Tag Archives: Arizona: Tucson

Super Monopod Retour!

Year 9

Super Monopod was back in action this afternoon … with 30+ mph winds. Mom was in a tree about 100 yards from the Great Horned Owl Owlets nest. I did not use Super Monopod for my pic of Mom.

I also finally found a cooperative Vermilion Flycatcher yesterday morning.

Tonight Molly and I are hiking to Catalina Pond at sunset. The pond is very small, but the only water in the desert for miles around. This is “not” a photography expedition. We hope the light of the moon will allow us to see animals that come in to the oasis to drink after sundown. There is a small wooden blind we may use for cover.

All About Owls! (Sunrise Surprise!)

Year 9

I hit the jackpot this morning when I visited one of the Great Horned Owl nests I had found and have been monitoring north of Tucson. I arrived just at 7 am just a few minutes after the sun cleared the mountain ridge to my east, and found both parent owls still out and hunting for hungry youngsters. The owls let me watch them for almost 15 minutes, before Dad flew to another perch. I backed off then and exited the scene. Once again, I was dumbfounded to find this Barn Owl hanging out within 50 yards of the GHO nest. Obviously the GHO’s tolerate this smaller owl’s presence.

I then proceeded to my second Great Horned Owl nest, and found both parents sleeping … Mom in the nest and Dad in a nearby tree.

Finally, I made a quick trip over to Madera Canyon yesterday where I plan to return tomorrow morning for a longer birding event. The Canyon has quite different birds as its north facing slope protects its habitat from the devastating afternoon sun.

Acorn Woodpecker

Broad-winged Hummingbird

Finally … I happened to be filming when Dad GHO finally took off. I reduced the speed by a factor of four (SloMo)(link for email subscribers)

Super Monopod!

Year 9,

This winter I grappled with a dilemma. How might I improve my photography when photographing nests without stressing the birds? It was an absolute that using a drone to get a higher perspective was out (read Audubon’s view on this subject). One afternoon while the extreme northern Minnesota weather kept me housebound a possible solution dawned upon me … Super Monopod! I started my research to determine whether I would be able to safely mount my Sony A6300 and its 70-350 mm lens (105-525mm equivalent). I hoped that my lightweight mirrorless camera setup would insure my success.

Here are my first results from yesterday afternoon’s photoshoot! Jackpot! I did not stress the owls at either nest, and Super Monopod worked very well. Full details are provided after the photographs … all taken via my new setup. My camera was 11 feet above me and controlled by a Sony remote control smartphone app. Eventually I will test at longer / higher extensions (20 feet possible).

Super Monopod actually lets me hoist my camera to an elevation of 20 feet, but I am learning and testing at lesser pole extensions. At the highest extension I start to run into some “pendulum effect” … only a few inches but makes focusing very difficult.

Equipment:

Post update: The ball head solved a problem that I often needed to tilt my Super Monopod which caused the camera to sway like a pendulum at the top of the extended poles. I now may use the ball head to tilt the camera rather than the monopod. (update ends)

One vote of approval came this morning when I happened to meet out in the field the head ranger for Catalina Ponds Regional Park. I explained what I was doing, and how I was avoiding the use of drones … he approved of my setup wholeheartedly! (this assumes I do not get too close to my subject owls … which I don’t).

Some closing comments …

  • I first tested my setup at home in northeastern Minnesota. I quickly learned that trying to hold a smartphone and a monopod at the same time was a horrible idea. I needed to use the camera remote control app on my phone. Thus, I quickly found a clamp that would hold my phone securely to the pole.
  • My lightweight system of a Sony A6300 and lens works well. I suspect a larger DSLR and big lens would be a disaster … major weight up high … possibly crashing down.
  • I have found pointing my Super Monopod at the base of the tree … and then moving the point of focus slowly upwards works the best. My Sony keeps up and refocuses.
  • I am using burst mode for taking images.

Rich with Super Monopod at my Oro Valley AirBnB