One of my other vices is photography. After having the same DSLR for the last 9+ years, I decided it was time to update the gear. Off loaded the Nikon D200 to my son, and bought some new Nikon gear; D500, D750, and a Nikkor 200-500mm f5.6 zoom, so I could do some more nature photos. My existing 80-200mm, 300mm, and 400mm, just aren't long enough.

I went to the Crosswinds Marsh County Park, in southern Wayne County, Michigan in search of some nesting bald eagles. I found an empty nest, but alas, no eagles. I opted to spend some time with a few white swans. They were pretty obliging, and I got quite a few shots at fairly close range. This particular shot was done with the 200-500 lens, and a 1.4x teleconverter, giving me an effective 700mm focal length. I edited the image with a minor crop, and brought up the background a bit.

The place is crawling with a lot of water fowl, and when the weather moderates a bit, I'll search the north end of the park for the eagles.

Enjoy!

Great shot. I am thinking a long lens for any shot of a swan.

I'll see your swan and raise you one pissed off looking robin:



Taken at a campground on our way to Alaska in 2007.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

Great close-up of the Swan. Here is a long shot of a Pelican I found in a small group along the Yellowstone River one morning last summer. For some reason the wife loves this one and had me do up a copy to frame.