The Grasshopper Sparrow is a "target" species among birders and photographers here in Ottawa as they are at the very limit of their range and only found easily in one area. They mostly hang out on the ground among the grasses (and build their nests there too), but love to perch on a high vantage point to sing their song. From the looks of the huge gaping bill you'd think this guy can heard for miles around, but it is surprising how relatively faint its' call is!
Photographed locally last month in the company of fellow BPNer P-A Fortin.
Canon 7D + 100-400L @400mm, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/1000s., f/6.3, ISO 400 (histogram checked), natural light, handheld, just about FF. Audio used to lure the subject on the perch.
And what a day it was! Seeing the master in action is definitely a priceless learning experience. Still have some work to do on BIFs, but one step at a time. I have now turned into a background paranoid thanks to you
This is by far my favorite image from that day. I have a very similar one where the head is a tad more parallel to the sensor (I was lying to your left). I even thought about getting out of the safe haven of ETL to post it here but I chickened out at the last minute and opted instead to post my vertical rendition of this bird there (which shows I still have alot to learn: too bright, though not blown).
To me this image is just perfect. Composition is awesome, so is the bird pose. I _love_ the way the tongue shows up. I'm considering printing out mine to hang it on the wall.
Thank again for that day. We have to do it again in the future.
Grasshopper Sparrow Belting It Out.
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