Less bling, but still rather pretty!

[Randy Stout]

This female grosbeak visited my backyard feeder yesterday. Although not flashy like her husband, I liked her subtle beauty.

Nikon D300 500mm f/4 at f/6.3 Aperture priority -0.7 SB800 Better Beamer -1.3 EC

Post in NX2.

Comments and suggestions always appreciated.

Thanks

[Phil Ertel]

I really like the inquisitive pose. Your exposure looks spot-on with good details in the bird. She may not be flashy but I find her very lovely. Thanks for sharing.

[Ramon M. Casares]

Very nice bird, lovely soft light, pose, colors, detail and comp, BG goes well with the subject too. COngratulations!

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Cute pose, good light, details and BG. Could this be a female purple finch?

[Randy Stout]

Axel:

It could be a female purple finch. The look quite similar, but I think that this bird doesn't have the broad dark jaw stripe that the purple finch females are suppose to have. I have both grosbeaks and purple finches on the feeder. I thought the bill was also heavier than the purple finch bill, but I am certainly not an expert and would welcome other opinions! I wonder if the red legs help one way or the other?

Thanks

Randy

PS: I just went back and looked at my images of male purple finches, and they do have the reddish legs, while the male grosbeaks do not. So, I think Axel is probably right!

Sorry for the missed ID.

[Fabs Forns]

Very nice with lovely warm colors, well exposed and sharp. I can't be a judge on the ID though :)

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Nice pose and perfect HA with a well matched perch. I like everything here. :)

[Aidan Briggs]

Nice pose, and BG. Nice and sharp. Good exposure too.

Definitely a female purple finch.

[Stu Bowie]

Great comp, stunning lght, and love the inquisitive look you captured Randy. What a killer BG too. Great image.

[Randy Stout]

Thanks everyone for the comments, and Axel and Aidan for ID help.

I came to bird photography from the photo side, not the birder side, so still have lots to learn re: ID!

Cheers

Randy

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Beautifully captured with a great pose and head turn. The BG is very complimentary too. Like it a lot Randy and many thanks for sharing.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Nice one of this lady Purple Finch Randy. The image as a whole could go a tad darker to my eye. Sharpness is perfect, and I love the inquisitive look it is giving you :-) Good complimentary BG. Did you get some good ones of the male too?

[Randy Stout]

Daniel:

Thanks for the comments. For some reason, the purple finch males weren't as copperative as this little girl. She sat right there and put on a show. The males were too busy eating to sit on a nice perch.

I did try a version with the image slightly darker. I tend to prefer darker than average images, and always try to be aware of that when I post.

In this case, there was a tendency for the bird to get lost a bit against the background as the image got darker.

Cheers

Randy