Some Birds

[Greg Beetham]

Lovely shots Robbie, kingfishers are tough because they are mostly quite small and have very good eyesight and so are very hard to get close too. Gustav's hide method is probably the best but even then the bird would have to become familar with it over a period of time...I read/heard that with a hide the best idea is too have two people, one of which is not actually going to do any photography, the idea being that two people go into the hide and wait a few minutes. One person then leaves the hide and goes away, and the birds (hopefully) assume it's empty and is no longer threatening, mainly because bird's can't count (according to the theory), I've never tried it myself so far, so I can't estimate first hand what math skills birds may or may not posess.....
Greg

[Greg Beetham]

I wasn't going to bother posting in this exaulted company, but I thought Robbie might be interested in a specimen type shot of the Weeloo (for comparison with the similar species in Africa) I took not long after I got my first digital camera (KM5D) in order to check out the way it handles photo challenges and using flash, has a dark shadow I know, but in a specimen type shot the main thing I'm interested in is colour accuracy (correct WB) and a representative record of plumage, beak colour, leg colour etc.
Greg

KM24-105 (I think) ISO200 1/60sec f6.3 Exposure mode Auto

[RobbieA]

You are welcome Gustav. It would be a pleasure to have you here. South AFrica has more than 900 different bird species, a great variety for any avian photographer.

Thanks Greg. The kingfishers are very small and very very fast.. Here now, gone a minute later... I shoot mainly from hides, there is really no other way..Your bird is defnitely from the same family as our Dikkop.. we have 2 different types in SA, I only have pics of the one.. I was amazed at the simularity of some of Aus'es birds to ours.. Thanks for posting..

[kingfisher]

cheers
gustav

[RobbieA]

Beautiful grey heron Gustav.. excellent capture..

Two of our hornbills

Yellowbilled hornbill





Ground Hornbill

[RobbieA]

[kingfisher]

cheers
gustav

[Greg Beetham]

Those hornbill shots are great Robbie, I don't think I've ever seen those birds before, (the wouldn't win too many beauty contests though I reckon), and some new kingfisher shots from Gustav that are as usual absolutely outstanding.
Greg
ps. I see you have the Indian Mynah bird as well (beady eye, you call it), it's an introduced pest here, as it probably is there also.

[jbtaylor]

Nice to see you guys duking it out at such a high level.
In jazz this would be called "call and response".
Keep it going.

[RobbieA]

Thanks Greg... there are about 7 different Hornbills over here... some more common than the other... and yes, the Indian Mynah is also a pest over here..

Nice kingfishers Gustav.. haha, ok, my favourite Pied Kinfishers..

[RobbieA]

OK, My last for now..

Blackcollared Barbet


Red Bishop

[Greg Beetham]

Pure class those Robbie, I have one for intermission.
Greg

A100 100-300APO ISO200 1/320sec f9

[RobbieA]

Great capture Greg.. Its actually funny, we only have birds like this in cages over here, as pets or for breeding.. very much frowned upon to photograph them as part of our birds but they are native to your part of the world..

[Greg Beetham]

You're dead right Robbie I'm actually a bit reluctant to bother photographing and (posting especially) our parrots as they are now spread all over the world, and one gets the impression that it's like sending ice cream too the eskimos, but there is probably a few that are not well known...only I don't have any photos of them...yet.
Greg

[Bodak]

Not into birding that much but have a few of the common ones.



This image is a composite of the same bird.