Category Archives: Birds
Then There were Three in a Tree
Friends, sorry for the alliteration, i couldn’t resist. The cedar waxwings are migrating thru Duluth Mn on the shores of Lake Superior. This dead birch tree made a handy lookout for these three, they didn’t stay for long, just long enough for me to photo. The bird in the middle is an immature but still has the yellow tip on the tail. The little round red blob is a berry that the right bird dropped when he landed til Tomorrow MJ
Tamron 150-600 mm- More Testing
Friends, this is another test of Tamron 150-600 mm sharpness so those who are not interested can tune out now, this white-throated sparrow was on a bird feeder at Hawk Ridge, I was about ten feet away and the day was beautiful. This would simulate conditions that i usually shoot little birdies, handheld and sitting on a rock. No sharpening on this image just straight out of the camera, the bottom image is an extreme crop to show the head details
This image is pretty sharp and the one below has some minimal sharpness added in photoshop, so til Tomorrow MJ
Mad Birdie
Friends, the expression on this yellow-rumped warbler appears as though he is mad. I think it is the white eyebrows, but loved the feather details so excuse the extreme crop. He was only a few feet away but he is a very small birdie. A disclaimer, this was shot last spring with my old lens 100-400 mm Canon so I am comparing these results with the new telephoto 150-600 mm, I like the new lens better. til Tomorrow MJ
Tamron 150-600 mm Sharp
Friends, I have been distressed by those who claim that the new Tamron 150-600 mm lens produces a soft image, so i set about testing what i sensed is true about this lens. The top image is the original image of an eagle sitting on her nest in the fall (now) after the immatures have left. The bottom left image is a 23% crop of the original (77% of the pixels were cut) raw image shot with the 150-600 mm extended to full 600 mm and focused on the yellow eye. The bottom right image is the same extreme crop with a software cleanup. You can judge for yourself. til Tomorrow MJ
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Friends, this is a red-headed woodpecker from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge taken this summer. This image is a little softer than i would like but also shows the reason why i wished to obtain a new telephoto lens. My new Tamron 150-600 mm is much sharper and will be a valuable tool til Tomorrow MJ
The Harrier Ballet
Friends, this hatch year Northern Harrier is leaping from his perch in response to an attack by a hatch year Bald Eagle. I showed the fray in an earlier post. Yesterday I went to Hawk Ridge in Duluth Minnesota in preparation for the upcoming fall migration of raptors and passerines. Not much to report yet, but found some cedar waxwings and white throated sparrows on the hill top so til Tomorrow MJ
Sagebrush Goldfinch
Friends, I often struggle with backgrounds that conflict with my subject or are too distracting. This little goldfinch is a good example of this problem. All the little branches and twigs were helpful to describe his habitat but distracting cause they all lead out of the frame. So I am using a sepia toned background to dull the background and bring the little bird and his dinner plate as the undisputed subject of the image. Do you like? til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Fray
Friends, These juvenile birds are in a fray, the Harrier had occupied a post and the Bald Eagle thought he should leave so he dived on the Harrier and they both exploded into the air. I was ready with the big cannon lens (600mm) at Sherburne National Game Refuge. til Tomorrow MJ
Green Eyes
Friends, those of you who know cormorants, know that this is a characteristic pose, he is a double-crrested cormorant from Sherburne National Game Refuge near St. Cloud Minnesota, On our little road trip. a whole colony of these birds perched on dead tree stumps.. I love their eye colors, that sea green glow, priceless, til Tomorrow MJ
Cedar in a Cedar
Friends, this cedar waxwing was posing from a dead cedar tree in the badlands of North Dakota. This spring, we found a dead tree with 25 cedar waxwings perched from top to bottom. I had never seen these birds in the badlands, but my mother who lived there in her younger years said that they were often present and were not a rare sighting. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 