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Thread: Bell's Sparrow

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    Default Bell's Sparrow

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    Hi all,

    I took this picture last spring on a trail near my house. I had seen two breeding pairs the summer before in their territory. So last spring I staked out one of the territories in the spring and there they were! I used playback to attract the bird close to me. My intended perch was a chamise bush nearby but the bird chose to perch on a dead buckwheat flower stalk. The white spots in the background are black sage flowers.
    Raw conversion with C1 pro 2021. Removed a second catchlight in Photoshop CC. Slight NR and sharpening with Topaz.

    D850 500mm PF
    1/2000s f/5.6 ISO 800
    Handheld

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Sharif ... looks about perfect to me , no nits .
    Nice calling pose , pleasing overall color and tonal combination ... soft BG that has some nice OOF elements .
    So well done , IMHO.

    TFS Andreas

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    Agree with Andreas here...a fine image, well processed. TFS

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    Nice perch, love the open beak and pose! Nice work. I am going back and forth about the OOF whites in the BG. I might be tempted to clone here.

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    Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux's Avatar
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    This is not a species we often see posted! I love that it chose that delicate perch for you, and I love how it is clutching it firmly. Good BG - I'd be tempted to reduce the brightest white oof flower by about half its current luminosity as it tends to pull the eye there (at least for me). Nice light, good processing. I like it a lot!

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    So nice to see such an excellent sparrow image. Only hardcore birders know about this species, so major bonus points. Love the lighting and detail, and the open beak adds interest. Perfect head angle. I agree with Daniel about reducing the luminosity. I'd love to have this image in my collection.

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    Thank you for the feedback everyone! I really appreciate it.

    Daniel and Dorian, I like the idea of reducing the brightness of the white flowers. I hadn't thought of that. Thanks!

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Beautiful photo and bird. I had to look it up in Sibley. There are five sub-species of Sage Sparrow. Any clues on this one?

    Love the singing pose especially the 1/2 degree toward us head turn -- perfection!

    with love, artie
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    Hi Artie, Sage Sparrow has been split into two species: Sagebrush sparrow and Bell's sparrow. I think this one is a canescens subspecies of Bell's sparrow.

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