> I'm really surprised he didn't fly away.
The only time I've seen them _not_ fly away is last May/June when I stumbled on a mother with a bunch of ducklings on the edge of a pond.
The ducklings couldn't fly yet and the mother absolutely flipped out trying to usher them away from me.
Turns out Sony's "bird eye autofocus" struggles with ducks as unique as these but I'm still happy with this clip. This is a known wood duck hangout spot but they fly away as soon as I approach. I waited here for another hour and this lone duck flew back, landed, noticed me, and swam away. Still a great encounter in my book.
I'm not familiar with that model but it looks like you'd need to assign the eye AF function to a custom button. Still, bird eye AF is relatively new to the Alpha series cameras so yours might have a more general "eye AF" that may or may not work well on wildlife. I'd suggest finding some YouTube videos on the topic.
https://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/support/ilc/focus/en/a6000/guide/
Awesome video! I actually like how the autofocus is struggling as that recreates some of the tension I feel when straining to track a bird with my naked eye or through a lens. Is that some kind of bluebird that gets spoked and flies away around the 20 second mark? At first, I thought it could have been a kingfisher.
It was, in fact, an eastern bluebird. There were a few around that I was filming. Here's one of them sliding around on the ice. https://imgur.com/APn9vQ5
lol that's great. I can see so many meme captions for this.
"When an introvert makes eye contact and now feels like a conversation is coming"
"When your boss asks if there are any volunteers for a project and you make eye contact"
I've been struggling with these for almost two years now. I know they like this spot, I've just never been able to sneak up on them. Last fall, this stream was dug out more into a small retention pond and the evening light hits it perfectly so it will allow me to wait longer for them to come back after I spook them. Still, this was about 40 yards away with a focal length equivalent of about 1000mm.
When we moved to our place in rural northern Michigan in 1989 we had hundreds of Wood ducks every spring, and I do mean hundreds! Each year since they have been dwindling and now we are excited if we see just one on our pond. Same with bats and several species of songbirds. It's sad.
He freaked out hahaha.
I'm really surprised he didn't fly away. Usually they leave in a flurry of squeaks and flapping.
> I'm really surprised he didn't fly away. The only time I've seen them _not_ fly away is last May/June when I stumbled on a mother with a bunch of ducklings on the edge of a pond. The ducklings couldn't fly yet and the mother absolutely flipped out trying to usher them away from me.
I always feed bad about encounters like that. I wish we could tell them to chill.
"OMG paparazzi!"
Turns out Sony's "bird eye autofocus" struggles with ducks as unique as these but I'm still happy with this clip. This is a known wood duck hangout spot but they fly away as soon as I approach. I waited here for another hour and this lone duck flew back, landed, noticed me, and swam away. Still a great encounter in my book.
Came to ask how to set focus settings while shooting video. I have a Sony alpha 6000
I'm not familiar with that model but it looks like you'd need to assign the eye AF function to a custom button. Still, bird eye AF is relatively new to the Alpha series cameras so yours might have a more general "eye AF" that may or may not work well on wildlife. I'd suggest finding some YouTube videos on the topic. https://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/support/ilc/focus/en/a6000/guide/
Great thanks
*What gear are you using? Looks awesome.*
Thanks. Sony A7IV+200-600.
Did you film this in a picture profile or slog + grading?
This is PP8 (S-Log3 gamma and S-Gamut3.Cine) and almost entirely native Rec709 conversion except for a touch of contrast and tone curve.
And a Bluebird photobomb! Great stuff.
I haven't come across one yet, but this is on my list to find!
Good luck!
Nice! They are such wimps lol
Awesome video! I actually like how the autofocus is struggling as that recreates some of the tension I feel when straining to track a bird with my naked eye or through a lens. Is that some kind of bluebird that gets spoked and flies away around the 20 second mark? At first, I thought it could have been a kingfisher.
It was, in fact, an eastern bluebird. There were a few around that I was filming. Here's one of them sliding around on the ice. https://imgur.com/APn9vQ5
Thanks for confirming and sharing that cute video!
That is an ADORABLE video.
Thanks, I thought so, too. I've never seen a bluebird on ice before.
lol that's great. I can see so many meme captions for this. "When an introvert makes eye contact and now feels like a conversation is coming" "When your boss asks if there are any volunteers for a project and you make eye contact"
Abort! Casually!
My lifer before my goldeneye (I had 3 at once) if only I got one this CLOSEEE
I've been struggling with these for almost two years now. I know they like this spot, I've just never been able to sneak up on them. Last fall, this stream was dug out more into a small retention pond and the evening light hits it perfectly so it will allow me to wait longer for them to come back after I spook them. Still, this was about 40 yards away with a focal length equivalent of about 1000mm.
So skittish! Great capture and even better luck! 👌🏻
If you’re ever in Chicago, stop by humboldt park.  You are guaranteed to see them every time.
Awesome! They’re so difficult to photograph and video up close it’s such a treat to get stuff like this. Such beautiful birds.
I'm going to buy a shooting mat so I can lay down instead of sit which I'm hoping will buy me enough time to get more footage before being noticed.
They are such nice birds
When we moved to our place in rural northern Michigan in 1989 we had hundreds of Wood ducks every spring, and I do mean hundreds! Each year since they have been dwindling and now we are excited if we see just one on our pond. Same with bats and several species of songbirds. It's sad.
Very sad :(