Waiting for Bats

Last Saturday night I heard an unusual sound outside so grabbed my camera, mounted the 80-400mm lens and rushed out onto the back verandah.  I had recognised the sound and as expected there was a model aicraft circling around overhead in the glow of the setting sun.  I couldn't remember the last time it had flown by and wasn't sure how long it would be up there and wanted to use the opportunity so began shooting away, concerned that if I took the time to add the flash the opportunity would be missed.  There was still a bit of light in the sky so the ISO got cranked up instead.

Canon 7D, Sigma 80-400mm Lens @ 400mm, 1/640 Sec @ f5.6, ISO 1600, No Flash, Hand Held

Canon 7D, Sigma 80-400mm Lens @ 400mm, 1/250 Sec @ f5.6, ISO 1600, No Flash, Hand Held

Canon 7D, Sigma 80-400mm Lens @ 400mm, 1/250 Sec @ f5.6, ISO 1600, No Flash, Hand Held

It was a real challenge and while the photos are not good enough to use otherwise, it did give me a reason to get out the camera and press the shutter.  It was not easy to locate and focus on the moving subject however I enjoyed the challenge as it was so unique.

So much so that I recalled seeing a swarm of bats fly overhead a few nights earlier when I had taken Sam the dog for a walk so I mounted the flash with the Better Beamer flash extender to wait and see if they would return.  I also remembered that every time I had seen the bats previously it had been shortly after sunset when the sky was dark so I went back onto the verandah and waited......  and waited......

After standing...... then sitting out in the cold for an hour and a half, having glimpsed only one bat I decided enough was enough but I will not give up and hopefully will be able to post a successfull take soon.  All was not wasted though as I had been able to practice a technique I have used successfully before to get a small moving subject into the frame quickly by watching it with my left eye as the right eye looked through the viewfinder and moving the lens so both eyes were aligned and the AF could kick in.