Posted on 03/20/2016 6:30:32 PM PDT by Islander7
March 3, 2016 - As I drove home from work, I noticed a sandhill crane on her nest.
March 5 - The first opportunity to photograph the crane on her nest.
March 11 - Momma crane checks her eggs before settling in for the night.
March 17 - The eggs have hatched. They are receiving parental instruction on what and how to eat.
Crashing for the night!
March 20 - The twins.
Poppa crane was not happy to see me today!
I forgot to mention that I have two old Nikon DSLRs, A D50 and a D70. The six megapixels are adequate but my only really nice lenses are very old manual focus ones.
I do wish they had higher ISO numbers tho.
Thank you for sharing your awesome photos!
I’m not sure. You can probably find reviews on line to help you decide. Google “Best binoculars for under $200”. You should find lots of options.
Stunning and beautiful! Sand Hill Cranes migrate through here as well. Two years ago camping with my daughter we heard them throughout the night, next morning while hiking down to a lake for some trout fishing we found wolf tracks in the stream bed, cranes had been harassed by the wolves through the night which is what I’d suspected.
Thanks for sharing....
Thanks.
Beautiful photolog, Islander. We have Sandhills that gather in Arizona every year, but I haven’t been able to get out there to see them.
I have a D70s that is no longer working. (We took a tumble down a rocky canyon.) Above ISO 400 the images were pretty much unusable.
You can get a 70-300 VR used for about $300. Great lens for the D70. It is the equivalent of a 112-450mm. D70 is still an awesome camera.
I love these pictures! What a treat.
Bless their little old birdy hearts! Love the pictures!
The little birdies here fly in, land on the dog’s food dish,
snatch a bite, then fly off convinced they’re pulling the
wool over my eyes. Little do they know!
Daddy used to say that the birds will hide bits of food,
seeds, etc. in the bark of trees out back. I asked him
how could they come back later & find the food. He said
they were actually hiding the food in the bark so that
their feathered friends could eat it later. So they
provide for each other; makes sense. So generous!
Nice! Thank you for posting these. It amazes me that raccoons don’t devour them in the night, they seem so exposed.
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I actually have a 70-300 but it is not a VR.
Probably should use my old Nikkor 300 F/4.5 but I am getting to where I can’t focus manual lenses like I once could. That old Nikkor is really sharp tho.
We have our regulars but I did see an unusual bird , I think it was a Pine Siskin, I have only seen it once before. Not positive but I couldn't find anything else that was close.
Beautiful photos and instantly reinforced lessons! This chapter was open because not five minutes before your ping I had been reading (had been instructed):
Matthew 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Beautiful. Great capture!
We’re expecting an overnight snow storm. So, your pix are most welcome. Thank you!
I love my Nikon 50s...they withstand cold and rain ....but they are pretty heavy for lugging around on a hike.
Steiner are excellent.
Look on the net, there are lots of places for comparison reveiews .....then go to a box store like Cabela’s and try them out B4 you buy.
https://wiki.ezvid.com/best-binoculars?id=bng
In 1960, Daddy agreed to let me have a binocular.
Our neighbor, an old man had let me use his and I was hooked. We went down to Ft.Walton Bch. and checked out Jimmie’s Pawn Shop which was really much more than that. It also handled high end sporting goods.
We checked out a new $20 binocular and a used one at the same price. The used one was a Nippon Kogaku, probably traded in by an airman at Eglin who had been to Japan.
The used one was way superior. It was a 7x35 and might still be better than all but the best but I accidentally left it on top of my car after doing some shooting at my Father-in-Laws property. I actually made it a couple of miles over rough logging road and turned onto the highway when I heard it bounce then saw it in the rear view mirror.
One side was broken so I sawed it in two and still use it as a monocular.
Around 1968 I bought a Nikon 7X50 Prostar. I still have it and use it tho the covering has worn where I hold it.
It is extremely sharp but I have arthritis in both shoulders and my hands and can only hold the Prostar for a short time so I want a new one that will be lighter.
If you can get out, try several brands in a large store, and then sure the net for your *best buy*. Best of fun in your search.
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