Bearded Tit.

[David Cowling]

These birds are not easily seen, usually living deep down among the reeds but at this time of the year they climb to the top of the reed to feed on the ripe seed heads. If you are lucky enough to be in the right place in the early morning you may catch them. This is a male bird.

Canon 1D4. Canon 100-400 L Mk2. Canon 1.4x Extender Mk2.

1/1250 @ f 8 ISO 320.

ACR and PS6. 25% crop.

[Colin Driscoll]

A striking looking bird in nice light. Perhaps a tighter crop would show it off better?

[keith mitchell]

Very nice capture David,do like the pose and how it sits on the top of the reed,I also would be interested to see how it looks with a tighter crop if it will take it.

Keith.

[David Cowling]

Thanks Keith and Colin for your input. Here is a tighter crop but I feel the image has deteriorated. On the day the birds were reluctant to show and were a bit far away. They should be showing for another week or two so I may be able to get a closer shot.


165214

[Steve Kaluski]

David I would have shifted the subject far more to the left, with more room for the subject to look into, as I feel the central position isn't really working. For me it would also reduce the solid blue to the left and retain sky to hedgerow better and personally more interesting. Avoid too hefty a crop to maintain IQ. With the reeds & sway with any breeze, I would have gone straight to ISO800 for a faster SS, but if possible, moving slightly to the left would/may have avoided the OOF reeds falling onto the tail.

Looks like around Blankeney/Cley? :bg3:

TFS
Steve

[keith mitchell]

Yes David I agree with you it as lost a bit of qaulity with this crop,also think Steve as a point re the composition but well done getting what you have got.
You have set me off going out this afternoon to see if I can find some.

[David Cowling]

Hello Steve, thanks for commenting. As for composition I am constrained by my equipment, only centre point focus with this lens and 1.4x converter. In an ideal world you would be able to place yourself in a position to avoid reeds falling in front of the body, but you know what reeds are like and the birds show for only a few seconds at a time!! Agree about cropping too much but added the extra crop as a request. Taken a bit further south; Strumpshaw Fen on the banks of the River Yare.

Keith, best of luck this afternoon, I am watching the Ryder Cup!! We have a bit to make up against our American friends, I'm hoping for birdies of a different sort!

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi David, it's been a very, very long time since shooting with the 100-400, so I had not realised it had limited constraints in where you can place the FP, a bit like adding the 2x to the 500, unless you have a 1DXMKII, or perhaps the new MKIV?

OK, probably drove through there, just looked a tad similar to an area I knew for BT's & Barn owls.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Central comp and FG grass hurt the image, but you have a nice clean BG and a great pose from the subject.

[Frank Schauf]

Beautiful perch and nice composition.

[David Salem]

I agree about the comp and the centered subject but still looks great. The repost has lost a bit to much for me but if you aren't opposed to cloning I would remove the reed over the tail. Well done