Prairie sentinel...Dickcissel

[Judd Patterson]

After flying home to Kansas last month, the first sound that I sought was the welcoming song of the Dickcissel. These prairie sentinels will perch on just about anything that sticks out of the grassland to sing...and sing, and sing. I've never heard another species that can rival the Dickcissel for persistent singing...they are the Energizer Bunnies of the grassland. I was able to capture several closer images, but I preferred this because it shows a little habitat...even better that the purple Wild Alfalfa flowers were in bloom! Picture the rest of the scene...unbroken grassland for miles around...trees only visible in occasional patches out to the horizon. Welcome to tallgrass country!

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 500mm f/4 and 1.4x TC
June 16, 2009 - Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (Kansas)
1/500, f/6.3, ISO 400, handheld

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the setting, singing pose and composition. I still have to find this species.

[Randy Stout]

Judd:

A very effective shot, with nice balance of bird and environment. When the subject is this small in the frame, I might normally try to move it a bit more towards lower corner, but of course there are other factors that might over ride that placement.

Thanks for sharing.

Randy

[David Roach]

Just perfect bird in environment for me!! Must have been good to be home....

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Judd,
Nice image of the bird with the environs and the super story that goes with it. Glad you told me you had closer ones.....you know me and that crop tool!:D
Very nicely done....the blooms really do add to it!

[Judd Patterson]

Glad you told me you had closer ones.....you know me and that crop tool!:D

Indeed! I'll be sure I share those too. ;)

[Ramon M. Casares]

Stunning! Great light, great ambient/BG, lovely and powerfull pose, stunning colors and detail, I would've placed the bird more to the left.
Congratulations!

[Daniel Cadieux]

I like the written visualization you give us along with the image. I love the habitat and singing pose. I'm wanting to see the bird placed further left - if you crop about half the space between the bird and left edge I find there is still enough purple showing to balance the image adequately. Pure matter of taste of course, and I still like it as is. The colours are great!

[Juan Aragonés]

Just a superb image Judd. I would prefer the bird placed more towards the upper left corner. the singing pose is great but the green and violet BG is just fantastic... it makes this image. Very, very good image! :-)

[Gal Shon]

I like this one a lot.
It seems like you've work selectively on the bird (and perch), that gives a feeling that the bird is glue to the BG.

[Krijn Trimbos]

Lovely environmental shot here Jud. You did wel with including all the different features of its surroundings. The singing pose is killer as are the colours. Would suggest to move the subject a bit too the left, just a tiny bit. Otherwise excellent!