Common Yellowthroat

Gallery: AvianPosted May 14, 2011156 views14 comments

I was back & forth on the comp for this. Wanted to stay with a 2:3 ratio but this 4:5 seemed to show the bird a bit more prominently in the frame. This small bird has stretched the limits of my gear & PS abilties to present it, hard to get close to of course..
My first sighting of this species & a significant crop.

A skulking masked warbler of wet thickets, the Common Yellowthroat is far more frequently heard than seen. Its "wich-i-ty, wich-i-ty, wich-i-ty" can be heard from the Yukon to Newfoundland, and from southern Florida to southern Mexico.
F/7.1, 1/250th, ISO 640, 1D M3, 300mm f/2.8 + Kenko 2x ext around 8:00am

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on May 14, 2011 at 11:52 AM

I like the comp Howard and the soft light. I agree with your assessment that this image has stretched your gear to its limit. In the larger version the fine detail on the bird is lacking a bit. Still a pleasing image.

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

Comment posted by Fabio Giarrizzo on May 14, 2011 at 12:06 PM

Nice pose and light on this one- Probably your composition choice is the best compromise in that case- Well done, Fabio

Registered on December 3, 2010, 90 Posts, 1614 Comments

Comment posted by S Govindarajan on May 14, 2011 at 1:39 PM

Nice job getting this in the open. Good head turn and very nice perch & background. I'd also think of a vertical or square comp.

Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on May 14, 2011 at 1:44 PM

Nice image Howard. I like the colors and perch in this. I might be tempted to crop off the right though...it feels a bit unbalanced to me, but that is just one guy's opinion.

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

Comment posted by Steve Canuel on May 14, 2011 at 3:34 PM

Can see why the comp gave you trouble. I keep turning my head to make him and his perch level. I think the detail looks ok in the larger version and being a thicket hopping bird, I'd be happy to get this clear shot of one.

Registered on September 12, 2010, 53 Posts, 660 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on May 14, 2011 at 7:29 PM

Still a very pleasing image. The soft light and colors here make the image for me.

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

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on May 14, 2011 at 7:42 PM

Really like this Howard - wonderful comp and setting

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on May 14, 2011 at 10:56 PM

I've only caught glimpses of this species in willows along the creek banks. Great job getting a clear shot of it. Did you have a planned strategy aimed at this bird in particular? light and colors are great. Nicely done

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on May 15, 2011 at 1:14 AM

Good job getting one in the open with a clean composition. Nice even lighting, acceptable detail. We get a fair number up here, but they aren't here yet. Congrats on getting this photo on your first sighting of the species too!

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

Comment posted by Monica Siri on May 15, 2011 at 12:35 PM

Howard,
I really like the head turn of this nice bird, the subtle colors of the background and how the leaves complete the comp. Really nice.

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

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on May 15, 2011 at 5:35 PM

NOt an easy bird to get out in the open - would prefer a little more OOF background but it's still quite nice for this skulker

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on May 16, 2011 at 1:12 AM

Neat shot Howard, I like the eye contact and a tough bird to get out in the open. I can see why struggled with the comp here - if you crop closer on the bottom you lose the edge of those leaves. If it were mine I would take a little bit more off the bottom and go with a more traditional horizontal.

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

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on May 16, 2011 at 8:58 PM

Nice Howard. Nice to see one out in the open. Great comp as well.

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

Comment posted by David Sparks on May 17, 2011 at 7:41 AM

Good job getting an open shot. It is a pleasing shot to view, as someone already mentioned.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments