Show your Bird Portraits

ISv

"The equipment that matters, is you"
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Apr 30, 2017
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ISv saw your post of the feral cat on Ohau. On Maui on the northeast part of the isthmus between east and west Maui there is a public park maybe a mile or so from Kahului airport Kanaha beach park where the feral cats reign supreme. At mid day there were at least three hundred visible from a parking lot. I got there because it backs up to a conservation area that I hoped had birds, It was impassable.
One lady brought a twenty pound bag of dry food and was popular for about fifteen minutes.

Be a great place to safari cats of the escaped domestic variety, it is not a high rent park though. Poor native Hawaiian birds don’t stand a chance.

Applecider, I wish the cats were the enemy of the native birds... The reality is that the rats and the Avian Malaria are killing the native birds here! All the introduced species are resistant to the Malaria, so they act as a reservoirs (virus is there) and the mosquitoes (vectors) are transferring this to the native birds (and they have no resistance but some obviously are developing such a resistance, like the Amakihi)... Rats are climbing the trees and attack the nests... I haven't seen cats in the higher mountain forest where the native birds have their last sanctuary (mosquitoes are not present there... usually...) but the rats are there - in numbers!!! I attache a picture (unfortunately had to crop to extend that the nest is out of the frame - just to squeeze it in the Forum, and actually the rats are 3!) of rats standing right under a nest and they DID come from that nest (me, the fool, was expecting to capture a photo of birds there!)!!!
 

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Post your Bird Portraits here :)

Parrots, Birds of Prey, Herons and all the others ... Just post your portraits here :)

The main idea of this topic is that the bird is clearly the main part component of the picture and that it is not a bird in flight or small bird on large tree or group shot ...

I will start with some of mine to start the whole :)
Have fun everyone and I hope to see many amazing shots soon:


American Bald Eagle
von 1982Chris911 auf Flickr


A colorful friend :)
von 1982Chris911 auf Flickr


American Bald Eagle 2
von 1982Chris911 auf Flickr


Portrait of a Grey Heron in Regent's Park London
von 1982Chris911 auf Flickr


Vulture Portait
von 1982Chris911 auf Flickr
Oh wow, that's an amazing set of pictures!
What a close-up! :)
 
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Jack Douglas

CR for the Humour
Apr 10, 2013
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Alberta, Canada
These were posted over 7 years ago. You will have a lot of fun catching up on the next 892 pages - enjoy them!

I've thought of doing that but it would be humbling/embarrassing to see my early contributions ... not claiming more recent ones are that much better.;)

Seriously, assuming there has been improvement sometimes it's good to reflect on how one has been able to move in the right direction. Once I received a complement from jrista, suggesting my compositions had greatly improved and it really spurred me on to trying to improve even more. And of course we all have click cheering us on!:)
 
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ISv

"The equipment that matters, is you"
CR Pro
Apr 30, 2017
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7,452
I've thought of doing that but it would be humbling/embarrassing to see my early contributions ... not claiming more recent ones are that much better.;)

Seriously, assuming there has been improvement sometimes it's good to reflect on how one has been able to move in the right direction. Once I received a complement from jrista, suggesting my compositions had greatly improved and it really spurred me on to trying to improve even more. And of course we all have click cheering us on!:)

Yeah, Click is cheering everybody (thanks Click!)... and time to time posting picture...
But when he is posting picture it's worth looking at it!!!
Otherwise, we all started somehow, not always... hmm - perfect (I'm sure Click was there too, as everybody else). But in generally it's how some animals got down of the trees and now are traveling in airplanes.
Whatever - we all try to learn and (eventually) improve!
 
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AlanF

Desperately seeking birds
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Aug 16, 2012
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Captive birds in OP?
They do appear to be captive, and that is confirmed on the FlickR page, but the heron in Regents Park may be wild. But, they started off a great thread, the best on CR, along with BIF. Captive bird shots are disapproved of by many, but if someone takes a good shot, why not post it here if it's a good one.
 
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Jack Douglas

CR for the Humour
Apr 10, 2013
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Alberta, Canada
Jack, my brain is slower than usual because of a cold, so please explain.

Alan, she was captive by her instinct to persist in raising her brood at great risk - no? At any rate I got exceedingly close so to me it was a captive I was shooting.

In general I think captive (zoo) shots are just fine and best when identified as such but that's secondary. In the beginning I struggled a bit with the idea of using feeders and staged shots but I've found that it's the thrill I get from seeing the detailed features of these precious creatures that matters most to me along with the fun that comes from being creative in getting the shots. The centre of attention is the bird not me.

Of course the greatest thrill is still those rare in the wild sightings that get captured!

Get well, Alan. Thanks Click - I suspect that I previously posted this shot.

Jack
 
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Jack Douglas

CR for the Humour
Apr 10, 2013
6,980
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Alberta, Canada
Very good shot Jack! Except for some very common species it's not easy to spot a nest too

ISV, thanks, I don't know your area - do you have robins? If not then you may not be aware of how many there are here and how easy they are to detect. In the summer the robin may be the most common bird in Alberta other than maybe chickadees, Downies and magpies/crows. Their eggs get picked off by the magpies/crows. That day I thought, hey, I shouldn't just ignore the bird, rather get an intimate shot that is 100% typical.

Jack
 
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ISv

"The equipment that matters, is you"
CR Pro
Apr 30, 2017
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ISV, thanks, I don't know your area - do you have robins? If not then you may not be aware of how many there are here and how easy they are to detect. In the summer the robin may be the most common bird in Alberta other than maybe chickadees, Downies and magpies/crows. Their eggs get picked off by the magpies/crows. That day I thought, hey, I shouldn't just ignore the bird, rather get an intimate shot that is 100% typical.

Jack
:)! No - no Robins in Hawaii... But I have seen them back in the country of my origin (restricted in low-land, or at least (much) more abandon to the Mountains, not sure the same species, have to check it out).
 
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ISv

"The equipment that matters, is you"
CR Pro
Apr 30, 2017
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Here, some from today - after the talk about captive birds (it was very good idea - I had no time for any thing longer) I just jump in the local Zoo:)!
Note the difference between the male and female of the Violet-backed Starling! The males are much more shy - didn't have a chance for any thing better.African Love Bird 1.jpgCinnyrinclus leucogaster - Violet-Backed Starling Female 6.jpgCinnyrinclus leucogaster - Violet-Backed Starling Male 1.jpg
 
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