Lesser Goldfinch

Gallery: AvianPosted August 24, 2011150 views7 comments

I was at Cedar Canyon yesterday where I always see Rock Wrens just sitting trying to get a picture of a wren when this guy showed up. He stayed just long enough to shoot 5 or 6 images and then gone. This is not an award winning image for sure, but one reason I am posting it is that Lesser Goldfinch have only started to be seen in Nebraska in the last four years and this is one of the only sightings this year. This is a crop of 45% of the original. For my lens and the distance I am fairly happy with the image. The environment is typical of finch. It was early morning and the light was very nice, almost no post processing to the image except sharpening, nose reduction and I cloned out one leaf in the upper right corner. All comments and critiques are welcome and appreciated.

Canon 30D
Tokina 80-400
Aperture Priority
Shutter 1/250
Aperture f11
ISO 800
400mm
Tripod

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on August 24, 2011 at 4:19 PM

Very nice Richard. I like where you placed the goldfinch in the frame and although the bg is busy the bird and sunflowers are bright enough to stand out well from it.

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

Comment posted by Robert Holguin on August 24, 2011 at 8:33 PM

Great shot. Real nice light and pose. I agree background a tad busy. Well done.

Registered on January 25, 2011, 44 Posts, 294 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on August 24, 2011 at 9:08 PM

Like the sunny look & warm colors Richard. The bird & sunflowers stand out in the frame well also. Perhaps a bit more BG separation would be better, but just fine as posted

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

Comment posted by Angela McCain on August 24, 2011 at 9:26 PM

Lovely habitat image with great compliment from bird and flower. I like the eye contact.

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

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on August 24, 2011 at 10:42 PM

I like this, Richard. The tangle of grasses and flowers appeals tome and the Finch makes a nice focal point. It would make a great camo pattern for grasslands!

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

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on August 25, 2011 at 8:02 AM

Cool Richard! I really love the habitat here. I think I might crop as a vertical? Keep that flower in the lower left, and crop as a vertical, making the bird in the top-right, and sunflower in bottom-left to balance? Then you also lose some of the busiest background on the left edge that doesn't add a lot to the shot.

There's a place in Fall River County, furthest SW county in South Dakota (not too far from you!!), where these guys have been seen relatively regularly the last several years as well.

And BTW...Go Huskers! (forget if you were a Husker fan or not...I'm a Beatrice boy originally)

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

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on August 25, 2011 at 9:52 AM

Richard, I enjoy the setting - busy or not and I like the colors. Nice find too.

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