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  3. CNMI ON LAND
  4. SAIPAN 2019

JUNE 29, 2019: NOD TO THE NODDIES OF BIRD ISLAND

Noddy photos, a very noddy video, and a little photography primer. All included in this little gallery!
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TELEPHOTO OF BIRD ISLAND
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TELEPHOTO OF BIRD ISLAND

Looks like a healthy colony of brown noddies (Anous stolidus). Chamorro name Fahang.

babbirdislandfrombeachtelephotonoddies

  • BIRD ISLAND FROM BIRD ISLAND BEACH
  • 180-DEGREE PANORAMA GENERATED BY DJI DRONE
  • TELEPHOTO OF BIRD ISLAND
  • Brown noddies nest on Bird Island and on some inaccessible cliffs of Saipan (and Forbidden Island and other inaccessible places). When they have young, the chicks are totally exposed on the rock, so any type of predator could easily grab them. Therefore, they need inaccessible places to successfully breed.
  • Brown noddie above. I believe the lower bird is a Micronesian starling (Aplonis opaca). Chamorro name Sali. These indigenous birds (the Micronesion starlings) are quite common throughout Saipan (and other Micronesian islands).
  • BROWN NODDY
  • Another DJI drone-generated panorama. The horizon looks pretty crazy in this one, if you look closely (but you don't need to do that).
  • NODDY FANTASIA
  • CRAB SHELL
  • WIDE ANGLE CRAB SHELL SHOT
  • Alright, I could not resist. If you compare this photo with the one 2 shots back (number 9), you can see how setting the aperture (f-stop) can affect your depth of field (how much of the photo is in focus). Photo #9 was taken at f-2.8 (a very wide-open aperture), which gives a very narrow depth of field. Notice how everything except for the area at the front of the crab shell is blurred (in photo #9). This blur can strongly guide your eyes to the subject and keep them there. <br /> <br /> The above photo was taken at f-22, a very small aperture opening. This results in a much larger area of focus, so that much of the log in front of and behind the shell is in acceptable focus. <br /> <br /> Which is better? It depends on your subject and what you want. In this particular instance, I like photo #9 much better than #11. However, there are times when a large depth of field is desirable and can make a photo much better (for an example, take a look at photo #1).
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