Show your Bird Portraits
- Thread starter 1982chris911
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My first trip to Maui. The goal was Haleakala with it's endemic birds. Forecast two days before the trip was "mostly sunny" but the next day changed to "cloudy" (but we already got the tickets...). Different world, very different from Oahu. We arrived when there was some sun and I was excited: all around cacophony of songs and calls from Amakihi, Apapane and I'iwe. Shortly after - clouds and because it's the cloud belt of the mountain you are in dense mist (actually in the middle of the clouds).
Birds were getting active in the short times when more light present - otherwise hiding in the crowns of bigger trees. Bad photos, just to document my presence there...
First Maui Amakihi, after that Apapane, I'iwi and Hawaiian Gus (Nene) the last one made on our way back in dense mist but at least the rain stopped for a wile.
After that an old photo of Hwamei made on Oahu: On Maui they have relatively good population and I saw one but it was really dark and misty for photos.
The last two photos of White Eye where made in the beginning of the trip at Kula Botanical garden - much better conditions!
Birds were getting active in the short times when more light present - otherwise hiding in the crowns of bigger trees. Bad photos, just to document my presence there...
First Maui Amakihi, after that Apapane, I'iwi and Hawaiian Gus (Nene) the last one made on our way back in dense mist but at least the rain stopped for a wile.
After that an old photo of Hwamei made on Oahu: On Maui they have relatively good population and I saw one but it was really dark and misty for photos.
The last two photos of White Eye where made in the beginning of the trip at Kula Botanical garden - much better conditions!
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Thanks Alan, I saw also Hawaiian Owl flying above a ditch and maybe Maui Alauahio also in fly but at that conditions I didn't dare. For the Alauahio I'm not sure - too similar to Amakihi.
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A Black Skimmer on the water's edge at sunset.
R3 RF600 f/4 w/1.4x 1/250 : f/7.1 : ISO 1000
A Gadwall hen comfortable enough to nap in front me.
R3 RF600 f/4 w/1.4x 1/1600 : f/8 : ISO 1000
One of the Red Crowned Parrots snacking. This was in San Diego and part of a somewhat established group.
R3 RF600 f/4 w/1.4x 1/2500 : f/7.1 : ISO 1000
The female of a pair of Yellow-crowned Night Herons coming back to the nest site after a short flight around the tree.
R3 RF600 f/4 w/1.4x 1/4000 : f/6.3 : ISO 1000
R3 RF600 f/4 w/1.4x 1/250 : f/7.1 : ISO 1000
A Gadwall hen comfortable enough to nap in front me.
R3 RF600 f/4 w/1.4x 1/1600 : f/8 : ISO 1000
One of the Red Crowned Parrots snacking. This was in San Diego and part of a somewhat established group.
R3 RF600 f/4 w/1.4x 1/2500 : f/7.1 : ISO 1000
The female of a pair of Yellow-crowned Night Herons coming back to the nest site after a short flight around the tree.
R3 RF600 f/4 w/1.4x 1/4000 : f/6.3 : ISO 1000
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Absolute excitement today. I took the first ever reported photo of a White Stork in the local area. They are very rare visitors to the UK, about 20 observations per annum. I was in a hide and saw a large bird in the far distance. The trusty R5 + RF 100-500mm immediately got it as a dot in the centre of the evf but I could see in the viewfinder 10x mag it was a long necked bird with an unusual bill. It then turned around and perched in a nearby tree, so I slapped on the 2xTC and took about 300 shots. Here is the shot of it flying in, upresolved 4x as it was only 450 px long, and then two of the 300 (I hesitate to post all 300).
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"They are very rare visitors to the UK, about 20 observations per annum." I'm from country where they are pretty common but I totally understand your excitement! And the photos are good!
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