Horned Lark

Gallery: AvianPosted December 12, 2010161 views12 comments

Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)

Place: Scottsdale, AZ
Date: November 13, 2010 3:02 pm
Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E 2x), monopod from car window
Exposure: aperture priority matrix metered, ISO 400, 1/750th @ f/11, -2/3rds ev compensation
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, cropped to 81% of frame

The same bird as in my recent post, also taken from the car window. Horned Larks are ground-loving birds of open desolate places and do not sit on branches, so seeing them on a dirt pile is normal.

Please view the larger version before commenting, if possible. Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated.

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on December 12, 2010 at 5:16 PM

Love this as posted Rich. Really enjoy the similar colors of background, perch and bird and you caught a very nice pose. Perfect DOF.

I've been seeing this species since I was a kid and though I'd never thought about it before I don't think I've ever seen this species on a branch - always on the ground or a rock or boulder perch. Shows you how observant I can be...

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

Comment posted by Giorgio Gregori on December 12, 2010 at 5:56 PM

Richard ,
this is an excellent representation of a subject in its environment . I really like the clear break between the foreground and background, which gives depth to the image .
Giorgio

Registered on November 16, 2007, 87 Posts, 793 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Frye on December 12, 2010 at 6:13 PM

Good job getting close to this one -- it is difficult to get an interesting background on ground birds -- and this works well

Registered on February 3, 2007, 387 Posts, 1136 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on December 12, 2010 at 7:37 PM

Now here is another bird on my list! Beautiful detail, composition and perch. Have to love it!

Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on December 12, 2010 at 8:44 PM

I like the alert pose and head-turn. Good sun angle for the bright conditions. Very sharp too.

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

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on December 13, 2010 at 2:06 AM

I really like the pose. Not a hint of harshness in the lighting and perfectly represented colors on the lark. These guys are pretty small, good job getting this close!

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on December 13, 2010 at 10:38 AM

Very nice Richard! Beautiful warm light, and I do like the dirt in the front being very distinctive from the OOF background.

Called to thank you last week, but ended up talking to your wife! Thanks again!!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on December 13, 2010 at 10:54 AM

Oh, sweet shot Rich. Love the detail and pose of this bird. f/11, perfect with great exposure. Love the detail in the perch area too. Very well done. Wish I had an image this good of this species.

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on December 13, 2010 at 12:10 PM

Nice exposure for the difficult light and good feather detail on the larger version, well done. I have never seen one of these.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on December 14, 2010 at 12:21 PM

Great look at this Horned Lark Richard. Pretty nice angle considering that it was taken from the car. These are one of my favorite birds and the first to return in the spring. We will not be seeing them with any regularity until the end of February although there are still a few around who linger during the winter.
May

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

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on December 16, 2010 at 9:09 AM

Another excellent image of the Horned Lark Richard.
I think I like this one best because it's isolated in the frame so well

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

Comment posted by Dan Harbour on December 19, 2010 at 6:34 PM

Great photo, Richard.

Registered on January 4, 2008, 113 Posts, 2416 Comments