Show your Bird Portraits

[ERHP]

I agree. It strikes me as being very similar to my situation when I am stuck with a certain degree of back lighting and have to use a lower than preferred shutter. It's such a striking shot that I'm wondering if some work on the shadows and contrast wouldn't help. I'm learning some tricks as the years pass but certainly not commenting with significant expertise!

Jack

When I had the backlight situation with the Yellow Crown and the large crab I was shooting a lot lower shutter speed than I wanted while trying to keep the DoF deep enough to capture all the detail. People always tell me to just shoot a higher ISO but that tends to create additional work, unless the intent is only to produce 'small' images for the social platforms. I'm still learning myself and hope I never stop. CC is something always accepted, I'm just not sure how much differently I could have taken that shot without giving up something else.

 

[Jack Douglas]

When I had the backlight situation with the Yellow Crown and the large crab I was shooting a lot lower shutter speed than I wanted while trying to keep the DoF deep enough to capture all the detail. People always tell me to just shoot a higher ISO but that tends to create additional work, unless the intent is only to produce 'small' images for the social platforms. I'm still learning myself and hope I never stop. CC is something always accepted, I'm just not sure how much differently I could have taken that shot without giving up something else.

Thanks for the comment. No criticism, just me pondering the shot. Unfortunately photo-life is one of compromises.

Jack

 

[AlanF]

I think this is a Pale Rock Sparrow.

 

[Click]

Very nice shot, Alan.

 

[AlanF]

Eventful day. Hamas rockets overhead, shot down by the Iron Dome defence anti-missiles. But, no-one was walking around to disturb the birds and I got a shot of a Whitethroated Kingfisher as well (both with 90D).

 

[AlanF]

Each day something new - a Hoopoe.

 

[Click]

I really like this bird. Nice shot, Alan.

 

[AlanF]

Had a marvellous morning. Someone whom I didn't know recognised me in the street and put the top bird professor in Israel, Yossi Leshem, in touch. We watched at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory, birds being netted and ringed. And we heard about a wonderful collaboration between Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian birders, including introducing Barn Owls to reduce the number of rodents by some 80% to save farmers crops either sides of borders and cut down on poisons.
Here is a Robin caught in a mist net, a Hoopoe being ringed and after ringing.

 

[ISv]

Had a marvellous morning. Someone whom I didn't know recognised me in the street and put the top bird professor in Israel, Yossi Leshem, in touch. We watched at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory, birds being netted and ringed. And we heard about a wonderful collaboration between Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian birders, including introducing Barn Owls to reduce the number of rodents by some 80% to save farmers crops either sides of borders and cut down on poisons.
Here is a Robin caught in a mist net, a Hoopoe being ringed and after ringing.
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Nice pictures Alan! I have never seen Hoopoe that close (and I don't mean the captured bird) - nice shot!
I have problem only with the Pale Rock Sparrow - Carpospiza brachydactyla (not as a photo off course - it is fine): some features are for that one (unfortunatelly you got strong light on the front of the bird) and others are (very!) typical for the Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia)- like the long, well pronounced supercilium, and rather contrast eye-strip. Also some (very pale, here is coming the front light) strips on the flanks that also do not belong to the Pale Rock Sparrow. It's interesting for me because I have seen the Rock Sparrow in Europe (never seen the Pale Rock Sparrow) and some times it was looking as your bird, especially in light conditions like in your photo (it's crazy to expect some vagrants of the Pale Rock sparrow to Europe - I know but still...).

 

[ISv]

This morning I notice par of Rose-ringed Parakeets trying to dig a hole in rotten part of Eucalyptus tree - right in front of my lanai. Only the female was digging and was frequently disrupted by two Common Mynas (Mynas have a nest nearby). The abuse stopped when the male Parakeet (last photo) arrived and took the matter in his hands (bill I mean).
First - I didn't know the Parakeets are digging their own holes (from scratch in this case) and Second - would be nice to see the birds taking care of chicks when drinking my coffee in the mornings !

 

[Click]

Beautiful pictures. Well done, ISv.

 

[ISv]

Beautiful pictures. Well done, ISv.

Thanks Click! Easy and lazy shots... Birds were busy with defending their ground and rarely looked at me!

 

[AlanF]

Redstart eating pistachio (a natural one he picked from a pistachio tree).

 

[AlanF]

European little green beeeater

 

[AlanF]

Blackstart

 

[Click]

Beautiful pictures, Alan.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Beautiful pictures, Alan.

For sure, that 90D is working well - it is 90D, right?.

But Alan, are you trying to convince us you didn't flip this guy a treat?

Jack

 

[ISv]

Redstart eating pistachio (a natural one he picked from a pistachio tree).

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Nice photos Alan! I'm jealous for the Red Start - expected in my vacation in Europe and never seen!

 

[ISv]

Here I have few from today: the regular Japanese White Eye (but this time on Passion Fruit Wine) and Red-vented Bulbul fighting Ascalapha odorata (Black-witch Moth).
That Bulbul is ~20-21cm long. The females of the moth are with wing-span up to 17cm. I thing this is a male (because of the markings on the hind-wings) - they get up to ~12cm wing-span.
Second photo at ISO 1600 but I succeed to get few meters closer (and to control my adrenaline - these moths are hard to spot despite of the size and I have never seen one eaten by bird)! In the second photo the bird already removed some wings from the moth - I knew I have no time...

 

[AlanF]

Here I have few from today: the regular Japanese White Eye (but this time on Passion Fruit Wine) and Red-vented Bulbul fighting Ascalapha odorata (Black-witch Moth).
That Bulbul is ~20-21cm long. The females of the moth are with wing-span up to 17cm. I thing this is a male (because of the markings on the hind-wings) - they get up to ~12cm wing-span.
Second photo at ISO 1600 but I succeed to get few meters closer (and to control my adrenaline - these moths are hard to spot despite of the size and I have never seen one eaten by bird)! In the second photo the bird already removed some wings from the moth - I knew I have no time...

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Great shots! I love to see the birds doing what birds should be doing!