Herb and Nada Mahler Family Aviary
Milwaukee County Zoo
December 2021

The red-crested cardinal is a songbird of the family of tanagers. Notwithstanding its similar name, this bird is not closely related to the true cardinal family. Residing mainly in south-central South America, it is sometimes known as the Brazilian cardinal.

Red Crested Cardinal by Paul Sager, on Flickr


The Waldrapp Ibis is a critically endangered bird, with maybe 500 individuals living in two small areas in Morocco.

Waldrapp Ibis


An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; aviaries are sometimes known as flight cages. Aviaries often contain plants and shrubbery to simulate a natural environment.

The hamerkop is named for their distinctive head, which combines a thick bill in the front and a pointed wedge of feathers in the back.

Hamerkop


The silver-beaked tanager is a common bird found in northern South America, eating mainly fruit, but also some insects.

Silver-beaked tanager


The Canon FD 300mm f/2.8L was (is) one of the most highly regarded manual focus super tele lenses of the 1980s. The lens is a fully manual lens so you have to change focus and aperture yourself and you need an adapter to use it on a mirrorless camera, a Sony a7II digital mirrorless camera for these images. All images are shot wide-open at f/2.8, showing the very smooth Bokeh where the background just melts away.

Tawny frogmouths are nocturnal birds, they use their large, bright yellow eyes and excellent hearing to hunt.

Tawny Frogmouth

The opportunity you have presented here Paul is that you can capture superb images with very high quality vintage glass at an affordable price. I am on a fixed SS income and delight in finding vintage glass lenses at Thrift Stores, Antique Store and Goodwill. You have to know what to look for and examine carefully for haze, fungus and extreme dust in the lens but once in awhile you get lucky and find a like new lens. There are many lenses out there other than Canon or Nikon that are of superior quality. Thanks for opening that door of opportunity to photographers of all levels and remind us of the treasures sitting out there in Vintage glass! RJW