02 October 2025

Birding with the Canon 7D Mark II, Woodbridge Island

Birding around Woodbridge Island with the Canon 7D Mark II / EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens
 
Yellow-Billed Duck in Flight Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island Copyright Vernon Chalmers Photography
Yellow-Billed Duck in Flight : Table Bay Nature Reserve, Woodbridge Island

On Monday I made reference of the fact that I am going to experiment with the Canon Extender EF 1.4x III paired with the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens one last time. (Birds on a Blue Monday Morning)

It was indeed the last time. This morning I went out with the same body and lens pairing, but minus the Canon Extender EF 1.4x III. The shorter focal length (400mm vs. 560mm) at f/5.6 and not f/8 - and the fact that I could use the Large Zone AF Mode convinced me to leave the extender alone until another day for testing on a different f/2.8 or f/4 pairing.

During my normal hike, down the Diep River, Woodbridge Island right up to the edge of the Table Bay Nature Reserve I experienced intermitted lower light (due to scattered cloud cover) than Monday with a tad stronger South-Easterly wind. I took more / less the same shots as I did on Monday, but where far more satisfied with the speed of the AF and the overall quality of the bird images.

Birds in Flight / Perched Bird List
  • Yellow-Billed Duck in Flight (Top)
  • African Oystercatcher in Flight
  • Egyptian Goose in Flight
  • Grey Heron in Flight
  • Purple Heron in Flight
  • Pigeons in Flight
  • Common Starling in Flight
  • Female Red Bishop Perched
African Oystercatcher in Flight Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island Copyright Vernon Chalmers Photography
African Oystercatcher in Flight : Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island
 
Egyptian Goose in Flight Diep River Woodbridge Island Copyright Vernon Chalmers Photography
Egyptian Goose in Flight : Diep River Woodbridge Island

Grey Heron in Flight Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island Copyright Vernon Chalmers Photography
Grey Heron in Flight : Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island

Purple Heron in Flight Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island Copyright Vernon Chalmers Photography
Purple Heron in Flight Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island

Pigeons in Flight Diep River Woodbridge Island Copyright Vernon Chalmers Photography
Pigeons in Flight : Diep River Woodbridge Island

Common Starling in Flight Diep River Woodbridge Island Copyright Vernon Chalmers Photography
Common Starling in Flight : Diep River Woodbridge Island

Perched Female Red Bishop Diep River Woodbridge Island Copyright Vernon Chalmers Photography
Perched Female Red Bishop : Diep River Woodbridge Island

Location: Diep River, Woodbridge Island, Table Bay Nature Reserve

Canon Camera / Lens for Bird Photography

  • Canon EOS 7D Mark II (APS-C)
  • Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens
  • SanDisk Extreme PRO 64GB 200 MB/s


Exposure / Focus Settings for Bird Photography

  • Autofocus On
  • Manual Mode
  • Aperture f/5.6
  • Auto ISO 160 - 500
  • Shutter Speeds 1/2500s
  • No Image Stabilisation
  • Handheld


Image Post-Processing
: Lightroom Classic (Ver 14.5)

  • Minor Adjustments (Crop / Exposure / Contrast)
  • Noise and Spot Removal
  • RAW to JPEG Conversion

All Images CopyrightVernon Chalmers Photography