Show your Bird Portraits

[Isaac Grant]

Thanks Graham and Click. I got about 10 really good ones in this burst. Really cool. I was having a problem metering the gulls properly. Sun was about 30 minutes from setting so was very low in sky. Water was dark but bird was bright. Evaluative metering was just making the gull too dark. I changed to spot metering and then the action started. With the wings raised the shots were at 1/3200 or higher. Great for freezing the action but then the water looks too dark compared to reality. I messed with this pic a lot trying to make it better and then deleted all I did and left it with very little done to it. Just sharpened and a bit of contrast. Think it is the best version. Will post a few more soon.

 

[Ryananthony]

Just a chickadee showing me its good side. 7d + Sigma 150-600c

IMG_8159 by nayrtk2011, on Flickr

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Ryan.
Nice shot, cute little beggar isn't it!

Cheers, Graham.

Just a chickadee showing me its good side. 7d + Sigma 150-600c

 

[Jack Douglas]

Don't know why this happens to me - I often don't get the emails saying new posts have arrived even though I'm faithful in responding to them!?

Anyway, these past few posts have been great, in particular that cool reflection.

What I have here is not up to our threads high standard but sometimes you have to be happy with what you get and understand that folks may still appreciate it. So here is the best I have been able to do so far, yes from far. The opportunities often come at dusk!

Jack

 

[FEBS]

Some birds of my trip to Uganda:

Enjoy !!!

 

[lion rock]

Jack,
Somehow those woodpeckers are just so attractive! Wonderful capture!
Just this morning when I was walking my dogs, I heard the loud call of a pileated. Then saw it flew to my neighbor's tree. Just right after, another call from quite far away, I saw it flew right to the same tree from over 500 feet away. A pair of them on the same tree, and I didn't have my camera with me.
I have identified a dead tree in my back yard I can use with the method you suggested. Just that I still have to work and don't have time to watch the tree during the day yet. Anyhow, I'll absolutely do as you suggested. Your pileated photos are simply great!
-r

 

[lion rock]

FEBS,
Beautiful captures.
The sixth photo of that bird with the big beak is simple comical.
-r

 

[FEBS]

FEBS,
Beautiful captures.
The sixth photo of that bird with the big beak is simple comical.
-r

Thanks Lion Rock,

It's called the shoebill. It a member (are even only member ) of the family Balaenicipitidae . They are still living in Uganda. Worldwide their quantities decreased the last years. In 2012, they were expecting only 5 to 8000 pieces left.

We had the opportunity to see 5 of them.

 

[lion rock]

FEBS,
Thanks for the info.
Sad that we are seeing the decline of many species of wild creatures.
Glad you share your observations.
-r

 

[Jack Douglas]

lion rock, I guarantee you will be pinching yourself when you get to see the action more often and closer. I am now making my own very tasty suet with fermented crab apples included in the mix for that wee bit of extra flavour. It's heated up so no, they don't get drunk. Now that I've had a taste of some Pileated BIF I won't rest until I get some decent shots, don't care how frustrating it gets.

FEBS, what a wonderful experience with all the wildlife - thanks for sharing.

Jack

 

[AlanF]

Don't know why this happens to me - I often don't get the emails saying new posts have arrived even though I'm faithful in responding to them!?

Anyway, these past few posts have been great, in particular that cool reflection.

What I have here is not up to our threads high standard but sometimes you have to be happy with what you get and understand that folks may still appreciate it. So here is the best I have been able to do so far, yes from far. The opportunities often come at dusk!

Jack

Jack
You are too used to posting here - these are "Birds in Flight"!

 

[Jack Douglas]

Hey Alan, they are so poor that I didn't dare to put them there.

This thread is "Post your bird portrait" while the other is "BIF ONLY". Since joining it didn't seem the portrait aspect was being followed too closely so I've taken the liberty but I will transition to be more consistent. Thanks for the reminder.

In case anyone is interested in details, here is my male baby a couple months after my past posted family shot with daddy feeding the baby. Notice the beak area and pileus. Not quite as cute now.

Jack

 

[AlanF]

Some birds of my trip to Uganda:
Enjoy !!!

Beautiful!

 

[AlanF]

Jack
One more of my Canadians from the summer. It's pretty grim here at the moment.

 

[Don Haines]

Some birds of my trip to Uganda:

Very nice..... quite the assortment!

 

[Don Haines]

Don't know why this happens to me - I often don't get the emails saying new posts have arrived even though I'm faithful in responding to them!?

Anyway, these past few posts have been great, in particular that cool reflection.

What I have here is not up to our threads high standard but sometimes you have to be happy with what you get and understand that folks may still appreciate it. So here is the best I have been able to do so far, yes from far. The opportunities often come at dusk!

Jack

I have never managed to get a pileated in flight.... they are surprisingly quick... good job, and particularly so to get one this nice under dusk conditions.....

 

[Jack Douglas]

Hey Don, you have made my day. I'm pretty self-depreciating and am not very good at BIF. BUT, true to my nature I will not give up. Piliated WPs are both fast and slow but what's making it tricky is I never know which way they are heading but I'm working on figuring that our by observation. They are creatures of habit to some extent. If there is a flight path between known roosts they tend to glide or swoop if it's not too far. We shall see how it goes.

Alan, here it's just what I imagine England is like, as you describe. I've put in an order for some sunlight but I keep getting ignored. Meanwhile the freeloaders devour my food cloudy or sunny. I must have every bird within miles mooching here and I'll be going broke.

Jack

 

[Jack Douglas]

Alan, I thought that was a Downy but its got red on top of its head?

Jack

 

[Don Haines]

Hey Don, you have made my day. I'm pretty self-depreciating and am not very good at BIF. BUT, true to my nature I will not give up. Piliated WPs are both fast and slow but what's making it tricky is I never know which way they are heading but I'm working on figuring that our by observation. They are creatures of habit to some extent. If there is a flight path between known roosts they tend to glide or swoop if it's not too far. We shall see how it goes.

Alan, here it's just what I imagine England is like, as you describe. I've put in an order for some sunlight but I keep getting ignored. Meanwhile the freeloaders devour my food cloudy or sunny. I must have every bird within miles mooching here and I'll be going broke.

Jack

This is my "dusk woodpecker" taken yesterday.... I get Hairy, Downy, and Piliateds here fairly often.... I had to shoot at ISO1000 and 1/160 seconds so there goes all the feather detail.....

 

[Jack Douglas]

Don, as you know it's wonderful to watch their antics and learn more about our wonderful wildlife. I'm also getting the two varieties of Northern flickers but they are more shy.

The Pileated WP's were very shy last year but yesterday I slowly walked to within 4' of one (no camera). I'm totally blown away by the transition. I think it's partly that the growing youngsters have been around me consistently, since I'm retired.

Speaking of learning by observing it finally sunk in that the birds don't devour the berries until they are fully ripe. Fortunately they don't all ripen at the same time.

Jack