In the preceding post (See: A failed photograph) I wrote about the sad story of me trying to take a photography of a duck frolicking in the Hudson River – and dismally failing.

But I can be very stubborn, so I quickly returned to the scene of the crime with a different camera with a longer lens. Regrettably there were no frolicking ducks, but there were some very active seagulls. They seemed to be diving for something edible and frequently fighting with each other over the spoils.

I’m much happier with these photographs than I was with the failed duck photos. I guess persistence does indeed have it’s rewards.

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

While walking down by the River Hudson the other day I had a great opportunity to get a picture of a Mallard splashing around in the river.

Unfortunately, I completely messed it up. Why?

1. Wrong camera. I didn’t expect to be taking pictures of birds, and my camera didn’t have a long enough lens.
2. I couldn’t get close enough to the bird. So, I had to crop a lot. I might have gotten away with it with my 33megapixel Sony A7IV, but I didn’t have it with me. The Sony RX100 VII that I did have with me had only 20megapixels.
3. In my rush to try to get the shot I forgot that the background (the river) was much lighter than the subject (the bird) and did not adjust the exposure accordingly. Consequently, the bird was badly underexposed.

Still, you live and learn. The river’s not going anywhere, neither are the ducks and hopefully I’ll still be around for a while longer. So, if keep going down to the river (hopefully with a better birding camera) the opportunity will probably come around again.

Taken with a Sony RX100 VII

During one of my recent walks, I came across these birds. I’m no expert on birds, but it seems to me that these are too big for blackbirds, not stocky enough for ravens, too small and not “spotty” enough for starlings. That leaves grackles and crows. I’m going for crows, mostly because they were making the classic-sounding “caw” noises typical of crows.

Some people don’t seem to like crows, but I find them quite attractive.

Taken with a Sony RX100 VII.