Show your Bird Portraits

[dcm]

American White Pelicans in northern Colorado
R6m2, RF 800 f/11, RF 1.4x, DxO PL7

 

[Click]

I really like the second one. Well done, dcm.

 

[Click]

Great Blue Heron by dawn's early light

 

[Click]

Here's another taken early in the morning

 

[becceric]

Here's another taken early in the morning
View attachment 219884

You've got this kayaking close-to-subject thing down pat, Click. Soon you can hand them your smartphone for selfies.

 

[dcm]

Great Blue Heron near sunset
R6m2, RF 800 f/11, RF 1.4x, DxO PL8

 

[Nemorino]

Treecreeper
R5 + RF 100-500L + 1.4TC
@ 1/4000s, f/10, iso 8000

 

[Click]

Great Blue Heron near sunset
R6m2, RF 800 f/11, RF 1.4x, DxO PL8

I really like this shot. Beautiful light.

 

[AlanF]

A rare Blacknecked Grebe has appeared in a local lake and stirring up some interest. It's very difficult to locate as the lake is very large, the bird keeps in the centre, is the same size and profile as a Little Grebe and there are 60 of those on the lake. Today, at my fourth visit, I at last saw it got in a shot or two. The bird is tiny, only 240 px long in the image from 800mm. Now, for those who like quoting effective focal lengths, the image here is 612 px wide from a full width of 8192 pixels, which is a crop factor of 13.4. So, the effective focal length is 10,720mm.

 

[dcm]

Great Blue Heron (continued). Processed a few more poses.
R6m2, RF 800 f/11, RF 1.4x, DxO PL8

Seems like it should fall over at any second.

 

[Noreaster]

 

[ISv]

A rare Blacknecked Grebe has appeared in a local lake and stirring up some interest. It's very difficult to locate as the lake is very large, the bird keeps in the centre, is the same size and profile as a Little Grebe and there are 60 of those on the lake. Today, at my fourth visit, I at last saw it got in a shot or two. The bird is tiny, only 240 px long in the image from 800mm. Now, for those who like quoting effective focal lengths, the image here is 612 px wide from a full width of 8192 pixels, which is a crop factor of 13.4. So, the effective focal length is 10,720mm.

View attachment 219922

Congratulations Alan! I know the tremor when you see something rare... and I know the pain when the circumstances are against you in photographic aspect: I always feel it like a half done work (but still happy that I saw it )!!!

 

[ISv]

Today it was a walk just to get some fresh material for the new PL8. Still have to learn it (especially the color rendering!). For now - kind of mixed feelings but these are not a photos in good light! Hot and the birds are hiding in deep shade... Looks promising for now (I have the PL7 installed and except the few attempts to get how it would work for what I shoot I have never used it! - must be better for a landscape shooters...). With this one I have to shoot in good light in order to say how the "color chemistry" is working for a wild life...

 

[Click]

Dcm, Noreaster and ISv,

Beautiful series, guys.

 

[AlanF]

Went back a fifth time to get a good shot of the rare Blecknecked Grebe, and success at last - it briefly came close enough at 800mm with the R5ii. Look at that eye! The AF of the 200-800mm does seem much more consistent on the R5 Mark ii than on the R5.

 

[Noreaster]

 

[ISv]

Went back a fifth time to get a good shot of the rare Blecknecked Grebe, and success at last - it briefly came close enough at 800mm with the R5ii. Look at that eye! The AF of the 200-800mm does seem much more consistent on the R5 Mark ii than on the R5.

View attachment 219945

You made it!!! Persistence, persistence and some luck (with the persistence the luck usually comes!)!

 

[ISv]

I was again busy in the morning today. At noon hardly "good light".
First to explain the scenario: walking down the path in the park I noticed a fisherman and two Night Herons around him. Just took a rest on nearby bench to rest and drink a water - and off course to see what the Herons are doing there. I was just watching the fisherman catching fish after fish - with release on the grass! Feeding the Herons! Time to time there was a kind of fight between the adult and sub-adult. The adult was always winner, it got full and stopped feeding (just took a branch on the tree above and watched!). The fisherman noticed that I'm taking photos and put a fish much closer to me -too close and it was the last fish for the adult.
It was a time to the immature to eat... I told the fisherman that it's to close for my lens (actually he came to me to see the photos) and after that the collaboration was good. Then younger bird got full in short time and become picky! Taking that Tilapia several times and releasing it - many times and finally didn't eat it - maybe didn't like the taste already (hello? what do expect - salmon? marlin?!)?
Edited: the raised feathers on the back of the adult are just a signal to the immature: "don't even think about it!!!"

 

[Click]

Sympathetic story. Very nice shots. Thanks for sharing, ISv.

 

[AlanF]

You made it!!! Persistence, persistence and some luck (with the persistence the luck usually comes!)!

I was again busy in the morning today. At noon hardly "good light".

Pasteur said that "Luck favours the well-prepared mind". I say that luck favours the lucky photographer with the well-prepared camera. However, the persistent one does well!