After spending 4 days in South San Francisco for business, Kara flew out and we decided to spend time in the San Fran area to enjoy some nice weather, see a new town, and of course do some birding.  Our 5 days included Union Square, Fisherman’s Warf, Muir Woods, Napa, and all around the bay hitting some great birding areas for some Western Birds.  While we had some frustrating moments, we also had some amazing times outside and it was another good trip for the books.

As far as the birding and photography went, we ended up with some new lifers and saw some really nice areas around the bay for Shore Birds, Water Birds and Waterfowl.  While the birding was pretty good, that didn’t always equate to good photography.  Lighting was often very high and harsh as the times we had to bird and photograph were forced to be well after first light as the fog was always too thick in the mornings.  In late afternoon the traffic was so bad we had to be on the road to get back into town by a certain time.  While that was frustrating at times, I kept reminding myself that it wasn’t one of my photography trips and there were more important things for Kara and I to do together.  The harsh light made for difficult exposures but by watching my histogram and keeping tabs on where I was shooting in relation to where the Sun was, nice images were obtainable.  Bracketing up and down was very necessary depending on the species I was shooting and more importantly what was going on in the backgrounds.  During our first day of birding we found a cooperative male Anna’s Hummingbird calling and doing their well known mating flights.  Amazing to watch and hear!

So often patience is key and many know I sometimes have it and sometimes don’t.  The last day birding/shooting on the bay we stopped at our final spot before returning the rental car.  This place required payment which was fine, until we made it all the way in and saw the loads of people milling about.  Of course, Kara loved that so many people were outside (does that sounds like Kara or what!? =) but I was again frustrated.  Before leaving we chased after a Northern Flicker we heard calling hoping to get views (Red-shafted race out west as opposed to our Yellow-shafted).  We never did find the bird but in the process, we found 2 White-tailed Kites doing some crazy flight chasing aerobatics in the air.  We started hiking over to the area but by the time we got there, one of the birds had fled the area.  Luckily, however, one of the Kites stayed and continued hunting.  We took some time to watch and get the bird’s hunting patterns figured out and then set up in a high percentage area with the light where I wanted it in order to get pleasing backgrounds along with front-lit subjects.  We stayed and enjoyed watching the bird hunt for quite some time; simply awesome.  I ended up with some nice flight shots and then the bird was finally successful catching a small rodent.  We thought that was great, but then it got better.  The Kite flew towards us and landed on a the exact perch I was set up for.  After 3 days of disappointing results, it all came together and I ended up with some killer images.

While luck was most definately involved, it wasn’t all because of chance.  A lot went into planning where to set up, getting my exposure ready ahead of a potential moment.  This is something that you read and learn over and over but can still be very frustrating for people.  It’s really not until one does it on their own that it usually clicks.  When it does, get ready for exponential improvement.

Our last full day in the area included a great trip to Alcatraz.  If anyone ever goes to San Francisco, we highly recommend this trip and definately take advantage of the included Audio Tour.  The tour was very informative and even included audio of actual in-mates and guards.  After lunch in China Town, we walked out on the pier for the sunset and I had some fun photographing Gulls and other sea birds in some amazing light.

All in all, another great trip for us.  Looks like our next trip together will be Washington State for our anniversary and also to see some friends of ours.

Life Birds:
  Bewick’s Wren
  Brandt’s Cormorant
  Western Gull
  California Gull
  Anna’s Hummingbird
  Black Phoebe
  Western Sandpiper
  Salt Marsh Song Sparrow
  Varied Thrush
  Oregon-sided Dark-eyed Junco
  Golden-crowned Sparrow
  Say’s Phoebe
  Audubon’s Yellow-rumped Warbler
  Long-billed Curlew (Kara)
  Marbled Godwit (Kara)
  White-faced Ibis (Kara)

As always, stay close to the blog for upcoming posts and the next lesson on high ISO.