Ordered some new-to-me OM-D stuff from B&H, and I’m liking what I am re-discovering. Pairing the OM-D EM1ii with the first version 100-400 lens is all I could afford right now, but it’s a powerful combo, even if they are almost 10 years old!

Tried it out on some mute swans on Sodus Bay, and it performed well in the harsh light of midday — just a trace of visible blown-out whites.

Then I checked on a nearby eagle nest. This one has been in constant use since 2019, when I began watching it. I was at least 110 yards away, which is the minimal viewing distance prescribed by the Department of Environmental Conservation. That’s longer than a football field, so yeah, this was cropped quite a bit. Happily surprised to see some decently retained sharpness — and good whites!

The real test was with the snow geese. They often rest in this part of north-central New York during the spring migration, as they travel back to their summer breeding ground in the Canadian Arctic. Yikes, I can think of much nicer places to be in the summer, but whatever. . .they’re snow geese and I’m not.

Anyway

I checked out the Savannah mucklands first — that is where I found them last year and the year before, but no go. Despite the recent wet weather, it wasn’t mucky enough to attract much wildlife at all, just a crow or two feasting on leftover corn harvest.

The ex-soybean fields on my favorite-ist dirt road, however, had attracted a huge flock!

Still some harshness to the light, which would be more obvious in a cropped photo, but I think the EM-1 handled it okay — well, better than my Nikon does.

Problem, are these all snow geese, or are they Ross’s geese? I’m not skilled enough to tell, and these close-ups are not close enough to reveal the distinguishing features (such as the black “grin patch, bill shape, comparative size, etc). But given the longish neck, I’d say these are typical, run-of-the-mill snow geese. . .still beautiful in their own right and spectacular when congregated in large flocks like this.

Well, when you spook one snow goose, you spook them all. A passing freighter signaled a high alert, and the result was an explosion of snow geese!

I do like the way the way this elderly Olympus gear handled the harsh light despite my newbie approach — something I just can’t seem to do with my expensive, state-of-the-art Nikon equipment. 😦

I so wish I was better at this stuff!

The next day both the snow geese and I had had enough of this yucky light. They were off!

All was not fun and games, though. The light wasn’t all I had to struggle with. . .the mud took its toll. Admission to the Snow Goose Olympics was free, but I had to pay to leave.

I had this signing bluebird and a nice state trooper keeping me company while waiting for the tow truck. Honestly, this guy didn’t look like he was more than 12 years old (do they really hire cops that young these days???).