Birds 2012

[jbtaylor]

Out on a friends boat last Friday. These youngsters are just figuring out life beyond the nest and whether to be intrigued or annoyed by curious humans.

[Birma]

I especially like that second shot JBtaylor

[mvanrheenen]

Me too! Very nice symmetry in that image!

Are these Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)?

Mark

[Greg Beetham]

Some new Ospreys on the way, watch out fish, it looks like the platforms are made for the purpose. I like the mad staring eyes they have, good ones JBTaylor.
Greg

[jbtaylor]

Yes these bouys are moidified to allow for nesting. Everybody wins, except the fish.

[aster]

Hi JBTaylor,

Both are great shots; first a test of the wings and second a keen evaluation of the human beings... I don't think I ever saw jevunile birds looking so sharply and symmetrically towards a camera before. They'll be intimidating soon enough.

Thanks for sharing,


Yildiz

[Argonaut]

Entering the home stretch of our Tanzania trip. The Red-cheeked Cordonbleu is a tiny bird (the acacia thorns are about two inches long), but it was fairly used to people at this park entrance. a580, Sigma 400, f8, 1/640, ISO 800.

On the road we stopped to watch a Crested Francolin having a good squawk, and then found a bevy of little CFs hidden inside the bushes. You'd think these tasty-looking chicken-sized birds would be easy prey for the foxes, hyenas, mongooses and raptors, but the francolins/spurfowl are all over the place. Can't argue with success. Adult: a580, Sigma 400, f8, 1/1250, ISO 800; chick same except 1/500.

064_Red-cheeked Cordonbleu (Uraeginthus bengalus)_120229_DSC01601_a580.jpg

(212.05 KiB) Downloaded 1704 times

065_Crested Francolin (Francolinus sephaena)_120229_DSC01643_a580.jpg

(189.45 KiB) Downloaded 1704 times

066_Crested Francolin (Francolinus sephaena)_120229_DSC01650_a580.jpg

(180.36 KiB) Downloaded 1704 times

[Greg Beetham]

That’s a splendid photo of the Cordonbleu Argonaut, and the CF ‘super-quails’ are great as well, and yes I suppose they would be ground nesting birds and would be susceptible to predation by the various cats, snakes and lizards also, it’s amazing there were any too even see.
Greg

[Birma]

Very nice Argonaut

[Dr. Harout]

Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Shot from my car with the 70-300 G

[mvanrheenen]

@Argonaut: that Red-cheeked Cordonbleu is a real beauty. Very vivid colors! You were fortunate to capture the calling Francolin. Nice shots!

@Doc: Always a pleasure when you chime in! Nice captures of that skylark, very smooth backgrounds!

Mark

[Greg Beetham]

That was a good find Doc I don’t think I’ve seen that one before, nicely taken too.
Greg

[Birma]

Very nice Doc - I don't think I've ever seen one on the ground. I do love the sound of them singing while in that ascending flight they do. A real sound of summer. A great spot from the car!

[Birma]

I tried out my 'new' Minolta MD 135mm f/2.8 on the garden Robin family yesterday. This is a very tight (1:2?) crop. I found MF and no VF for birds a challenge.


2012 Birds - Robin on washing line by Birm, on Flickr

[Dr. Harout]

I was mistaken in naming the bird. I was corrected in Dyxum and in fact the bird is a Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) and not a Skylark.
My apologies.