Birds Galore!

[Kyle]

Birds from a conservation area near me.
Most of these have quite a bit of noise so they're not great. My 55-250mm lens is my best telephoto so it's not great for birds. I find them very frustrating to try and capture as I often have to over expose to get them at all.

1. Blue Jay


2.


3. Cardinal


4.


5. Eastern Phoebe from the Gatineau Hills. This one likes to latch onto rock walls.


6. I don't know what this bird is but this is one of my favourite photos that I've taken so far. I think it's some kind of Thrush or Thrasher but I'm not very good at identifying birds yet.


Bonus Pic:
Brown Creeper - This one was really hard to catch and I couldn't get any good ones of it. It really shows an animals defenses in action. The camouflage is quite good.


All c&c welcome.

[rtbaum]

#6 would be female redwing blackbird. I particularly like the Phoebe, you bringing out the best of that 55-250

[FootLoose]

Some nice shots, Kyle. Have you done an PP to them? #5 looks like it could be enhanced with some USM applied selectively to the bird, but if you have already applied it, then maybe not.

[IzzieK]

Kyle I like:
#1 for the expression of its face. And the hair (?) looks like a punk.
#4 though a bit noisy, I like the composition in this one...
the Eastern Phoebe is so beautifully done...<pat in the back for this one...>
#6 is good too...it is about to make a run (fly) for it...
The brown creeper is very confusing at first so I thought you just wanted us (me)to look at the texture of the bark on that tree...then I read your comment, reduced my viewpoint and saw the bird. What a good way to protect itself from predators!

[Kyle]

Thanks for the tip and comment Randy. I would not have guessed Redwing blackbird at all, then again I don't know much about birds. I think the females definitely outshine the males in this case.

[Kyle]

Some nice shots, Kyle. Have you done an PP to them? #5 looks like it could be enhanced with some USM applied selectively to the bird, but if you have already applied it, then maybe not.

Thanks for the comments Greg. I have processed all the shots (I try to at least touch up every shot I post). What is USM? I may not have done that..

[Kyle]

As always, thanks for the comments Isabel.
I was thinking the same thing about #1. He does look like a punk. Though #3 gives me that impression too. Like it is saying "You lookin at me?"

The camouflage on the creeper is amazing. I had a ton of trouble trying to capture it and none of the shots turned out well at all. The one I did get which showed the creeper on the side (it has a white belly which stands out well) was too blurry as well. It walked up the tree more than fly and it was really fast at it.

[Downrigger]

These are very nice. Good shots of perching birds are so tough - always something in the way or an unhelpful background with too much light, nearly always have to be hand-held, etc. etc. Hang in there, I think you're doing great.

[terrib]

That Eastern Phoebe is a really great photo - wonderfully sharp, good DOF, nice composition and light in its eye. I like the first Bluejay too with a nice pose and light on it's eye. The red-winged blackbird is nice too in that classic perch.

I think you are doing well with that lens. I used that lens for a long time until I finally broke down and got the 100-400. And although I love that lens, now I'm looking at a longer one. It's just never enough!

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[Brownbear]

Hi Kyle,

Eastern Phoebe... Beautifully photographed ( bird, great focus, sharp, beautiful detail).

I also adore #6 for the same reasons but also because of the beautiful light, blue sky in the background. I think it is a Song Sparrow because of the streak through the eye and the long tail (compared to a similar shot I have but I'm not 100% positive). Those bull rushes can make for beautiful backgrounds especially if you can use a large aperture and manage get close enough to blur the background.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Kyle, very nice series I especially like #5 and #6. #5 is very sharp,clear and cute. #6 is wonderful with a very nice BG and nice composition.

[Kyle]

Thanks for the comments everyone!

I think you are doing well with that lens. I used that lens for a long time until I finally broke down and got the 100-400. And although I love that lens, now I'm looking at a longer one. It's just never enough!

It never is enough. I borrowed 75-300 to see if that extra few mm would make much of a difference but of course I needed a longer lens.

Here is one I forgot to post:
Mourning Dove