Hello,

Wondering if anyone here lives in the Maryland area and would like to go do general nature or birding/wildlife photography.

jason

Are you on the Delmarva Peninsula?  I live in Milton,
Delaware.  And I'm always up for outdoor photography when my
wifey let's me.  Which ain't often nowadays.  Been spending a
lot of catch up time in the darkroom as a result.

Thank you
Christopher A. Walrath
Creative Image Maker Magazine
Acting Editor
http://home.comcast.net/~creatveimagemaker

Im in the hagerstown / frederick area.

I live in Yardley Pa, do birds a lot. Keep in mind that on
March 14th, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge has it annual
Eagle fest day . . ..

9th Annual Eagle Festival - Live eagle, peregrine falcon & other birds of prey programs, kid's programs, puppet show, eagle prowls, bird walk, exhibits and food all day. Register for Eagle Prowls and kids' blue bird box construction by calling 410-228-2677 (festival 8am to 4pm).


I go every year and love it. I always come away with great shots.

Tom
af4nc
Yardley Pa

I'm a bit south of you in Ocean View. And as a relative rookie with alot of exp toys, I'd love the opportunity to meet up with some fellow delawareans for local shoots.

Mary
... making waves

my galleries: http://www.pbase.com/heartsleeve

D3
D300
14-24 f/2.8
70-200 f/2.8
18-200
18-70
50 f/1.4

I am in VA but not to far from Frederick Hagerstown over here in Winchester. I do the skyline drive a lot as well as anywhere else I can get too.

I live in MD and I'm always up for some birding!

You should take a trip to Conowingo Dam while the Eagle action is still good.

Neil

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Neil
Nikonians Team
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Yep, Conowingo is a neat place take some pics. I live about 30 min away from it. I am here in the Harford County area, so if enough get interested to catch up, I'd be more than happy to meet the group.

Wasn't even a formal meet, I just wandered up to Conowingo about a month ago, and had fun chatting with other photo buffs..

when shooting at conowingo, what type of lense are you all using. I have a 55-200. Do you think that is a long enough lense for that area? not sure how close you are to the wildlife?

Some are using 300mm f/4 others are using 400mm to 600mm lenses.
When it comes to wildlife, you always want something longer.
the Eagles at Conowingo, can be at a distance and then land in a tree right behind you. I have had some days with hardly any shots and then the next day get some fantastic shots. I have used a 70-200mm w/1.4x or 2x tc, a 70-300mm and a 400mm and at times I just wish for a 600mm or 800mm lens.

-When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself.
- Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief

Any life to this thread? I'm in Baltimore and willing to go east or west a few hours for a wildlife shoot.


Lee Baylin

A Nikonian friend told me yesterday that Conowingo is not very productive at this point, which is disappointing. I was thinking about something Sunday to celebrate a nice weather forecast but not sure what would make sense at this point. Blackwater would be good but is quite a distance, more than I want to do on a day trip this weekend.
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Neil
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So Neil, Been to Conowingo yet this year? I was thinking of making the trip from Bear, De. but didn't want to waste my time if they are not there yet. I would be happy to meet any Nikonians there if the Eagles are around. Rena, we can even carpool if you want.

-It is not neccessary for Eagles to become Crows.
- Sitting Bull, Lakota Medicine Chief

I was there Nov 1st and 2nd. Plenty of Eagles. This should be the peak right now (mid-November). I have other plans for the next week or so- I never seem to get there in mid-Nov but it's a busy time for me.

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Neil
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Lots of things to respond to here. I've been hoping to get up to Conowingo, but haven't had an opportunity in the last several months since I have acquired the glass I wanted for it.

Jason, I am in Frederick but haven't found any close sites for big birds (although time is at hand right now I think).

Good to see your posts again Neil. I haven't used the 500P much yet. I'm not even sure how long I have had it now!

Tom
D5000IR, V1, Oly OM-D E-M5
Nikkor Zooms: AF-S 18-105 f/3.5-5.6 VR, VR, AF-S 18-135 f/3.5-5.6
Nikkor primes: 24 f/2.8Ai-S, 28 f/2.8D, Micro 60 f/2.8, 85 f/1.4D, Nikkor-C 500 f/8 Refl.
Nikon 1 lenses: 10mm f/2.8, 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 VR, 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6.
Voigtlander 58mm f/1.4, Sigma 70-300 Macro f/3.5-5.6.
Oly 12-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3, 12mm f/2.0, 45mm f/1.8, 75mm f/1.8.
Lumix 20mm f/1.7, 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8, 100-300mm f/4.0-5.6
Gitzo GT3541L, Manfrotto MT293A4, MP 680B
Markins M-20, RRS BH-25 Pro

Gentlemen, if you are planning a trip to Conowingo I would be interested in joining if you accept Yankees. I have been to Conowingo about 7x between T-giving and New Years. It was best closer to T-giving than recent. I cannot explain that since it is the opposite from last year.I am retired so scheduling is generally pretty flexible.This past week I was reconnoitering for eagles along the Rappahannock. Found them but at considerable distances.

Let me know if any plans firm up.

Lee Baylin leebaylin at baylinlaw.com

>> if you accept Yankees

I can't speak for Tom but I do make exceptions for Nikonians

It is my understanding that, in general, the Conowingo Eagling is best in mid November or so. If you found it different last year that may have been an exception. That is somewhat consistent with the local HawkWatch migration counts that peak between late September and early November

There were some discussions late Nov through early Dec on MDOsprey (the Maryland birding e-list) that the Eagles "mysteriously disappeared" and did not return but the discussions have been few and far between lately. That's all relative, of course, since a bad Eagling day at Conowingo will usually bring out more Eagles than a good day anywhere else I know of

Wrapped into those MDOsprey discussions of disappearing Eagles was a mention that for some time (multiple days) a photographer (or two) was taking a boat out to the big island and disrupting the birds. The photog(s) was apparently intercepted, at some point, by DNR and given some sort of cease and desist and/or citations. That island is apparently off limits although not obviously posted as such?

Because of those MDOsprey discussions, the lack of any discussions since then, and the generally difficult weather this winter I have not been to Conowingo since early November. I was busy chasing the Ash-throated Flycatcher and the two Northern Shrikes . I'm up for a trip, though, and it would be fun to try to meet up with a few Nikonians, even if one of them is a Yank

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Neil
Nikonians Team
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It apperas that we may need a Yankee to be typically assertive and propose a possible date; would tomorrow (Wednesday 2/23) be too soon?

Too soon for me . This weekend would be the earliest and this week is generally not good for me to make firm commitments.

Edit: We should bring Waterfowler (Mark) into this discussion because he is always asking me about meeting up at Conowingo.

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Neil
Nikonians Team
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We can also look at next week. 10-day weather forecast shows sun/mostly sun for 3/2 and 3/3 (Wed/Thur). Some prefer to shoot with overcst skys and I will do so if that is the group preference but I always prefer more than less light.

That sounds better for me, I think (Mar 2-3).

You do NOT want to shoot eagles at Conowingo in cloudy skies. You need the light- desperately. I would not waste my time doing a 2 hour turnaround if I knew I was going to shoot under heavy clouds (just to say how adamant I feel about needing sunlight). I actually don't like making long term plans for wildlife in general because of weather issues and especially the generally poor weather patterns we've had for two years now. So we are kindred souls on this one

Also be aware that Conowingo can be a very uncomfortable place to shoot- overdress. The local humidity (from the river and the water going over/through the dam) tends to make it feel 10F colder (at least) than the same temps feel anywhere else. If there is a stiff wind (and March is a windy month) from the wrong direction, especially from the Northwest or Southeast, it just rips down the valley. Just so you understand the impact of weather forecasts.

Conowingo issues power gen scheduling from 1-888-457-4076. Typically they gen in the morning, around 8-11am, and sometimes late in the afternoon. In the winter the afternoon gen is too late because by 2-3pm you lose the sun behind the rather tall and steep west valley wall. With sunset at around 5:45pm now, we will lose the light around 3pm at the latest, I think. The usual drill is to get there at sunrise, or as close as possible, and then shoot until they turn off the turbines. At that point you might see an Eagle every half hour or so, which may be worth shooting depending on how desperate you are to get some shots .

The turbines stun fish in the river. The eagles go after the stunned fish. No turbines = few or no fish = few or no Eagles.

Water is free, but not unlimited, so basically they gen to manage the water level above the dam. Precipitation (or heavy snow melt) near or north of the dam tends to raise the water level and volumes running down to the dam and excess water generally leads to longer gen times. Droughts are bad. I've seen the turbines running all day but only after recent heavy rains.

All the above is just to give you a feel for planning Conowingo trips. It may not be very helpful for a group shoot since it's rare to figure all this out more than a few days ahead of time.

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Neil
Nikonians Team
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Neil,

D300, 70-200 f/2.8 1.4 and 1.7 teleconverters. Would I be wasting my time?

Lee


Lee Baylin

So, shall we say 'weather depending'we shoot for next Wednesday and Thursday is a fall-back?

In general, I think 400-500mm is the absolute minimum you need to seriously shoot the Eagles fishing in the river. It is rare that they fish within about 200 feet of the shooting locations. Anything can and does happen.

It is, however, very common to have eagles perch in trees (often with their catch) very close by. I've had situations where 500mm was almost too much but that is not every day there.

On the bright side, I've spent a lot of time at Blackwater, Chincoteague, and other more or less local spots known for eaglesd (especially Blackwater). If you are ever going to have any chance of getting decent eagle shots with a 70-200, it will be at Conowingo.

How's that for threading a needle?

I have a 300/2.8 AFSII that I would not otherwise be using. You have first dibs on it. Beware the puppy dog though

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Neil
Nikonians Team
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I'm good with that. It is possible I could do this weekend but I may not know until Thursday or so.

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Neil
Nikonians Team
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I would prefer to shoot during the week. Less people (photogs, birders etc.) and weekends I try to do things with wife and sons. Incidentally, I generally agree with your Conowingo weather assessment. However, I have taken a few nice shots on overcast days when the reflected light was adaquate and the shadows non-existent. Not the rule of course.

Glad to hear those island-trespassers met with trouble... wish I had an oversized potato gun on those days.

Neil,

Thanks. Applying my lawyerr's logic, the 200mm x 1.4 converter x 1.5 crop gives me 420mm equivilent. With your 300, it get to 630 mm. Count me in when we get a firm date.

Lee

Lee Baylin

Weekdays is fine with me.

>> However, I have taken a few nice shots on overcast days when the reflected light was adaquate and the shadows non-existent. Not the rule of course.

Was this at Conowingo, or somewhere else?

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Neil
Nikonians Team
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Conowingo was the reference but it applies elsewhere. Heavy cloud cover of course is the bane of us all trying to shoot nature. Even critters that are not moving fast. My decision is when to use the D3 vs D3X. Light sensitivity and frame rate aside the D3X produces a superior and larger print size.

Wednesday (3/2) weather is forecast for Sunny/41 low wind. Tuesday is now better than Thursday so we should keep an eye on the weather to see what evolves. Is it just the 2 of us or have others signed-on?

I usually arrive 30 minuites before sunrise. Mobile # 215-327-8031

See you Wednesday. Walt

I'm in. Let me know when and where to meet.


Lee Baylin

I am in favor of picking the best day.

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Neil
Nikonians Team
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Neil, Lee and me makes 3

Proposal: Plan for Wednesday and adjust based upon weather as we approach. Tuesday & Thursday are alternative dates.

I usually set up near the port-potties just north of the small extended platform. I arrive just prior to sunrise so I am usually first or second on-site. I park my blue Suburban directly to my rear. Mobile # is 215-327-8031 in case this seems confusing. Probably will wear camo jacket for the first hour or two presuming it will be cold.

Could I suggest posting something in the cafe. There may be a lot of people who would be interested who did not see this thread.


Lee Baylin

Sounds good, and a Cafe post would not hurt either . I will be in an antique blue Nissan Pathfinder. I will probably be wearing as much as I can; hard to say what will be on top . My 500/4 AFS has no cammie or coat, my GT3541LS has digital camo legcoats on the top section.

I know exactly where you will be set up. For Lee's benefit, this is the SECOND set of porta-potties. The first set is very close to the entrance. The second set is several hundred yards further north toward the dam, just past a chain link fence, as I recall. Walt, if I got that wrong then I'm very confused .

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Neil
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Nope... you are correct. I forgot about the set of PPs at the entrance. I like the location I described to shoot because it offers a better background for shots at mid-elevation.

forgot... I have no idea what a Cafe Post is. Can you handle?

My understanding is that statistically the Eagles tend to congregate and feed close to the dam, making your spot the best spot in that regard.

The best shooting I've done is sometimes down at the south end, but only in the afternoon, and that requires the turbines to be on in the afternoon, and the eagles have to be fishing there. Or down on the boat ramp, to get low without dealing with the rocks, but that needs the birds feeding rather far south too.

With all the space there along that promenade it is amazing that there aren't any really outstanding spots to shoot from; it's mostly a choice of lesser evils, all surrounding the obstruction of the power lines.

Your spot is a good starting point, although I've gotten some nice shots of perched eagles and eagles flying about just north of the first porta-potties, shooting into the first set of trees by the river. There is some nice light there. But that could be argued on the north end too

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Neil
Nikonians Team
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Is this the turn-off fron US 1 on the south side of the dam than takes you down the area at the botton of the dam?

I just posted a note and link to this thread at the English Cafe. (Walt- The Cafe is a forun for general discussion not specific to a particular topic. Lot's of Nikniand check in there just to find out what's going on.)

Lee

Lee Baylin

Yes. Coming from the south, my recollection is that the turn off (Shuresville Rd) is just beside a large Exelon power company sign. Seconds before you get to the (right turn) turn off from Rt 1 I think you will see water and maybe the dam itself. You will go a half mile (?) or so and make a very sharp left on Shures Landing Road (another Exelon sign, I think). That dead ends into Fisherman's Park where you make a left to follow the river.

Stick this into Google Maps: 2596 Shures Landing Rd, Darlington, MD 21034. That pin points the bottom of Shures Landing Rd where it hits Fisherman's Park.

A good site for Conowingo is here.

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Neil
Nikonians Team
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The map is how I remember it from my mis-spent youth. See you there. Good to know there are used coffe recepticals. It will make my pre-dawn drive less stressful.


Lee Baylin

I just got your email Neil, I would be into going to shoot with you guys.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

You are of course very welcome. Do you have a name?

Walt, meet Mark. Mark, Walt

Mark and I have shot Conowingo together. He is the member I mentioned previously that I would be contacting.

(Walt - you can click the profile icon on the right side of a member's post. All member's profile should include a full and accurate name- one of the requirements here on Nikonians. As such, I guess some members do not bother "signing" their posts since most know the drill on the profile and name requirement)

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Neil
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Weather for Wednesday is good but Tuesday is great. do we want to switch? I can do either.

Neil: thnx for the intro and the expanantion. I use the site for info... rarely more.

I'm good for either.
Lee Baylin

I'm flexible - go for the better weather!

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Neil
Nikonians Team
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Tuesday it is! Did we not have a 4th? I assume we will continue to monitor and adjust if required. Of course the best part of this is that the weather forecast tends to be more favorable than reality bears out around Conowingo. Stay tuned.

Here's the sun and moon data from the USNO for Tuesday. With first light at 6:11, what time should we shoot for?

Sun and Moon Data for One Day
The following information is provided for %28no Name Given) (longitude W76.2, latitude N39.6):

Tuesday
1 March 2011 Universal Time - 5h

SUN
Begin civil twilight 06:11
Sunrise 06:38
Sun transit 12:17
Sunset 17:57
End civil twilight 18:24

MOON
Moonset 14:10 on preceding day
Moonrise 04:44
Moon transit 09:55
Moonset 15:11
Moonrise 05:14 on following day

Phase of the Moon on 1 March: waning crescent with 9% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.

New Moon on 4 March 2011 at 15:46 (Universal Time - 5h).

Lee Baylin

If you get there very early, before sunrise, you might catch some nice mist on the water... this was shot at 500mm but it isn't impossible to get a shorter focal length op, I guess.

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Neil
Nikonians Team
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Attachment #1, (jpg file)

I will arrive by 6:30am.

Jason
I am going to try to make it, but I won't be there till 9-9:15 at best. I have to drop off my son at school at Catonsviile on the west side of Baltimore at 7:45, and will have to go via the Beltway to US 1 or I95 in morning rush traffic. Depending on how traffic goes, I may abort the trip. I have a 70-300 VR, a Sigma 150-500 and a D300.

Matthew

Just to make this very clear, we are now planning tomorrow, Tuesday March 1st, for this shoot?

I agree the weather looks as good as it can get. HOWEVER, I just called the hotline number I gave you above (888-457-4076), and they gave very good and very bad news.

The good news is that they apparently plan to run 4 large turbines throughout the day- this is exactly the situation I discussed before, just after heavy rains.

The BAD news is that "Fisherman's Park is open from 5:39am to 18:55 with LIMITED ACCESS".

I do not know what that means or if that means this is a one day thing or an ongoing situation.

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Neil
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Neil,

I'm planning to get there by 6 am. If anyone wants to call my cell at 410 409-8356, I'll let you know the status. BTW, I looked closely at the map and it seems there are two roads that lead to the parking lot, one that is a right turn off US 1 northbound just before the dam and then a quick left down to the lot, entering it close to the dam. The other takes the same turn from US 1, but then goes off to the right and then a left down to the river, entering the lot at the downstream side. Do you know if both ok, or is only one available? Don't forget the 300mm F/2.8. Thanks,

Lee


Lee Baylin

I have no idea what limited access means. Is it a one-day event or indeterminate? Unless we learn/know more I would think we are best staying with the weather and now the prolonged use of the turbines. But I am open to suggetsions.

The limited access could be flooding, especially at the new pier near the dam. Just speculation. Lee will know all and tell all at 6am

I am told that the birding is not good when the water is very high, as it may be tomorrow, but birds do what they want when they want and it's never perfect, so I agree we should go for it.

I have never taken that Northern road. It could be a fire road (and blocked) or a private Exelon road. Everyone comes in from Shuresville Rd and then Shures Landing as I mentioned above and you indicate as the southern entrance.

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