Assorted Birds...

[Nancy Moran G]

Great photos!
Am sending you a PM as I will be your area soon. Maybe we could go out for some shots?
Nancy

[jeeperman]

Nice work, Joe.

[kaneohebud]

Joe: Terrific bird photos as always. I envy your access to such diversity. The bird in question may be a Short-billed Dowitcher. The white stripe is challenging.......

See: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/S...d_Dowitcher/id

[rpcrowe]

Hello Joe,
Absolutely great captures (AS USUAL)!

[jprzybyla]

Joe,
I've seen enough of your photo's to say that perhaps "you" should start telling us how you shot some of these! Especially the ones in flight. I have yet to capture birds in flight with such focus.
Since you force me to find some minor defect in such beautiful photo's (oh the agony), then I would say it would be the Turkey Vulture. It has a slight blue tint to it.

Hi Orlando, thank you for viewing and commenting. What I am working on now is paying attention to light, how the light falls on the bird... trying to stay away from deep shadows and the resulting noise in those areas. As for birds in flight a shutter speed of 1/1600 or 1/2000 an aperture of f/8 witht the camera set to maintain continuous focus. It helps greatly if you can see the bird a distance away and follow it until the shutter is pressed keeping it in the center of the viewfinder. I shoot a lot of flying birds so my reactions are instinctive now, practice really goes a long way.

[jprzybyla]

I didn't think your bird pics could get much better than they have been lately. Well, I was mistaken. Phenomenal shots my friend!

Thank you so much Matt, comments like yours keeps me striving to improve.

[jprzybyla]

Joe, beautiful photos. The GBH with the snake is classic. I am guessing that your mystery bird is a Common Snipe. The striped head and barred flanks are typical of this species. And the habitat seems to fit as well.

Seems you have a great supply of birds to photograph and you make the most of it.

chuck

Thanks Chuck, very much appreciated. After your comment I looked up the Common Snipe... I agree that is it. The heron was classic, second one I saw that with a snake. My wife captured one with a very large Bluegill fish, it looked almost too big to eat.

[jprzybyla]

Ironically, the one bird that you can't identify is my favorite photo. Gorgeous portrait among all beautiful photos!

Hello Mike, thank you for viewing and commenting... very much appreciated.

[jprzybyla]

Hi Joe, could you please STOP posting these shots.. i am getting envious of them all !..lol
but seriously , another great collection, keep them coming

Thanks Steve, very much appreciated.

[jprzybyla]

Great photos!
Am sending you a PM as I will be your area soon. Maybe we could go out for some shots?
Nancy

Hello Nancy, thank you for viewing and commenting... very much appreciated.

[jprzybyla]

Nice work, Joe.

Thanks Paul, very much appreciated. Watching the weather on television it appears you have had some bad weather recently.

[jprzybyla]

Joe: Terrific bird photos as always. I envy your access to such diversity. The bird in question may be a Short-billed Dowitcher. The white stripe is challenging.......

See: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/S...d_Dowitcher/id

Hello Bud, thank you for viewing and commenting. Florida is a bird photographers paradise, especially in the winter. The day I captured these I met a gentleman from Germany who has been coming to Florida for nature photography for thirty years.

[jprzybyla]

Hello Joe,
Absolutely great captures (AS USUAL)!

Thanks Richard, your viewing and commenting are very much appreciated.

[jeeperman]

Yes, Joe. Flat grey covered skys and a bit of the wet stuff. Sure to put a damper on getting out. I love to get out in stormy weather as it can make for some great shots however there needs to be some kind of sun breaks. This is a season of all or none for us. 0 breaks in the clouds and thick sometimes very low. However spring is on the way and that will yeild at least the occasional fantastic bird days.

Til then I will rely apon you and others to get my fix, so....keep them coming!

[orlcam88]

As for birds in flight a shutter speed of 1/1600 or 1/2000 an aperture of f/8 with the camera set to maintain continuous focus.

Thanks Joe.

I had to go back and see if I can extract the camera information. I wanted to see what ISO you used and the time of day. May I ask, did you have image stabilizer on?

[jprzybyla]

Thanks Joe.

I had to go back and see if I can extract the camera information. I wanted to see what ISO you used and the time of day. May I ask, did you have image stabilizer on?

Hi Orlando, I shoot with a Nikon, I let the camera set the ISO. Nikon in the menu has ISO Sensitivity where a minimum and maximum ISO can be set. I use 100 for the minimum and 3200 for the maximum, in that menu I also set a minimum shutter speed of 400. Basically what I am doing is turning the D7000 into a point and shoot. I always have my Aperture Priority set at f/8 unless I need to change it for a particular shot. I set the Shutter Priority for a shutter speed of 1/1600 or 1/2000 depending on the light and speed of the bird that may be flying. I have found that in Shutter Priority the camera always chooses a aperture of 5.6, sometimes too shallow a depth of field. So when I see a flying bird approaching I switch from Aperture Priority to Manual. Manual picks up the aperture of f/8 and the shutter speed set in Shutter Priority, the software and sensor in the camera sets the ISO. I always try to live by... keep it simple stupid. This way I can just concentrate on following the bird and getting the shot. I also have the set to shoot continuously as long as I hold down the shutter until the buffer fills up. I normally get off 5 to 10 shots as the bird passes. Nikon also has a Autofocus Mode of AF-A, I use that most of the time. In that mode the autofocus sensor decides whether a subject is stationary or moving. If stationary it uses single focus mode, if the subject is moving it uses continuous autofocus. That way if a bird is flying I only have to find it in the viewfinder and let the camera lock on and continuously focus while following it.

[orlcam88]

Thanks Joe! Very helpful. hopefully in a few months I'll use your tips. I teared my shoulder on a fall so holding a camera for too long is very painful.

[terrib]

I'm kind of late to the party, Joe but wanted to tell you that I never tire of looking at your shots. Your photos have definitely inspired me to keep trying and gives me something to strive for.