Photographing birds at the Brouwersdam in Zeeland with the Sony 200-600

Saturday 6 February 2021, 14:07 by Erik Nevels | 4,994 views | 4 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

It is the second week of my adventures with Sony's telephoto lens when I drive to the Brouwersdam in Zeeland. There I meet my photography mate at the agreed spot.

Our partners, who are joining us too, are going birdwatching. We are going to photograph them as well. If you want to know where the special sandpiper posing for me today hatched, read on.

Busy

The Brouwersdam is busy. Several tripods with telescopes or cameras with telephoto lenses allow their owners to enjoy the many birds active near and above the water.

The weather has been kind for days now. Dry, not cold, with even a weak bit of sunshine. That bodes well for today! Once the lens is clamped to my tripod and my eye is at the viewfinder, the fun can begin.

From a tripod and handheld

Last week I mainly photographed handheld, but today the tripod is ready. For better weight distribution, I attached the lens with its tripod collar to my tripod, rather than attaching the camera.

Before that, I did have to screw a long Arca-Swiss quick-release plate under the collar first. Sony could have made that collar Arca-Swiss compatible straight away. I can fine-tune my ball head so that I can move the camera and lens fairly smoothly without the whole thing immediately tipping over when I let go.

Even so, I often photograph handheld during the day. It provides the freedom of movement needed for birds that move quickly along the shoreline.

Settings

Assuming I do not want motion blur, I choose a shutter speed of 1/640 sec or faster. The aperture is fully open, f/6.3 at 600mm, or 1/3 stop smaller, f/7.1. That requires an ISO of 1000 or thereabouts.

By keeping a close eye on the light meter, I adjust the ISO or shutter speed where necessary. For the focus area, I choose 'wide' for birds in flight and 'flexible spot' for birds on the ground.

Finally, I use continuous AF with continuous shooting on Hi+. That is bound to fill a card today.

Turnstone

At first I stand on the upper side of the dike and need the maximum zoom range to bring the foraging turnstones somewhat closer.

These nimble little birds certainly live up to their name. They deftly pick their way between the stones in search of something tasty. Since there is no large group to photograph, I want to get closer to capture an individual, preferably with a morsel in its beak.

While making sure I do not get in the way of another photographer or birdwatcher, I descend the dike and can approach the little bird to within about six metres. I leave the tripod behind because I now want to photograph as low to the ground as possible and also walk along with the bird.

Undisturbed, it rummages with its beak among sand, shells and stones. Suddenly it catches something and vigorously shakes its meal back and forth while the Hi+ function in the camera does its work.

Sony A7-3, 600mm, f/7.1, 1/1000sec, ISO800

Oystercatchers

The oystercatchers are busy foraging too. Every now and then they take flight, only to land again quickly and carry on walking. Suddenly something happens. I have no idea what, but a whole group of them takes off at once.

I quickly point my camera and a fraction of a second later the autofocus has the group sharply in its sights. While I take several series of photos of the birds flying back and forth, the autofocus continues to focus accurately. A top performance from this lens.

A little later, calm returns and they go back to the most important order of the day, gathering food.

Later that day I hear that a sea eagle had been flying around there that morning, and I suspect that may have been the cause of the commotion.

Sony A7-3, 600mm, f/6.3, 1/2500sec, ISO800

Purple sandpiper

The morning is almost over when we drive on for a few kilometres along the Brouwersdam. Large slippery stones form the steep transition from the car park where we have stopped to the water. Along that water's edge, another small wader is moving between the stones.

My mate and I descend the stone dike towards the bird with twice as much care. It continues undisturbed, and when we have approached to within three metres, we see a purple sandpiper busy looking for food.

Sitting on the large boulders, we wait until the bird sticks its head up above the rocks. It even seems to pose for us. At 600mm, the autofocus manages to focus accurately again at this distance, and I get the sandpiper fairly large in the frame.

What a fantastically beautiful bird!

Sony A7-3, 600mm, f/7.1, 1/640sec, ISO1000

More than satisfied

On the way back to Midden Limburg, I reflect on the remarkable day. Photographing birds is exciting and pure enjoyment. The Sony 200-600mm has once again done an excellent job, and I return home to Midden Limburg more than satisfied, with a full memory card.

Origin

A few days after getting home, my mate surprises me with the following. A photo of the purple sandpiper shows that it is ringed, and the code is readable too. That allows you to find out where it came from.

'Our' specimen turns out to have been ringed in Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen on 23 September 2012. Since then, it has only been observed at the Brouwersdam. Quite a nice fact to know!

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