Northern Mockingbird

Gallery: AvianPosted March 20, 2011163 views19 comments

I took this photo at the Gilbert Water Ranch in Arizona. This mockingbird was flying up from a branch going after bugs and landing back on a nearby branch.

D700, 80-400mm, ISO800, F8, 240mm, 1/2500 cropped at about 50%

Comments

19 comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on March 20, 2011 at 10:02 PM

Girl that is awesome. Great wing spread and backlight on them as well. I loveit

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

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on March 20, 2011 at 10:23 PM

Pretty cool to get this bird opened up like this. I think I might try to bring out a little more detail in the dark areas. I want to see the detail in the feet a little better especially. Excellent.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Marquart on March 20, 2011 at 11:01 PM

A fine action capture Barbara, the bird however appears dark to me. Mockingbirds are generally quite light on the underside. An easy fix.

Registered on October 24, 2009, 126 Posts, 799 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on March 20, 2011 at 11:19 PM

Nice flight shot, Barbara. I like the spread wings and tail and the nice eye contact.

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on March 20, 2011 at 11:34 PM

Very nice flight shot, I like the wing spread, tail feathers out and open beak, way to go.

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on March 20, 2011 at 11:36 PM

Barbara - this is a beauty!
Wonderful pose and wings, bright eye, open beak and nice comp.
I think it would benefit from stand another round of sharpening.

Sandy

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

Comment posted by Max Waugh on March 20, 2011 at 11:36 PM

I love the pose you captured. The splashes of white feathers are a nice contrast to the darker plumage.

I agree that it could be a tad brighter without washing out the whites. I'm also not sure if the crop works for me. I understand the need to leave space in front of the subject, but it feels like there's either not enough space in front or too much, depending on whether you want to give it room to breathe or simply focus on the subject.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on March 20, 2011 at 11:58 PM

Next time you visit let me know so I can follow you around! This is excellent and I love ethe position you caught here.

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

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on March 21, 2011 at 3:47 AM

Wonderful shot Barbara - love the spread tail and wings

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on March 21, 2011 at 4:13 AM

Great flight shot, Barbara. I like the wing spread, tail feathers out and the open bill.
Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by Roger Leekam on March 21, 2011 at 8:04 AM

Shots like this are so difficult to get & you've done a great job. I suspect the light wasn't ideal for flight shots.

Registered on May 28, 2009, 83 Posts, 646 Comments

Comment posted by richard remington on March 21, 2011 at 8:12 AM

Barbara,

i really like the wing spread and sharp focus throughout. The perfect lighting allowed you to capture the pupils which adds another level of detail. This is one of the best mockingbird shots I have seen.

Rick

Registered on March 12, 2010, 105 Posts, 368 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on March 21, 2011 at 6:43 PM

Beautiful. My favorite songster.

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

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on March 21, 2011 at 8:15 PM

I like this very much Barbara. Great wing extension and the open beak adds a lot. Your comp works fine for me. Very well done!

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

Comment posted by Rick Cloran on March 22, 2011 at 10:36 AM

Really nice wing spread and positioning. I'm inclined to agree that a bit of shadow adjustment will bring out the detail on it even better Great capture.

Registered on April 6, 2004, 119 Posts, 1989 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Harbour on March 22, 2011 at 10:46 AM

Wonderful pose, great wing and tail spread and perfect head turn.

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

Comment posted by Roger Leekam on March 22, 2011 at 3:16 PM

Tremendous shot! Pose and detail are excellent.

Registered on May 28, 2009, 83 Posts, 646 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on March 22, 2011 at 4:36 PM

Awesome wing spread and great job catching him in flight Barbara. On my monitor it seems a touch dark.

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

Comment posted by Vijay Raj on March 23, 2011 at 2:24 PM

Nice capture the timing of the wing spread is perfect and the head angle works it much higher.

Registered on November 22, 2010, 29 Posts, 100 Comments