Photoclubalpha

That was a well behaved Heron Mark, some great shots there, especially the ones with the reflection, what’s going on with his other leg I wonder? I like the Stork too.
Greg

Helped to chaperone the Girl Scouts to the Wild Bird Sanctuary last Saturday, and did capture a few fine ones before I broke the 350.

This is the Bateleur Eagle.
The last is my fav. All taken with the a350 and 70-300 Tamron.

Dusty

This next one is the Sea Eagle, which I think came out amazing, especially since he was caged and I had to shoot through the wires.
Dusty

Last but certainly not least is the Old Baldy - an Icon to Americans everywhere.

First, an attempt to catch him in flight.
And now - the line is already a cliche - The Eagle Has Landed.
Of course, Eagles don't quite understand good manners, so, after the he's landed, we have -
Yes, that's his stuff in the blue circle.

Dusty

2 more close-ups of the Bald Eagle.
Dusty

@Yildiz: thank you Glad to be back!

@Greg: that heron indeed was on it's best behavior. It did take me some very slow and careful maneuvering to get this close. I was all out in the open, no bush to hide behind. For some reason, I managed not to spook him/her. Fortunately for me

@Dusty: I also like the last image of the Bateleur Eagle the most. What magnificent birds these eagles are. Big, majestic creatures and expert hunters. Must have been a real nice day for you.

Mark

I had some practice photographing birds yesterday while out on the loch.

This one was very obliging as it kept pace behind the boat. It was probably hoping that we were fishing. I think it is an immature gull; Herring, Black Backed, etc. ? Tricky to tell apart.

Skye Autumn 2012 - Gull Escort by Birm, on Flickr

The Cormorants were a bit too fast for me, even when just taking off. I quite liked the splashes as this one ran out of the water .

Skye Autumn 2012 - Take-off by Birm, on Flickr

Birma, the first shot is superb.

Thanks Doc

Dr. Harout wrote:Birma, the first shot is superb.

I agree! Did you use your NEX for these shots Andy?

About the ID of the first bird. It's obviously a juvenile. Do you perhaps have some other images from possibly different angles? Could you tell me if the beak is 3/4 black or just the tip? Is only the tip is darkened, my guess would be a juvenile Common Gull, or Latus Canus as they would call it in latin. If it's 3/4 black, it could very well be a juvenile Herring Gull (Larus argentatus).

Coming from your "Skye Autumn 2012" set on Flickr, I take it you took the image there? Both the Common Gull and the Herring Gull are common there.

If you're interested and for future reference, I can recommend the website of Martin Reid for gull identification. He has collected images of a large number of gull species in Europe and posted pictures for identification in every single pose imaginable.

Mark

Thanks Mark

The beak was mostly black so perhaps the Herring Gull. Thanks for the link, a very useful site - book-marked!

This shot was with the A700 and Sigma 70-300 APO DG Macro. I used a two camera set up from the boat trip while we were on Skye (it is my father-in-law's boat); Nex 5 with CZ 16-80 (via LA-EA2 adapter) for scenic shots and shots of fellow passengers, and the A700 with telephoto zoom for the wildlife. I can't follow action with Live-view and so a view finder is essential for me in these cases. I'm pretty sure I will move to the A77 at some point, but I will also probably upgrade the Nex body as well as the size is very convenient.

A Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus) in autumn colors.



Mark

Nice one, Mark.

I like the bokeh and the branches the Blue Tit perches on. Amazes me thatyou keep the Latin names all stored nicely in your memory as well!


Thanks for sharing,

Yildiz

Great BOP subjects Dusty.
Good catch of the imm gull Birma; and the shag...cormorant
Very nice comp of the Tit Mark in amongst the great autumn spray. Fly south little Tit…soon.
Greg

Western Tanager