Canon 7D Mkii and 600 f4 Mkii V Eleonoras Falcons.
19th October 2015
We have just returned from an autumn break on the Balearic Island of Mallorca. There was not a lot of birdlife there but that was not the point, it was just to spend some time in different surroundings and enjoy some warm weather. We did some touring around by day in our hire car and saw some spectacular scenery. Then most evenings we just chilled out along the seafronts and harbours relaxing with a cold beer…or two!
However, one day we drove up to a place called ‘Cap De Formentor’ a bit of a tourist hotspot and to be avoided at all costs after about 11.00am any day. Most tourists head for a lighthouse where the road ends but about two miles before that there is a cliff where Eleonora’s Falcons breed and as the sun comes up it stirs the Dragonflies into action and these are the basic prey of these falcons. From a very small pull-in off the road we could see them come swooping across the cliffs at great speed, a very impressive sight. At one stage they came past reasonably closely and I thought there might be a chance of a flight shot at some time in the coming days. The following morning broke with a fabulous sunrise and we decided to try our luck with the Falcons, there was no time to waste because we didn’t know if they were going to hang-around.
As I mentioned in my review of the Canon ef600 f4 Mk ii lens, because of its dramatic weight reduction it can now be carried in your hand baggage on a plane. This is perfect for me because it doesn’t affect my hold luggage on non-birding trips such as this.
We were at the small pull-in very early and had the place to ourselves, after about half an hour the birds began their daily flight routine, swooping and diving across the cliffs and sea in their hunt for Dragonflies. I quickly assembled my gear and I just had the bare lens at f4 and the IS setting on mode 3, (please see review). I was using my Canon 7D Mk ii and now was the ultimate test for the auto focus system on the camera and the IS system on the lens.
I had been watching these birds hunt and they were coming across the cliffs and assessing where their prey was and then they stooped down below the cliffs and then swept up at super speed and snatched the unsuspecting prey before it had time to react. This meant I had only a few seconds to track them and then focus before they were too distant. This was not an easy task but slowly and surely as I got into the rhythm, the auto focus of the 7D Mk ii was snapping onto them and because the lens was on mode 3 it didn’t stabilize until the camera had focussed and the shutter was released.
I was very impressed with how both the lens and camera performed in this difficult situation.
However, one day we drove up to a place called ‘Cap De Formentor’ a bit of a tourist hotspot and to be avoided at all costs after about 11.00am any day. Most tourists head for a lighthouse where the road ends but about two miles before that there is a cliff where Eleonora’s Falcons breed and as the sun comes up it stirs the Dragonflies into action and these are the basic prey of these falcons. From a very small pull-in off the road we could see them come swooping across the cliffs at great speed, a very impressive sight. At one stage they came past reasonably closely and I thought there might be a chance of a flight shot at some time in the coming days. The following morning broke with a fabulous sunrise and we decided to try our luck with the Falcons, there was no time to waste because we didn’t know if they were going to hang-around.
As I mentioned in my review of the Canon ef600 f4 Mk ii lens, because of its dramatic weight reduction it can now be carried in your hand baggage on a plane. This is perfect for me because it doesn’t affect my hold luggage on non-birding trips such as this.
We were at the small pull-in very early and had the place to ourselves, after about half an hour the birds began their daily flight routine, swooping and diving across the cliffs and sea in their hunt for Dragonflies. I quickly assembled my gear and I just had the bare lens at f4 and the IS setting on mode 3, (please see review). I was using my Canon 7D Mk ii and now was the ultimate test for the auto focus system on the camera and the IS system on the lens.
I had been watching these birds hunt and they were coming across the cliffs and assessing where their prey was and then they stooped down below the cliffs and then swept up at super speed and snatched the unsuspecting prey before it had time to react. This meant I had only a few seconds to track them and then focus before they were too distant. This was not an easy task but slowly and surely as I got into the rhythm, the auto focus of the 7D Mk ii was snapping onto them and because the lens was on mode 3 it didn’t stabilize until the camera had focussed and the shutter was released.
I was very impressed with how both the lens and camera performed in this difficult situation.