Plus some of the challenges I’m facing right now that affect my blogging and may do so in the future.
1/125, f/5.6, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I could probably count the number of times I’ve photographed a Merlin on one hand so each encounter is memorable for me, even when conditions for photography are poor. I found this one early in the morning exactly five years ago yesterday in Montana’s Centennial Valley. As you can probably surmise from my camera settings, shutter speed and the background in the image the little falcon was in deep shade but I’ll photograph a Merlin no matter the conditions.
In this light I was lucky to get even this glimmer of a catch light in the eye but it’s there and I’m grateful for it.
Most Merlins breed in Canada and Alaska but migrants should be showing up in my area soon so this is the time of year I can start watching for them again. My chances for another encounter are always slim but they do exist. Maybe next time I’ll have better light.
I feel like I should inform my readers regarding some of the challenges I’m facing right now because several of them are already affecting my blogging efforts and others could do so in the future:
- Recently we’ve been having stormy and wet conditions which means I haven’t been able to go shooting so I’ve been posting some older images lately, including today. That may or may not continue, though it looks like we may finally have some clear skies and good light in our forecast for a few days.
- I’m sad to report that my bad back has been acting up again which makes sitting at the computer, processing images and writing my blog… difficult. How that will turn out is still up in the air.
- I’m in the midst of yet another image theft melodrama which will likely take up a significant amount of my time. It isn’t uncommon for folks to steal my images for various purposes but when they do it on a commercial basis to make money from them and then repeatedly lie about what they’ve done it gets my dander up and dealing with it can be all-consuming. I hope to report here very soon about this specific instance, in part because I like to expose the perpetrators. If they’ve done it to me they’ve most likely done it to other photographers as well and in this case I strongly suspect they have. Stopping it in its tracks is my goal.
Ron
I hope your back starts to feel better.
Sorry I’m very late coming to this today. I had a problem with one eye, but it is now resolved and the eye doctor can further help this afternoon so all will be well. Merlns are wonderful and your photo is one of the best I’ve seen (They can be very difficult to photograph, as I’m sure you are well aware of). They show up here in small numbers each winter but I still don’t see them often. A few years ago, a friend asked me to come over to help her identify a bird she had never seen before. I arrived just in time to see her bird get taken by a Merlin. It sat in the tree above us as if to show off the bird in its talons. It was a White-throated Sparrow which occur here in small numbers each winter. After a few moments, the Merlin flew away with its prize My friend was a bit distressed to see “her bird” taken, but I must say that I found watching the Merlin an exciting treat.
I hope you can find some relief with your back soon. I know how disabling it can be. As for the pain in the butt, I hope you catch and publicly expose her soon. Those who steal others creative works, especially for commercial purposes, need to be publicly exposed so that others can bee warned of their attempts. Best of luck with everything.
Great news about that eye, Dan! After what Barbara said about it I’ve been concerned.
Your experience with your friend’s Merlin must have been fun to watch. I’ve never actually seen one capture prey.
I love the Merlin.
Hiss and spit at ALL the challenges. My country is burning again so I would love the rain, but can understand you are over it. I hope you can pin that thief down and teach him/her the error of their ways. Back pain? Again? That outsucks Dyson.
I’m sorry to hear about your fires, EC. And your Aussie summer isn’t even in full swing yet. Thank you.
It is scaring the life out of me to have fires burning out of control in two states in the first weeks of Spring. Much of the country is in serious drought, and no rain is forecast.
Love this shot of the Merlin with those beautiful, peaceful colors in the background. 1/125th takes the prize here.
Very sorry to hear your back is acting up again. A friend of mine with lower back problems had a nerve cauterized and that gave him complete relief from the pain for almost a year. After time the nerve recouped and they zapped it again, so far so good. Maybe it’s an option for you.
I’m impressed you have the energy and will to get that property thief and give her a good thrashing. Best of luck in all your pursuits!
SHOT! Sorry about that. Oh well, shot happens.
Your second comment came in while I was doing the “repair”. It made me smile…
Aarrgh!
When I first posted, shot had an i instead of and o.
Somehow it self corrected while I was posting my correction.
No good correction goes unpunished.
Dave, I’ll ask about the cauterization but I suspect that in my case it would leave me unable to walk.
BTW, I fixed a typo in your comment that I think you’d prefer to have fixed… 🙂
Thanks very much for tending after my garden of typos!
Ron, what a nice discussion group you have here. I didn’t read all the posts, but I wanted to reply to your back issues. One solution might be this pricey Herman Miller Aeron chair: https://store.hermanmiller.com/office/office-chairs/aeron-chair/100069170.html?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=Shipping+Email+-+Dynamic+(Live+Text)&utm_content=ProductLink&utm_medium=email&utm_source=scheduled_sfmc&utm_term=20190730_1497452.
Another solution may be the very inexpensive book, “Treat your own back” by Robin McKenzie. Both have helped me and my 72 year old back!
And yes, go get that fake photographer!
Finally, thanks for the deep shade Merlin. Although I also prefer a fully lit bird, that bird and composition looks “softly striking” and I congratulate you on it, at 1/125 of a second no less!
Thanks for both the link and the book tip, Den. I’ll check them both out.
Yeah, 1/125 sec is way out of my normal working parameters…
Ron, you are experiencing the ” It never rains but it pours” phenomenon. I bet a nice sunny day would help. Good luck, John
John, another phenomenon it could be called is “bad things come in threes”. I just hope this phenomenon can count!
I don’t often get to see Merlins, either, so it’s a major treat when they appear. Year before last, one stopped across the two-track from Jack (Harris’ hawk) who was perched on the roof of my Jeep as I was walking toward the Jeep. The Merlin perched atop an old fence post. I really wanted to throw the Merlin a quail snack, but I knew that couldn’t happen because Jack would be on it in a heartbeat. I also knew that if I moved to retrieve my phone/camera, the Merlin would fly, so I just stood there enjoying the view for a couple of minutes.
I’m having the same issues with sitting at the desk. My only fix (there is no fix, but maybe relief) is getting up and walking around frequently. Of course, that seriously derails trains of thought, but that happens anyway. My dogs help with the frequent ups–they’re always wanting SOMETHING! LOL!
As for the butthead stealing your photography, go get ’em! There’s been a serious erosion of personal ethics and integrity in our culture with people thinking they’re above the law and that the law(s) don’t pertain to them. That both angers me to the point of screaming and makes me weep for our future. The huge downside to digital photography is that it’s so easily manipulated and stolen so that we no longer REALLY know if the captured moment is real or fake. And there are so many unscrupulous people who take advantage of that.
If you need to recycle photos, it’s not a problem with me. I’ve slept since I saw that photo last and stuff falls out. The advantage to geezerhood is that everything is all new 😉
I think you made the right choice to just stand there and enjoy the Merlin, Laura. That’s also what I’d have done but after it flew off I’d be kicking myself for not having a camera with me.
I get up occasionally to work the kinks out too – in fact it’s something I should do right now. So I will…
Love the picture of the Merlin. I agree with others that there is no problem with rerun pictures. I find at my age I don’t always remember what I’ve seen before. Sorry to hear about your back. I would like to suggest there are some choices for stand up desk solutions. My son has a device he added to convert his desk so that can he adjust to use as a stand up or sit down desk. This might be a simpler for you. Hope you get the picture pirate soon.
I may have to resort to some variation of a stand up desk, Betty. Time will tell I guess…
Merlins are difficult to photograph – so quick and furtive. Wonderful photo. Thanks!
And glad that you are pursuing the thief. Stealing the creative work of others for personal benefit — gotta wonder who would trust that person.
“gotta wonder who would trust that person”
I keep wondering something similar, Kent. Based on her multiple and deliberate lies and bending the truth she must already have a reputation for those who know her.
I’m so sorry for your trials and tribulations! Obviously, your health comes first. As far as I’m concerned, old images are just as good as new ones.
I love this merlin photo. You’d never know from the picture what fierce little hunters they are. Best of luck on your own hunt – go get the bastards!
Thank you, Robyn. I will.
The Merlin looks a bit grumpy; the moody background and your post might be shading my perception😉 I hope you back pain resolves quickly and you get proper satisfaction from the photo cheat.
Lyle, I think the morning cold had more to do with the appearance of the Merlin than grumpiness but I sure wouldn’t argue against your theory.
Beautiful photograph! I like the gray and moody light. And so sorry about your back and thievery problems. I hope you soon get them sorted out.
I hope so too. Thanks, Joanne.
Lovely little assassin! 🙂 The dark stormy looking background REALLY sets it off……. 🙂 DAMN on the back! 🙁 Hope a solution can be found… As to the flaming a..hole – Public humiliation and a $$$ price “might” stop her and “inhibit” others…….Anymore some don’t care about the public humiliation BUT slowing/stopping their source of income generally does get their attention……. 😉
Assassin indeed! Merlins might be even more ferocious than kestrels.
Your last sentence is part of my theory too, Judy. And my motivation.
I think your Merlin shot is just beautiful! The effect of the deep shade and your settings makes your Merlin appear to be really evenly lit–like the kind of even light one gets on an overcast day. I’m so sorry to hear about your other troubles. Have you tried a standing desk? I haven’t actually tried one (other than occaissionally raising my drawing table up so that I can stand). I have several friends that have had back troubles and switched to a standing desk. It didn’t fix their backs, but helped them to work at their desks with much less pain. RE: stolen images. I just have to shake my head and remind myself that people running companies (or art/advertising departments) have the same kinds of character flaws that we see all around us. Sadly, there will always be liars and cheaters that think their actions make them smarter than those of us with moral compasses.
Sharon, this lady thought exactly that – that she was “smarter than those of us with moral compasses”, until she got caught that is. And knew I had proof. I suspect she isn’t feeling so smart now. That part of the story is pretty interesting…
I haven’t tried a standing desk. Yet.
Obviously how can anyone disagree with this picture, what a gorgeous shot! I have to agree with Kathy on the settings. If I set my camera with those settings in shade I wouldn’t have much of an image. Plus, I think you guys in the west have more open space, less deep shade than we do in the East, unless of course the dark clouds are almost touching the ground.
I can empathize with back problems. There was a time when I couldn’t stand up straight, a good, empathize good, chiropractor over time helped me out, but from time to time still have issues.
Man, hope you catch the bas…. who is stealing your shots! Let us know! The more these people can be exposed the better.
Hope you feel better, thanks for sharing.
“The more these people can be exposed the better”
That’s EXACTLY how I feel, Dick. I hope to fill you in on more details soon.
Pretty little Merlin, Ron. Kind of an eerie background. 🙂 Thank you for sharing this one with us.
So sorry that your back is acting up again. That totally sucks. As for the thief — go get ’em! We’re definitely in your corner on this one!!!
Thank you on all three counts, Marty. Time will tell how everything turns out.
Beautiful photo Ron. I love Merlins. They have the sweetest faces.
I am so sorry to hear about your back. You had all that work done on it and now you are having pain again. Your back sounds very much like mine. I will not have surgery. I had a stimulater put in my back a year ago and the recovery was very painful. I hardly use it because it is a pain in the neck to charge. I just wanted to give you a suggestion on how to make using a computer mor comfortable. I have a very comfortable recliner. Next to me is a pole with three acrylic shelves on which I put my laptop. I can pull it over to me to use. I hope you get some relief soon. I hope you catch that photo thief also.
Thanks for the good wishes, Debbie. You obviously know how it is…
Good luck on your mission and issues, Ron.
We are rooting for you!
Thank you, Art.
WOW! Do I love that photo!😍 I had a hard time believing your settings on it but then I thought…’it’s Ron…camera’s behave for him.’ I especially love that background for the merlin…it fits him perfectly. The darkness with the blurring of green and gray even sets off the post. I’ve only seen a merlin once and treasured the moments. I’m sorry to hear of your back issues…I know how difficult it is when you can not sit comfortably. I’ll take your older photos anyday! On your other note…rain, rain, rain…so far for just September we have had 10.3 inches. There is deep and I mean deep standing water in the fields that I’ve not seen in the 30 years i’ve been here. I don’t know when the corn/soybeans will be harvested. I’m pulling most of my tomato plants as soon as I can get to them. Septoria leaf spot took over and it even affected the fruit terribly. The tomatoes did not even taste very good this year with being ‘bloated’ with too much water! Some years are like that. 😕
“’it’s Ron…camera’s behave for him.’ ”
Ha, I wish that were true, Kathy! Lately I’ve been having trouble with one of my electrical contacts between my teleconverter and my lens and it always seems to act up at just the wrong time. Cleaning the contacts doesn’t help a bit. Thank you for appreciating the image and explaining why.
Just a thought. Check each and every tiny screw on the face of the lens mount and the TC. One had worked loose and backed out just a bit on my BF’s TC and it was erratically missing the connection.
Very good suggestion, Linda! I will and thank you.