Nikon Df for Birding in 2021

These days, I use three cameras, a little beaut, Sony RX100iii, a super Nikon D500, and a passionately stoic Nikon Df. They are all different, and I usually use them for different purposes. I have found though, more and more, in poor light, especially in dull Niigata winter days, I am very sensitive to the grain or noise in my D500 pics. It is a great camera to capture action, but I have been getting too disappointed with grain in the atmosphere of the photographs. More and more, I have been turning to the Df for everything. The Nikon Df is famous for not having high resolution, no video, average frames per second, one card slot, old fashioned dials, not such powerful autofocus. To conclude, it is such a great camera. The photos from it just capture a true, unclouded atmosphere, with an ambience you can walk into. I hope I can use it for a long time.

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Mid-March

Black-headed Gull

Non-breeding

Shinano River, Niigata, Japan

Some common Niigata birds for this time of year. I haven’t been out much but I haven’t completely forgotten about my birds.

After a long time of “no-sees” for Osprey I was delighted to have one fly right over my shoulder with a big fish. No camera so I just had to stand back and enjoy the moment.

Great Crested Grebe

Shinano River, Niigata, Japan

I was lucky I had the camera ready when he suddenly popped up!

Japanese Green Pheasant

Female

Shinano River, Niigata, Japan

Mallard

Toyanogata, Niigata, Japan

See the plastic crap they have to live with at the sides of the lake?

Oriental Turtle Dove

Toyanogata, Niigata, Japan

Accipiters a Plenty

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Fukushimagata, Niigata, Japan

November 30, 2014

Here are some of the results from my walk around Fukushimagata last Sunday. I’ve been thinking of buying a Nikon D7100 as my full-frame D800 is rarely close enough for the wetlands. Most of these pics are heavily cropped and I’ve already filled up my 2 terabyte computer hard-drive with photo files in just two years. I usually take RAW files as well but just went down the j-peg path with these…but I’m disappointed with the quality.

Apart from the photos it was a very warm day for that time of the year and birds of all kinds were a plenty.

Today is snowing heavily with a maximum forecast of 2 degrees Celsius so I’m inside doing my blog!

Japanese Green Pheasant

I disturbed 3 pheasants in the long grass under foot…first, one, then I took another step and two more burst out over the water….within two seconds the goshawk below appeared hot on their tails, just failing as they made it to the reeds on the other side of the water.

Northern Goshawk
Waterfowl at Fukushimagata
At first, I thought this largish raptor was a goshawk.
It attacked the large resident peregrine just before I got this shot but now I realise it’s a sparrowhawk. Sparrowhawks are not so common in Niigata. 
Northern Goshawk

Adult goshawks are not so easy to get close to, but I saw at least three different ones within a couple of hours.

Eastern Marsh Harrier

lots of harriers too

Eastern Marsh Harrier
scanning over the water for unaware quary

Bean Goose
Mallard

Male

Happiness

Japanese Green Pheasant

Shinano River, Niigata City, Japan

Last week



My plan to photograph all the gull species along the Shinano River was totally missed as summer has arrived and the best time for gulls here is March/April. I wanted to especially have a closer look at the Black-headed Gulls that pass through at that time. I think the numbers vary year to year. I will have to wait until next year to see them again.

Other news was seeing the peregrines mating on a building near the prefectural office back in March.  I didn’t think much of it to be honest as I’ve seen them doing it in before but nothing came of it. I think they practice birth control. 

I had a heavy heart when listening to Mr Honma talk with his friend about the peregrines at the prefectural office. They seem to be expecting great things from the falcons this summer but I heard that both of them found kestrel remains beneath the peregrine eyrie. I was alerted to this as it’s just about kilometre away that I have been watching kestrels raise young every summer since 2005. I have been visiting the cement factory a couple of times a week since early April but found everything was quiet there. Last Saturday afternoon had a small change when I found a single kestrel sitting atop a rusty tower. It stayed for just a minute before flying off up river and out of sight. I thought it may have just been a visit of nostalgia. 

The next morning was fine so I went back. Everything was again very quiet for about 15 minutes until a crow arrived at a nearby factory. The radars must have been switched on out of my view as suddenly a pair a kestrel fighters emerged from the cement factory and bravely warded the menace away. The fighters returned to their base flurrying their wings down and proclaiming that this is their territory. “Ye, be warned!”

Maybe signs of happy days ahead.




Black-headed Gull

Shinano River

End of April, 2014

Peregrine Falcon

Niigata Prefectural Office

Japanese Bumble Bee

Junsai-ike, Niigata

* UPDATED* A new bird for me. I was told, this thrush was called “Akihara“.
I looked it up and found it was called, “Brown-headed Thrush” in English.
My pictures look different to my guides, however. >>
*Stu, from Hakodate Birding has identified it as an “Eyebrowed Thrush
Thanks Stu!

Blue-and-white Flycatcher

Junsia-ike, Niigata

Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler

Junsai-ike