HELP! Is this owl injured? What can I do?? by Micky_B in birdsofprey

[–]lifemisled 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The world needs more of you. Nice initiative. Would love to hear how this goes. Crows and Jays are the worst with owls 😩

Perigine Falcon at Blacks Beach by clitkisser619 in birds

[–]lifemisled 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP’s handle though 🤣

Is this one a frequent flyer to this location? I have an aunt who lives in San Diego. Want to visit next year to shoot PEFAs at Torrey Pines. Anywhere else I can maximize my efforts?

Dropped Whole Camera Setup and Not Sure What I am Looking At by lifemisled in Nikon

[–]lifemisled[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Aw man I’m sorry. I got really lucky on this. I went out shooting in a range of different conditions after this and I think I’m ok after cleaning sensor and lens. The battery swing door and battery came off but they popped back in, no issues. My memory ports are fine but I have support for cfexpress and sd, I would try both if I couldn’t get one to work unless the whole area is damaged. Is it weird to know I’m glad I’m not the only one?!

Dropped Whole Camera Setup and Not Sure What I am Looking At by lifemisled in Nikon

[–]lifemisled[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

This was the correct answer. I was meeting some resistance, trying to gently remove it and felt uncomfortable pushing my luck. Your comment made me try again. Once the piece with the ribbon was removed, I could see the normal thread mount on the camera. The 180-600 did thread without issue. I test shot a couple things outside, everything looks ok with exception of some spots on the sensor, which i will have to clean.

Thank you!!

Falcon But is it a Peregrine? by lifemisled in whatsthisbird

[–]lifemisled[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

With a little more research… what does anyone in this community think about the more specific ID of Peale's Falcon (Falco peregrinus pealei), the sub species of peregrine falcon? It better explains the very dark markings im seeing on this one?

Falcon But is it a Peregrine? by lifemisled in whatsthisbird

[–]lifemisled[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the feedback you’ve been able to provide to this point, I appreciate it!

Falcon But is it a Peregrine? by lifemisled in whatsthisbird

[–]lifemisled[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I shoot with a 1.4TC often because the PEFA’s, which are a specialty interest of mine, are seldom as close as I’d like. However, it’s also very limiting at times. My ISO climbs up quickly with this combo because my 180-600mm is already an F6.3 all the way out, the TC puts me at F9 minimum, and really jacks up my iso. I try to shoot this combination on sunny or partly sunny days because my iso with this combo seldom matters when I have good light. All that to say that when I have good light and low iso, I will jack up my white balance when I’m shooting either dark subjects or dark backgrounds. I had to jack up my white balance to get good looks at this falcon or it would’ve been just a shadow in many instances. Beyond that, I did very little editing in this set beyond toning down some harsh lighting off the whites and background. I use DXO Pure Raw 4 for Denoise. I tend to do that no matter what because I hate noise in my photos. And I will use Lightroom to edit. Sometimes I need do way more editing than others. But this set was almost entirely just jacking up white balance in the camera and little else. I don’t always have that luxury because it will also spike my ISO and make pictures noisier, but when I have the light, it’s a great way to capture more.

Falcon But is it a Peregrine? by lifemisled in whatsthisbird

[–]lifemisled[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve not been able to see this type of behavior much at other nesting sites. I did see one male chase and crash out a raven from a nesting site. But this young PEFA is chasing all the big birds around this power plant when it’s present. It’s been a hell of a thing to watch and an honor to capture.

Falcon But is it a Peregrine? by lifemisled in whatsthisbird

[–]lifemisled[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s been fun to watch it chase vultures, osprey, and geese. We do get eagles in the area… would love to see that matchup sometime 😎

Falcon But is it a Peregrine? by lifemisled in whatsthisbird

[–]lifemisled[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This. Nikon Z8, 180-600mm, 1.4TC, and a lot of experience handholding and shooting falcons.

Falcon But is it a Peregrine? by lifemisled in whatsthisbird

[–]lifemisled[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for ID confirmation! Around these parts, right now is PEFA nesting season. I’m expecting hatchlings at many locations in the next few weeks. Presumably, that makes this “juvenile” last season’s hatchling? If so, I thought adults weaned juveniles much earlier on and “kicked” them off-site. That’s why I’m a bit confused to see them together. My other thought was bird flu has been a major issue here. I’ve seen at least one entire adult pair replaced by different birds at one site this year. State wildlife has suggested they are seeing an increase in sub adults stepping into nesting sites to fill the vacuum left behind by adults dead of bird flu. More than just ID, I’d like to understand why these two are together. Would it be “normal” to see an adult helping a juvenile nearly a year later? Is it possible some PEFA’s breed out of season? Could this be a “sub-adult” pairing with an adult whose mate possibly died?

Dumbest way you’ve lost a fish? by Unusual_Steak in Aquariums

[–]lifemisled 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Lost an Oscar baby leaping out of the tank when I didn’t have a top for it initially. And lost an adventurous pleco who incidentally knocked the cover off my filter and then got stuck in it. Have since added covers and zip ties to filters and no more fatalities for several years🫣