Canon EF 500mm f4 Lens!

My latest acquisiton arrived today around lunch time courtesy of USPS. I've been looking for a bird and wildlife lens for a few months and found this used one for sale online on http://www.fredmiranda.com/.

Sandhill Crane Chick Chasing Sibling and Parent

Sandhill Crane Family On Nest

Of course it was raining buckets too, so there was no way to get out and test it right away. Finally around 4pm it started to clear, so I packed up my camera and new lens and headed out the door for a Starbucks coffee. On the way home, I purposely drove by the little pond just off Schumacher Rd, looking for the pair of sandhill cranes and chicks that have been nesting there. They showed up eventually but I had lots of other subjects to focus on in the mean time.

Green Backed Heron

This lens is bigger than anything I have ever used on a camera and even comes in its own hard plastic storage trunk. I opted for the 500mm instead of the 600mm because the 500 is lighter and supposedly can be handheld, once the proper technique is learned. It handled well on my Manfrotto monopod while I sat on the bank of the pond, but I may have to look into getting a heavier tripod and a Wimberley Sidekick to handle this bad boy, especially when shooting in remote areas.

Not Sure Yet

(Immature Little Blue Heron?)

Same As Above (Not Sure Yet)

(Immature Little Blue Heron?)

So you can see a few sample photos taken with my new lens above. These are all taken with available light between 5 and 7 pm, and have been cropped. ISO settings ranged from 160 to 3200, shutter speeds 1/160 to 1/500 second. Sorry, but I am a newcomer to birding and can not yet readily identify the subject of the last two shots. Comments on my photos and blog are always appreciated, especially if you know what the last two are. Guess it is time to buy a bird reference book.....but there are so many!