Show your Bird Portraits

[dolina]

Thanks Ken!

[serendipidy]

Thanks everyone for your very kind comments.

My wife and I took our first vacation in 2 years and went for a week in San Francisco which we love and is the closest landfall from Hawaii (I really hate to fly these days). She loves hummingbirds and told me I had to get some good shots (we don't have them here ). So I looked and looked and couldn't see any. With only a few days left we went to the zoo where we saw some several years ago. 3 hours later as we were leaving...still no hummers. I got lots of decent zoo shots, however,with my new 5D3 (this trip was the excuse I used on her to upgrade from my 7D). Just as we exited the gate, there was this pretty blue flower plant so I got my 5D3 out with the 70-200F/2.8LII. She was yelling haven't you taken enough photos over the last 3 hours (she is NOT a photog and was ready to leave after 1 hour). Just as I focused, that pretty hummer zooms in. I couldn't focus on him since he was jumping all over, so I just focused on the flower and fired away.

Encouraged, 3 days later, I went to the SF Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park to shoot some flowers. Just inside the entrance was this 30-40 feet tall red flowering tree. I walked toward it for some tree flower shots, when I noticed several small birds flying in and out. They were hummers! These guys really were attracted ( a sign called it the red flowering gum tree from western Australia). So I used my 5D3 and 100-400L @ 400mm shooting up into the tree from 15-50 feet away for over an hour to get those shots. I really got a stiff neck and sore back from all that bending and straining upwards but my wife was pleased with the photos! (Happy wife...Happy life ).

Maximilian..yes, I wish that spider would have made his web elsewhere.
rpt and J.R., thanks for you nice words.
Dolina and Mr. Bean...All were taken handheld in natural outdoor lighting and were heavily cropped since the first one was @200mm and the other 3 were @400mm and I was not real close and they are small birds.
Krob78...Thank you my friend for your comments. You have taught me a lot on CR about bird photog. I think that background (which was just some distant green foliage in shade) turned black due to underexposure. I didn't plan that but it was serendipity and I like it too.
Jack Douglas...After your post, I do believe that is your green hummer. Flying south for the winter

I just made this Flickr account several days ago to post all my SF shots since a friend told me I really should. I am still trying to learn how to use it well. If you click on the photo, it will take you there where I have more hummers and also will keep adding landscape and zoo shots over the next few days.

[Jack Douglas]

Just flipping back over stuff I shot in the summer.  For this one maybe we should have a new thread, "Ugliest Birds" or "Birds Only a Mother Could Love" or "Ugly as Sin Birds".  But that might offend our bird friends and get us in trouble with the Birds Rights Commission! 

6D 300 X2  2000th F5.6  ISO 2000   shutter speed - seems I'm always worried there will be movement or flight that I won't catch.

JDW

[serendipidy]

Just flipping back over stuff I shot in the summer.  For this one maybe we should have a new thread, "Ugliest Birds" or "Birds Only a Mother Could Love" or "Ugly as Sin Birds".  But that might offend our bird friends and get us in trouble with the Birds Rights Commission! 

6D 300 X2  2000th F5.6  ISO 2000   shutter speed - seems I'm always worried there will be movement or flight that I won't catch.

JDW

Nice shot, Jack...but you're right about not being the most attractive bird in the forest

How about some pretty in pink flamingoes from the SF zoo?

C69A1032-dpp-c by EricJ777, on Flickr


C69A0880-dpp-c by EricJ777, on Flickr


C69A0877-dpp by EricJ777, on Flickr

[Click]

Very nice shots serendipidy. I especially like the second one.

[Maximilian]

splish splash, I was taking a bath ...

[Rienzphotoz]

... it was 1982chris911 who hasn't been active for over 2 years ...

Last Active:    May 07, 2013, 04:10:50 PM

Still some time ago, but not 2 years.

But a really wonderful and inspiring thread. Thanks to all contributors, too.

My bad ... I mixed up his "Date Registered" and "Last Active" date.
Yes, it is truly a inspiring thread ... always encourages me to emulate the work done by by some amazing CR members.

[rpt]

Max, serendipity, jack, great pictures.

[J.R.]

5D3 + 70-200 II - the first time I took to birds with this lens.

Bah ... I think I'm in trouble now. The IQ of the 100-400 almost suddenly feels like crap. Need to save up for a new 300mm f/2.8 II.

[Maximilian]

Max, serendipity, jack, great pictures.

thanks a lot for your compliment, rpt

[J.R.]

splish splash, I was taking a bath ...

The first shot is excellent.

[Maximilian]

The first shot is excellent.

Thanks J.R.

It's one of my personal favs of the last two years.

The snow owl action was too fast for me to do a proper framing.
Also a mesh fence forced me to get too close.

[serendipidy]

Thanks click and rpt

[serendipidy]

5D3 + 70-200 II - the first time I took to birds with this lens.

Bah ... I think I'm in trouble now. The IQ of the 100-400 almost suddenly feels like crap. Need to save up for a new 300mm f/2.8 II.

Beautiful photo, J.R. What bird is that?
Yes, that combo is nice. Like you, I wish for more reach. I dream of the 600mm and then wake up

[Krob78]

5D3 + 70-200 II - the first time I took to birds with this lens.

Bah ... I think I'm in trouble now. The IQ of the 100-400 almost suddenly feels like crap. Need to save up for a new 300mm f/2.8 II.

Beautiful photo, J.R. What bird is that?
Yes, that combo is nice. Like you, I wish for more reach. I dream of the 600mm and then wake up

Hey, who knows, perhaps that new 150-600mm they've just announced will be affordable and with good IQ and AF!