Doing a bit of yard work recently and I was trimming some thick vines growing on one of my outdoor walls as they were starting to seriously overtake the eavesthrougs . While still cutting away from a ladder I discovered a quite hidden active nest, and at that time a parent bird was still sitting in it...inches away from my hands! I took a break from the chores to pull out the camera...the only lens that I could use is the 100mm macro, which I was able to do on the parent bird for frame filling head images, and here on two hatchlings and a still yet hatched egg. The hatchlings have been growing very well and parents are currently busy feeding them some nice juicy tidbits as we speak (but they have become very protective of the nest so I am watching from a distance!)
So, can anyone take a stab at the species?? I'll reveal the answer in my next thread....
Canon 7D + 100mm f/2.8 macro, 1/40s., f/4.5, ISO 1600, fill-flash @ -1.7 FEC, lens wedged in the top corner of ladder railing and rung, cropped for comp (about 75% FF), NR to all except the two subjects, added more contrast than usual.
Pteradactyl? I really like this image, Daniel. I might be tempted to tone down the bright green on the viewer's right. The eggs should be a species give-away, but my oology is weak.
Last edited by Ian Cassell; 06-26-2013 at 12:46 PM.
Great find, and well captured. Worth a break from the yard work; glad you found them before cutting them down. I've never seen a House Sparrow hatchling, but the splotchy egg looks about right for that species.