Owl Check-In / Digital Zoom Review

Year 8

Two nights ago I watched a few videos on YouTube about “clear image zoom” (digital zoom) on the Sony Alpha E-Mount cameras. Even if you do “not” have a Sony camera, this discussion on optical vs. digital review is relevant. Normally I never use digital zoom on any of my cameras. I have found the quality of the image suffers, and I lose the flexibility of minor cropping to enhance the artistic end result of my photos (cropping of digitally zoomed images always yields poor results in my opinion). While I recognize digital zoom increases a camera’s reach, the optics involved never change.

Yesterday the sun finally came out in the late afternoon after a several day absence. All three Great Horned Owlets had been hunkered down in the nest trying to stay warm (snow was also in the air during the past few days). Anyhow once the sun came out, so did the owls.

In addition to the images shown below, should you wish to do a detailed review on my test, I have provided a link to higher resolution files. I wanted folks to see that digital zoom yields no benefits for my Sony A6300 (took these photos), and with my Canon SX-70 using digital zoom the quality actually suffers significantly.

Original Image (Sony A6300 with 350mm lens) (high-res link)

1.5x Digital Clear Image Review (Sony’s term) (high-res link)

Cropped photo of original photo to yield similar result to zoomed image (high-res link)

Just before the sun came out and I was presented with a blue sky background. I love the lower owlet’s expression! This is the same branch just from a different vantage point as the images given above.

A River Reclaimed!

Year 8

When I was a child in the 1960’s, nary a person set foot (or even a toe) in the St. Louis River. This river was essentially dead, and had an amazing amount of industrial waste from Duluth, Superior and Cloquet. Enter the environmental movement of the 1960’s, and the WLSSD (Western Lake Superior Sanitary District). Sixty years later the river is now clean. Sturgeon even spawn once again (a fish that demands fresh, clean water). It was an act of faith for the DNR to restock sturgeon (they had been wiped out by pollution). It often takes 20 years before sturgeon are mature and spawn for the first time. How would like to take an action, and then wait two decades to learn if your efforts have been successful?

Just like the swallows return to Capistrano, the White Pelicans now return to Chambers Grove in Fond du Lac (Duluth neighborhood) every spring. The pelicans time their arrival to the spring spawn. The fish push up stream till they reach the Jay Cooke Park rapids. It’s gravy train for the hungry birds. Enjoy!

Alarm Clock Birds!

Year 8
Alarm Clock Bird!
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My local Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers arrived back up north two nights ago, and now without fail I can rely upon this bird to drum on the hollow tree bough outside my open bedroom window 30 minutes before sunrise. Given sunrise is now 6:15 am, my “alarm bird” sounds off at 5:45 am. Soon, the bird will want to awaken me earlier as we move towards the summer equinox.
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There are three perfect drumming trees in my yard, and all the Hairy, Downy, Pileated and now Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers are very much aware of that fact. My Yellow-Shafted Flickers also returned to the Northwoods a few days ago, but it has different tastes in drumming, and really prefers singing for a mate. Species #6 in my yard are “red-bellied woodpeckers”. Red does some occasionally drumming and singing.
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Unless a dead tree threatens your home or another structure in your yard, do not cut them down. Dead trees are great habitat for many birds, not just woodpeckers.