Northern Minnesota

I visited the Minnesota Zoo (previous posts) thanks to a trip to visit relatives and friends. We spend a couple of days in northern Minnesota, in and near Bemidji.

Sunset, Paul Bunyan Drive NW, Bemidji

tricolored bumble bee, focus stack of two pictures

thistle, focus stack of three pictures

thistle, focus stack of four images

lichen, focus stack of three shots

The intersection of 309th St. and 450th Ave. near Cass Lake, MN, looking east on 450th. Roads are named grid-wise even in rural parts of Minnesota.

green bottle fly, focus stack of two photos

 

Aerial Catch

Ember, a black kite, demonstrated its hunting prowess at the World of Birds show at the Minnesota Zoo in August. The bird flew along a walkway to the left of the seating area and a keeper/trainer tossed something enticing into the air. (More flipbook action!)

In 2018, I didn't try to follow a bird in flight. Photographing cheetah runs gave me practice following moving animals, and today I'm happy with my first shots of flying birds. My camera settings for the birds were workable: Continuous autofocus was most important. Shutter priority would have made more sense than aperture priority (f/8), but the day was bright enough with ISO 560 that the slowest shutter in these shots was 1/750s.

I know a little more about what I'm doing, and my equipment has changed. In 2018 I used a Nikon D50, which was introduced in 2005. That camera croaked the same year, and I began using a D7000, which was introduced in 2010. In April of this year, I upgraded to a D7500 (introduced in 2017, and Nikon is still selling it). I also have a longer lens with vibration reduction. (I buy my equipment used and have no complaints.)

Aplomado Falcon

An aplomado falcon was part of the Minnesota Zoo's bird show.

Minnesota Zoo Birds

I visited the Minnesota Zoo in August. Here are some of the birds.

Boyd is a black vulture and was part of the World of Birds show. It's an outdoor show, and the birds flew freely. Some, like Boyd, wear tracking devices.

Kong, also part of the show, is a king vulture.

lesser flamingo

American avocet

Puna teal

Von der Decken's hornbill

More from the World of Birds:

• Aplomado Falcon
• Aerial Catch