White-crowned Sparrow

Gallery: AvianPosted November 6, 2012143 views12 comments

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

Place: Water Ranch, Gilbert, AZ
Date: November 4, 2012 7:50 am
Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor 70- 300 @ 240mm hand held
Exposure: ISO 1600, Aperture priority center weighted meter (accidental setting), 1/320th @ f/5.6
Raw on Mac, PSCS3, 100% of frame
Not baited, not set up, no cloning, no noise reduction

My primary objective was to locate a vagrant Chestnut-sided Warbler (new for the Water Ranch) so I decided to increase my mobility by leaving my usual 300/2.8, TC20E and tripod rig behind. I limited my gear to just the 70-300 on a body with no tripod. I was able to see the warbler and even got a few documentaion shots.

The surprise was being able to capture this sparrow feeding on the ground on seedpods from a mesquite tree at only 240mm while I squatted beside it in the open.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. If possible please view the large version before commenting.

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by John Neukirch on November 6, 2012 at 8:03 PM

Really a nice shot Richard. If you don't mind me asking, was there poor light? Why such a high ISO? At 5.6 there wasn't much chance to get a sharp tail. I still love the image, great detail in the eye.

Registered on July 9, 2012, 207 Posts, 1476 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on November 6, 2012 at 8:06 PM

I have always liked the 70-300 lens and use it often. Nice to have such a cooperative Sparrow as I have found them to be not very approachable, way to go Rich.

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

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on November 6, 2012 at 8:25 PM

If you don't mind me asking, was there poor light? Why such a high ISO? At 5.6 there wasn't much chance to get a sharp tail. I still love the image, great detail in the eye.

Yes, this was an early morning walk with the bird in a shaded part of the trail. And I had left my tripod back in the car along with my usual birding optics. ISO 1600 was necessary to get enough shutter speed with the lens wide open at f/5.6. With my D200 or D70 previous bodies I would never have gone this high but I've found that the D300 is still quite usable at ISO 1600 if you get the exposure correct when you take the shot and don't need to add exposure in raw conversion.

Concerning the OOF tail I don't consider that to be an issue. As long as I have the face/eye sharp I am happy. If I want the entire bird sharp then I'll avoid these low light situations (plenty of those in the White-crowned Sparrow Gallery on my web site).

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on November 7, 2012 at 11:40 AM

This is beautiful Rich, I love how I feel that I am kneeling right beside you when I view this image. I like the DOF you used because it accentuates the sharpness and fine detail of the face & bill.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on November 7, 2012 at 12:11 PM

Sweet! Really nice detail and POV here - as Mia said well, it seems as if we are right there with you.
Glad you're testing the waters of "no tripod" !

For me, all they do is slow me down and trip me up!
Sandy

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on November 7, 2012 at 5:25 PM

I like the eye contact here Rich, nice and sharp where it counts

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

Comment posted by Mark Schiebelbein on November 7, 2012 at 10:05 PM

Nice intimate shot. The seed pods add interest, showing what he was feeding on.

Registered on November 8, 2008, 55 Posts, 393 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on November 8, 2012 at 10:23 AM

Nice and crisp image. I do like the bird, colors and sharpness on the head. For next time, if circumstance permit maybe you could try to get a slightly lower angle. Today I posted a Snow Bunting , taken while lying flat on the ground, creating for a whole different view. That said, a fine image as presented !

, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on November 8, 2012 at 4:44 PM

Nice work under low light Rich. Being full frame allowed the high ISO to work OK. Tail areas show some noise, but at an acceptable level IMO.

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

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on November 10, 2012 at 5:42 PM

Really like the way the colors of the foreground and background harmonize so well with the Sparrow.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on November 13, 2012 at 7:29 AM

Wonderful detail where it counts, Rich. I'm not bothered by the OOF tail in this situation. Great job getting this FF.

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

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on April 19, 2013 at 5:35 PM

This reminds me.. I haven't captured the WC for some time, more elusive than ever.
Great detailed closeup, have a good weekend Rich

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