Just a quick post to wish everyone a happy holiday season!

If you are interested in nature and specifically birds, you might want to check into participating in a Christmas Bird Count (CBC). There are CBCs all across the nation and you might find one close to you. They have been going on for 100 years now, collecting vital data on the species of birds and their numbers throughout the country so it’s a great way to meet fellow bird watchers and participate in some citizen science. The Audubon Society organizes the count and you can find more information at their site: Audubon Christmas Bird Count. You can also see the results of past counts and get other valuable information on CBCs.

I will be participating in the CBC at Morehead City, NC, this year and am really looking forward to it. It’s an all day event starting at (or even before) dawn and running just about as late in the day as folks are willing to go. I’ve participated in the Morehead City count for the last couple of years and have always really enjoyed it, even last year when it rained on and off most of the day. We always see some special birds that are unusual for our area: last year’s count gave us a couple of Long-billed Curlews and a Bar-tail Godwit which was pretty exciting. I’m hoping for much better weather this year.

The good news is that I’ve also got a new camera (well, it’s almost a year old at this point, but I’m still learning to use it). It’s a Canon EOS R5 and I’m hoping to get even better photographs with that camera than I was able to get on previous years with my Canon SX70. The SX70 did a fabulous job and could really “pull birds in close” with its telephoto lens but it lacked the sharp details that I really wanted. The EOS R5 does a great job with sharp details, but the range on my telephoto (I have a 100-500mm telephoto lens for it) doesn’t have quite the reach of the old SX70. So I’m having to relearn my “bird stalking” techniques to try to get closer for those better shots.

The photos here were all shot with the old SX70 and they are still fairly good. I’ve always been pleased with that camera as it is lightweight, easy to use, and has phenomenal reach as far as the telephoto. In fact, it was so good that when I was using it, I rarely needed binoculars as I could just use the camera. And best of all, I could also do macro shots without having to change lenses. That’s the downside to the R5, although it isn’t really a downside. But I do have to switch lenses for different purposes. It’s not an “all purpose” camera like the SX70. But the R5 produces much better photographs and I can switch lenses for different purposes, so…

The R5 is a lot heavier, though, than my old SX70 and I wear a harness to carry it as well as using a walking stick to steady the camera when taking shots. I find the walking stick at its maximum height works best as a quick and dirty solution to providing support to the camera.

In any event, here is the Whimbrel (first photo) and the Marbled Godwit (second photo).

We might even see a few Whimbrels and Marbled Godwits on the CBC this year. Then I’d be able to take photographs of both birds with my Canon EOS R5 to compare to the SX70 photos here.

Those were both “good” birds for me although I had seen them before–about 15 years before–so I was really happy to not only see them but to be able to photograph them.

Below is a Virginia Rail. Rails are notoriously difficult to see, much less to photograph, so this was a real prize. I truly wish I’d had the EOS R5 at the time as this photograph would have been wonderful with that camera’s capabilities.

Finally, I got a few Redhead ducks and the last photo is Short-billed Dowitchers. I hope to have better weather (anything but dreary cold rain) and good luck for the 2021 Christmas Bird Count! Best wishes to everyone for the holiday season and good luck to anyone participating in their local CBC.