Zonda

[Zonda]

This is the long crop of a female kestrel, taken over a week ago. I was pretty chuffed with her.

[Lee Hurrell]

Beautiful Zonda!

Cheers

Lee

[Zonda]

Thanks Lee, much appreciated. Had an hour up the hide this morning, and snapped 'his Lordship' guarding his apples. He just eats apple constantly, and defecates every ten minutes. What comes out looks like stewed apple, not a lot different to what goes in. I suppose they must gain some sugars in the process.

[Lee Hurrell]

Blimey Zonda, equally stunning

I must get me a hide for my garden

Cheers

Lee

[Jack Harrison]

Goodness, what a fabulous picture.

Equipment and other technical details please Zonda.

To paraphrase a comment in another thread "There are plenty of them about". We certainly have Fieldfares by the hundred but surprisingly, very few Redwings.

Jack

[geniculata]

absolutely stunning pics zond,

love the kestrel !

gary.

[Zonda]

Cheers Gary and Jack

Exif Data for the Fieldfare.
Camera Nikon D300S
Sigma 150-500mm
Exposure 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture f/8.0
Focal Length 254.0 mm
ISO Speed 400
Exposure Bias +1/3 EV
Taking distance, around 10feet (i really like to push a lens to its limit)
Shot in JPEG (fine)
With small amount of (in camera) sharpening.
PP in Paint.Net. (free download)
Tiny increments of noise reduction and further localised sharpening.

[Gruditch]

Cracking Fieldfare Zonda.

Regards Gruditch

[Pete Eeles]

Wow - that's one awesome shot of the Fieldfare. Had two in the garden today, along with three Redwing.

Nice one - one of the best Fieldfare shots I've seen. Stunning colours!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Zonda]

Thanks for that glowing praise Pete and Grud. This is another first of the year, a male Blackcap has been visiting my feeding station. He has been gobbling back the apples, some of which are Tesco value ones. I just stab them onto any old tree, this is the method i used to get the Fieldfare shots a couple of weeks ago. Not the best of detail on this, as it was a huge crop.

[Zonda]

This is the shot of the same bird, that could have been a stunner, had it not been for the Field maple twig bokeh, and a nasty nape shadow. Makes you wanna get the loppers out, but the chances of him coming back to that same branch are a million to one, so i won't bother. Into another bad week of weather now, so any photography of birds is limited.

[Lee Hurrell]

Gorgeous

[ChrisC]

lovely shots Zonda, keep your eyes peeled, the waxwings seem to be on the move. I had 4 outside work in Verwood today.

Chris

[Zonda]

Still a few Redwings about in these parts. This one was competing with a Blackbird for mole hill domination. Softer than the surrounding frozen ground, and may contain worms. Still haven't spotted a Waxwing, i must be the only one in Dorset who's still a Waxy virgin. Visiting two local trees that are loaded with berries, on a daily basis.

[Jack Harrison]

Lovely Redwing picture. Thanks.

Jack

[Lee Hurrell]

Zonda, I have to say, your recent bird pics have been outstanding. Fabulous work!

Cheers

Lee

[Jack Harrison]

Zonda

You kindly gave us technical details a while ago. That was very interesting, but there was no mention how you get so close. Do you set up a mini-hide in your garden?

There is one problem from seeing your pictures. Very few others will match the quality you achieve so won't bother to try. My own feeble efforts.....well. I was for example trying to photograph a Long-tailed Tit just outside this window. The birds were on the move continually and I never even managed to get one in the viewfinder let alone take a picture!

Keep posting your bird pics. Most enjoyable.

Jack

[Zonda]

Thanks Lee and Jack for the complimentary comments. Jack raised the question of concealment when photographing birds, and most of the time (unless its a Robin that you have been stuffing with mealworms for a week) you do need to hide, or at least be inconspicuous. The last post of a Redwing was photographed from the best hide of all,,, my car. I suppose i could have said that i stalked it for an hour, the last fifty feet on my belly, and had just two shots, but the truth is i made close to 90 exposures from my car window. I do have a permanent hide in my 'pocket handkerchief' wildlife garden, where shots like this Greenfinch are not that difficult. Of course in all these endeavours, i have to possess some degree of photographic nouse, and not a little 'cunning'. You two could master it easily.

[Pete Eeles]

If you could post a truly awful photo, Zonda, we'd all feel a lot better

Absolutely cracking shot. Again.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Jack Harrison]

You two could master it easily.

Thanks for the flattery but I don't think for one moment I could.

But I'm making a start. This sheep was easy enough this afternoon

My i/d skills are a little poor, so any help would be appreciated.

Jack