On This Date: Photo taken 10/20/2007
Gear at CraneFest:
Most people take their bare eyes, which are sufficient for many purposes. But a significant fraction of those attending bring some sort of glass:
- Conventional cameras, which mostly aren’t adequate, except for photographing the scenery.
- Cameras with long lenses, which can be frustrating because the birds’ landing area is quite distant (that’s me, usually).
- Cameras with really long lenses, which are quite expensive.
- Binoculars, which help. Especially good binoculars.
- Spotting scopes, which come in a wide variety of qualities (& prices).
Besides the Sandhills, you’ll see ducks and geese, for certain. Raptors often show–two or three times we’ve seen bald eagles. Of course there’s an abundance of smaller birds. But the big cranes are the draw, and the reason to attend.
Oh, yes: Bring your ears, too. The sound’s part of the experience.
This photo was taken at a post-CraneFest viewing event at Kiwanis Youth Area, rather than the festival proper. If your main purpose is watching the big birds, these weekends may be preferable. The viewing area for both events looks like this as the birds start arriving in late afternoon.
We attend either or both, depending mostly on circumstances. Each viewing opportunity has its charms.
Number of pix taken on various October 20ths: 562
Year of oldest photo: 2003
How I Rated the Date’s Photographs:
- 1 Star: 4
- 2 Stars: 111
- 3 Stars: 305
- 4 Stars: 125
- 5 Stars: 17