Naerlande in August

This is the time for the return of the waders on their autumn migration south. Along with the adults, they youngsters make up quite a significant potion of the numbers. Most numerous are probably the Dunlins and the Godwits. Among the crowd are Common Ring Plover, Ruddy Tursntone, Grey Plover, Redshanks and other smaller sandpipers.

I put to use the EF400/4.0 DO IS II USM lens. Lightweight and sharp, it proved to be the ideal tool for close up shots of the small waders from just about the right distance (2-3m) where the 300 would be just slightly too far and the 600 just a bit too close. Next up would be to see how easy or appropriate this lens is for shooting with flash at night, to capture waders feeding after dark.

The lens+7DMk2 combo is light enough for sharp handheld shots without a tripod. The f4 provided the soft background quite nicely and sufficient light to shoot at 1/1600 secs on a bright sunny dat at Iso 400.

Focusing on moving objects is still something I need to practice on. Not sure if my inability to focus on the Godwit in flight successfully was attributed to lens autofocusing IQ or my own knack for panning.

There should be enough light and warmth the next couple of weeks to make several more attempts at Naerlande with this lens. Hopefully more waders pass this way as per past years ...

Images and words by Nazeri Abghani 30th Aug 2015