Crissal Thrasher

Gallery: AvianPosted January 7, 2010140 views11 comments

Interesting that the first bird I photographed in 2010 is a bird that is somewhat less common and often quite reclusive. I arrived at Catalina State Park before the sun came over the mountains. This guy was not only in the dark but even more so in the underbrush. This was definitely not the time to handhold but I had no tripod or monopod. I fired off as many shots as I could hoping to get something useful. The shots I took with ISO set over 400 were way too noisy but this one did work out in spite of the slow shutter speed.

I came back later when the sun was on the area and many people had arrived with the warmth. Unfortunately, this shy bird was nowhere to be found.

Thanks for looking and for your comments and suggestions.

Canon 50D, 300mm f/4 IS w/1.4, handheld, 1/50 @ f/5.6, ISO 400

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on January 8, 2010 at 12:21 AM

Looks like you did well with this. Nice bird to get with that interesting bill. Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Ed White on January 8, 2010 at 1:04 AM

Hi Hans,
Nice catch, good job with the handholding.
I really enjoy the grey "mood" in this picture and the way the branches seem to frame the bird in a way. Feels kinda wintery and with the bird's colouring I think it works pretty well in the shade and grey light.

Registered on July 15, 2009, 13 Posts, 70 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on January 8, 2010 at 2:51 AM

Interesting how the bird colours match the surroundings. A very neat Thrasher to find Hans

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by Ant on January 8, 2010 at 6:53 AM

Very nice, grey-mooded portrait, and I also like the pattern in the background. Quite a pleasant image!

Registered on April 13, 2009, 27 Posts, 474 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 8, 2010 at 8:32 AM

always a treat to catch one of these out in the open. looks like you did a good job handholding, and I like how the bird blends with its surroundings in perfect thrasher style.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on January 8, 2010 at 11:13 AM

A nice find. They have been abundant at Boyce Thompson Arboretum the past couple of months, although I had never seen one there in all the years before. Something is definitely going on with the population in central AZ.

I like the setting and composition here, but the image is seriously compromised by the lack of a proper camera support. Even in this small version nothing looks particularly sharp to my eye, and I suspect that going any larger would not be possible. And that's a shame for such an uncommon opportunity.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on January 8, 2010 at 6:40 PM

Congrats on finding this bird for your first images of 2010 Hans. I have yet to see or photograph this species, would love to though.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on January 8, 2010 at 7:47 PM

Really nice Hans. The dof works great and not to noisy IMO.

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 8, 2010 at 8:01 PM

Excellent detail for hand held at that shutter speed, Hans. I really like the subdued palette here.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Dubois on January 9, 2010 at 1:36 AM

I really like the almost monotone of this shot Hans. Good thing you persisted despite the low light.

Registered on February 22, 2005, 129 Posts, 4739 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on January 9, 2010 at 1:15 PM

The color matching of the bird and the background is quite lovely. I do find the centered still pose a little too static.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments