I decided it was time to get more serious about my bird photography this spring. I'm making a point to get out with my camera more often, to get the practice in for when I need it. (And when I need it is during warbler migration in the spring.)
I was getting frustrated with the focus on my FujiFilm cameras - it seemed like a lot of my "in focus" shots were out of focus, or not sharp when I zoomed in to 100% viewing in my editor. To figure out if I was the problem, or the tools, I rented the top of the line birding cameras from Fuji (the Fujifilm X-H2S) and Sony (Sony A1). Then I went to the most reliable spots near my house for birds, Nature Realm and the Bath Road Heronry, with one camera on each side, switching between the two often, so I could do a head-to-head comparison.
I learned two things.
- I was using the wrong Fuji body, trying to do bird photography with the X-H2. My keeper rate tripled when I used the X-H2S.
- Sony just works better for birds. My keeper rate with the A1 was even better, 50% more than the X-H2S. (And 4.5x the keeper rate of the X-H2). Add in the extra megapixels on the Sony - I'm always cropping my bird photos - and the new Sony 400-800mm f/6.3-8 lens - and I decided it was time to make a system switch. (My wallet is still begging for relief).
Nature Realm
F.A. Sieberling Nature Realm is part of the Summit county Metro Parks, and the most consistent site where I can find birds near my house. Why? Because people hand-feed the chickadees and nuthatches, and the birds know it. (Go to the path near the lake, just south of the visitor center, where there are benches and a wooden fence).
Bath Road Heronry
The Bath road heronry on the south end of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is not actually in the park; there is a grove of sycamore trees on Bath road between Riverview road and Akron-Peninsula road. In mid-February the Great Blue Herons return from wintering in Florida and start building their nests. The heronry is not quite as big as it used to be; a couple of the sycamores fell during a particularly wet and windy summer a few years ago, but it is still quite a site to see all the nesting herons.
CVNP Beaver Marsh
The Cuyahoga Valley has a lot of potential birding spots, but my favorite is the Beaver Marsh Boardwalk (and the towpath trail along the canal from the Ira Road trailhead to the boardwalk.) The marsh is much more active in the spring and summer, but there were grackles and red-winged blackbirds galore, and smaller birds love the brush along the canal just south of the marsh.
Waterloo Road Heronry
I've driven by the Waterloo road heronry on I-277 many times - it is a striking lagoon with tall, dead trees that great blue herons love to nest in. The problem is the light - the sun is behind the main lagoon all day long. I didn't realize two things: Waterloo road has a very wide margin that you can walk along, and there is a second, smaller lagoon north of Waterloo road, so I can get the sun behind me when I'm shooting. It's going to be a regular stop for me in Heron nesting season from now on. Also - Osprey! a life bird photo for me, there is at least one Osprey nest nearby, on a pole in a nearby electrical substation. (It is too far away for a good picture, unfortunately).
Bath Nature Preserve
The pond at the Bath Nature Preserve gets a bunch of overwintering waterfowl - especially Swans - but they stay on the far side of the pond, making it hard to get pictures. I wander the trail, or head to the University of Akron and Bath Township Field Station and stake out the feeders.
What else to see?
Check out my other bird photography stories here, and my bird photo checklist for a portfolio of my bird photos.
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