Pileated Woodpecker

 The end of the year vacation ended and I'm happy with the pictures that I took during this time. This Pileated Woodpecker pictures is an example of this.

Click on the picture to appreciate the details.

 

I finally got it

In 10 years I have taken many pictures of hummingbirds perched but never of one flying. Today I finally had that opportunity. 

Inwas about to end my walk today when I saw it flying around and I mananaged to take 3 pictures in one single burst.

Close to 10 years...

In March 2025, I'll reach 10 years since I got my first DSLR, a Nikon D5200, and began regularly taking wildlife pictures, mostly of birds and sometimes the two legged animals called humans 😂.

It has been a long learning process. When I look back at the pictures I took back then, I can see the significant improvement I've made over these 10 years. 

Photo taken in 2015 using the Nikon D5200.

I've taken more than 69,000 pictures, and that doesn't even include the ones that ended up in the Windows Trash Bin. This number may seem small for some photographers that use their camera in burst mode and shoot thousands of photos in one session. But believe me, these are 69000 pictures edited by me representing long hours seating in front of my computer. 

You can see these pictures organized by albums at Flickr, the platform that use to backup online my pictures.

Photo from my album Quinceañera, from November 2015. 
One of my first attempts to shoot an event.
At that time I was a firm believer in not editing my photos. 

This is one of my latest photos in a Karate Event, using a Canon R6 Mark I. 

 

 

Another picture taken with the Canon R6 Mark I,
an example of me editing a photo.

From time to time strangers ask for their photos to be taken.
Taken using the Canon R6 Mark I.

Birds in flight, how do I do it?

Birds in flight photography is one of the most challenging aspects of bird photography. It’s not just about having a camera with great autofocus and a fast lens to track the bird; a lot relies on having the right camera settings. In this situation, shooting in Auto Mode simply won’t cut it.

So, how do I approach it? I’ve configured my Canon R6 with custom settings specifically for Birds in Flight, saved to the C3 memory slot. This allows me to quickly access my optimized settings with a simple switch to C3. I prefer shooting in Shutter Priority mode, setting the shutter speed at around 1/3000 to freeze the motion, while letting the camera automatically handle the aperture and ISO. This approach simplifies the process and keeps me focused on the action.

The results speak for themselves, as seen in this stunning capture of a red-shouldered hawk in flight.

 

Or this other picture of a juvenile Mississippi Kite.

Bird Photography in New York City

Believe it or not, I had more opportunities for bird photography when I lived in South Florida than I do now living in a small town north of Tampa.

Surprisingly, bird photography in New York City isn't uncommon, as explained in the following video.

Swans in Florida

 Yesterday we visited the city of Lakeland, Florida, specifically Lake Morton. The main reason of our visit was to photograph the Swans that were gifted to this city by Queen Elizabeth II.

Using a Canon R6 w/EF100-400L

Using a Canon R6 w/EF100-400L

 

 Above you can see two of the pictures I took while admiring the beauty of these birds.  For more pictures, please visit my Flickr page.

 

The story behind this picture

I was out walking the other day, searching for good photo opportunities, when I rounded a tree and suddenly heard a call. Before I knew it, a beautiful Red-Shouldered Hawk was flying right toward me.

Taken using R6 Mark I w/EF100-400L.

;

Normally, I have my R6 set to C1, which I've configured for Aperture Priority. I didn't have time to react and switch it to C3, which is set for Shutter Priority—the best setting for birds in flight. That's why the picture isn't as sharp as it could be.

I've noticed that birds of prey often fly directly toward you when they're disturbed. It's almost like they're telling you to back off!

Luck is something that you always will need

That's right, bird photography is like hunting or fishing. There's no guarantee you'll find the bird you're looking for or capture the shot you’re hoping to take.

Patience is a virtue

Patience is a virtue and you really need that in wildlife photography. May be that is the reason why I never have been that close to a kingfisher. 

Kingfisher in flight

Kingfishers are birds I’ve struggled to photograph up close. This morning, I finally managed to snap a few shots of one in flight. Although the photos are a bit distant, capturing this moment made my day.

Taken using a Canon R6 w/EF100-400L

  

Taken using a Canon R6 w/EF100-400L

The Best Canon Mirrorless Cameras for Wildlife and Sport Photography

In this article I will do my best to create a list of Canon cameras that I believe are ideal for wildlife and sports photography. I'll also share my personal recommendations based on my experience and specific needs.

• Canon EOS R1, Recommended for Professionals Only, Full Frame, 24.2 MP back illuminated stacked sensor, New ($6299), Used (),  Expected to be released in Nov 2024. Canon Flagship. The overall opinion is that this is the best Canon Camera that money can buy but the differences between this camera and the R3 are not substantial and most photographers would probably buy the R3 and save almost $2000. Big and Heavy. Uses a new Digic Accelerator ship optimized to minimize rolling shutter, and enables up to 40 fps with the electronic shutter. Dual Card Slot. Includes Action Priority, a new feature that allows to enhance AF when used at Sport Events. Includes Eye Control. Includes In Body Stabilization.Good Low Light Performance. 40 FPS in Electronic Mode.It uses a different battery than the R5, R6 and R7: LP-E19. No Rolling Shutter. Full weather sealed.
• Canon EOS R3, Recommended for Professionals, Full Frame, 24.1 MP back illuminated stacked sensor, New ($4499), Used ($4000), before the release of the R1 this was Canon's Flagship. Big and Heavy. Dual Card Slot. Includes Eye Control but it's not as sophisticated as the one used in the new R1 and R5 Mark II.  Includes In Body Stabilization. Good Low Light Performance. 30 FPS in Electronic Mode. It uses a different battery than the R5, R6 and R7: LP-E19. No Rolling Shutter. Full weather sealed.
• Canon EOS R5 Mark I, Recommended if you do not want or can't pay for the R5 Mark II. Full Frame, 45 MP non stacked sensor , Hard to find New ($2999), Used ($2480), Dual Card Slot: CFexpress and SD Card. CFexpress are the faster cards available and this will add an extra cost if you decide to buy this camera. Includes In Body Stabilization. Good Low Light Performance. 20 FPS in Electronic Mode. Very low  Rolling Shutter. No fully weather sealed.
• Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Recommended, Full Frame, 45 MP back illuminated stacked sensor, New ($4299), No available Used (), Uses a new Digic Accelerator ship optimized to minimize rolling shutter, and enables up to 30 fps with the electronic shutter. Dual Card Slot: CFexpress and SD Card. CFexpress are the faster cards available and this will add an extra cost if you decide to buy this camera. Uses a new type of battery LP-E6P that will add cost if you buy this camera. The old battery LP-E6NH used in R5, R6, R7 will still work with some limitations. Includes Action Priority, a new feature that allows to enhance AF when used at Sport Events. Includes Eye Control. Includes In Body Stabilization. Good Low Light Performance but reports indicate that the R5 Mark I performs better. 30 FPS in Electronic Mode. No Rolling Shutter.  No fully weather sealed.
• Canon EOS R6 Mark I, A good option if you do not want to pay for the R6 Mark II or the R5 Mark II. Full Frame, 20.1 MP non stacked sensor , Hard to find New ($1799), Used ($1499). This is the camera that I'm currently using. Dual Card Slot using SD Cards. Includes In Body Stabilization. Good Low Light Performance. 20 FPS in Electronic Mode. It uses the LP-E6NH Battery. Some  Rolling Shutter. No fully weather sealed.
• Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Recommended, Full Frame, 24.1 MP non stacked sensor , New ($1999), Used ($2029-$1949), Dual Card Slot. Includes In Body Stabilization. Good Low Light Performance. Auto Focus in this camera is more sophisticated than the one included in the R6 Mark I. 30 FPS in Electronic Mode. It uses the LP-E6NH Battery. Very low Rolling Shutter. No fully weather sealed. 
• Canon EOS R7, Recommended for Beginners and Amateurs, Crop Sensor, 32.5 MP non stacked sensor, New ($1399), Used ($1159), Dual Card Slot: Both SD Cards. Includes In Body Stabilization. Low Light Performance is not as good as the other cameras included in this list. Suffers from a heavy Rolling Shutter. It uses the LP-E6NH Battery. No fully weather sealed.
• Canon EOS R8, Recommended for Beginners and Amateurs, Full Frame, 24.2 MP non stacked sensor, New ($1299), Used ($1174), Single Card Slot, this is a negative point. Does not Include In Body Stabilization. Good Low Light Performance.Uses LP-E17 Canon Battery, smaller battery than the rest of the R cameras. Does not have a joystick in the back of the camera, a feature that help a lot in your image composition. Very low Rolling Shutter. No fully weather sealed.

Please note that there are other Canon mirrorless cameras on the market that are not included in my list. The reason for their exclusion is that their characteristics and features make them less suitable for wildlife and sports photography. However, this does not mean they are bad cameras; in fact, they may be ideal for other types of photography, such as portrait, family, landscape, or travel photography. 

In the Canon R ecosystem, the lower is the number, the better is the camera (E.g. R1 is the flagship, R8 is considered a Beginner camera).

Important Features for Wildlife and Sport Photography:

• In Body Stabilization. This is a very important point if you are using a lens that does not include stabilization or you are shooting without using a tripod.
  
• Dual Card Slot. Keep in mind that those cameras using CFExpress will add an extra cost to the initial price to pay for the camera. Keep in mind that Canon cameras do not include memory cards in the box.
• Low Light Performance.  While this point is important we need to say that this can be remediated by using Noise Reduction Software such as DXO PureRaw and Topaz Denoise.
  
• Auto Focus (AF) features and speed. 
• Staked Sensor, this feature will resolve Rolling Shutter issue when shutting in Electronic Shutter Mode. 
• Maximum FPS in Burst Mode. Useful when shooting fast action such as Birds in Flight.
  
• Sensor Format, Full Frame or Crop Sensor. Crop Sensors will give you an extra reach if you are using a full frame lens. They are also cheaper than Full Frame cameras. Full Frame cameras will perform better in low light and usually will give you better image quality. 
• Picture Resolution in Megapixels (MP). A higher resolution does not mean better images but having a higher resolution will give you more room to crop your image in post editing. Higher resolution results in more time in post processing and the need of more storage space to keep your files. If you are not cropping a lot I would say that 24 Megapixels the sweet spot.
  
• Weather sealing.
  

Summary

 As you can see, I’ve recommended the Canon R6 Mark II, R5 Mark II, R3, and R1. For those starting out, the R6 Mark II is my top pick. If you’re looking to save some money, the original R6 (used) is a solid choice. Typically, you’ll find that previous versions of any camera come at a more affordable price than the latest release. Once you’re confident that photography is a hobby you want to pursue, upgrading to the R6 Mark II would be a smart move.

If your budget allows, starting with the R5 Mark II is a fantastic option, especially if you're interested in wildlife or sports photography. The R3 and R1, with their higher price points, are ideal for professionals who rely on their cameras to make a living.

The R7 and R8 are good cameras, but they don’t quite match the power of the others in this lineup. While they’ll get the job done, you might soon find yourself wanting more, leading to an upgrade to the R6 or R5.

For those considering the used market, buying from eBay is an option if you want to pay the lowest price possible, but it does come with certain risks. I prefer companies like MPB or KEH, which offer a 6-month warranty on any used camera. When you purchase a camera from them labeled as "Like New" or "Excellent," you’re likely to get a camera in excellent condition, tested by their expert teams.

Lastly, the most important thing: go outside and enjoy your camera, whichever one you choose from my list. That’s what truly matters.

I got lucky this weekend

 This weekend, I photographed a Speckled Pigeon— a bird I never expected to see in Florida.

 

Normally, this pigeon is found in Africa, so it seems likely that it either escaped from a private owner or a zoo. It's a beautiful bird, isn't it?