Cedar Waxwing

Gallery: AvianPosted July 9, 2011208 views18 comments

One of my favorites, these guys are a rare source of life here sometimes in winter. This was from the coast of Oregon though last week. There was a patch of berries and flowers, being heavily guarded by Rufous Hummingbirds, but other birds would also make their way in for the berries. I just kind of concealed myself in the shrubs and literally stood there for 3 hours, and several species utilized the shrub and berries. A half dead bush with some wonderful lichen and moss was a great perch....got a lot of photos of different species on this same bush (even same branch as this). Also nice to get the red tips...have a lot of photos of these guys, not many where these are clearly visible.

Canon 50D, 400 5.6L, 1/200, f5.6, ISO 800, 430EX @ -1 2/3. Straight crop from horizontal, no other PS work other than cloning out flash highlight in eye.

Comments

18 comments

Comment posted by David Williams on July 9, 2011 at 10:31 AM

Terry, love the dark green BG to help this little guy stand out more. You've captured the hard to get detail and I love the little bit of moss under the left foot. I can almost see your reflection in its eye, too......nicely done.

Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments

Comment posted by Manoj Vallati on July 9, 2011 at 10:48 AM

Very beautifully shot.. truly wax wing.. I love the scale and detail of the bird in this image..Well done

Registered on February 24, 2011, 49 Posts, 148 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on July 9, 2011 at 11:42 AM

You have an absolute winner here, Terry! I like everything about it!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on July 9, 2011 at 12:34 PM

Terry: This is just beautiful!! Everything seems to work together to make this a very special image. In an absolute perfect world, I'd prefer the OOF branch below the tail not be there, but such a minor issue with a fantastic image.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on July 9, 2011 at 2:01 PM

A stunner, Terry. That head turn is perfect. Special props for getting detail in the feathers on this silky species.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Jenkins on July 9, 2011 at 3:15 PM

The BG, feather detail, lighting, pose all great. Really nice photo Terry.

Registered on April 20, 2008, 307 Posts, 604 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on July 9, 2011 at 3:17 PM

I agree - this is fabulous! So good it almost looks like a well done setup but it wasn't (that's a compliment BTW). I won't list everything I love about this shot but it would be a long one...

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

Comment posted by David Sparks on July 9, 2011 at 5:01 PM

Absolutely stunning! Congrats on a fabulous image.

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

Comment posted by Angela McCain on July 9, 2011 at 10:26 PM

Great image of this sleek bird. I really like getting the pop of both the red and yellow feathers. Nice head turn and light. Good looking natural perch is a plus. I like the dark green uncluttered background.

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

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on July 9, 2011 at 10:41 PM

THis is FABULOUS! Superb detail on the feathers of this bird...not often seen. Congrats! Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on July 9, 2011 at 11:17 PM

Excellent detail in the feathers and this pose really shows off the red and yellow markings, Terry.

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on July 10, 2011 at 11:55 AM

really nice, Terry--love the perch, pose, details. only nit for me is that the flash looks a little strong on the bird.

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on July 10, 2011 at 2:01 PM

Terry, I don't see this viewpoint in photos of this species very often at all. Great job!

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

Comment posted by May Haga on July 10, 2011 at 2:45 PM

Perfect pose, perfect detail, gorgeous image.
May

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

Comment posted by Ken Archer on July 10, 2011 at 5:16 PM

A Beauty Terry

Great pose, perch, and detail. Excellent fill flash work here.

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Craig Strand on July 11, 2011 at 7:04 AM

BEAUTIFUL comp and capture, great job all around Terry!

Registered on March 30, 2008, 416 Posts, 2885 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on July 11, 2011 at 2:26 PM

One of the best Waxwing images I have seen, everything comes together on this, perch, background, bird detail and composition, wonderful job in getting this, way to go.

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on July 16, 2011 at 4:17 AM

Terry - wonderful pose showing lovely detail and colours of the back. Great pose and head-turn, nice BG, and excellent perch.

I'd strongly suggest geting rid of that OOF branch ..then..perfect!
Sandy

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