Post your best bird shots!

So I finally get to post in the notorious best bird shots thread ;)


I took some shots of an owl and when I identified it, it turns out it is only common in Europe, parts of Asia and Nord-Africa...Wohoo! So I can even show you something rare! :P


It's a Little Owl (Athene noctua), all photos are shot with the 5D2 and the rented 400mm f2.8 L IS:


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6045/...82aa7d98_z.jpg


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6047/...69b263f2_z.jpg


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6094/...51304a9e_z.jpg


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6213/...462c4223_z.jpg





And while I have a reason to post here, can anybody identify these birds?:


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6106/...65cc24a0_z.jpg


I saw a lot of them, but I have no clue what they are.


Thanks, Jan

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Originally Posted by Jan Paalman

So I finally get to post in the notorious best bird shots thread ;)

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Of course, with Joel, Nate, Denise and others how can anyone feel anything but belittled? ;-)


Nice shots, I like the first one best.I think ifyou crop quite a bit more it would give it more impact. The bokeh is simply amazing!


The other shots sure have some funnylooking eyes! I wonder whats wrong with them, blind or cross eye?


Have no clue what kind are the last ones either, mabye someone can chime in latter.


John.

Jan,


awesome to get see and photo a rare species.....he

Thanks guys!

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Originally Posted by Fast Glass

Of course, with Joel, Nate, Denise and others how can anyone feel anything but belittled? ;-)

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Yup, you guys just rock! The level of birdphotography is simply said: awesome and I love to watch, but I dream to be able to post something like it myself ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fast Glass

I like the first one best.I think ifyou crop quite a bit more it would give it more impact. The bokeh is simply amazing!

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I agree, for some reason the bokeh stood out in this photo much more than it does on others. What crop do you have in mind?

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Originally Posted by Joel Eade

awesome to get see and photo a rare
species.....he's a cute little fella!, I wonder what's wrong with his
left eye? Maybe an injury and/or infection.

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I've only seen this type of owl once more in my life. While it supposedly isn't that rare, it is quite small so it's easy to mis. I thought we were dealing with a youngster, but when reading the wikipedia I think it was an adult. They don't grow large, about 8-9 inches full grown.


I'not sure what's wrong with the eye. He/she sure looked cross-eyed when we took the shots, but it's left eye also looks redder/more blood so an infection/injury sounds like a possibility as well.


Jan

Joel, I like this shot---beautiful......Love the detail in the wings and the subdued background. Nice job

Jan, Great shot of the little owl. I especially the the first one and wow---the bokeh that the 400 f2.8 produces is incredible.


Nice job catching this guy.

For all of those birders out there, check out Joel's "Backyard Bird Photography setup Tips" that Bryan just posted in the "Photography Tips from the Forums"on the Photography Tips page.


NIce job Joel. I havelearned a great deal from you and am using several of your tips in my own backyard.


Thanks,

Thanks everybody for the nice comments on the Great Egret image. I was very happy when I first looked at this one in the computer. I was having trouble getting the whites exposed correctly against the darker background. I ended up using 2 stops less light than camera meter called for on this image and it worked.

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Originally Posted by Bob Williams

For all of those birders out there, check out Joel's "Backyard Bird Photography setup Tips" that Bryan just posted in the "Photography Tips from the Forums"on the Photography Tips page.


NIce job Joel. I havelearned a great deal from you and am using several of your tips in my own backyard.


Thanks,

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Thanks Bob, It was a good idea you came up with and I had fun putting it together :) Folks should also review your tips on hummingbirds it is very well done.

Tufted Titmouse


1D3


300mm 2.8L + 1.4TC


iso 1000


1/125


f/5.6


580 EXII + Better Beamer


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/1425.343V1036.jpg[/img]

Thank you to both Joel & Bob to help all of us become better bird photographers!! You have really gone the extra mile for the rest of us and it is extremely appreciated!!


Denise

At Jan,


I was think the same aspect ratio and keeping it in horizontal, but much tighter. Also keeping the rule of thirds.


Hope that helps,


John.

Jan, wow, that's a quality bird, very nice shots, also like the bokeh produced by the 5D2+ 400mm 2.8 combo!

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Originally Posted by Joel Eade

I ended up using 2 stops less light than camera meter called for on this image and it worked.

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yes, this white bird is a lot whiter than I thought especially in a sunny day.





and yes, thanks Bob and Joel for your hard work!

John, here's the new crop. I sure need to learn some bird post processing tips though. I'm working at 100% view now and the sharpness could be increased a bit, but the noise gets more visible at this view. ISO800 I know...


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6036/...0379d44b_z.jpg


Thanks JJ, the bokeh is very nice indeed. The shots are all at f5 or f5.6 so not even wide open. It was an amazing lens, albeit I got some muscle pains the other day ;) I now get why someone would spend so much on a lens :)

Jan...great owl shots. I really like #3 in your original post and the one above...but all are great.

Jan,


I like the crop on this one. As for processing....the bird looks a little washed out...you could try a curves adjustment to increase the midtone contrast a bit and also under selective color you can choose the "neutrals" then increase the black slider just a few points. I would get rid of the stalk of grass and also would try to eliminate the out of focus fence post as well.


You could try running a gentle setting of the noise reduction filter on the whole image but it would better to do that only on the background because you risk losing detail in the bird.( I don

Thanks Brant :D


Joel, WOW these few steps were so easy to do and in my opinion they worked great!


I have to tweak a few things, but I absolutely love your tips. Luckily I got an email notification so I can just safe the email with the tips :)


This is my second attempt, like 5 minutes work, removing the fence was too much for me though. Out of my league at this point.


http://www.actieinbeeld.nl/tdp/owl.jpg

Much better! Thats exactly what I had in mind.


Cheers,


John.

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Originally Posted by Jan Paalman

removing the fence was too much for me though.

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Here's a 3 minute attempt at that...


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/4405.owl_2D00_edit.jpg[/img]


Just practicing with content-aware fill in CS5.

Haha I will not post what happened in my attempt at content aware fill, let

FWIW, I selected the owl and its perch, then inverted the selection and put that into a new layer for the content aware fill to remove the fence/post. That removes the owl from 'awareness' so only the background elements of the scene are used to drive the fill.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jan Paalman

can anybody identify these birds?:


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6106/...6f65cc24a0.jpg

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Jan,I think these are juvenile long-tailed skuas. The juveniles don't have the long tail feathers that characterise this species. If I'm right, they are making their way to the South Atlantic on their first migration.


Next time, you need to rent an 800mm lens so we can get a closer look!


I liked your shots of the cross-eyed owl. I hope it doesn't affect its hunting success.

White Breasted Nuthatch


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/4861.343V5572.jpg[/img]

I haven't posted in this thread in awhile. After seeing Joel's photo above, I'm not sure I should be with this one but I don't get too many hawk shots! I am still working on a few from today but here is one of them. I can't seem to get rid of the noise :(


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/...dd2c8d6b_z.jpg

Nice shot Denise .... I think this is a Turkey Vulture.


If you have photoshop CS5.....use the magic wand tool to select the background


just below the tool bar select "refine edge" and set it to 2.0 pixels then adjust the other sliders to taste..hit OK


now open the noise reduction filter and set it to maximum....hit OK....now deselect the background


this should take the background noise away in the sky.

Thanks, Joel! I do have CS5 and I will give your tip a try ...I have a few more to process to try it out on also.

Mallard Drake


1D3


300mm 2.8L + 1.4 TC Hand Held


580 EXII + Better Beamer ETTL -2 1/3 tops


ISO 1600


f/4


1/1000


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/7411.343V8806.jpg[/img]

Another great shot from the birding expert! The only thing I would do differently would be to use slightly less fill flash, but it

Joel, Nice Mallard--love the color.


Here are the results of my morning in the backyard.


1st White Breasted Nuthatch----This is the first time I have seen one of these guys in my back yard----wow, are they fast. Sorry for the "feeder shot" but it's all I could manage to grab.


7d, 500+1.4, iso 200, TV 2000, F5.6





http://rwilliamsimaging.com/img/v32/p22860733-4.jpg


House Finch


http://rwilliamsimaging.com/img/v28/p447555849-4.jpg

All I see is "Content protected by owner", but I went on your site and saw your shot. It looks great! The feeder doesn

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Originally Posted by Fast Glass

All I see is "Content protected by owner", but I went on your site and saw your shot. It looks great! The feeder doesn't take away hardly at all from the shot.


John.
<div style="CLEAR: both"]</div>

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Thanks John, I think it's fixed now.

Yep it

Well done Bob...love the Finch...very nice

[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/2210.343V8789.jpg[/img][img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/6811.343V8854.jpg[/img]Some more Mallards from this weekend ....these were in very low light, shot at iso 1600 with a flash as well so detail isn't top notch if you "pixel peep"


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/8741.343V8783.jpg[/img]

Not top notch, Joel? I haven't seen a shot out of you yet that isn't superb!

For lack of anything better to do since I'm still battling one heck of a flu bug, I thought I'd go thru some old shots that I never did anything with and see what I can do with them.


B&amp;W conversion on this one ...


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6111/...8e4390c6_z.jpg

Hi, I usually don't shoot birds specifically but I really enjoy sea landscapes. Of course a few birds get caught on my photos now and then but not usually as the main subject. However, this weekend I took a walk by the sea with my camera and a couple of swan families made me company in the afternoon sun. They were quite cooperative and posed nicely both for some family portraits and also for a few individual portraits. I'm particularly happy with one of the juvenile swan portraits that I decided to post in this thread - it's most likely my best bird shot so far.


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/1121.IMG_5F00_2818_5F00_ED_5F00_S.JPG[/img]


EXIF: 7D, 70-200 f/4 L IS USM @ 200 f/5, 1/1250 sec, ISO200

CLS, This is a gorgeous shot---Love the warm colors and even the content look on the swans face--(I didn

That

Bob &amp; Rocco - thanks for your kind comments!

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Originally Posted by Rocco

Was this taken in burst or were you watching, waiting?
<div style="CLEAR: both"]</div>

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I would say something in-between. I didn't shoot in burst mode, but when they came into good positions I took a few photos before they turned away again. The one above is one of three similar captures with a couple ofsecondsbetween them.After a whileI saw a pattern where the mother(?) could swim away 50 feet or so, and after a while the kids would follow. So when I saw the white one move, I made sure to get into a position where the juveniles would soon swim by at a fairly close distance. (I spent more than an hour following them and took more than 100 photos. All except 17 of these were sorted into the trash bin.)

CLS:


Really nice detail. Love the pose.