Beach Portraits

     Last week I was doing some things with my camera, while the kiddo was at daycare, tinkering with settings. I left it on the coffee table, enjoying the lack of need to be concerned about grabby hands. Went and picked up the kiddo and within five minutes of being home I heard a thud. Camera on the floor and a look of guilt. Thankfully my lens filter is all that took the hit, tested everything else out and thankfully everything else survived. 

    I have been wanting to get sharper pictures and grab better flight photos of birds or anything that flies and my camera wasn't just getting me what I wanted. So I did some settings, based on what I read here, and, I'm pretty happy with the outcome!

Shorebirds like this Piping Plover make fantastic subjects to take test shots with.

An American Oystercatcher with a blue mussel.

Another excellent photo test subject, I'm excited that protruding beaks are in focus along with the rest of the bird.... and the bubbles.

Yummo!

Settings work for little guys too. A house wren.

This house wren is screaming its song at one of the ex-WWII batteries.

Perfect little beach buddy, these piping plovers.

Dapper as heck, and always looking cool, are black-capped night herons. But They also have a dark side, they can gulp down prey as large as rats. So plovers, chicks, they all have to be on the lookout.

I am very happy with how this happened. TY AMOY.

Alright, time to test the in-flight shots.... and overall, yes.
And an erratic, fast-flying, hunting common tern was the perfect test subject!

I watched a few common terns fly along the surf and grabbing mole crabs up and gulping them down on the wing.

I wish some of the nesting birds took the tern methodology. 
ATTACK EVERYTHING THAT COMES CLOSE TO YOUR EGGS AND BABIES.
That's how they roll.

How does it work out with a bunch of American Oystercatchers being weird?
I think it went well. I like the one on the background on the right. All like, "I don't know these fools."

Screaming and walking in unison.

Taking turns dipping and standing up straight, while screaming.
All looks good.

Piping plovers just pretend to not know those guys. Caught this fella doing some self care, snoozing and preening.

This bird is one I always run into predictable at a specific stretch of beach. I always expect to see them, and almost always do!

I'd say that I'm pleased with these new settings. Looking forward to trying out with other subjects!