A Day Of Birding

White-Crowned Sparrow

Yesterday I had the afternoon free to get out and shoot some birds, which I haven't done for a few weeks now. Early spring is a good time to shoot along the coastal migration path, and today was no exception. The Nikon AF-S 70-200mm F2.8G VRI that I rented for the week arrived in the morning, so I thought I'd take it out for a spin. To be honest I didn't think I'd get many interesting photos with the 70-200, since it is not very long, but I was pleasantly surprised. I switched to the AF-S 300mm F4 once to shoot some snow geese in flight, but otherwise I stuck with the 70-200mm F2.8G. 

Being able to shoot at F2.8 was rather useful when I came across a Norther Saw Whet Owl that was resting in some thick brush. It was a bright sunny afternoon, but in the brush I was getting shutter speeds of 1/640s or less at ISO3200. I used the VR feature of the 70-200mm F2.8G for a few shots, since I was shooting tripod free, but generally did not need it.

Northern Saw Whet Owl