Show your Bird Portraits
- Thread starter 1982chris911
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Took out my Sigma 150-600mm C on a walk today, but put it on the 5DIV by mistake instead of the DSR, but it was the right thing to have done as the light was bad. I witnessed a terrible scene: four drakes g*ng r*p*ng a mallard duck. The first was at iso 12000. The noise didn't seem too bad for a camera that isn't a Sony.
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chrysoberyl, V nice.
Alan surely you intervened! Never seen that before because the drakes are always fighting each other off.
Jack
Alan surely you intervened! Never seen that before because the drakes are always fighting each other off.
Jack
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Chrysoberyl, it seems you are looking for the Pileated Woodpecker. I have zero experience with the North American birds and can not give first hand advise.
What I found in The CornellLab is this (copy and paste): "Pileated Woodpeckers are forest birds that require large, standing dead trees and downed wood. Forests can be evergreen, deciduous, or mixed and are often old, particularly in the West. In the East they live in young forests as well and may even be seen in partially wooded suburbs and backyards".
If you already have the info where to find them - just ignore my post!
What I found in The CornellLab is this (copy and paste): "Pileated Woodpeckers are forest birds that require large, standing dead trees and downed wood. Forests can be evergreen, deciduous, or mixed and are often old, particularly in the West. In the East they live in young forests as well and may even be seen in partially wooded suburbs and backyards".
If you already have the info where to find them - just ignore my post!
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ISv said:
Thank you, ISv! I live south of Atlanta, GA, and they live here. I have seen them but too far way for my kit (200mm max). I very much want an affordable 400 or 500mm prime.
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Jack Douglas said:
Thanks, Jack. Coming from you, I am very complimented. Your avatar draws my eye every time you post.
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chrysoberyl, we're all here enjoying whatever each is able to accomplish. I've tried and given up pleading my only average capability (but exceptional persistence). I think it was Alan F who commented some time back about the most impressive photos of birds usually involving hides of bating or similar. To some extent that's true, I believe.
At some point, I concluded that my photos of what's around me were never going to be very impressive unless I took the bull by the horns. I had a barn shed with an attic that was kind of low but by putting up a "bell tower" it would be tall enough for me to stand. I constructed the tower and put cutouts on 3 sides and started shooting form there using a gimbal. Being close to a nice grove of trees and with added stumps for birds to perch on I started spending time up there, even in the winter, with a heater at my feet and the results blew me away.
This is where I managed a lot of my Pileated woodpecker shots that were impressive. Just walking around I would never get such shots, as a rule, but I have lucked out on occasion (now at 800 mm I do better). This year, sadly, I've only seen a Pileated once and I didn't scramble to shoot it because I have many run of the mill shots. I really miss them. The trees we generally have around here don't strike me as being big enough for their nests but obviously I must be wrong. They like suet so you can try that to attract them - poke it into tree cracks and rotten stumps that are visible to you.
Here is an old shot showing the tell tale suit on beak, shot with 300 mm and often I'd even use the 70-200.
Jack
At some point, I concluded that my photos of what's around me were never going to be very impressive unless I took the bull by the horns. I had a barn shed with an attic that was kind of low but by putting up a "bell tower" it would be tall enough for me to stand. I constructed the tower and put cutouts on 3 sides and started shooting form there using a gimbal. Being close to a nice grove of trees and with added stumps for birds to perch on I started spending time up there, even in the winter, with a heater at my feet and the results blew me away.
This is where I managed a lot of my Pileated woodpecker shots that were impressive. Just walking around I would never get such shots, as a rule, but I have lucked out on occasion (now at 800 mm I do better). This year, sadly, I've only seen a Pileated once and I didn't scramble to shoot it because I have many run of the mill shots. I really miss them. The trees we generally have around here don't strike me as being big enough for their nests but obviously I must be wrong. They like suet so you can try that to attract them - poke it into tree cracks and rotten stumps that are visible to you.
Here is an old shot showing the tell tale suit on beak, shot with 300 mm and often I'd even use the 70-200.
Jack
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Thanks click. Nothing new to post anyway and I typically never post hi rez but in this case why not in case someone likes to see this amazing bird up close. I got such a boost of adrenaline every time the opportunity presented itself. So Blessed.
Jack
Jack
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