A dusky thrush propels itself through the cold January air on Chongming Island yesterday. I shot the bird hand-held from the back seat of Asif Khan's car. Asif and I were exploring the eastern end of Chongming, the long alluvial island at the mouth of the Yangtze River. The thrush alighted from a perch and flew directly across my focal plane. The dusky thrush breeds in Siberia and the Russian Far East; in winter it's common in Shanghai. My bird is an adult male, distinguishable by his attractive, rusty-red plumage. Your comments add fuel to my birding fire.
Device: Nikon D3S
Lens: VR 600mm F/4G
Focal length: 600mm
VR: OFF
Aperture: F/4.5
Shutter Speed: 1/8000
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: 0EV
Metering: Center-Weighted
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 2000
Photoshoppery: The BG to the right of the OOF tree is added canvas. I toned down the hot eyebrow. NR applied to OOF parts. Sharpening of bird. Cropped.
Craig, another great inflight capture, and I particularly like the wing position. Good job with such a ISO, which in turn has given you excellent SS. Love the pastel coloured BG. Well done.
Hi Craig I like the composition of this image, sharp BIF with OOF tree in the BG. Nice eye contact and lovely spread wing and tail. Have noted the high SS 1/8000 - TFS.
Well done Craig, this is not easy with songbirds! Excellent wing-down pose. I'd opt for a tiny bit more room above. All in all a two thumbs up from me:)
Thanks, everyone, for the comments. Stu, ISO 2000 is just not much of a problem for the D3S, especially in brilliant light. As a result, it's possible to shoot at very high speeds, revealing a world indiscernible by the human eye.
My favourite Craig, the bird is very sharp and like the pleasing BG. Great flight angle and wing position. The BG is a bit busy but still lovely capture