Show your Bird Portraits

[Maximilian]

Some of you know that I am really in love with kingfishers.
After a long time, hearing them quite often, seeing them not often enough, having close encounters of almost crashing into me in flight (< 3 m) while I was shooting dragonflies, but never having the chance to even aim at them, I could get at least these photos from one kingfisher.

The series is a 1:1 crop, as it was still very far away.
And you can see from the series, that when I was slowly and carefully trying to get closer, it turned towards me.
As I was partly covered by reed, it straightened up, saw me, gave a warning whistle and was gone in a blue and orange flash
But I was satisfied.
R6m2, @500mm+1:1 cropping

 

[Canon Rumors]

Malachite Kingfisher // Amboseli, Kenya // EOS-1D Mark IV // EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM 1.4x TC​

 

[MSH411]

Crazy beautiful series CR Guy!

 

[Canon Rumors]

Crazy beautiful series CR Guy!

Thanks man.... I was having a missing Africa day, so I went through some old stuff.

 

[Click]

Beautiful series, CR Guy.

 

[Maximilian]

Thanks man.... I was having a missing Africa day, so I went through some old stuff.

Great series! Esp. the kingfishers, that I love so much (see my post above)
So, a superb therapy to get that old stuff out again, Craig.
Just beautiful.
And it makes my wish even stronger, to travel to Africa.

 

[Canon Rumors]

Great series! Esp. the kingfishers, that I love so much (see my post above)
So, a superb therapy to get that old stuff out again, Craig.
Just beautiful.
And it makes my wish even stronger, to travel to Africa.

It's my favourite place on the planet. Thankfully I have two trips (South Africa & Botswana/Zambia) in 2025... can't wait.

 

[Maximilian]

It's my favourite place on the planet. ...

It seems that we all have it in our genes that this is the place where it all started with mankind (edit: oh, I wasn't correct: humankind )

 

[Canon Rumors]

It seems that we all have it in our genes that this is the place where it all started with mankind

I think about that often when there.

 

[Nemorino]

R5 + RF 100-500L
@ 1/4000s, f/7.1, iso 25 600

 

[AlanF]

Craig has raised the bar for BIF. Here's some from the Inner Farne Island from where we have just got back. I had intended to shoot Puffins in flight with the RF100-500mm on the R5, as I had written a week or so ago. But, a boat was leaving for the island just as we arrived and we hopped on it even though I had the RF200-800mm. Zoomed out to 450mm, it behaved better than I had hoped and I was able to get enough shots with Puffins flying in with sand eels in their beaks. Lucky we took that boat because the weather became dire for boats the next day. The dull light was good because reflected bright sunlight bleaches the fish

 

[AlanF]

Those birds are smaller than you might think, under 16"/40cm long, and they fly like bats out of hell to avoid the gulls who try to steal their fish. Here is an animated gif in real time of 18 shots in 0.9 seconds.

 

[EricN]

Craig has raised the bar for BIF. Here's some from the Inner Farne Island from where we have just got back. I had intended to shoot Puffins in flight with the RF100-500mm on the R5, as I had written a week or so ago. But, a boat was leaving for the island just as we arrived and we hopped on it even though I had the RF200-800mm. Zoomed out to 450mm, it behaved better than I had hoped and I was able to get enough shots with Puffins flying in with sand eels in their beaks. Lucky we took that boat because the weather became dire for boats the next day. The dull light was good because reflected bright sunlight bleaches the fish

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I keep being impressed by the 200-800! Would you say between 200 and 400 it's image quality is similar to the ef 100-400ii?
Great photos as always from you and the others posters this week!

I think it's a pair of Poopoe.

 

[AlanF]

I keep being impressed by the 200-800! Would you say between 200 and 400 it's image quality is similar to the ef 100-400ii?
Great photos as always from you and the others posters this week!

I think it's a pair of Poopoe.
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View attachment 218063

Hoopoe - no poo on them. The RF 200-800mm, mine at least, is as sharp at 400mm as the EF 100-400mm ii or RF 100-500mm at 400mm, but narrower. At 600mm and below, the big lens is really very sharp indeed. Above 600mm, you put more pixels on target with no gain in resolution.

 

[Maximilian]

Craig has raised the bar for BIF. Here's some from the Inner Farne Island from where we have just got back. I had intended to shoot Puffins in flight with the RF100-500mm on the R5, as I had written a week or so ago. But, a boat was leaving for the island just as we arrived and we hopped on it even though I had the RF200-800mm. Zoomed out to 450mm, it behaved better than I had hoped and I was able to get enough shots with Puffins flying in with sand eels in their beaks. Lucky we took that boat because the weather became dire for boats the next day. The dull light was good because reflected bright sunlight bleaches the fish

Just beautiful

 

[Maximilian]

I keep being impressed by the 200-800! Would you say between 200 and 400 it's image quality is similar to the ef 100-400ii?
Great photos as always from you and the others posters this week!

I think it's a pair of Poopoe.

Lovely, Eric

 

[Maximilian]

Not as beautiful and technically perfect as yours, but a first timer for me:
I know that water rails (rallus aquaticus) live with us. I hear their calls, which sometimes sound like a pig being stabbed.
But they are also masters of hiding in the reeds. I had never seen them until two days ago.
Now they were in a pitch-dark bush, even backlit (I know, that contradicts "pitch-dark" ).
The photos are correspondingly mediocre. But I even saw their chicks, even if I couldn't photograph them.
That's why I retreated again after a few photos.
I love the one with the light shining through the nostrils
R6m2, @500mm, f/7.1, 1/20-1/80, ISO6400 + min. 1 ev pushing, I didn't have the time to adapt max. ISO

 

[EricN]

Lovely, Eric

Thank you. There's a lot to see in Thailand if you can get out to the countryside. Even the suburbs have small farms where you can see a few larger birds.

 

[ISv]

View attachment 218002

Snowy Owl // My House, Canada // EOS-1D Mark IV // EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM​

I wouldn't say the Snow Owl is less impressive than the Africans! Great shots!

 

[ISv]

Craig has raised the bar for BIF. Here's some from the Inner Farne Island from where we have just got back. I had intended to shoot Puffins in flight with the RF100-500mm on the R5, as I had written a week or so ago. But, a boat was leaving for the island just as we arrived and we hopped on it even though I had the RF200-800mm. Zoomed out to 450mm, it behaved better than I had hoped and I was able to get enough shots with Puffins flying in with sand eels in their beaks. Lucky we took that boat because the weather became dire for boats the next day. The dull light was good because reflected bright sunlight bleaches the fish

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That bar doesn't look that tall for you !