Feeding the family

[José Rodríguez]

Ok, I know this is not technically any kind of good shot, but it is the result of some learning on birds behaviour. In this time of the year, the birds use to carry the family to a "nursery" where they left them to look for food. I have been able to locate some of this nurseries, but they are always deep in the bushes, lots of branches and no good light. So after some days trying to shot the feeding of the baby birds, this is a typical shot.
I´m having lots of fun finding the nurseries (I use my ear), and trying to get breading shots, but any tips on how to improve this kind of shots would help me a lot!
<table id="Inbox" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="font-size: 120%;" width="30%">Cámara:</td> <td style="font-size: 120%;">Nikon D300 (http://www.flickr.com/cameras/nikon/d300/)</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 120%;" width="30%">Exposición:</td> <td style="font-size: 120%;">0,004 sec (1/250)</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 120%;" width="30%">Aperture:</td> <td style="font-size: 120%;">f/5.6</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 120%;" width="30%">Lente:</td> <td style="font-size: 120%;">400 mm</td></tr></tbody></table>

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/3393099840_a20c0cfb72_o.jpg

[Gus Cobos]

I like the action here Jose...a nice record capture...:):cool:

[Harold Davis]

jose, you did really well for what you had. i like the interaction!

[denise ippolito]

Jose. Thanks for sharing this nice interaction image!

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

The interaction is fabulous! Thanks for sharing. :)

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Nice Jose, hard to get a clean shot through the branches, but captures the moment really well esp. with the bug.

[Alfred Forns]

Jose I go by feel and this really has it !! Keeper in my book !!!

[Ilija Dukovski]

Jose, thanks for the post.
What species is the bird?
Is it a species of Phyloscopus?

Cheers, Ilija

[Lance Peters]

HI jose - love the action and interaction - good show.

[José Rodríguez]

Ilija, it's a canarian chiffchaff. It's very little (compare it with the fly) ....

[Ilija Dukovski]

Yup, got it: Phylloscopus canariensis
Great bird, also congrats on the setting.
Long time ago when blinds were much more
common in bird photography, these kind of
family images with perching birds at or near
a nest were much more common I think.
Nice to see one here...

[Jay Gould]

Hi, I can't give you "tips on how to improve"; I am waiting to read them myself and I am just a learner. However, even as a beginner I am not going to agree with you that it is "not technically any kind of a good shot."

I assume that you were a fair distance from the nest (400mm lente); the birds are not in any way distracted. You are shooting through foliage; yet we see all the details that are important to the story you are communicating. While some may say it is a bit soft, given that you are shooting through the bushes it looks to me like you nailed one sensor on or close to the chick's eye with the beak closed, and the foliage is not a distraction.

Did I guess correctly about where the sensor was placed, or is this a manual focus (if that is the right question)?

I am new and certainly not qualified to write about everyone's images as is, for example, Al or Gus. I look at lots of images to learn; your image jumped out as a "feel good" presentation of Mom And The Kids.

There is such a story you can write about your image. Mom: which one this time? Noisy chick: pick me; pick me.

Thanks for sharing a wonderful and warm image.