Bonaparte's Gulls - 21 Nov 2020

I drove down to Pt. Mouillee HQ and found a small flock of Bonaparte's Gulls foraging near the parking lot. Skies were overcast but clearing, and there was a nice mix of pastels that the gulls were using as a backdrop. 

I took turns shooting with the Sony a7RIV + 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 + 1.4TC and the Sony a9 + 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM from inside the parked car. It was a mistake, and I knew it. I was lazy, and didn't want to scare the birds away from the shoreline. But convection currents from a warm car mixed with cold air always wreaks havoc with autofocus, especially at higher focal lengths. The a7RIV combo had a 95% failure rate despite the green boxes that indicated focus lock and tracking. Images were soft and disappointing. Those that did turn out looked great.

The Sony a9 had 99% success rate. But, it is expected when shooting 400mm vs. 840mm.

I just need to keep reminding myself these lessons...

Pte. Mouillee SGA--HQ, Wayne, Michigan, US
Nov 21, 2020 8:30 AM - 8:50 AM
Protocol: Stationary
1 species

Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  6

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S160209513

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)