White-throated Sparrow

Gallery: AvianPosted September 25, 201043 views9 comments

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

This little bird certainly knew that I was there, pointing my 400 mm cannon at him. However, his taste for berries overcame his fear of me.

Quite a busy background. It certainly shows his habitat but maybe it spoils the image. I'm not sure....although I do smile when I see it and remember how industrious this little fellow was.

All comments very welcome.

EOS 7D, 400 mm f/5.6: ISO 400, 1/1000 s, f/9.0, -2/3 EV, 6.9 MP after cropping, NR, exposure adjustment, Sharpening.

Comments

9 comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on September 25, 2010 at 11:29 PM

I don't mind the busy bg at all, Steve. The sparrow stands out nicely in the larger image. Excellent.

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

Comment posted by Richard Teller on September 25, 2010 at 11:43 PM

The focus is right on and the color is good, but like you already said my eye has some trouble focusing on the bird because of the busy back ground. Not much you can do when this is where the bird presents itself.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on September 26, 2010 at 12:32 AM

The larger image is very impressive: wonderful detail; nice color; an amazing intimacy.

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on September 26, 2010 at 1:43 AM

Really a nice image Steve, I don't think the bg spoils the image here. A wider aperture would have blurred the bg some more but the cost of that may have been having some of the plant that he's on out of focus and I quite like the fact that all of it is in sharp focus ... always tradeoffs. Anyway, sweet shot

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on September 26, 2010 at 8:25 AM

Interesting shot Steve. There's a lot going on here but it works for me. I like that you caught the head separated from the foreground leaves, that we can see almost the whole bird in this jumble of vegetation and the feeding behavior. Nice and sharp and I like your DOF for the situation.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on September 26, 2010 at 10:33 AM

Steve,
I like everything here. The excellent detail, the nice setting and the pose with the berry in the beak. Well done!

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on September 26, 2010 at 12:33 PM

The detail in the larger image is wonderful Steve. I like the habitat and the berry in the beak. Nice overall comp too. Well done.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on September 26, 2010 at 3:27 PM

Steve,

The habitat does not spoil this mage for me. The tans, rusts and browns of the bird stand out well from the greens and reds of the vegetation. If you have a bit more space on the right side of the frame I think it would improve the comp, the tail is very close to the edge of the frame. This is well worth viewing at the larger size, the details & sharpness are great. Beautiful colors and eye contact.

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

Comment posted by Steve Balke on September 28, 2010 at 11:56 AM

Thank you everyone -- delightful comments.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments