Red-winged Blackbird

[kaneohebud]

These are tough little guys to get close to. I've been trying for years. I was out at Merced national wildlife refuge the other day looking for sandhill cranes when I found this little guy just outside my car window. It's mating season here so he was more concerned about getting his song broadcast than the nearness of my car.

[Brownbear]

Gorgeous shot

[Bobobird]

Yup, gorgeous.

RWBB closeup is hard, in-flight even harder. Good practice subject too to sharpen the skills for the spring/summer ahead.

[rtbaum]

I don't know, seems that they are very willing to get close when I approach the nest.

[Downrigger]

Just about perfect. Reminds me "right place, right time" isn't a matter of luck, but persistence. It's the kind of shot that reminds me to vacate my keyboard and get outside.

[kdoc856]

His distraction, our gain. Great shot. Your new 70- 400mm?

[kaneohebud]

His distraction, our gain. Great shot. Your new 70- 400mm?

Yep, love it, love it, love it. So many more keepers my biggest problem is deciding how many to keep.

[kdoc856]

Awesome, glad to hear it.

I have just about your kit- I just got the 70-400 G about a month ago, also have the 70-200 G, the Zeiss 16-80, and a Sigma 85 1.4, a Sony 1.4 TC (tried and hated the 2x TC) on the A77 body. I also have the Sony 18-250 for a snapshot walkaround.
Looking forward to more of your surf shots with your new lense.

[Bobobird]

Yep, love it, love it, love it. So many more keepers my biggest problem is deciding how many to keep.

LOL, same issue here since getting the new Canon. Of all things I now use noise (real or imaginary) as a tie-breaker.

[kaneohebud]

Looking forward to more of your surf shots with your new lense.

Have been in mainland for three weeks caring for 90 yr old father. I'll be home next week and looking forward to some north shore waves with the 70-400 and 12 fps. Going to try out the in-camera TC of the A77 as well.

[kdoc856]

Going to try out the in-camera TC of the A77 as well.

The trouble with the in-camera TC is it makes you shoot in JPEG. But I use it a great deal for focus magnification for still shots.

[wlou]

Hello Kevin, could you please explain what an in-camera TC is? New at the A77 and scratching my head a lot. The tiny little book does not help much on finding info.

[kaneohebud]

Louise: Save yourself a lot headaches and buy: David Busch's Sony Alpha SLT-A77 Guide to Digital Photography [Paperback]. It's available on Amazon. It is a user friendly, well-written guide that will take you through all functions of the A77.

[jamn4ex]

I love it !

[jeeperman]

Nicely caught, Bud.

[Aforns]

Like it Bud, lots of feather detail and razor sharp !!

[jprzybyla]

Nice image and capture Bud, I would clone out the out of focus stems to the left and right but just a personal taste and not a criticism. I think they take the eye away from the bird.

[kaneohebud]

I think they take the eye away from the bird.

Joe: You're exactly right. I was processing hundreds of photos and overlooked the details. How's this one? I don't have enough skill to get rid of the front stem and have the legs look right.