PeterHG's Big Year-4th time

[rigi]

Hello, I got a link to your post from xelas - I have a question about your photo gear. I own an Olympus system and don't have any long tele lens, suitable for taking safari photos, as I don't do this type of photography. 

I plan to go to Namibia next year and of course want to shoot some animals too. I wouldn't like to invest too much in buying an expensive lens, so I am interested in a lens in the range of your wife's lens 75-300 mm. How is it compared to your 300 mm F4, which I know is a very good one. I'll be in Namibia in June, when the weather is mostly very good, sunny and no rain. I know her lens costs 4 times less, so there must be a difference?  Thanks in advance and regards

[PeterHG]

Hello @rigi, you must be looking forward to a trip to Namibia; amazing country with stunning scenery and   great wildlife!  Yes there is a difference in quality between my wife's 75-300 and my 300 f4, as you state. The 300 prime is tack sharp even at f4 and very quick to focus. As I am mainly doing birds (a lot in flight) photography those are crucial points. Having said that, I am still impressed with the quality of the 75-300. If there is enough light to stop it down to perhaps 7.1 or 8, you would be hard pressed to see the difference. Even wide open ( 6.7 at full zoom )it is quite good. And of course on a safari the zoom would be an important advantage. Another option would be the 40-150 2.8 with the MC14 or MC20 converter, but that would still be quite a price difference with the zoom. I don't think you will be disappointed by it.

[rigi]

Thanks, I'll have a look at it, there is also another similar Panasonic lens 100 - 300 mm. I think I won't be taking photos of birds much, I admit I don't know much about them, I can hardly tell a difference between a pigeon and flamingo...

[xelas]

37 minutes ago, rigi said:

I can hardly tell a difference between a pigeon and flamingo...

 

It is never too late, @rigi; yours above were my exact words about 5 years ago, and look at me (us) today  ... Contrary to people, birds do not have problems when photographing them. And they are as colourful as people are.

Edited November 15, 2019 by xelas

[PeterHG]

@rigi,I have no experience with the Panasonic 100-300, but it could be similar in quality. To give you an idea of how the Olympus 75-300 performs I created a little gallery with some photos, mainly taken in Gambia and Costa Rica. They are all birds, I'm afraid, but at least it will give you an idea of the detail and sharpness. 

https://peterdehoog.smugmug.com/Travel/Olympus-75-300/n-9pHRXB/

 

[rigi]

Oh, beautiful photos, the lens is OK, I think it would suit my needs, certainly for lions, elephants and zebras .)

[xelas]

For elephants, even a 50 mm will do the job. For lions, it depends on how lucky you will be !

[Galana]

11 hours ago, rigi said:

I can hardly tell a difference between a pigeon and flamingo...

What a lovely state to be in. Be warned! You are on the brink of a life changing decision. Keep them darn birds at bay.

One taste of the birding elixir and there is no going back. Today it may be just pigeons and pink flamingo but tomorrow it will be Winding or Whistling Cisticolas and you are doomed.

Do Slovenians know the legend of Pandora's Box? Don't open it!

[rigi]

Oh, that's quite a warning. I'll be doomed for sure if I'll have to buy some 750 mm 1,8 telephoto lens...

[Galana]

I fear you are a lost cause judging by your new Avatur.

[PeterHG]

Our trip to Colombia is almost finished. Wonderful country, friendly people, stunning scenery and quite a few birds! Photography was often quite hard during the many walks in the rainforest and I'll spare you the multitude of vague brownish blobs that were undoubtedly specialties or even endemics, but certainly not cooperative. Still, I got most of them in the binoculars long enough to at least see the tell-tale eye-ring or greenish yellow legs, as opposed to the yellowish green legs of its relative. Good fun and a country to be recommended heartily to all my BY friends. Of course I got quite a few satisfactory shots, too. I'll show one as a little teaser  and really start on the collection when I get home.

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by PeterHG

[Dave Williams]

I'm as green as the bokeh in that shot Peter!

[Peter Connan]

Wow!

[xelas]

On 12/8/2019 at 9:17 PM, PeterHG said:

Wonderful country, friendly people, stunning scenery and quite a few birds!

 

I am telling these words to Zvezda for some years; maybe now she will consider visiting it (and with a little help of our friends ...).

 

Anyway, I am of the same colour as Dave. Fantastic shot. I am looking forward to see also the rest of the collection. No hurry, there is a wedding that has a priority #1 .

[PeterHG]

Thank you @Dave Williams, @Peter Connan and @xelas!

Let's make some sort of a start then. I'll try and post by location and use some photos I had already put on the ipad in Colombia. I might have to return to these locations further on, as I am slowly going through the photos now downloaded from the SD cards to my Mac, so I hope you won't mind the haphazard way my additions are going to be presented.

The first location we stayed in was Guasca, not far from Bogota, from where we visited the Chingaza NP, high up in the Andes.Rather cold in the morning, but we came prepared with several layers of warm clothing. A few from that first day:

 

378. (C 01). Band-tailed Seedeater. Chingaza, Nov. A rather unobtrusive high altitude bird. This is the male,

 

379. (C02) Black Flowerpiercer . We saw 4 different Flowerpiercer species, this being the first.

 

 

380. (C03) Andean Siskin. Male and female.

 

 

381 (C04). Red-crested Cotinga. With striking red eyes. The red crest is mostly invisible

 

 

382 (C05) Glowing Puffleg. Only seen here. One of the 40 (!) species of hummingbird we saw.

 

 

[TonyQ]

I am really pleased you have started posting these - excellent start!

I hope you will also post a trip report at some time?

[xelas]

12 minutes ago, TonyQ said:

I hope you will also post a trip report at some time?

At any time, Peter. I will be here, waiting patiently .

[Dave Williams]

40 Hummers, I'm now a deep emerald colour. I'm going to struggle with this BY thread Peter!!

 

But I'll try

[xelas]

@Dave Williams, don't forget that your colour is red!

Edited December 12, 2019 by xelas

[PeterHG]

Thank you all.

9 hours ago, TonyQ said:

I am really pleased you have started posting these - excellent start!

I hope you will also post a trip report at some time?

That is my intention, but you will have to bear with me. My daughter's upcoming wedding requires a lot of attention and we will we leaving again for a SA trip halfway January (What a miserable life, I know....;))

[PeterHG]

8 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

40 Hummers, I'm now a deep emerald colour. I'm going to struggle with this BY thread Peter!!

 

But I'll try

I'm glad you're brave enough to carry on . Perhaps it helps to know that the number of hummers I managed to photograph (and were no doubles from our Costa Rica trip) is considerably lower.

[PeterHG]

A few more from Chingaza NP on the 25th of November:

 

383 (C06). Brown-bellied Swallow.

 

384 (C07) Pale-naped Brushfinch. I think I will run into a better one, but for the sake of speed I'll post this one now.

 

385 (C08). Glossy Flowerpiercer. Looks very much like the Black Flowerpiercer, but the song is completely different. As we were able to hear.

 

 

386 (C09). Plumbeous Sierra Finch (female). Another high altitude species. Unfortunately I only managed this EBC sho.

 

 

[Zim Girl]

This will be interesting, lots of new names!  I like the Glowing Puffleg.

[PeterHG]

After our walk in the Andes, we visited a little wetland near Guasca. Some familiar birds from our Costa Rica list and a few additions. All at a considerable distance, so no good photo opportunities. all heavy crops.

 

387 (C10). Andean Teal. The only place we saw them

 

388 (C11) American Coot.

 

389 (C12) Yellow-hooded Blackbird. The male is quite striking but kept its distance, too.

 

[PeterHG]

Still on the 25th we ended the day by visiting the 'Observatorio de Colobries', basically a little farm, with lots of flowers and quite a few feeders to attract hummingbirds. With succes...

390 (C13). Sparkling Violetear. The dominant species in this garden. A little bigger than the Lesser Violetear, which we saw in Costa Rica.

 

 

391 (C14). White-bellied Woodstar, male and female. Woodstars are among the tiniest of hummingbirds measuring some 6 cm. They fly like bumblebees, approaching the flowers more slowly than other hummers.In spite of their insect-like size that makes them a little easier to capture in flight. After taking a sip from the sugar water in the feeders, they usually fly backwards a little distance, remain stationary in  the air for a second and then return for the next sip. That moment allows for a quick shot.

 

 

 

Two so-called 'trainbearer' species were present. I love those hummer names.This is the first one.

392 (C15). Black-tailed Trainbearer.

 

393 (C16) Green-tailed Trainbearer. A little lighter shade of green and a shorter straighter bill.

 

 

Usually I do not really want to photograph Hummingbirds at the feeder, but this species only made a very brief appearance, so this is all I was able to get.

394 (C17) Blue-throated Starfrontlet. We did not see it anywhere else.

 

The same goes for the next one. A fairly large hummingbird with an oversized bill.

 

396 (C19) Sword-billed Hummingbird.