all the wonderful people I was able to spend time with, albeit for just a few days a year.

Arriving in Cape May Thursday evening I went straight over to the Northwood Center to drop in and see Marleen and Sheila Lego. If you go to Cape May for any sort of birding event or weekend or otherwise happen into the Northwood Center, and don’t know either of these ladies, then you live under a rock.  (It occurs to me I am being unfair to rock crabs, if so, I apologize to Hemigrapsus exdentatus everywhere.) They were getting ready to go to the Swap meet at Goshen so I headed back to the hotel and ran into Stephen Ingraham.  Conferring with Stephen quickly, we made plans to make for the swap meet ourselves and made it over there right about 7:00. Well, we tried to make it through the reports of where all of the birds were through 5 columns of checklist but between my drive and Stephen’s work, we had to call it a night after column two.

On Friday Steve headed north by northwest on an expedition to pick up Amy Hooper from Wildbird and Catherine Hamilton, artist and New York  birder extraordinaire birder as well as meet up with CMBO’s Team ZEISS in North Central New Jersey where they would all begin their day on Saturday for WSB. (For more info on their adventures see Stephen’s blog and twitter feed.)  I went over to the Northwood center to see if I could lend a hand and spent a few hours seeing old friends and sampling my favorite Pepperidge Farm products put out in the WSB scouting info / greeting area. I also met two of the teams there that were to leave a wonderful impression on me of some of the very best in young men and women in terms of dedication and commitment to the cause of the event. The Lady Peregrines and the Merlins are two very hi-speed groups of young people who are not only really great birders but also just genuinely nice people.

In the afternoon I went with Marleen over to the fire hall for some quick Finish Line setup but then made for the Pool and Meadows were I was able to again run into both the teams mentioned above working their craft while scouting. Their birding skills, field knowledge and methodology are just excellent.

In the early evening I made for the hotel again for a quick refresher then had dinner with Dennis Pegg. If you have not met Dennis at some time or another through the Northwood Center or seen him in the past at WSB working with the Merlins, you are still living under a rock. Dennis is now a fast friend and it was super to see him and have a great pre-event dinner with him.

Now I have to admit, in the evening before bed I did indulge in a little History Channel. Living in a more rural area of Virginia, and never making the jump from analog to digital TV, well, any sort of decent television is a treat and exposure to THC, AMC or PBS is a big deal in my life…….

THE EVENT

(For Rich’s pics and video take a look at ZEISS Youth Birding Challenge.)

Another admission, I did not get up until 4:30 on Saturday and was not in the field until 5:45. After driving around a few hours and making some calls and receiving a few texts from Robin (a really great and friendly parent from the Peregrine/Merlin consortium) I was able to track down the Peregrines at Nummy Lake in Belle Plain Start Forest. So the race began. We also met briefly with the Merlins, also in Belle Plain but most of my morning travels where with the Lady Peregrines. We spent some time in Belle Plain and then down to Heislerville.

Other competitors teams where to be seen also including two of the Carbon Footprint cyclists teams, regardless of the route one chose or the manner of transportation, thank goodness the skies were clear and temperature just right,  just a little wind along the shore areas made for a little chill now and then.

At the conclusion of my morning travels with The Lady Peregrines I headed north to Brigantine (Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge) to join up with the Brick City Nighthawks from Newark, NJ. Meeting with them at about 2:15, it was my pleasure to spend the rest of the event with them through the finish line. They got a good tally of shorebirds here and their excitement and enthusiasm was awesome.  Thanks to each and every one of them for making me welcome to spend the afternoon and evening with them.

I made it back to the finish line in Cape May with them at about 9:45 and had a great feed right away thanks to the courtesy of Shop Rite (just a corporate plug based on the placards around the hot entrée table,) then received a summons to present the “I counted” patches and medals made especially for the youth teams. Everyone in the hall then slowly gravitated towards the tally cards to see how all of the teams did. (Results are listed on Stephen’s twitter.) Helped a bit in breaking down the finish and made it back to bed about 1:45 or so.

Sunday morning we had the awards brunch which was fabulous and Sunday afternoon was spent recuperating a bit. I had the great pleasure to go on a field walk at the Meadows with Pete Dunne, Don Freiday and a good group of folks Monday morning. It was my first good view of Canadian Warbler.

Lasting Impressions

This event raises funds for wildlife and wildlife habitat conservation like no other than I know of or have had the privilege of participating in. While exhausting for all of the participants, I keep seeing many of the same faces year after year. It is not just the time they spend during the actual competition that is a tribute to them but all of the time scouting well ahead of time that is really moving.

Special Thanks:

My especial gratitude goes to the following teams and individuals for their help and courtesy during my travels with them.

Needless to say, Marleen and Sheila at CMBO. You guys really do need your own Fan Club and Facebook Page.

Jim Wilson, Robin, Dino and all the young men and women with the Lady Peregrines and Merlins and the parents behind them who allowed me to tag along with them.

Chidi and Margot and all of the young men and women with the Brick City Nighthawks, this is some of the best time I have ever spent in the field birding. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Pete Dunne, Don Freiday and the volunteers who led the walk on Monday morning, while not part of WSB, they enrich the small amount of time I get to spend in the field birding whenever I see them.

Stephen Ingraham and the ZEISS team here in Chester who cover me while I am running around the countryside.

GET THE KIDS INVOLVED!

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One of the most encouraging trends at the World Series of Birding is the growth of the Youth competition. These young birders really are the future, and among them we are sure to find at least a few of the future leaders of our community. They provide hope for our passion, but, more than that, they provide hope for birds and bird conservation.

This year 14 youth teams competed in the ZEISS Youth Biding Challenge: 3 in Division A (1-5th grades), 4 in Division B (6-8th grades), and 7 in Division C (9-12th grades).

As part of our expanded coverage of the competition, along with the chase car for Team Zeiss, we also fielded a chase car for a few of the Youth teams. The images and videos that follow will give you a taste of what competing at the Youth level is all about, and a glimpse of our future.

I want to thank Rich Moncrief, my colleague at Carl Zeiss Sports Optics, for the time and energy he devoted to documenting scouting and the competition itself, and the teams he traveled with for their willing cooperation. Thanks to The Merlins and Lady Peregrines, and to the Brick City Nighthawks.

Scouting with the Merlins and Lady Peregrines. Both teams went on to win their divisions: The Merlins in Class A with 119 species, and the Lady Peregrines in Class B with 140 species. :)

See the full gallery on Posterous

On the day of the competition:

Shots of the Lady Peregrines at Belleplain and Heiserville. Also a random shot of the Anti-Petrels, a bicycling team that won the Carbon Footprint Award for the highest non-motorized total with 150 species.

See the full gallery on Posterous

And finally a couple of shots of the Lady Perigrines at Thompson’s Beach.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Rich also spent time with the Brick City Nighthawks, a large team from the Newark Museum.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Nighthawks at the awards ceremony.

And back to the Merlins and Lady Peregrines posing at the awards brunch.

And receiving their awards.

Honestly, it does an old birder’s heart good, or at least this old birder’s heart, to see the enthusiasm and the energy…not to mention the skills (The Sub-adult Skuas won the Carl Zeiss/Pete Dunne Future Leaders in Birding Award with 188 species, not far off the mark of Team Zeiss themselves)…of these young birders. They truly are the future…and the future looks bright!

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This year, we made an attempt to document the World Series of Birding, and the efforts of Team Zeiss in particular, in fairly unique way. We fielded a chase car, and followed Team Zeiss through some of their scouting, and through just about the full 24 hours of the event, twittering as we went on @zeissbirding_us. This provided folks, perhaps for the first time, with a ground-level view of the competition, at least from the stand-point of one highly competitive team. Twitter is ephemeral by nature, and, while I was able to post some audio clips, and some images on the day, to get a real feeling for the competition requires more that twitter can provide…or more than I could provide through twitter with my current tools. This, then, is the extended version (sort of the director’s cut), based on my tweets from the chase car, but not limited to those. I have expanded and amplified, and added images and video to make it a more complete record of the event…and of Team Zeiss’ efforts. This is a chronological record. I will get to some more reflective writing on the experience in the next few days, and also feature some images and video of the Carl Zeiss Youth Challenge Teams. Until then, enjoy this fairly unique view of the WSB! Brought to you by the birder-friendly people of Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. (For more WSB fun from the chase car, Amy Hooper (@WBEditor) has collected her tweets and Catherine Hamilton's (@birdspot) into a somewhat coherent and mostly parallel universe to this one. It is here.)

Thu Apr 29 10:42:52 Run up to Team ZEISS and the World Series of Birding: making it more fun this year. Blog/twitter = fun. http://bit.ly/cHryzj

Fri Apr 30 8:36:14 14 days til the World Series of Birding. Follow Team ZEISS and the Youth Division here, and at zeisssports.wordpress.com

Fri Apr 30 12:07:21 Ramping up to the World Series of Birding for Team ZEISS. Counting the days.

Mon May 03 7:34:44 Run up to Team ZEISS and the World Series of Birding: making it more fun this year. Blog/twitter = fun. http://bit.ly/cHryzj

Tue May 04 11:47:34 The Games Afoot. Already. World Series of Birding. Team ZEISS. http://ow.ly/1GWMj

Thu May 06 7:40:53 Woohoo! Chase Team for WSB Team Zeiss grows. @WBEditor and @birdspot join me for the effort. Fun! http://ow.ly/1HE8K Fri

May 07 20:10:50 Testing Hootsuite for next week's WSB effort http://ow.ly/i/1qw2

Fri May 07 20:55:36 2 B fair, there are OTHER World Series of Birding teams besides Team Zeiss. 3 from Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Sapsuckers! :) http://ow.ly/1HZmx

Sat May 08 7:00:21 World Series of Birding. Team Zeiss. One week from today. Here's hoping. http://ow.ly/1Iwss

Mon May 10 8:57:08 An opportunity not to be missed: ground level coverage of the World Series of Birding http://ow.ly/1J1Tx

Tue May 11 8:18:32 Team Zeiss: on the ground already, scouting. http://ow.ly/1JwWj

Wed May 12 6:27:31 At the airport on my way to Cape May and the World Series of Birding #wsb

Wed May 12 7:01:22 Dreary dreary day in Philly on my way to #wsb World Series of Birding http://ow.ly/i/1w4d

Wed May 12 19:15:14 I am in Cape May (after a long conference call stop in a Staples parking lot) but it is raining :( http://ow.ly/i/1wr5  

Thu May 13 8:33:03 It is cold and damp in Cape May. Especially in my hotel room. Such is the nature of the #wsb, #wsob.

Thu May 13 7:25:08 Day breaks in Cape May to 30 N.Gannets together fishing close-in off the beach across from the Avondale. :) #wsob #wsb

Thu May 13 9:32:57 Cape May Point Hawk Watch platform and Lighthouse. #wsb #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1wYo http://ow.ly/i/1wYq

Thu May 13 10:47:42 ABA Tropicbirds scouting #wsb #wsob with @abaoutreach & @jeffgyr http://ow.ly/i/1x2D

Thu May 13 11:27:52 The Meadows Cape May #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1x4Z

Thu May 13 13:16:33 Northland Center CMBO #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1xaS Thu May 13 14:21:25 Team Zeiss scouting Coral Ave. #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1xeh

Thu May 13 15:26:26 #wsob Team Sapsucker scouting http://post.ly/fs2Z

Thu May 13 16:01:46 Gallery of scouting shots #wsob http://post.ly/fsIf

One of the advantages of being unofficial at the World Series this year is that I had time on scouting days for some no pressure digiscoping and bird photography. The last 6 images are with my Canon SX20IS. The rest are digiscoped with a Canon SD1400IS behind the lens of the Zeiss Diascope 65FL.

See the full gallery on Posterous

See the full gallery on Posterous

Thu May 13 19:15:44 Swap Meet: #wsob Sharing the wealth! http://ow.ly/i/1xs0

One of the most interesting aspects of the World Series of Birding as a competition is the level of cooperation that happens during scouting and route planning. Teams meet on Thursday evening both north and south to share what they have found…especially the locations of difficult birds. The more seasoned competitors regularly help new or inexperienced teams to plan an effective route. The Youth Challenge teams in particular, benefit from this openness, but everyone benefits to one extent or another. And, of course, since $$ is being raised on a per-species seen basis, the real benefit goes to conservation!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Fri May 14 21:23:50 Got to see: House Wren with a problem! Digiscoped video. http://post.ly/fuWi

Taken on Thursday, as I informally scouted the trail behind the Hawk Watch platform at Lighthouse State Park. Pretty funny to watch.

  Fri May 14 21:41:22 What Team Zeiss might look like on Saturday! #wsob http://post.ly/fud3 

Part of the insanity of the World Series is the speed at which the teams have to move on the day of the event. This often involves a lot of running out to find the target bird, and then running back to the vehicle as fast as you can. Here Tom Reed and Michael O’Brian practice their running with a scope skills

. :)

Fri May 14 6:05:28 I will drive the length of NJ and back 4 times in the next 3 days. Crazy? World Series of Birding! #wsob

Fri May 14 10:10:51 At the Philly airport to pick up @WBEditor for #wsob Team Zeiss chase car team :) late :(

Fri May 14 13:42:38 @WBEditor & @birdspot preparing the inner person fir the #wsob. :) http://ow.ly/i/1ydg

Fri May 14 16:39:56 Final planning. Team Zeiss #wsob http://post.ly/g1zO

We planned to start the WSB run in Bernardsville, but due to last minute recalculation (ditching Great Swamp) we had to leave there by 10:30 to reach Sussex County were we actually began to the count at midnight.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Fri May 14 18:57:30 Team Zeiss is bedded down for a few hours of sleep before a 10:30 departure to be deep afield at midnight.

Sat May 14 21:43:27 The chase team for Team Zeiss is upright once more. Packing. Brewing a last tea (@birdspot) Off to meet the real Team Zeiss momentarily.

Sat May 14 21:58:40 On a hill in far north Jersey with Team Zeiss listening for migrants. Midnight in 2.

Deep in Sussex county, on a back road to nowhere.

Sat May 15 00:04:06 Stars overhead. Aircraft. Not a lot of bird sound. :(

Sat May 15 00:07:49 Picking up a few now :) Michael sifting them out of the man-made background.

Sat May 15 00:24:05 Local on a Kawasaki mule w/ a spotlight came to check on us. This is country. :) #wsob

Evidently a passing motorist (of which there were few) had called the local police, who had called the nearest farmer, who had come out on his ATV with a very bright spotlight to see what we were up to. Friendly sort, but somewhat mystified at what we were doing on that hill at midnight!

Sat May 15 00:26:31 And now comes the wind to confuse ears. #wsob

Sat May 15 00:28:45 Deer came to look at us. Snorted loud enough to startle. :) #wsob

Sat May 15 00:31:55 Sounds of midnight #wsob http://post.ly/g3y4 Sat May 15 00:42:07 Flashes of lightning beyond the hills to the north. #wsob

Sat May 15 01:19:11 Now we listen beside a marsh. #wsob Sat May 15 01:25:24 Night sounds of the marsh #wsob http://post.ly/g47Z

Sat May 15 01:26:41 RT @WBeditor: Will Russel gave us an A+ for decorum. Go @singraham & @birdspot! #wsob

Sat May 15 01:42:22 Fireflies light the fields and woodlot. Listening for screech owl. #wsob Sat May 15 02:12:08 Another owl spot. Screech and barred. At least that is what the guys are imitating. #wsob

Sat May 15 02:33:59 Clapping for clappers. #wsob

Sat May 15 02:57:15 Back on the hill to listen some more. #wsob

Sat May 15 03:03:05 No wind on the hill this time but far fewer birds going over. #wsob

Sat May 15 03:51:22 We have intersected another team back at the first marsh. Took our parking spot! #wsob

Sat May 15 03:55:21 L Bittern! #wsob

Sat May 15 04:37:13 Now overlooking major marsh. Lots of frog action. #wsob

Sat May 15 04:41:40 Great Horned Owl calling. #wsob

Sat May 15 05:10:00 Just getting light at the marsh #wsob http://post.ly/g5Ep

Sat May 15 05:34:06 Dawn chorus in the fields on North Jersey. :). #wsob

Sat May 15 05:55:00 Amazing stop just at dawn. Many species in a very few moments. :)

See the full gallery on Posterous

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sat May 15 06:25:44 Highpoint #wsob http://post.ly/g5fP

Amy Hooper (@WBEditor) and Catherine Hamilton (@birdspot) stretching their legs…every chance to get out of the chase car was a blessing!

Sat May 15 06:36:23 Still in Highpoint #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1z07

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sat May 15 06:39:15 RT @WBeditor: The birds are starting to wake up. This will get more fun (c: #wsob

Sat May 15 07:16:19 Stop and start thru Highpoint. Ethnically sensitive fire drill over and over. :) And the count climbs.

 

Sat May 15 07:28:19 @KRNaturalPhoto Can’t share the count. Lots of birds so far. Nothing unexpected. :)

 

Sat May 15 07:46:09 Got tangled with a bike race. The nerve! #wsob.

 

Sat May 15 08:30:03 Bear just ran across the track ahead of Team Zeiss. Know not to mess with serious birders. :) #wsob

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

   

Sat May 15 08:44:56 Thunder Mountain and it's ponds are entertaining! #wsob

This was taken out the window of the moving chase car.

 

Sat May 15 09:05:07 How can it possibly be only 9 am? Course Team Zeiss is saying "hurry up! It is already 9am. #wsob

 

Team Zeiss at work in Highpoint/Stokes and the Delaware Watergap.

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sat May 15 09:35:46 Delaware Watergap is amazingly beautiful. Need to come back when not chasing Team Zeiss. #wsob

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sat May 15 09:59:26 Back on 80 E. Does this mean we are leaving "the north" Team Zeiss. # wsob

 

Sat May 15 11:42:38 We had to make a rest stop, got somewhat lost and only caught up with Team Zeiss as they were leaving Garret Mt. :(

 

Sat May 15 11:46:39 And now we are really leaving the NORTH. Good morning from were we sit. Don't know how the Team feels about it #wsob

 

Sat May 15 11:49:44 On the Garden State. Thank you for rentals with etoll. :) #wsob

 

Sat May 15 12:14:06 Removed the first tick of the day :). You have to get them all off. Otherwise you have to pay export duty at the NJ border. #wsob

 

Sat May 15 13:42:12 Changing plans. Headed for the north end of Belleplain, then ??? #wsob

 

Sat May 15 14:11:31 Different terrain in the SOUTH. Belleplain :) #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1zpp

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sat May 15 14:29:10 Heislerville. Team Zeiss. #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1zqG

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

   

Sat May 15 15:05:19 Belleplain again. Team Zeiss. #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1zsj

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sat May 15 17:18:29 Waiting too hook up with Team Zeiss again near Two Mile Landing after breaking off to take care of business (gas, hotel, etc.). #wsob

 

Sat May 15 17:20:51 Team Zeiss is working it's way south toward us thru Avalon & Wildwood. #wsob

 

Sat May 15 17:37:16 Just had a Magnolia Warb right beside the car but Team Zeiss was not here to see it

:( #wsob

 

 

Sat May 15 17:40:11 Bobwhite Quail calling and visable in small tree right on the water. ??? #wsob Sat May 15 17:57:14 Yellow-billed Cuckoo flew across the road. Still no Team Zeiss to see it :). #wsob

 

I was driving for a while here and did not get to tweet, but we spent some time at 2 Mile Landing on the road to Wildwood.

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sat May 15 19:24:03 Getting late along the canal. Team Zeiss. #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1zEw

 

Sat May 15 19:27:35 Chasing around Cape May Point as the sun sets filling in the list. #wsob

 

Sat May 15 19:39:30 Back of the dike. #wsob http://post.ly/g9WA

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sat May 15 19:56:12 Sunset. Cape May. #wsob http://post.ly/g9al

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sun May 15 21:49:26 Lost Team Zeiss about 8pm, while they were running the last of their route. Decided a burger at Carney's was the better part of valor :)

 

And amazingly Amy and Catherine are still smiling :)

 

 

Sun May 15 21:51:30 Plan to be at the finish line in while to see Team Zeiss (and the rest) come in. :) #wsob

 

Sun May 15 23:02:11 Taking names and... The check-in table for the World Series of Birding. #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1zQu

 

 

Sun May 15 23:19:31 Early arrivals at the finish line. First in does not win! #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1zRn

 

Sun May 15 23:47:55 Pete Dunn handing in the list for Team Zeiss. #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1zSS

 

Tired but satisfied (mostly) Team Zeiss at the Finish Line

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sun May 15 23:56:10 Pic of the Day: Cape May Sunset. Happy Sunday. From last night at the end of the World Series of Birding day! :) http://ow.ly/1LElr

 

Sun May 16 8:49:38 RT @noflickster: Results are in, Cornell scores 224 species - excellent showing, Sapsuckers! #wsob http://bit.ly/goitz

 

Sun May 16 8:54:41 Awards brunch World Series of Birding #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1Aof

 

Sun May 16 9:26:03 Brunch #wsob http://ow.ly/i/1Apa

 

Starting with the third image, Will Russel of Team Zeiss with the coffee cup. Michael O’Brian looking like we all felt. Pete Dunne pointing the finger of fame at the chase team captain (me, behind the camera). Don Frieday getting tips on next year’s route :). Will Russell and Brian Sullivan (Team Sapsucker, 3rd place). A few of the Brick City Nighthawks. Tom Reed of Team Zeiss. Pete and Michael…Pete is obviously saying “Stop me if you have heard this one before…” @birdspot and @WBEditor, my partners in fame from the chase car. 

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sun May 16 9:49:24 Amazing. All people can talk about at the awards brunch is yesterday. :) #wsob What we did right. What we did wrong. How'd you do it?

 

Sun May 16 10:05:42 World Series Of Birding has raised 9 Millon $ for conservation in 27 years! #wsob

 

Sun May 16 11:20:59 #wsob Winners: tie! Foundation for Avian Research and Lagerhead Shrikes 228! http://ow.ly/i/1Ayw

 

Sun May 16 11:26:32 #wsob Pete Dunn / Zeiss Future Leaders in Birding http://post.ly/gDch

 

Sun May 16 11:45:18 Youth Division Winners http://post.ly/gDiI Sun May 16 11:48:04 RT @singraham: Youth Division Winners http://post.ly/gDiI #wsob

 

Here you should take a look at my winners gallery at World Series of Birding Winners. Team totals and lots of pictures. Here are the Carl Zeiss Youth Challenge winners and the over-all, tying winners.

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sun May 16 11:51:37 #wsob To finish each team gets 2 min to tell their story. Always some laughs. Not infrequently some emotion. In a good way.

 

Sun May 16 12:14:36 Final tweet directly from #wsob. Watch for more extensive blog coverage in the coming weeks at http://ow.ly/1LI7X

 

So there you have it. A few more tweets collected from others, and a few on my way home…but that is really it for the World Series of Birding 2010 and Team Zeiss’ Effort. I am already looking forward to next year! In case you are curious, Team Zeiss counted 195 species for the day, which would have tied them for 5th place, if there was such a thing! :)

 

Mon May 17 13:51:29 RT @woodcreeper: Nine Inch Rails <- Best World Series of Birding team name, and great help scouting the north. Thanks guys!

 

Mon May 17 14:53:28 At the Philly airport way early: attempting to catch an earlier flight on my way home from the #wsob and conerage of Team Zeiss.

 

Mon May 17 14:56:12 Team Zeiss blogs coming, but here is a list of the #wsob winning teams and a pic of each. http://ow.ly/1M2W0

 

Mon May 17 17:25:59 Finally aboard a flight to Portland and home after the #wsob. :) Still home 2 hours before original flight. T.I.G.

 

Mon May 17 21:58:06 I added Rich Moncrief's pics of several of the Youth Challenge teams to the World Series of Birding gallery. http://ow.ly/1Mh57

 

Mon May 17 23:10:05 Case U missed it: Team Zeiss blogs coming, but here is a list of the #wsob winning teams and a pic of each. http://ow.ly/1M2Zw

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Though I will be blogging about the World Series of Birding adventure with Team Zeiss over the next few days (weeks), for those who are interested, here are the winners.

Zeiss Youth Birding Challenge

Carl Zeiss/Pete Dunne Future Leaders in Birding Award: (grade 9-12) 188 species"
Sub-Adult Skuas

Grade 6-9: 140 species
Lady Peregrines

Grade 1-5: 119 species
Merlins

Regular Awards

Lloyd P. Wolfarth Senior Award: 123 species
Rancoas Conservancy Brown Creepers

Carbon Footprint Award (no motorized vehicles): 150 species
The Anti-Petrels (101 miles by bike)

Big Stay Award: 82 species seen from within a 17 foot circle
Forsythe Sitting Ducks

Cape Island Cup: 155 species south of the Cape May Canal
Zen Zugunruhe

LGA Award: 132 speices, 88% of the total possible birds in Union County
Unionized Garlic Knots

Cape May County Award: 173 species in Cape May County
The Redheads

Stearns Award: 203 species for the 3rd highest total
Nine Ince Rails

Stone Award: 224 species for the 2nd highest total
Swarovski Sapsuckers

Urner Stone Cup: 228 species for a tied 1st place
Foundation ofr Avian Research and Education of NJ
Lagerhead Shrikes

Team Zeiss had respectable total of 195.

Congratulations to all who ran in the 27th running of the World Series of Birding.

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I caught up with Michael O’Brian and Tom Reed of Team Zeiss scouting Cape May Point. Scouting is something between and art and a science. And the word scouting does not do it justice. It sounds like the teams drive around looking for birds. Scouting. In reality each team member has a hit-list of hard to find birds, and the goal of scouting is to dig out each one…to find a reliable location where it is likely to be seen, and seen quickly, on the day of the competition.  There is a Chat, I won’t say were, that is can be seen reliable a 2 minute run from the nearest parking. On the day, Team Zeiss will indeed run. Red-headed Woodpecker. They know where to find one. They will check the location of the Scooter flock on Friday.

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And more Song Sparrows

I am still experimenting with the Canon SD1400IS behind the eyepiece of the ZEISS Diascope…and still using the older 65FL. This shot was taken with a prototype of the new high ratio Vario eyepiece: 15-56x on the Diascope 65, with a relatively wide field. As you may notice from the slight shadowing, there was a small branch right between me and the bird. The bird popped up there so nicely and sang, no more than 15 feet from me. It was all I could do to get on the bird while it was still busy singing, and once on it, I did not dare to move the scope.

Even with the partial obstruction, the feather detail is impressive. Here is a 1 to 1, full resolution, crop from the top image. Click the image for the full size file.

Exif data: 1) 20mm (112mm equivalent) @ f5.9 @ 1/250th @ ISO 80. Programmed auto. Equivalent focal length about 2200mm. Effective f-stop, f6.1.

2) 11.2mm (~65mm equivalent) @ f4.0 @ 1/640th @ ISO 80. Programmed auto. Equivalent focal length about 1300mm. Effective f-stop= the f4 the camera set).

I managed to get some video too. The wind was blowing right across the front of the camera where the mic is and I had to put the audio through a band-pass filter to eliminate as much of the roar as possible, while still preserving the song.

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Though I am not there to document it, I know Team Zeiss is already working the state of New Jersey, digging out all the birdy pockets. Reports are coming in, via Twitter, of the Cornell teams’ scouting efforts this week: @Team_eBird.

The troops are gathering. The battle lines are being drawn.

No. That is much too military. Though there is that aspect to the World Series of Birding, there is also the party aspect. Imagine, many of the top birders (and more of the not-so-top) gathered in the state of New Jersey, in Cape May County, in Cape May itself…and at the height of migration when the trees and bushes (hopefully) drip warblers and sparrows, the skies are filled with raptors, and the beach is littered with shore-birds. Imagine a healthy party game getting up…say Twister…or maybe “Clue”…that brings out the best in all the guests (okay, maybe a stretch for most imaginations…it is for mine…but you get the idea).

The World Series of Birding has always been a friendly competition, no matter how intense it has gotten.

I fly out tomorrow morning and should get to Cape May by early afternoon. Thursday I will catch up with our team in the field as they scout. Friday I will pick up Amy Hooper of WildBird, @WBEditor, @birdspot, and Michael O’Brian and drive 3 hours north to Basking Ridge. There, over pizza (the last hot food anyone will get for over 24 hours) final strategies will be laid, and everyone will try to get a few hours of sleep before the mid-night start. Finally, into the cars and off for 24 hours of the most intense birding I can imagine. Fun, fun, fun. Cliff Bars, chocolate covered espresso beans, and strong tea, don’t fail me now.

Watch this space!

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There will be a live twitter feed on the day of the event on both @zeissbirding_us and @singraham, facebook posts on my account, www.facebook.com/stephen.ingraham, and maybe even a live blog or two at zeisssports.wordpress.com. Watch for pics and video, and sound bites from the field. We will be careful not reveal sensitive information, but I hope to give you a real sense of what the day is like: from midnight on the 14th to midnight on the 15th. Then we will offer highlights of the awards brunch on Sunday am.

This is an opportunity not to be missed :) …next best thing to being there yourself. Even in the highly unlikely event that you support some other team than Team Zeiss (there are, from what I hear, a few other teams competing :) ), you might find this ground level view interesting. And for Team Zeiss supporters…well, what can I say. Follow your birding heroes: Pete Dunne, Will Russell, Michael O'Brian, Tom Reed, and Don Frieday, as they attempt to wrest the state-wide crown from the Lagerhead Shrikes, the  DVOC team. This should be good.

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I woke up to a steady rain this morning and thought…boy I hope it is not doing this a week from now. I have done the WSB in the rain before. No fun. But whatever the weather holds, in one week’s time I will be 1/3 of the way through the day with Team Zeiss. I hope for a day when the trees drip warblers, not raindrops. :) This was 2007 at the Hawk-watch Platform at Cape May Lighthouse State Park. Here’s hoping!

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I was poking around on YouTube yesterday and saw that my little Choosing a Camera for Digiscoping video has been viewed over 6500 times. That is not surprising. Which camera should I buy? is the single most asked question in digiscoping.  Actually, and unfortunately, it is the second most asked question. The first is “will the camera I already own work for digiscoping.” The answer to that one, given the odds, is, all too often, “no.” I always tell people to buy the scope and the eyepiece they are going to use for observation first!…then find a camera that works behind that eyepiece. This is more of my advice, from the previously mentioned increasingly infamous video.

The whole subject is much on my mind just now, since I just went through the experience myself. I have used a Sony DSC N1 for many years, and, though it is a great camera, it has two disadvantages. 1) it does not do HD video. 2) it has been discontinued for 3 years, and they no longer even make a successor model.

HD video was not an issue when I bought the Sony since no digital still camera did HD video at that point, but an increasing number do…and it is an amazing addition to your digiscoping possibilities. More on that in a future post. And, of course, it is no fun telling people in my digiscoping workshops, when they inevitably ask what camera I am using (thinking, of course, that they will just get the same one) that they can’t get my camera, or anything like it, today. :( Literally.

So it was time for a new digiscoping camera. Especially since any day now I expect to receive my new ZEISS DiaScope (note the S in scope. The new DiaScope vs. the old Diascope). The new Scope has single control Dual Speed Focus, new armoring, new eyepiece, etc etc. Got to have a new camera for the new scope. Right? Right!

While HD video, at least 720 standard HD, is increasingly common in Point and Shoot digitals, it is, unfortunately, generally coupled with the also increasingly common 5x zoom. I have yet to see a 5x zoom that will work for digiscoping. Most have to be zoomed all the way to highest power to eliminate vignetting, and that is simply too much power for consistent image quality. On the other hand there are a very few cameras coming out with HD video and a 4x wide angle zoom…generally starting at 24-28mm equivalent. I figured one of those might be worth a try.

So, doing my homework as the new models trickled into the market after this year’s Consumer Electronics and PMA shows, I noticed the Canon Powershot SX1400IS Digital Elph right away (and who could miss it with a name that long!). 14mp. 1-4 wide angle zoom. 720 HD video. HDMI out. Optical image stabilization. And I know that some of the Canon Elphs have worked behind the eyepiece in the past. Worth a try.

And it works. With the standard (as opposed to the new, forthcoming 20-75x) Vario eyepiece, you have to zoom up about 1/3 to eliminate vignetting, but you then have all the way to to the long end of the camera zoom without any shadowing. And the camera zoom, while it does change length, is far enough behind the eyepiece in its sweet spot so that you do not have to reposition the camera when you zoom. This is good.

Better, it fits like a charm on the Digital Camera Adapter. (Okay, it almost as small as charm already, but it does perch very solidly between the little rubber rails on the camera platform). I have added an SRB-Griturn universal cable release bracket for hands-off shooting (click for the product page).

[Let me put a quick plug in here for the Digital Camera Adapter. It looks awkward. I know that. It looks cumbersome. Yes, agreed. But the fact is it works, and it works way better than any other adaptor I have ever tried. It is faster getting the camera behind they eyepiece than any other system, and quicker getting the camera out of the way so you can reframe and refocus at need…or so you can just use the scope to enjoy the birds. It holds more cameras than any other adapter and holds them securely. It just works. And it is not any more cumbersome to carry or deal with in the field than any other adapter system, and less than most. So there! And it is not just because I work for Zeiss and have to say that. I genuinely like the DCA, and I have taken 1000s of images in all kinds of conditions with it over the past 6 years.]

So far, I have only had a chance to test the SD1400IS on the older model 65FL that I carry in my equipment trunk. And so far, results are very good to excellent.

Up to ISO 400 noise is well controlled, which adds to your imaging possibilities considerably. On close birds, in good light, images show good contrast, excellent color, and a satisfying amount of feather detail, even at the tele end of the camera zoom. HD video through the scope is stunning! That is the excellent part. 

On the very good end: Sequential shooting is on the slow side, as the camera apparently writes to card between each shot. It only manages just better than 1 per second on the full 14mp setting. Throttling it down to 9mp, speeds up to about 2 per second. Worse, as far as I am concerned, there is a lot more Chromatic Aberration than I would expect from a Canon lens. Lightroom’s CA filters handle it well but… There is also some Purple fringing near the edge of the field (a sensor artifact, not a lens problem). That can only be fixed, when is visible and annoying, by selective desaturation using the mouse control in Lightroom, or magic wand selection and saturation controls in PhotoShop. But it can be fixed.

I have already posted several examples of the images here. Take a look at this Song Sparrow for both still and video (shot at 9mp). This GBH and chick was at 14mp in somewhat harsh light. Clicking the image in the post will take you to my WideEyedInWonder site where you will be able to view the images at sizes up to the original file. There is a Great Horned Owl Chick here from the very first day I used the camera.

I only added the remote shutter release this week. Until then I was holding the shutter button down with my finger and hoping that one of the sequential shots would show little to no movement artifacts. It worked, but I highly recommend the SRB-Griturn attachment. It makes digiscoping life so much easier.

Here is a shot with the cable release. Again one of the cooperative Song Sparrows from Parson’s Beach. View it larger on WEIW.

And here is a shot with cable release at ISO 400 and full zoom on the camera. A Willet, again at Parson’s Beach.

And some video. It is a bit bouncy due to a strong wind, but it gives you an idea of the quality. View in HD.

So, I am not trying to sell you a Canon camera. We are not in that business. But if you are looking at a new spotting scope, and hopefully considering the new Zeiss DiaScope (or already own a Zeiss Diascope), here is one digiscoping solution that works, and works well. And you get HD video too!

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Here’s how it going to work. Team Zeiss, crunching every moment, midnight to midnight, will race from birdy spot to birdy spot all up and down the length of NJ, counting birds, attempting to out count all the other teams. Go Team Zeiss! 

Your intrepid reporter will follow them in a chase car, documenting the efforts all the way.

At the same time, my partner in fame, and coworker at Zeiss, Rich Moncrief, will be following one or two of the youth teams, recording their experience.

The results will appear here, some on the day if the technology cooperates, and almost  for sure on twitter: @singraham and @zeissbirding_us (if AT&T’s and Verizon’s 3G holds up over the state). Should be fun fun fun.

The big news is that Amy Hooper, editor of WildBird magazine, @WBEditor on twitter, and Catherine Hamilton, talented artist, and bird blogger in the NYC area, @birdspot, will be joining me in the chase car. This is good news! More fun indeed.

So, living exclusively for 24 hours on Cliff Bars and strong tea (and maybe @WBEditor’s cookies??), your Chase Team will be bringing you the World Series of Birding from ground level…almost live and in person. Isn’t technology grand? (We can hope.)

Stay tuned. Watch this space. Saturday May 15th. Midnight to midnight! The World Series of Birding. Team Zeiss. The Youth Teams. Your amazing Chase Team. Fun fun fun.

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Was being the operative word. Birds are birds, and as a very wise man once said, “they fly”. They move. Sometimes they more far. Sometimes just around the backside of the woodlot. They are, often it seems, somewhere else. Just when you need them. Just when you want them. They are birds!

And, of course, that is what makes it fun. That is what gives the guys and girls without the time and resources for heavy scouting a fighting chance. Though, to be honest, the teams that have scouted heaviest and hardest the past few years have won. :) Go figure.

Once more, if you would like to pledge to the success of the amazing all star Team ZEISS, so much per species, you can do so by emailing NJ Audubon or by calling 609-861-0700 EX 10.

And, all you other competitive guys and girls on the other teams: see you there. Soon.

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When Song Sparrows get into a singing match…several males singing on territory in the morning, each one apparently intent on drowning out the others, they are, in my experience, fairy insensitive to human presence. This male certainly, was not concerned with me as I stood across little road barely two cars wide and took hundreds of exposures. The light was just about perfect, the bird was cooperative: what more could you ask?

I am still experimenting with the Canon Powershot SD1400IS Digital Elph. This morning I had throttled it down to 9mp to see if the pixel-decrease improved the image quality. Inconclusive. Further side by side comparisons indicate that there is little difference at all.

What it did, though, is speed up the sequential capture considerably. Sequential capture is not one of the better features of the Canons. The SD1400 manages just slightly better than 1 a second. With it set to 9mp captures it went up to about 2 per second. I have been using sequential capture in lieu of a cable release for a better chance at a shot not softened by motion. I actually far prefer attempting to capture specific behavior with a single shot, but that requires some kind of remote release. I have a “Universal Cable Release Bracket from SRB-Griturn which I generally use, and it works well, but I go through about 6 cable releases a year in the field. Parts fall off. The whole thing falls off beside some trail as I am walking…never to be seen again. The plunge pin gets bent in transport or the push button gets crushed when I close my StormCase. Etc.  Etc. I should order cable releases in bulk.

Canon SD1400IS behind the eyepiece of the ZEISS Diascope 65FL (old style), using the Digital Camera Adapter (QCA). 15.6mm on the camera translates to a 2000mm equivalent. Exif f5 @ 1/160 @ ISO 80. Limiting calculated f-stop is actually f5.2…pretty close!

In Lightroom, a bit of Recovery and Fill Light, with Blackpoint right just slightly. Added Clarity and Vibrance. The auto White Balance adjustment that the SD1400IS seems to always need once you start messing with Blackpoint, and Sharpen landscape preset.

One of the reasons I got the SD1400IS is the HD video capability. Here is the same sparrow, and another, doing song variations.

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This year we are going to try to increase the fun. You can follow Team ZEISS right here on the Zeisssports blog. We promise pictures, video, and a lively report of all the doings leading up to, and on the day itself. We will also feature images and video of some of the youth teams in action.

In addition, without revealing any critical information to other teams, we will have a live Twitter stream on the day over at @zeissbirding_us, featuring images and snippets direct from the field.

This year we again field an all-star team in the main competition: Pete Dunne, Will Russell, Michael O’Brian, Don Freiday, and Tom Reed.

If you don’t know these gentlemen:

PETE DUNNE, 58, is one of birding’s most familiar figures, best known for his many books on birds and bird watching. He is Director of New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory and founder of the World Series of Birding, in which he has served as the Captain of the Zeiss Birding Team since 1985. He lives in Cumberland County, New Jersey.

DON FREIDAY, 45, is Director of Birding Programs for New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory. Familiar to many though his published nature writings and daily blogs on www.birdcapemay.org , Don has worked in the field of nature interpretation and/or wildlife biology for over 25 years, has led birding tours across the U.S. and abroad, and is a 20 year World Series of Birding veteran. He is the editor of Records of New Jersey Birds and serves on the New Jersey Bird Records Committee. Don lives in Cape May, New Jersey where he spends his free time studying and photographing birds.

MICHAEL O’BRIEN, also 45, ranks among North America’s finest field birders and when not writing field guides is often serving as a consultant on somebody else’s ground breaking book. A leader for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, Michael co-authored The Shorebird Guide and America’s 100 Most Wanted Birds and contributed artwork for the latest National Geographic and Peterson Field Guides. His CD-ROM, “Flight Calls of Migratory Birds, created with Bill Evans, is the Rosetta Stone for this subject. He has, for many years, lent his talents to the Youth Division on the World Series of Birding as the organizer of the ABA Tropicbirds team. He lives in Cape May, New Jersey.

TOM REED, at 22 the youngest (but hardly less experienced) member of the team. The life-long Cape May resident is also one of the winningest birders in the World Series, having served multiple times as the Captain of the CMBO Youth Team. In addition to founding the Weymouth Christmas Bird Count, he is the organizer of the Cape May Big Sit effort which in 2009, set a new national record of 146 bird species in 24 hours all recorded from a single, 17 foot circle (Michael, Don and Pete were there to help make it happen). Now a junior at Rutgers University, the Environmental Studies major has less time to scout than any of his teammates but still logs more scouting time than any two combined.

WILL RUSSELL, founder of WINGS birding tours, has been birding for as long as the 69 year old Tucson, Arizona resident can recall. Ranked among the finest and most respected field birders in the world, he has participated in the World Series of Birding since 1986 and hosts the popular list-serve, Frontiers of Field Identification. Were you to poll the finest young birders in North America, nine out of ten will tell you that the goal they set for themselves was to someday be as good as Will Russell. A few are getting close.

If you want to make a pledge to support Team ZEISS this year, so much per species, you can do so by emailing NJ Audubon or by calling 609-861-0700 EX 10.

Careful though. With these guys in the field together, a per species pledge could cost you more than you might think! But, hay, it is all for conservation…and for fun!

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Great Blue Heron with Chick

You need to view this one at a larger size (click to open on WideEyedInWonder and use the size controls at the top of the page, or look closely :)). The Chick tends to get lost in the background until you spot it, then it is pretty obvious. Taken from about 50 yards across water at Vaill Point Park in St. Augustine FL. This small GBH rookery is evidently new within the past few years and contains about 10 nests. The chicks, the last week in April, varied from little balls of fluff to 2/3s grown. I took a bunch of images trying to get shots with the chicks showing above the nest.

Canon SD1400IS Digital Elph behind the eyepiece of the ZEISS Diascope 65FL (old style..still waiting for my DiaScope samples :)) EXIF data says F5.9 @ 1/100th @ ISO 100 at a focal length of approximately 112 mm equivalent X 20x on the scope = 2240 mm effective.

Added Clarity and a smidge of Vibrance in Lightroom. Blackpoint barely right. Sharpen Landscape preset. Auto White Balance to tame the yellow which is apparently inherent in this camera.

From St. Augustine FL 2010.

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Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, Palm Coast FL (near St. Augustine).

Canon SD1400IS behind the eyepiece of the ZEISS DiaScope 65FL (old style). Available to view in HD.

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Great Horned Owl Chick

Washington Oaks Garden State Park, St. Augustine FL. Newly fledged and out of the nest on its own for the first time: Great Horned Owl.

Canon SD1400 IS behind the eyepiece of a ZEISS Diascope 65FL (old style, though the link is to the new DiaScope about to be released). 72mm equivalent on the camera zoom x 30x on the eyepiece = just over 2000mm equivalent. f4.5 @ 1/200th @ ISO 160. Programmed auto.

In Lightroom, some Recovery for the sky and highlights. Fill Light and Blackpoint to the right. Added Clarity and a touch of Vibrance. Auto color temperature.

This is from the annual Digiscoping Field Experience at the FL Birding and Fotofest, in St. Augustine. We have been doing it for 4 years, and have gotten a cooperative owl each year!

From St. Augustine 2010.

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Red-cockaded Woodpecker

I spent a week with the Ivory Bill search team in Arkansas in the early spring of 2006. While there the team took me, one evening after a long day in the swamp, to a stand of pines that housed a Red-cockaded colony. This was my second attempt at Red-cockaded Woodpeckers…the first was in the Texas hill country on a field trip from the Belmont ABA Convention many years ago. We dipped. The whole bus full of us. So this visit was a special event. We got there just after sunset and worked our way to a good vantage point. Unfortunately, while the view was excellent, the footing was not. We were standing in about 6 inches of water from a flooded steam, deep in a bramble which limited mobility and tripod placement. Still, I got the tripod up and kept switching the scope view from one likely nest cavity to the next, in hopes of being pointed at the right one when the birds came in to roost. And they did come, in ones and twos, and, amazingly, I was pointed at the right tree when this one landed. It was getting dark, and this shot pushes the limits of what a P&S behind the eyepiece can do. Still, till I get better, this will do. And nicely thank you.

Sony DSC N1 behind the eyepiece of the Zeiss Diascope 85FL (older model) for an equivalent focal length of about 2500mm. F5.7 @ 1/40th @ ISO 400. Programmed auto with spot focus and exposure.

Just basic Lightroom processing for added detail and sharpness.

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