This is my second thread featuring a Japanese waxwing.* A mixed flock of Japanese and bohemians have been feasting on berries at a park in a suburban area of Shanghai. Japanese waxwings are classified as near-threatened because of habitat loss and the caged-bird trade. They are rarely seen in Shanghai.
Device: Nikon D3S
Lens: VR 600mm F/4G
Focal length: 600mm
VR: ON
Aperture: F/5
Shutter Speed: 1/200
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: +0.7EV
Metering: Center-Weighted
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 1000
I like the colors and raised crest of the bird. I only wish the two partial berries didn't intersect with the bird. Also think this would work well as a vertical.
Lovely image with the berries providing a distinct Japanese feel to the composition. Nice HA and exposure on the bird. Just seems a little light in my monitor.
Hi Juan, thanks to you and everyone for the comments. Juan, the Japanese waxwing is classified as near-threatened, not endangered, by BirdLife International. The entry "Near Threatened" in Wikipedia may be helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_Threatened
Craig , I like the this one as lot as the berries like Pieter say provides a disctinct Japanese feel to it. I think croping it slightly tighter and getting rid of the two distracting corners would add to this already nice image.
Hi Pieter, hi Bhushan! Interesting what you guys had to say about the "Japanese" feel. I'm of course in Shanghai, not Japan, as I'm sure you know. Also, the Japanese waxwing is really more a Russian or Siberian bird, as it does most of its breeding there (plus China). The Japanese waxwing only winters in Japan; it doesn't breed there.