Oh, boy, was I in luck today!

While wandering the neighborhood a bit with my camera, trying to catch some lovely winterscapes, the missus and I stumbled upon a common kingfisher which sat above the only hole in the ice it could find. Shot this one with my new CZ16-80! And yes, I could get that close!



Going back to the same place tomorrow to try my luck again. This time bringing the 70-400G off course

Mark

Thank you Greg. Holly berries may be poisonous to people; I don't know if they are or not. Red is often a warning sign, as you say, but birds seem to love them. The redwings will strip the tree bare in a day or two.
John
P.S. Lucky you Mark, hope you get good shots with the 70-400G tomorrow.

Very nice redwing John. Lovely winter shot.

Wow Mark. Still can't make up my mind which is more exciting; the new CZ 16-80 or getting that close to the Kingfisher! Good luck on the return trip with the 70-400.

Now that is close to a kingfisher! I've never managed a really close shot of one as yet.

Here's some blackbirds. The birds in my garden aren't rarities but they're MY birds (well I think so) and I've got to know them all pretty well.

Last year a male blackbird lost his partner and was struggling to raise his two young.he was a mess and lost his tail and head feathers. He called at the back door for bread (wholemeal seeded) and soon his two youngsters did too. They are now all 'growed up' and not quite as friendly but still hang about and drop hints! Dad got his feathers back and looks a dapper chap again!

"My" Blackbirds
Some close, some ‘In their environment’

Males









And a female that’s been making mud pies ☺






Pat

Very nice Pat - very characterful pictures. (Creamy bokeh as well ). The yellow orange 'eye-liner' stands out really well. It is good to hear your local Blackbird family are doing well. We have a couple setting up nest in the garden. Can't be sure they are the same as last year though. Last year the cock bird suffered an attack from something (local moggy probably) and as a result had several feathers permanently 'dislocated' making it look like he was sporting a strange 'punk' re-styling. I think this made him pretty much flight-less but he seemed to manage to get about through our garden shrubbery alright.

Wow, splendid shots lately here.

Apologies - I just realised I went over the 3 images allowance. Sorry
Thanks for the nice comments as well.

Pat

That little Kingfisher is like a jewel Mark, I hope you have success with the 70-400, I don’t think I could resist taking a pilchard or herring along from the bait shop; it must be a hard existence for the little chap at the moment.
Those are great Blackbird photos Pat; it’s enjoyable to see good photos of a bird I don’t get in my area.
Greg

Couple of Mallards today in Ladner. (Sunday)

Two nice Mallard shots DA - great detail in the feathers.

It has been awhile since I checked out this thread and, wow, there are some really nice photos that everyone has been posting. Well done!

Thanks Birma ;^)

Hi Mark, : )

Congratulations on the new CZ 16-80mm. A gentleman who loves such beautiful creatures and takes photos of them requires one, though the zoom range will definitely fall short after the magnificence of the 70-400 mm G. : )
Lovely Kingfisher nestled inside the tree branches.

Hi Pat, : )

Great blackbird shots as we came to familiarize with all your recent submissions. I love the details...


Hi David Antony, : )

A dipping Mallard at his feeding time.... what a nice catch! As opposed to the one taking a nice nap/rest. The colours are amazing while I'm mostly distracted by the beautiful details of the pearly dotted feathers of the body feathers.

Lovely closeups. Thanks for sharing, David.

Yildiz

Love your work DA.
Greg

Nice mallards! I love the "All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling, Up tails all! " one. (fromThe Wind in the Willows)


Well...............Well what are the chances of finding two pairs of greenfinches on the same stick and getting them all to pose? ...........Zero ?

Just a bit of artistic licence that I thought out when watching them sit at the feeders. I put natural perches on the feeders Forward thinking, eh?

It's a good way of presenting a species study, I suppose.



Link to a larger version-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54426499@N08/6829178663/


Pat