A flying Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) low over the Blankensee in Brandenburg only 20 km south of Berlin. It was a gray day and the foggy clouds did not allow really short exposure times with acceptable ISO despite the Canon EF 400mm f / 2.8L IS II USM camera lens. A few duck birds flying… Continue reading Photographing flying birds with slow shutter speed
Category: Reviews
Feeding at a breeding cave: a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker family
While the male of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor) usually approached the breeding cave in a lean Alder tree (Alnus sp.) approx. 10 cm below the lower edge and then took action a little later, i.e. to hatch, the female more often first flew first to a dry branch above the cave and then… Continue reading Feeding at a breeding cave: a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker family
Blackbird with a thick maggot in the beak
A thick, fat maggot has been washed out of the earth on the former compost heap. The male Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula) had only briefly scratched the surface with its yellow beak and had already very skillfully removed a thick maggot – probably a large beetle larva – from a dark-black layer of earth. It… Continue reading Blackbird with a thick maggot in the beak
Pallid Harrier on early migration south of Berlin
At least since Sonday, March, 29, 2020, the Niedere Flaeming, a hilly contryside south of Berlin, is home to a male Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus). The Niedere Flaeming near Jueterbog is roughly 60km distant from downtown Berlin. This adult male Pallid Harrier braved the onset of winter in the Lower Fläming very well. With measured… Continue reading Pallid Harrier on early migration south of Berlin
Flight photography of the Red Kite
It takes no special effort to see a Red Kite (Milvus milvus) in Brandenburg. But to be successful with more than a photograph of proof takes more. It is of little interest to scan a Red Kite at a distance or high up in the sky. The straight-forward search flight can go seamlessly into a… Continue reading Flight photography of the Red Kite
Mount Kupé Bushshrike – some aspects on equipment & logistics
I had been very successful in the Bakossi Mountains with the Mount Kupe Bushshrike (Telophorus kupeensis) – also known as Serle’s Bushshrike. After an unsuccessful first day on an expedition in these Afrotropic mountains, my indispensable guides and me encountered a total of 7 individuals of the Mount Kupe Bushshrike until the end of the… Continue reading Mount Kupé Bushshrike – some aspects on equipment & logistics
A Birdwatching Guide to Brandenburg and Berlin: a new field guide
The east of Germany, especially Brandenburg and Berlin is one of the »hotspots« for birdwatching in Germany with a rich variety of birds and many rare species. Until recently, trips has to be fully based on the birding guide for North-east Germany (Vögel beobachten in Ostdeutschland; Wagner and Moning 2009, Franckh-Kosmos Verlag). This splendid book… Continue reading A Birdwatching Guide to Brandenburg and Berlin: a new field guide
Cameroon: bird photography on a guided birding tour
The Birdlife of West Africa was on the schedule for April 2017. I decided for the Africa specialist Rockjumper. Cameroon is a vast and diverse land; lying just north of the equator. This bird-rich nation forms the inter-grade between West and Central Africa and harbors a wide range of habitats, ranging from steamy lowland rainforest… Continue reading Cameroon: bird photography on a guided birding tour
Seabird Photography
An Albatross sailing the seas, an agile Petrel, a dynamic Shearwater. These are real challenges. Bird photographing in general is quite a difficult task. Add in a rocking, heaving boat, crowds of people, salt spray and fast moving agile targets and you have a most challenging undertaking. For certain digital photography has not revolutionized bird… Continue reading Seabird Photography
Shooting with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM, an experience review
The one or the other may have read my reviews of e.g. the Canon EF 400mm f / 4 DO IS USM or the Sigma 120-300 f 2.8 APO EX DG OS HSM. My latest lens now is the Sigma Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM. As with the blogs mentioned above, this review really… Continue reading Shooting with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM, an experience review
Canon EOS 1DX: Twilight performance
Some months ago, a blog was written on bird-lens.com to review the Canon EOS 1DX and explain some aspects of dynamic range and noise in the Canon EOS 1DX performance. As mentioned in the blog, some tests in photo laboratories show, that the dynamic range of the Canon EOS 1Dx benefits from having “only” 18… Continue reading Canon EOS 1DX: Twilight performance
Experience review Sigma 120-300 f 2.8 APO EX DG OS HSM
The one or the other may have read my reviews of e.g. the Canon EF 400mm f / 4 DO IS USM of the Canon EOS 1 DX camera. My latest lens now is the Sigma 120-300 f 2.8 APO EX DG OS HSM, the predecessor of the present S (for Sport). While the Canon… Continue reading Experience review Sigma 120-300 f 2.8 APO EX DG OS HSM