Red-winged Blackbird

Gallery: AvianPosted June 9, 2013193 views20 comments

One from Ridgefield this last Wednesday. While the hoped for Pileated Woodpecker didn't put in an appearance, these birds provided some nice opportunities.

7D, 300mm f4 ISL + 1.4TC, hand held from car, f8, 1/200, Av mode with +1/3 stop compensation (this made the bg and perch rather bright so I ended up making some adjustments in ACR), iso 500. Full frame. Processed in CS6. Taken June 5th at Ridgefield NWR at 6:58 am.

Your comments and criticisms are most appreciated.

Thanks for looking,

Comments

20 comments

Comment posted by Martin Dunn on June 9, 2013 at 1:00 PM

Cool shot that really shows off the red patches. I really like the open beak pose and it is nice that there is something to make the perch more than just a stick.

Registered on February 20, 2013, 198 Posts, 1011 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on June 9, 2013 at 1:09 PM

Wonderful shot of this RWBB! They're hard to resist when this animated! I like the bg, perch, and pose. Sharon

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

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on June 9, 2013 at 1:27 PM

Dennis: This is very nice. Dynamic pose portrays motion. Great background and a wonderful perch. The epaulets really accentuate this image. Wish for just a bit for room, but I see this is full frame.

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

Comment posted by Roger Kirchen on June 9, 2013 at 1:46 PM

Gorgeous shot with great dynamics. I like how he is showing off his epaulets. When they are that animated, they don't stay long on a perch before flying off again. Quick reaction time needed! Excellent.

Registered on March 6, 2011, 95 Posts, 847 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on June 9, 2013 at 1:46 PM

Nice one, Dennis! A very close approximation of the calling pose I've been looking for. The detailed blacks and reds, the popped chevrons are awesome! My small nit is the gaze directed downward.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Craig Strand on June 9, 2013 at 1:52 PM

Love the pose and exposed red shoulder patches, excellent job Dennis!

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

Comment posted by Ed Williams on June 9, 2013 at 5:56 PM

Wow! Great shot Dennis. Love the colors and the DOF and the expression.

Nicely done.

Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on June 9, 2013 at 8:19 PM

They sure can be noisy but fun to photograph. I like the pose, background and open beak, well done.

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

Comment posted by Jefferson Silva on June 9, 2013 at 8:37 PM

Amazing, Dannis.
Pretty good image. Nice colors, BG.

Registered on December 18, 2012, 162 Posts, 975 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on June 9, 2013 at 8:52 PM

Great displaying blackbird. The details in the blacks are really good and the catch light in the eye adds to the image.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on June 9, 2013 at 8:58 PM

Have always envisioned getting a photo like this - but never anything close to it. Great job on the exposure which is probably the most difficult element

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

Comment posted by Randy Bacon on June 9, 2013 at 9:21 PM

Dynamic engaging pose, great look at the shoulder patches and beautifully exposed - what's not to like?

Registered on November 24, 2008, 56 Posts, 492 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on June 9, 2013 at 10:19 PM

Excellent, Dennis. Lovely display of the epaulets, dynamic and beatifully exposed. You can almost hear the call.

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

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on June 10, 2013 at 4:12 AM

Dennis,

Marvelous image, this should be in an ID book

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on June 10, 2013 at 8:52 AM

Wow ! Great action and wonderful detail in the blacks ! The strokes in the BG complement the movement of the bird. Cheers, Hans

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

Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on June 10, 2013 at 10:44 AM

Great catch

Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Lusk on June 10, 2013 at 1:21 PM

Wow, Dennis!

This is one of the best RWBB shots I can ever remember seeing. You nailed all three - bird, perch and BG.

Like many otheres here, I've tried to get something this stunning on many occasions - no success.

Thanks for showing what is possible. .

Registered on September 17, 2005, 312 Posts, 600 Comments

Comment posted by John Sherman on June 10, 2013 at 3:11 PM

Great rendition of a classic pose.

Registered on March 10, 2013, 31 Posts, 142 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on June 12, 2013 at 2:42 AM

Fantastic Dennis - what a great pose showing off those bright red epaulettes

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

Comment posted by David Williams on June 12, 2013 at 9:24 PM

One of the best poses/shots of this bird I have seen, Dennis. Very nice job to get the detail in the black like that. Well done!

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