Show your Bird Portraits

[Mr Bean]

White Faced Heron. Happened to capture this one as it was being chased off by a number of Noisy Miner birds. At first, it headed away, then looped back over me. You can plan as much as you with these things, but, luck does help
5D3 with 300mm f4

 

[dolina]

Thoughts for the day:

As many of you may have seen online or on the telly the Philippines got hit really bad by a Category 5 Super Typhoon by the name of Haiyan/Yolanda.

The mayhem, destruction and death has really weighed on me for the past two weeks.

Just makes you wonder what the future holds for everyone with this being the most deadly Typhoon in the history of my country.

True ... but most people think about such things only when disasters like these happen and eventually forget about it ... but we can do our little bit on a day to day basis that could make the recovery from these disasters a lot faster ... e.g. in many Asian countries (especially in India) millions of people throw away plastic bags which eventually find their way into the drains that choke up the outlets of the drains into the sea ... what this does during heavy rains or when there are disasters like these is, the water on the streets builds up without any way to recede (due to the outlets being clogged with plastic bags) ... as we all know stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and diseases ... every year far too many people (who actually survived deadly desasters) die due to sicknesses that could have been prevented in the first place with just a little discipline. The worst part about this is that its not just the uneducated who throw plastic bags, even the educated do it. I know we cannot stop disasters like these deadly typhoons but a little effort on our part, ona daily basis, will go a long way in the recovery process. Every year during monsoons (rainy season) we go on awareness campaigns to educate people on proper disposal of plastic bags, but its just a very small drop in the ocean.
Almost forgot, very nice image of the Cattle Egret.
Cheers

For this most deadly of all Typhoons plastics and other rubbish played little part in the flooding within the city of Tacloban and other places. The one-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h (196 mph) were reported and water from the storm surge were seen to be higher than 3 m (10 feet) as far in land as 2 km (1.25 miles) from the shore line.

Rubbish and other human obstructions plays a part in other typhoons but this is way way different.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Can't help it. ;D Here's another waxwing, a lot plumper than she'll be in a few months!

6D 300 X2 800th F11 ISO 1250

Jack

 

[jrista]

Thanks for the posts everyone and Mr Bean for the feedback.

Gear isn't everything but here's what I never post that disappoints me relative to the 6D. I've tried very hard but might get 10% if lucky. This might help someone who's shopping/thinking (I knew before I bought and accepted it).

Of course I have not given up on another camera when Canon gets it out the door, cause I'm hooked on my 300 with extenders hand held.

I guess it's possible that the flight focus problem is adding the 2X but I think it's more the 6D. Monday my friend will have his new 1Dx and thereafter I'll begin to see what's up, since we shoot together often.

Jack

You need pretty fast focus to focus flight leaps like that. If you have slapped a 2x TC onto something, then even if you had the 1D X, it would still be pretty difficult to nail that kind of shot. Most of the time, flight shots of the kind you tried are setups, where you create an initial pre-flight perch for birds to land on, then a goody tray or something similar a specific distance away from the pre-flight perch. You set your camera up pointed at the space between the two, and just wait. When the birds make their short little flight from the initial perch to the goodies, you have your moment.

It also helps to use tighter apertures. It is really tough, even assuming you nail focus, to keep the bird focused, if you use a narrow aperture. Stopping down a bit helps solve softness problems, but most of it is really getting the setup created, and attracting birds to it.

I was just searching for a BIF to illustrate and as my friend pointed out I was using 1/800th, which would never cut it. So the previous shot is not a good example although I doubt the focus would be bang on anyway, as this is not the first time and I have had higher speeds on different occasions.

So, here's what tends to happen to me and maybe someone has a suggestion. In the case of the waxwings my expectation was to get the highest, closest to filled frame shot at lower ISO that I could get, with enough DOF. I was thinking perched not flight and so 1/800th seemed a good choice. With hindsight given the number of birds and opportunities I should have known there could be some flying/fluttering birds that could be nice captures. How would you approach this situation??

Jack

Use the longest lens you can get your hand on. Do NOT try to fill the frame...you want some wiggle room in the frame. So long as the bird is 50% or larger, you'll be fine on detail. Use high ISO. Using a lower ISO that you have to boost in post is really no different than using a higher ISO, with the exception that the lower ISO will have more read (shadow) noise. Use whatever ISO is necessary to keep your frame rate high. Note that some motion blur in the tips of the wings is usually a nice touch, so you don't necessarily want 1/4000s. Something around 1/1250 to 1/1600 should be fine, and even as low as 1/800s if you are aming for more blur in the wings.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Thanks jrista! Everytime someone offers advice like this it helps technically as well as in the expectation department. It's easy, based on lots of 1Dx comments to assume it nails everything. Or maybe it's convenient to assume if you're trying to convince your wife you need one. ;D

Do folks do such setups even in the wild or are you referring more to feeder type birds or maybe Serendipidy's heron

Jack

 

[jrista]

Thanks jrista! Everytime someone offers advice like this it helps technically as well as in the expectation department. It's easy, based on lots of 1Dx comments to assume it nails everything. Or maybe it's convenient to assume if you're trying to convince your wife you need one. ;D

Do folks do such setups even in the wild or are you referring more to feeder type birds or maybe Serendipidy's heron

Jack

Well, can't help much in the wife department there, I'm afraid. That is each and every man's own battle.

As for the 1D X, it is an eminently capable camera, for sure. That said, slow focus is slow focus, regardless of the body used. At f/5.6 and f/8, Canon purposely slows down AF in order to support phase detection in the lesser amount of light. No way around that unless you use a cheat or a hack, such as using a Kenko TC or taping pins, but then, while AF may be fast, it is bound to be inaccurate too (or not lock at all.)

As for setups, both backyard and out in the wild, really. I may have mentioned these to you before, but you should really pick up Alan Murphy's ebooks on bird setup photography. Extremely useful tips and tricks, regardless of the setting: http://www.alanmurphyphotography.com/ebook.htm.

I've used the backyard setup photography tricks in the past to get some pretty good shots. Once I learned the trick, you begin to realize that pretty much ALL of the songbird photos you really love are without question setups. It is nearly impossible to get great composition with bird photography with 100% natural settings...there are just too many unknowns, birds are too chaotic, to really support getting ideal, clean perches and pristine backgrounds without a setup. While it IS possible to get birds in flight without a setup, for those close up action shots where birds are in amazing poses, your hit rate will be far higher with a setup than without.

I've been meaning to try setting up some raptor and owl perches, as well as groundfowl "traps" (i.e. set up a trail of seed up a makeshift ramp to a setup rock or tree stump perch for quail and pheasant) at some of the nearby nature parks. I haven't had much time lately, and the temperatures are really cold right now (teens), so I haven't had much motivation. Alan's books also cover how to use audio to attract various kinds of birds, how to bait birds, etc.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Thanks again jrista. That's very thorough and helpful. The link didn't work but I'll track the book down shortly. Since our last interaction I've bought:

Stephenson, Tom "The Warbler Guide"

"Sparrows of the United States and Canada: The Photographic Guide"
Beadle, David; Paperback

The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Western Region

and they are great but not in the way your suggested book would be. In due course I guess; there is so much to learn!

Being an acreage dweller, my back yard would work for some staging. I've gotten quite a bit already without.

Moose and deer wander in but I've wondered about a salt lick to encourage them. Of course with deer trying to eat my fenced peas my wife doesn't like that idea - but winter would work.

I don't have a quality feeder and mine is really close so basically I get chickadees, but much more is possible there too. You've convinced me.

Hmm, but this sounds kind of like cheating!?

Jack

 

[jrista]

The link didn't work but I'll track the book down shortly.

Sorry...the period at the end got included in the link for some reason. Drop the period, and it should work.

Hmm, but this sounds kind of like cheating!?

Once you see the results, you won't think that. ;D

 

[Rienzphotoz]

Thoughts for the day:

As many of you may have seen online or on the telly the Philippines got hit really bad by a Category 5 Super Typhoon by the name of Haiyan/Yolanda.

The mayhem, destruction and death has really weighed on me for the past two weeks.

Just makes you wonder what the future holds for everyone with this being the most deadly Typhoon in the history of my country.

True ... but most people think about such things only when disasters like these happen and eventually forget about it ... but we can do our little bit on a day to day basis that could make the recovery from these disasters a lot faster ... e.g. in many Asian countries (especially in India) millions of people throw away plastic bags which eventually find their way into the drains that choke up the outlets of the drains into the sea ... what this does during heavy rains or when there are disasters like these is, the water on the streets builds up without any way to recede (due to the outlets being clogged with plastic bags) ... as we all know stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and diseases ... every year far too many people (who actually survived deadly desasters) die due to sicknesses that could have been prevented in the first place with just a little discipline. The worst part about this is that its not just the uneducated who throw plastic bags, even the educated do it. I know we cannot stop disasters like these deadly typhoons but a little effort on our part, ona daily basis, will go a long way in the recovery process. Every year during monsoons (rainy season) we go on awareness campaigns to educate people on proper disposal of plastic bags, but its just a very small drop in the ocean.
Almost forgot, very nice image of the Cattle Egret.
Cheers

For this most deadly of all Typhoons plastics and other rubbish played little part in the flooding within the city of Tacloban and other places. The one-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h (196 mph) were reported and water from the storm surge were seen to be higher than 3 m (10 feet) as far in land as 2 km (1.25 miles) from the shore line.

Rubbish and other human obstructions plays a part in other typhoons but this is way way different.

Where did I say rubbish and other human obstructions played a part in this typhoon? Let me re-quote what I said for your ease of reference: "I know we cannot stop disasters like these deadly typhoons but a little effort on our part, on a daily basis, will go a long way in the recovery process".

 

[Vossie]

Last summer rented the 600 f/4 II for a weekend to capture kingfishers at the "Oostvaardersplassen" in The Netherlands. I got quite lucky.

5D3, 600 f/4 L II + 1.4x III, f/5.6, 1/400, ISO 1250. I did not use a tripod but was sitting on my knees with a fallen tree as support. The image is uncropped. The amount of detail that this lens can resolve (look at the feathers and water droplets at full res) is amazing.

IMG_3067 by Vossie_NL, on Flickr

 

[Don Haines]

Sorry...the period at the end got included in the link for some reason. Drop the period, and it should work.

Hmm, but this sounds kind of like cheating!?

Once you see the results, you won't think that. ;D

It is no more cheating than hiring a model for a studio shoot..... and the best thing is that chickadees will work for peanuts

 

[Don Haines]

I have about 10,000 geese in the bay behind the house! They are LOUD!!!

The second shot is a 7 picture panorama and shows about 5 percent of the total flock....

 

[dolina]

Thoughts for the day:

As many of you may have seen online or on the telly the Philippines got hit really bad by a Category 5 Super Typhoon by the name of Haiyan/Yolanda.

The mayhem, destruction and death has really weighed on me for the past two weeks.

Just makes you wonder what the future holds for everyone with this being the most deadly Typhoon in the history of my country.

True ... but most people think about such things only when disasters like these happen and eventually forget about it ... but we can do our little bit on a day to day basis that could make the recovery from these disasters a lot faster ... e.g. in many Asian countries (especially in India) millions of people throw away plastic bags which eventually find their way into the drains that choke up the outlets of the drains into the sea ... what this does during heavy rains or when there are disasters like these is, the water on the streets builds up without any way to recede (due to the outlets being clogged with plastic bags) ... as we all know stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and diseases ... every year far too many people (who actually survived deadly desasters) die due to sicknesses that could have been prevented in the first place with just a little discipline. The worst part about this is that its not just the uneducated who throw plastic bags, even the educated do it. I know we cannot stop disasters like these deadly typhoons but a little effort on our part, ona daily basis, will go a long way in the recovery process. Every year during monsoons (rainy season) we go on awareness campaigns to educate people on proper disposal of plastic bags, but its just a very small drop in the ocean.
Almost forgot, very nice image of the Cattle Egret.
Cheers

For this most deadly of all Typhoons plastics and other rubbish played little part in the flooding within the city of Tacloban and other places. The one-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h (196 mph) were reported and water from the storm surge were seen to be higher than 3 m (10 feet) as far in land as 2 km (1.25 miles) from the shore line.

Rubbish and other human obstructions plays a part in other typhoons but this is way way different.

Where did I say rubbish and other human obstructions played a part in this typhoon? Let me re-quote what I said for your ease of reference: "I know we cannot stop disasters like these deadly typhoons but a little effort on our part, on a daily basis, will go a long way in the recovery process".

Dude, seriously? Forgot, this is the Internet.

 

[Eldar]

I have about 10,000 geese in the bay behind the house! They are LOUD!!!

The second shot is a 7 picture panorama and shows about 5 percent of the total flock....

Foie gras anyone?

 

[Rienzphotoz]

Thoughts for the day:

As many of you may have seen online or on the telly the Philippines got hit really bad by a Category 5 Super Typhoon by the name of Haiyan/Yolanda.

The mayhem, destruction and death has really weighed on me for the past two weeks.

Just makes you wonder what the future holds for everyone with this being the most deadly Typhoon in the history of my country.

True ... but most people think about such things only when disasters like these happen and eventually forget about it ... but we can do our little bit on a day to day basis that could make the recovery from these disasters a lot faster ... e.g. in many Asian countries (especially in India) millions of people throw away plastic bags which eventually find their way into the drains that choke up the outlets of the drains into the sea ... what this does during heavy rains or when there are disasters like these is, the water on the streets builds up without any way to recede (due to the outlets being clogged with plastic bags) ... as we all know stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and diseases ... every year far too many people (who actually survived deadly desasters) die due to sicknesses that could have been prevented in the first place with just a little discipline. The worst part about this is that its not just the uneducated who throw plastic bags, even the educated do it. I know we cannot stop disasters like these deadly typhoons but a little effort on our part, ona daily basis, will go a long way in the recovery process. Every year during monsoons (rainy season) we go on awareness campaigns to educate people on proper disposal of plastic bags, but its just a very small drop in the ocean.
Almost forgot, very nice image of the Cattle Egret.
Cheers

For this most deadly of all Typhoons plastics and other rubbish played little part in the flooding within the city of Tacloban and other places. The one-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h (196 mph) were reported and water from the storm surge were seen to be higher than 3 m (10 feet) as far in land as 2 km (1.25 miles) from the shore line.

Rubbish and other human obstructions plays a part in other typhoons but this is way way different.

Where did I say rubbish and other human obstructions played a part in this typhoon? Let me re-quote what I said for your ease of reference: "I know we cannot stop disasters like these deadly typhoons but a little effort on our part, on a daily basis, will go a long way in the recovery process".

Dude, seriously? Forgot, this is the Internet.

??? ... Whatever :

 

[Rienzphotoz]

I have about 10,000 geese in the bay behind the house! They are LOUD!!!

The second shot is a 7 picture panorama and shows about 5 percent of the total flock....

WOW! ... even the 5% looks like a lot ... that must be LOUD! ... nice pic.

 

[AlanF]

Lapwings, taken yesterday with 5DIII and 300mm f/2.8 II +2xTC at f/5.6.

 

[dolina]

Remix... same EXIF as above but recropped.


Spotted Wood Kingfisher (Actenoides lindsayi) by alabang, on Flickr

 

[Click]

Remix... same EXIF as above but recropped.

Beautiful colored bird. 8) Great shot Paolo

 

[Rienzphotoz]

Remix... same EXIF as above but recropped.

Beautiful colored bird. 8) Great shot Paolo

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