A Few Birds From Recent Outings...

[jprzybyla]

Female Anhinga... I found this bird perched on a large wooden post near a water control station. The perch screamed man-made and added nothing to the image. So with the accommodation of the bird I moved in close for a portrait.



Ring-billed Gull... pretty much the same thing with this gull. It was perched on a concrete wall at a lake in the center of Lakeland, Florida.



Green Heron... I found this bird along one of the trails at Circle B Bar Reserve. When I moved to isolate the bird against a background that would be out of focus the light was coming slightly from the side.



Cattle Egret... this image was captured at Circle B Bar Reserve. The light was slightly from the left side.



Eastern Meadowlark... this image was captured along Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, Florida. Shot from inside the vehicle through an open window.

[ajohnw]

A nice series of natural shots Joe.

Looking at the exif I notice a 400mm lens. Could you tell me which one it is?

John
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[jprzybyla]

A nice series of natural shots Joe.

Looking at the exif I notice a 400mm lens. Could you tell me which one it is?

John
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Hi John, thank you for viewing and commenting. The lens is the new Nikon 80-400, the one listed as " AF-S Nikkor 80-400 1:4.5-5.6G ED. Great lens, sharp at all focal lengths, only downside is that it is a little heavy.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[deetheturk]

Wonderful as always Joe!

[bnnrcn]

Beautiful images as always

[FrankMi]

Lovely captures and great catch-lights in the eyes!

[Suzan J]

Hi Joe: I see you are making good use of your new lens. As usual, your bird shots are flawless. I especially like the composition and soft background of the meadowlark.

[Brownbear]

All absolutely exquisite. Beautifully photographed! I'm choosing the Anhinga as my favourite simply because it's especially unique and the bird has a certain look in its' eye.

[IzzieK]

Hi Joe...I like #1 very much for the expression on its face...looks cheeky.

[Otavio]

All very nice, as always, Joe. My favourite is the Anhinga. This is a darn good lens, by the way! Congratulations.

[ajohnw]

Must admit I always like Joe's PP. Fairly subtle.

I had a feeling it might be that particular lens. Just why do they have to be so heavy. Physics I suppose.

John
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[Nicks Pics]

Hi Joe,
Not that I consider my posts as such, but it's great to see some excellent bird images posted here to look at. All of these have a great amount of detail, (though I can't quite see how much detail there is in the egret, being of small size) and all look like they have few imperfections, if any. I am wondering about the dark line at the top of the anhinga's bill, whether that is just natural or if it is an artificial outline made from sharpening. Very smooth surfaces can sometimes show a pencil-outline look after sharpening. It is interesting that you mentioned the angle of the light, as I was noticing the angles as I viewed the photos, I don't mind the angled lighting on the heron or the egret, as their faces are not shadowed it is probably beneficial, for a photograph, as it helps them look more three-dimensional whereas the gull looks a little more flat.

I want to compliment the composition on the egret and the Lark. The river and the flowers along with the flying egret in the frame is a special capture. The lark is great too, with the off-set bird and the flowers on the other side. I looked at the data from the lark image(I hope you don't mind) and I'm wondering why you would choose to shoot at iso 640 to get 1/2000 shutter speed, rather than use lower settings for a perching bird. Or it could be that you were just prepared for flight.

Thanks for sharing!

[kaneohebud]

Hi Joe:
All great shots, as usual.

Heading your way next week. First stop will be a morning in Vierra wetlands, then after Thanksgiving with relatives will spend a few hours in Wakodohatchee wetlands. From there we're heading north to Jacksonville area, Savannah, and Charleston for a few days each. Mostly a visit friends and family trip but plan to get in as many photo ops as time will allow. How are the birds this year? Any recommendations for shooting spots?

[NorthernFocus]

Excellent set as usual, Joe. The anhinga shot is killer and the green heron is a classic sitting on that weathered perch. Nicely done.

[John 2]

The Green Heron and the Meadowlark for me Joe but the whole series is up to your usual high standard.

[Ziggy]

Just a great series of bird captures. Enjoyed the Green Heron shot the best.

[Downrigger]

All wonderful - per usual, Joe.

[jprzybyla]

Nice series.

Thanks John, very much appreciated.

[jprzybyla]

Wonderful as always Joe!

David, thank you for viewing and commenting. I very much appreciated it.