Show your Bird Portraits

[usern4cr]

Hi, everyone! I'm new at bird photography (although not new at photography) having started this year in January because covid put severe restrictions on my people and travel photography and , after a lifetime of photography, I at last got myself a long lens. Having a fabulous nature reserve right on my doorstep really helped getting this very addictive hobby going...the Rietvlei Nature Reserve is a mere 10min drive from my home and I try and go a few times a week. October saw controlled burning and as its the beginning of summer and rains everything is uncharacteristically green and with the migratory birds returning I'm hopeful for some great photography opportunities. Here are some more from October...

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Really beautiful photos, Ivan!

 

[AlanF]

CR is downloading so slowly I can't see the images. This happens periodically. Does anyone else notice it?

 

[EricN]

CR is downloading so slowly I can't see the images. This happens periodically. Does anyone else notice it?

It happens periodically for me too. Also advertisements from Chevrolet freeze the forum's pages and I have to reload.

 

[bhf3737]

A bald eagle in flight from last weekend.
R5 + RF100-500 + 2xTC @1000mm

 

[Click]

That's a beautiful shot. Well done, bhf3737.

 

[usern4cr]

A bald eagle in flight from last weekend.
R5 + RF100-500 + 2xTC @1000mm
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Beautiful eagle shot, bhf3737!

 

[gruhl28]

CR is downloading so slowly I can't see the images. This happens periodically. Does anyone else notice it?

I’ve found that the whole site has been very slow lately on Chrome on an iPad, but it's been fine for me on a PC. Chrome hasn't worked well on the iPad for years, but this site has been much worse than other sites only for the last month or two.

 

[Deleted]

Just a five min walk from my house is a town park where this bird has been quite approachable. Would be rude not to take the opportunity for a few shots.

 

[Click]

Great shot, Distinctly Average.

 

[Deleted]

Great shot, Distinctly Average.

Thanks. It was a joy to photograph

 

[AlanF]

Just a five min walk from my house is a town park where this bird has been quite approachable. Would be rude not to take the opportunity for a few shots.


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I think they are our favourite local bird to photograph, competing with the raptors.

 

[Deleted]

I think they are our favourite local bird to photograph, competing with the raptors.

Yes. We have been very lucky the past few years with these.

 

[ISv]

A few martins collecting nesting material earlier this year. Had to lay in the mud to get these but got lucky when they came very close.

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I think you got what you pay for (and looking at the photos you got them on reasonable price!
Your luck was mostly on the last shot - did you track it coming to you from some distance? If not - that's a lot of luck! And if it was actually taking off - I don't know what to say...

 

[ISv]

Thanks! For some reason my 'story' didn't get included...I started bird photography as hobby in January this year ( because of covid restricting my usual travel photogrpahy) and my goto place for birds apart from my garden is the Rietvlei Nature Reserve 10min drive from my home...there are more than 200 species to be found there plus some animals like rhino, eland, cheetah, zebra etc.

"Rietvlei Nature Reserve 10min drive from my home."
You are just in the spot for plenty of photos!
Please, make more photos of the Greater Striped Swallow - you posted one on page 1235 - such a beautiful bird!

 

[ERHP]

Spent about two hours sitting with this female Northern Harrier. Just before the sun set she did some stretching.

R5 600 II w/1.4X 1/200 : f/9 : ISO 800

 

[Deleted]

I think you got what you pay for (and looking at the photos you got them on reasonable price!
Your luck was mostly on the last shot - did you track it coming to you from some distance? If not - that's a lot of luck! And if it was actually taking off - I don't know what to say...

Thanks. It was taking off. I got used to focusing a little to the front then hitting the shutter as they took flight.

 

[Click]

Great shot, ERHP!

 

[usern4cr]

Spent about two hours sitting with this female Northern Harrier. Just before the sun set she did some stretching.

R5 600 II w/1.4X 1/200 : f/9 : ISO 800

The lighting on this is great, EHRP!

 

[AlanF]

I gave my wife the R6 + RF 100-400mm today, and she loves them. Here are a couple of her first shots: a Mute Swan Cygnet close up, and a Mute Swan flying at the very far side of the lake, just occupying a few pixels.

 

[Click]

Two very nice shots. Well done, Alan.