So today i went around exploring Delaware Park and whipped out the 70-200 2.8 vr.

Got some birds to show i tried really hard to get these fast birds diving in the water.

Got this squirrel too, he even ran around a bit for me to chase him

I was really able to get close to some like the ducks, they didn't even fly off.

Any pointers i was using aperture mode, and bumped the f stop on most.

 

Wow!! Great pics

I am not one to answer your question regarding aperture, however if you're wanting to do more nature photography take a look at www.naturephotographers.net People post pics similar to yours (with info on shutter speed, aperture, focal length) and other members will comment on their composition and how to better use the available light.

One note for you, IMO the birds in the trees looks great, but the OOF branches are a little distracting.

 

Wow! Great shots. I can tell you spent a lot of time down on your belly in the grass to get these shots.

As far as settings (and this is only my opinion) the duck flying on the water and the last shot of the squirrel show a really good use of a shallow depth of field (aperture). The foreground and background are out-of-focus so the subject really stands out. In the first one and the yellow bird the DOF actually becomes a bit of a distraction. The branches in the foreground are blurred and draw my eye from the subject.

Fantastic shots though and great job on getting the action shots (duck, gull and squirrel)

 

Yea i wanted to share the yellow bird since it was chirping above me it let me get as close as 5 feet or so. Problem was that tree was cluttered with branches.

 

squirrel on the move!!!

awesome pics

 

Wow, those are some great pics! So crisp and clear.

 

nice work

 

Gotta love the last picture of the squirrel sitting there eating his nut. That pic is hysterical

 

What camera were you using? Nikon D300 or D700? I am a newb so I could be totally wrong.

 

Nikon d300
=)