While stuck in my den waiting for Omicron to die down, I thought I would throw January to the birds and post my 30 or so favorite bird shots taken over the years. While I didn't "officially" become a birder until Covid hit now almost two years ago, I still have lots of shots of birds randomly taken over the years. This one goes back to a trip to Jasper State Park in Indiana that I took with my buddy Bill in November 2011 where we went out to shoot some Sandhill Cranes. These birds stop off in a field in northern Indiana to rest and feed before completing their annual migration from Canada to Florida or other points south. I rented a huge 600 mm f4 lens for like $100 for the weekend and got some amazing shots from a half mile away. This one here is still one of my all-time favorites. Taken with my old D700 camera with a 12 megapixel sensor. I think camera phones have better sensors nowadays. This morning, I ran the shot through some updated software algorithm to further sharpen the shot and it really looks quite stunning. To shoot this same shot again with that lens, which probably retails for over $12,000 and a modern 45 megapixel camera like my Nikon ZS7ii would be amazing. I am going to have to try that out sometime.
