Fantailed Cuckoo

Gallery: AvianPosted November 7, 2010150 views19 comments

Aaaagghhh - Error 99, so luckily I was able to pinch the school's camera for the weekend. It was nice having the 1.6 crop factor.
I'm not sure whether this works or not but it looked stunning through the viewfinder. Just before sunset on a stormy afternoon and the cuckoo was up quite high with a few filtered rays landing on him. The background is a nearby mountain in the shade. Quite a large crop.

50D 500/f4 1.4X
ISO 400 f7.1 1/400

cheers
Rob

Comments

19 comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on November 7, 2010 at 7:19 AM

Nice to have that 50D available. I bet you will notice a decrease in IQ in at least some of your images versus your IIN if you go above ISO 400. This image looks really good at ISO 400 and I love the darkish grey BG to set the bird off. Nice simple comp as usual and good detail considering the larger crop. The bird's eye ring really catches my eye.

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

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on November 7, 2010 at 7:56 AM

Lots of detail for a large crop. Good pose with the eye and beak.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on November 7, 2010 at 8:34 AM

Really lovely image, with lots of great detail. Color and tone are both very appealing. I like the gauzy, veil-like quality of the tail with the light and the simplicity of the perch.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on November 7, 2010 at 9:50 AM

Very nice looking Cuckoo Rob. The bird looks fairly sharp and I love the snag perch. The late afternoon rays show well on the face and throat of the bird, but the larger version does suffer a tad from the crop, especially in the background. Never-the-less- a lovely composition.

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on November 7, 2010 at 12:21 PM

Very nice, Rob!

D&L

Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Binda on November 7, 2010 at 12:37 PM

cool bird Rob, I should visit your country some day.

cheers, Dennis

Registered on September 8, 2007, 56 Posts, 326 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on November 7, 2010 at 12:37 PM

Rob,
I like the stare of the bird, the polished beak and the background. Well done.

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

Comment posted by William Donnelly on November 7, 2010 at 2:24 PM

Great shot it makes me want to be closer to the bird.

Registered on February 1, 2004, 31 Posts, 54 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on November 7, 2010 at 3:42 PM

Works well, especially the typical pose and the warm light around the head.

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Moore on November 7, 2010 at 4:49 PM

Simple and sweet. Your viewfinder was true to your image.

Dan

Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on November 7, 2010 at 6:56 PM

Looks stunning on my monitor.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on November 7, 2010 at 7:26 PM

Rob, I like the tail slightly tucked under like this to show it off and the simplicity of your presentation. Neat bird and plain but interesting gray background.

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on November 7, 2010 at 9:26 PM

neat shot, Rob. I like the comp, pose, and bg. I agree the larger version shows the crop a bit.

I love the 1.6x crop factor on my 7D...

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

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on November 8, 2010 at 6:29 AM

I think the neutral gray BG works well here Rob, helps the birds colors pop..
Excellent DOF/details & exposure, like the way you've composed too.
Well done!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on November 8, 2010 at 1:02 PM

Rob,

The image works well for me, I love the light on the bird, the yellow orbital ring and the nice view of the tail of the cuckoo.

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

Comment posted by Geoffrey Baker on November 8, 2010 at 1:43 PM

A beautiful capture, I love that eye

Looks great against the clean background.
Well done.

Geoff.

Registered on August 20, 2010, 192 Posts, 980 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on November 8, 2010 at 3:50 PM

Very nice. Neat looking bird and a very clean, graphic shot. I was wondering what the BG was. It almost looks like a studio shot.

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on November 14, 2010 at 2:22 AM

Missed this before - really nice!
Love the colors, pose, perch and BG.
The comp seems a bit awkward to me, though, and I'd suggest moving the whole bird down to the lower third of the frame.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on January 15, 2011 at 6:03 PM

Beautiful bird Rob, I think the filtered light across the bird looks great..
The gray BG works well, and I especially like the yellow eye ring on this bird.
You say a large crop, but hard to tell here.
Thank you

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments