Post your best bird shots!

[bob williams]

Thanks Dsiegel and Bob,
the picture is certainly not exceptional, but I was happy to see that guy around scaring the pigeons away. I also like to see wild life (other than pigeons) being able to adjust to suburban areas.

Arnt

Me too. Especially in my backyard. It just seems to increase the opportunities to score a decent shot. I have a copper's Hawk that frequents my neighborhood and polices the dove activity. I always get excited when I see him, but have yet to get a really good shot. When I started putting out birdseed and suet, I thought it would attract a variety of songbirds and woodpeckers. Instead, it just increased the number of sparrow, finches dove already visiting. But....since their food supply is more abundant now, I seem to get regular visits from raptors, inluding: Cooper's hawks, Northern Harriers and even a mississippi kite. But I haven't seen any redtails or owls--Perhaps this year.

[Joel Eade]

I have seen the same thing ( I think it's expected) in terms of raptors hunting the bird feeders. In my case I rarely get a shot at them with a camera but I have seen Red Tails, Coopers and Sharp Shinned Hawks. Strangely enough I live just above a small stream that's called Owl Creek but I have yet to see or hear one!

The birds here this morning are extremely active and vocal, I think they are beginning their mating season...I had a dozen or more BlueJays in the trees as well as several other species this morning....here's an example

[Sinh Nhut Nguyen]

Hi

[bob williams]

Hi

Sinh, Great to have you back. I have missed you. This is a wonderful shot of Mom and youngster. Beautifully captured and framed.

[Dave Throgmartin]

Here are a couple from today.

First, a black capped chickadee. Taken with 60D and 135L at f/2.8, 1/1600 second, and ISO 100. I shot it as a JPG this time using camera settings of 4 - 1 - 1 - 0, cropped to isolate the bird, resized, and sharpened for web posting.

Second, I believe this is a sparrow but am unsure of what type. It was shot using the same gear as above at f/4, 1/640 second, and ISO 100. I shot this one RAW, post-processed to taste, cropped, resized, and sharpened for web posting. You may have noticed most of my other bird pictures I had posted earlier always had the bird feeder or deck in the shot. This one didn't because I set up a tree branch near my deck for the birds to perch on when they break from eating.

[ddt0725]

Went out looking for bald eagles today. Saw a few flying and two in a nest but everything was just too far away for a good shot. It's almost a two hour drive from my house to where I went looking for them. The day wasn't a total loss. I did get a few hawk pictures along the way.


IMG_7982 by Denise Trocio, on Flickr

[canonclix]

[IMG][/IMG]

This guy jumped off the feeder before engaging his wings!

60D 70-200 2.8 ii w/ 2x-iii ; 400mm ISO 800 f/5.6 1/2000

[Dave Throgmartin]

Very nice hawk picture. Where do you typically go for bald eagles? I'm not terribly far from your area. Lake Michigan off Kenosha is about a 70 minute drive.

Dave

[ddt0725]

Thanks, Dave! I go to South Beloit, WI, just over the border from Illinois. Last February there were alot of bald eagles there but only a few this year due to the mild winter we have had.

[Dave Throgmartin]

Thanks, Dave! I go to South Beloit, WI, just over the border from Illinois. Last February there were alot of bald eagles there but only a few this year due to the mild winter we have had.

Denise,

Is there a particular spot you go to or just anywhere along the Rock River?

Dave