Sunrise Bird Photography with Tips on Photographing Birds in Flight | Nikon Z9

Today I headed out at sunrise to the floodplains of the Connecticut River to photograph birds using the Nikon Z9. It has been really hot, so I am hoping that an early start will result in a lot of bird activity, specifically so I can photograph birds in flight. This has always been a really productive habitat for wildlife photography where I have tested out the Nikon z9 autofocus in photographing tree swallows in flight in the past. Today I am excited to see what is active in the early morning. I was rewarded with a lot of activity from Eastern Kingbirds as well as a Great Blue Heron that caught a fish! Be sure to stick around as I share some of my tips and techniques I use to set myself up for success to find and capture images of birds as they are active.
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If you’re local to Connecticut, and interested in learning more tips and techniques I use for my wildlife photography, check out my guided photography sessions where we can spend a few hours or a day together talking all things wildlife photography. Check out my website for more information.
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Main Cameras:
Nikon Z9:
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Nikon 600mm F/4 FL ED VR:
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Nikon Z6 II:
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Vlogging Setup:
Nikon Z30:
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Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 12-28mm PZ VR
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Hohem iSteady MT2 Kit Camera Stabilizer with AI Tracker
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Microphone:
RODE shotgun videomic
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Other Lenses:
Nikon Nikkor Z 100-400 F4.5-5.6 VR S
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Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70 F/4 S
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GoPro Hero 10
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Tripod:
Benro Mach3 2 Series Aluminum tripod
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Manfrotto Video Head MVH502AH
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K&F Concept Aluminum Tripod:
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Camera Bag:
f-stop Anja 37L
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f-stop ICU (Internal Camera Unit) - Pro Large Camera Bag Insert and Cube
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f-stop ICU (Internal Camera Unit) - Slope Medium Camera Bag Insert and Cube
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Gatekeeper Straps
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Blind and Camouflage:
Tragopan V6 Photo Blind
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Tragopan ghille blanket
3D came clothing
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Accessories:
Exascend 1TB CFExpress Vigor card
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FREEWELL V2 VND/CPL Filter Kit
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11.5” Camping Stool
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Lexar Professional CFexpress 128 GB Card
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Lexar Professional CFexpress 64 GB Card
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Lexar Professional 64 GB SDXC Card
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Lexar Professional 128 GB SDXC Card
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Watson EN-EL15c batteries
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LensCoat Rain Cover
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LensCoat lens cover
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About Me:
I am a full time wildlife and nature photographer in New England. I hope to use my experience and education in wildlife sciences and ecology to help share the beauty of the natural world around us. It is my goal to use my videos and photos to share my experiences and inspire others to appreciate and feel a connection to nature.

[@Rudy60426]

Awesome video Todd , also you have a awesome hat

[@ToddDeWaldPhotography]

Thanks for watching! Haha I got it on amazon!

[@madone550]

That Heron feeding was amazing! Great work!

[@ToddDeWaldPhotography]

Thank you I really appreciate it!

[@cliftonwhittaker260]

Todd, you had an award winning morning with the king birds. Especially the shot of that one taking off from the perch and taking an insect out of the air and landing back on the perch with it. Congratulations on capturing a most unusual shot in great lighting!

[@ToddDeWaldPhotography]

Thanks I really appreciate it! I was just happy I was set up to capture it!

[@capturingnaturewithsandip]

Awesome so lovely video once again

[@ToddDeWaldPhotography]

Thank you! I really appreciate your support!

[@paulleendertse936]

Those heron shots were incredible!

[@ToddDeWaldPhotography]

Thank you! I appreciate your watching!

[@helencogan2187]

GREAT video as always!!!! Thanks for all your knowledge 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@ToddDeWaldPhotography]

Thank you! They’ll hopefully be even more action this fall!

[@helencogan2187]

@@ToddDeWaldPhotographyYES!!!!

[@bhekking]

So cool to see you and your approach in action. I live just 'up the road', NW of Boston, and am glad our heatwave is over!

[@ToddDeWaldPhotography]

Thanks for watching! Yes it has been brutal the past month especially since we are now just entering the hottest part of the year!

[@FaithTechPhoto]

Hey Todd, nice video. I was just there this morning at sunrise. Not sure when you recorded this but the water was much lower and a lot more vegetation's taken over. I was showing a new friend the area and good photo spots.. He really enjoyed the diversity of birds there. The trails on the other side of the tracks were overgrown so much I could not get to my favorite spot , will have to bring a machete next time. Take care and keep these videos coming!

[@ToddDeWaldPhotography]

Thanks for watching! This was actually recorded about 4 weeks ago, I'm a little behind on editing! It was getting pretty overgrown when I was there as well which is unfortunate. It is a great spot to see a lot of different species in one spot! Thanks as always for watching!

[@michellefussel8229]

beautiful footage, thanks for being awesome and sharing this! +your knowledge

[@ToddDeWaldPhotography]

Thanks for watching! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@CWReace]

Was the heron flying by with its beak open a cooling mechanism, or is that something they commonly do (but I've never noticed)?

[@ToddDeWaldPhotography]

Yes that’s is possible. Birds will essentially pant like dogs when it is hot out. Thanks for watching!

[@edwardstewart4430]

what type of display monitor are you using for your camera?

[@ToddDeWaldPhotography]

It is an Atomos Ninja V

[@Kellysher]

Interesting to see you purposely shooting into the sun. I actually avoid that. I feel the photos are harsh with a lot of contrast. This could be just my skill level. May I just need better post skills too. In my local wetland I tend to shoot the side without direct sun in the AM and the other side in the PM! I wish the wildlife would cooperate!

[@ToddDeWaldPhotography]

You kind of need to do it when the sun is still low in the sky. It gives you a different look to the image and you need to expose differently than if you're using side lighting but sometimes the results can be really dramatic! Thanks for watching!