White-breasted Nuthatch

Gallery: AvianPosted January 4, 2011122 views10 comments

This is the female of a pair of nuthatches that hang out in a wooded section of the local park. I was strolling through there last fall when I heard a series of chirps nearby as if to get my attention. The pair hung around to be photographed for quite a while. I suspect they are used to being fed by park visitors.

I like this image although I didn't quite get the focus on the eye. The cheap Sigma 400mm lens continues to impress me. Any comments are welcomed. Thanks.

Nikon D300S, Sigma 400mm f/5.6 APO telemacro, 1/60th sec at f/5.6, no flash. Slightly cropped to remove a distracting blue/white section of sky on the right side.

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Carol Hyman on January 4, 2011 at 6:20 PM

Chris, Welcome to NPN and Avian.

You're impressed with the lens; I'm impressed with your image. Very well done.

Might use just a bit more space on the right. Perhaps you can clone some background woods onto the blue/white section of the sky.

Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

Cheers,

Carol

Registered on January 18, 2007, 597 Posts, 8062 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on January 4, 2011 at 7:44 PM

Nicely done! Especially for the very slow shutter speed. Agreed, the image looks quite nice from your lens.

Female? Just wondering how you tell the difference in these guys. Didn't know there were distinguishing characteristics.

Welcome to NPN!

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

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on January 4, 2011 at 7:50 PM

Classic pose, nice perch

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on January 4, 2011 at 8:18 PM

I like the setting a lot, those trees look like they haver survived a burn at some time. Might bump the saturation a little and possibly warm up the white balance based on my monitor.

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

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on January 4, 2011 at 8:32 PM

Outstanding Nuthatch shot! The perch and background really fit the shot!

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

Comment posted by wade pettitt on January 4, 2011 at 8:40 PM

Chris, I agree with garys suggestion about a contrast bump. Well done!!

Registered on May 6, 2009, 184 Posts, 471 Comments

Comment posted by Chris O'Donoghue on January 4, 2011 at 9:15 PM

Thanks for the comments, everyone! I've noticed that I tend towards too little contrast in my processing and am trying to train myself to do better.

Terry, as for gender, my guidebooks tell me that the male has a black cap and the female usually has a greyer cap, and that the pair tends to remain together year-long. Both birds were present when I took this and the other had a black cap, so I'm assuming this is the female.

Thanks,
Chris

Registered on January 1, 2011, 11 Posts, 37 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 4, 2011 at 10:12 PM

Sweet image, Chris. A bit more room on the right-where you removed the sky, might have been nice for composition. Excellent detail in the plumage and the eye isn't soft enough to draw attention.

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

Comment posted by Jeff Loomis on January 5, 2011 at 1:28 PM

Very nice image. Love the classic pose and perch. Could stand for a little more room on the right. Fine shot though.

Registered on January 26, 2010, 68 Posts, 719 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on January 5, 2011 at 2:50 PM

Nice first post in Avian Chris. I like most things about this shot, but like others would wish for a tad more room on the right.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments