Birds 2012

[Birma]

Nice shots of the birds in your garden, Andy. The Robin is very cute... : )

Thanks Yildiz - they are very engaging birds

It was nice to be able to stop and photograph what ever caught our eye, without "are you going to take a photo every 5 feet" (my wife said that one on a family trip to the fair, I told her I'd be nice and extend it to every 10 feet. She didn't think it was as funny as I did! )

I recognise this situation .

[Birma]

Found this shot from about a month ago on the memory card in my A700. I tend to leave this camera, with the Sigma 75-300 APO DG on it, by a window in case anything hops by in the garden. This lady Blackbird was hunting for food in the lawn after a rain shower.


2012 Birds - Female Blackbird by Birm, on Flickr

[Birma]

Here are some futher birds from the garden taken yesterday afternoon. I sat quietly in the garden and after a short time the birds got used to me and started feeding. The Robin seemed to become quite fascinated by the strange figure clicking and whirring in one corner of the garden and in this first shot I almost struggled to zoom back enough to fit him in. The shot came out quite nicely I think. The Robin is sitting on the handle of Tilly's toy horse.


2012 Birds - Robin on the wooden horse by Birm, on Flickr

Here is another of the Robin as he bobbed along the garden border.


2012 Birds - Robin in the border by Birm, on Flickr

Both with A700 (I needed the IBIS and CAF) and Sigma 70-300 APO DG Macro.

[Birma]

The Robins are Blackbirds both have families nesting in the garden and they are busy feeding them at the moment.

The bokeh is a bit 'wirey' in this shot but I liked the beak full of grub(s!).


2012 Birds - Blackbird with a meal by Birm, on Flickr

The garden swing makes a popular perch. I struggled with the noise in this one a bit. I think in retrospect I would have been better to shoot with an even higher ISO to try and over-expose and then the noise would have been easier to handle (i.e. shoot to the right, I think?).


2012 Birds - Robin with a meal by Birm, on Flickr

Both A700 and Sigma 70-300 APO DG Macro.

[Greg Beetham]

That’s a great Robin shot on the toy horse handle Birma, and the Blackbird with the grubs is a good photo too, all in all great little bird captures from the activities around the garden and none would have been as easy as they look I bet, I find the things birds get up too quite interesting most of the time, they always seem to be doing something and those photos show just what I mean.
Greg

[Birma]

Thanks Greg

I am particularly fond of the Robins and Blackbirds that are nesting in the garden as they feel a bit like part of the family. Here is another shot of the male Blackbird. This chap has been in our garden for at least two years and has seen a fair amount of 'action'. His bill is a bit crooked now, and he has a slight bald patch on his back following a cat attack last year which left him with several 'broken' feathers. He looked a bit like a Mohican last autumn and I was surprised he survived the winter has he couldn't fly until he shed those broken feathers.


2012 Birds - Blackbird cross bill by Birm, on Flickr

Here is one of the noisey neigbours who like to try and wake us up around 4.30 am each day . Sparrow families can be really loud!


2012 Birds - Sparrow in the Pyracanthus by Birm, on Flickr

Both A700 and Sigma 70-300 again.

[Greg Beetham]

That Blackbird is the best yet I think, and I agree the birds seem to become part of the family 'pet' scene quite easily, and that's great for entertaining us. Yeah Sparrows can make some racket alright but luckily since the cyclone smashed quite a few trees here inclucing the one close to my bedroom window I don't have as much early morning noise now.
Greg

[mvanrheenen]

Warning, lots of images ahead!

Because I'm really busy with work and studying I'm not able to go out much unfortunately. The missus and I however, did manage a day off this weekend. We took the opportunity to go to the zoo for a change. Although the zoo has a variety of animal and plantlife to see, I came home realizing I almost exclusively took shots of the birds there... Who would've thought... I'll only post the ones I like the most.

So here goes. All birds were photographed in captivity unless mentioned differently. All shot handheld with the a580 and 70-300G. Images marked with an * need to be clicked to view the original (and best) size.

#1 Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)



#2 - Southern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicoides)



#3 - Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco)

[mvanrheenen]

#4 - Black Kite (Milvus migrans)



#5 - Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)



#6 - Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis)*

[mvanrheenen]

#7 - Grey Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis)*



#8 - Common Eider (Somateria mollissima)



#9 - Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

This identification is uncertain. I think it's the summer plumage, but I'm doubting this one.

[mvanrheenen]

#10 - Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)

This one made me laugh! It had a hard time swallowing the mouse it was eating.



#11 - Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)

"What are you looking at, chum? Trying to steal my meal aren't ya?!"

[Birma]

Nice variety there Mark. You obviously had a great time at the zoo. You did well to minimise signs of cages etc. My favourite is the Toucan, great colours

[Greg Beetham]

Great list of the weird and the wonderful Mark and nicely taken too, I can understand the emphasis on birds, its birds that seem to have the capacity for producing the range of specialized adaptations they have, more so than just about any other species in the animal kingdom, outside of the insects probably.
Greg
Ps I like the Avocet, I think I have a 'thing' about Avocets though.

[mvanrheenen]

Thanks gents! It's pretty hard to avoid cages being too obvious in the images. Only choosing a different, and mostly awkward, angle makes this a bit less obvious. Shooting through a cage or glass doesn't help, but all in all I'm satisfied with the results.

Mark

[aster]

Nice shot of the Blackbird, Birma. : )


Mark, most prolific as always, you've colour-painted the thread yet once again. : )

Hard to pick a favourite but I like the Toucan, the bee eater and your encounter with the owl, which apparently thought tat ou wanted a piece of his delicious mouse and is giving you the eye.

Very successful shots for a zoo territory.

Thanks for sharing,

Yildiz