Beauty in the shadows

[Steve Large]

Hi Everyone,
I took this one down at the lake about 5 miles from home.

Stats: Canon 50D, 500mm with 1.4X, ISO 320, F7.1, 1/640 sec

Thanks for your comments.

Enjoy,

Steve

[Morkel Erasmus]

lovely colours and setting - the bird just looks a tad soft, could do with another round of slight sharpening.

[Aidan Briggs]

I agree with Morkel on this one. Also the angle is rather steep, and I would rather have the bird looking at you.

[Paul Kusmin]

Nice shot Steve!
I agree about the head angle not being optimal but otherwise I like it, getting these birds in the wild is not always easy.

[Steve Large]

Nice shot Steve!
I agree about the head angle not being optimal but otherwise I like it, getting these birds in the wild is not always easy.

Thanks Paul,
I have been stalking these guys since mid May down at Cottle Lake in Linley Valley here in Nanaimo. As you stated, a pretty hard gig to get any half decent shots of them. They seem to want to stick to the high canopy where a good shot is not an option. They don't stay around here much after the middle of July so I have only a small window of time to get shots. I guess I will just have to keep on them until I finally score a few good photos some day.

Take care,

Steve

[Arthur Morris]

Good EXP and lovely colors. Perch and uneven lighting are problems. See Dan Cadieux's guide to using audio in Educational Resources and you might get this one down low on your perch.

[Steve Large]

Hi Artie,
Thanks for the tip. I have seen the birding aids on the net that use audio and have wondered how effective they are. It certainly would be worth the try after all this time wasted trying to catch more than a 5 second glimps of these guys. It has been harsh sunlight here for several weeks now as well which makes the lighting in photos difficult at best. I will keep trying at any rate and not post a tanager shot again until the light is more even.

Steve

[Arthur Morris]

YAW Steve, Did you check out Dan's piece?

[Steve Large]

Hi Artie,
Yes I did check it out. Sounds like you have to be just as careful not to upset the birds with your recording as well. I don't know about using a blind. If I do, it will be a first for me. It is a toss up weather you should chase the bird or let it come to you I suppose. I do reposition about every half an hour or so and that could make it an issue. At any rate, I will certainly check out the audio lure and see if that will help.

Thanks,

Steve

[Arthur Morris]

In my limited experience the great majority of birds will ignore the tape, a small percentage will respond, and an even smaller percentage will be visibly upset. When a bird comes in to investigate and the tape is turned off, the bird may stay close and sing repeatedly.