{"id":14901,"date":"2021-11-07T04:32:07","date_gmt":"2021-11-06T15:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/?p=14901"},"modified":"2021-11-07T04:32:09","modified_gmt":"2021-11-06T15:32:09","slug":"dabchicks-in-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/archives\/14901","title":{"rendered":"Dabchicks in Flight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0644-web.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0644-web.jpg?resize=960%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Photo of a  group of New Zealand Dabchicks\/weweia in flight\" class=\"wp-image-14903\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0644-web.jpg?w=960&amp;ssl=1 960w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0644-web.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0644-web.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>A group of New Zealand Dabchicks\/weweia in flight<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following on from last week\u2019s post on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/archives\/14889\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New Zealand Dabchick\/weweia<\/a> I thought I would share another recent experience with them. As with my post about my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/archives\/14861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">repaired 500mm f4<\/a>, I was again out testing a lens that had just returned from being serviced. On this occasion it was the Nikkor AF-S 80-400 f4.5-5.6 ED VR. When paired to a Nikon D500 or other DX sensor camera it provides a viewing angle equivalent to a 120-600mm lens on a full frame camera so is a light and very useful bird setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0645-web.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0645-web.jpg?resize=960%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Photo of a  group of New Zealand Dabchicks\/weweia in flight\" class=\"wp-image-14904\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0645-web.jpg?w=960&amp;ssl=1 960w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0645-web.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0645-web.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>New Zealand Dabchicks\/weweia in flight<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If I hadn\u2019t been wanting to test the lens I wouldn\u2019t have bothered going down to the lake as the conditions were horrible with a strong wind in the wrong direction for the best flight paths. As always there is something to find and on this day it was some Dabchick behaviour that I have not seen before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0650-web.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0650-web.jpg?resize=960%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Photo of a NZ Dabchick in flight\" class=\"wp-image-14905\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0650-web.jpg?w=960&amp;ssl=1 960w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0650-web.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0650-web.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>NZ Dabchick in flight<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dabchicks, like grebes in general,  are not frequent fliers and the shots I have of this have been distant record shots of little merit. I have written previously of the good numbers of Dabchicks at the lake and on this occasion a little flotilla of a dozen were bobbing in the waves. While looking for passing Scaup, shags and gulls to test the lens I noticed a little flurry as the Dabchicks took off and flew into the wind before landing and allowing themselves to be blown back to where they had come from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0657-web.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0657-web.jpg?resize=960%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Photo of NZ Dabchicks approaching splashdown after a flight upwind\" class=\"wp-image-14906\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0657-web.jpg?w=960&amp;ssl=1 960w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0657-web.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Dabchick-D5C_0657-web.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>NZ Dabchicks approaching splashdown after a flight upwind<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hoping that they may repeat the performance I moved and set up with a lower shooting angle and waited. I was rewarded with 2 more opportunities and managed to grab this series of images. There seemed no purpose to their flight and I assume it was just a group of young birds having fun in the unusual conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apart from a pleasing set of images it was great to see the lens working perfectly and was a reminder of what a great combo this is. While not quite as sharp as the prime lenses I am used to working with the flexibilty of framing with a zoom is extremely useful. The sharpness is more than adequate with plumage and skin texture details clearly visible in the processed RAW files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Photos with Nikon D500 and Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 ED VR lens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photographing the unusual sight of Dabchicks in flight<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,29],"tags":[26,25,220,486,487,144,247,973,221,902,218,609,603,498,228,971,779],"class_list":["post-14901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-birds","category-new-zealand","tag-bird-photography","tag-birds","tag-birds-in-flight","tag-dabchick","tag-grebe","tag-new-zealand","tag-new-zealand-bird","tag-new-zealand-grebe","tag-nikon","tag-nikon-80-400","tag-nikon-d500","tag-nikonnz","tag-nz-birds","tag-nz-dabchick","tag-rotorua","tag-wildlife","tag-wildlife-photography","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - 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