Birders' Nest

[owlice]

Yes, that's exactly it! The lighting is so perfect it seems it could have been staged/photoshopped or whatever. But because it's spontaneous it's in a whole other world of beauty. And the dappled haze of the background is perfect too.

It seemed to me he was seeking the limelight, so to speak; here's another photo of him:


And yet another, this a pose that many (so so many) creatures adopt when they see my camera:

More shots from the garden:

A blue tit and a coal tit in the window feeder. On the bird bath, a wren (we don't see many of these), and a male house sparrow who just turned away at the wrong moment.

All of the shots are great! The standout for me is the House Sparrow; embiggenning the photo shows the structure and soft fluff of his feathers really well. It's almost as if you could feel them by touching the screen.

[owlice]

Picture me thinking, 'Hmmm...', and looking slightly suspicious ...

And that is where the art is done,
that is where the art is done,
that is where the art is done,
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.

hahahahahahahaha!! All I did was open the shutter. Certainly nature deserves credit for the beauty of the dowitcher and the color and stillness of the water, and credit the bird, too, for its pose, however momentary it was!

[Elgarian Redux]

hahahahahahahaha!! All I did was open the shutter. Certainly nature deserves credit for the beauty of the dowitcher and the color and stillness of the water, and credit the bird, too, for its pose, however momentary it was!

Do you know the story of Whistler (the artist) and his painting The Falling Rocket? He'd been accused of 'flinging a pot of paint in the public's face' by exhibiting the picture and asking such a high price for it (300 guineas, I think it was). Ludicrously, the case went to court in 1878. Whistler was asked how long it had taken him to paint the picture, and he replied 'About two days'. So he was asked if it was reasonable to ask 300 guineas for two days' work. 'I don't', he replied. 'I ask it for the experience of a lifetime.'

When you take one of your photographs, you bring to bear all your years of experience, making selections, choosing the composition, choosing the moment - not consciously (that much is clear from what you say), but intuitively. What we see, when you show us one of your photos, is an image of a bird that is indeed momentary, even accidental, but which has come about through choices, made in the instant, that are the result of your lifetime's experience. This seems much like Whistler, in that respect, though the medium is different, and so are the mechanics of the image-making.

I understand that the whole point of it is to show The Bird. Of course it is. The aim is not to draw attention to the cleverness of the photographer, but to the wonder of the bird. And  that's what makes your photographs so marvellous, because they do just that. The truth of the bird comes to us clearly, through the filter of  your expertise.

And even as we admire your skill and sensitivity, and thank you for it, the bird is still paramount. Our wonderment is primarily for the bird, just as it should be.

Sine te, avem non videmus.

[owlice]

You're very generous, Elgarian; thank you. When I see something, a bird, let's say, the radio chatter in my head and actions are along the lines of where'd it go... why the [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] can't I find it in the camera?!... oh, it's there! ::focus on bird:: oh, it's not there anymore [redacted].... OH! quickquickquickquickquick FOCUS FASTER!!!!! ... ::focus:: ::click shutter:: ::click shutter:: ARGH!!! where did it... OH! ::focus:: ::click shutter:: ::click shutter:: ::click shutter:: ... oh, it's gone ... did I get it? ::checks camera:: ... dang it! ... and so on.^*

Sometimes (more often than I'd like to admit) it includes classics such as ... take the lens cap off, you fool! and ... dang it, wrong setting!

Most shots are taking in frenzied panic. There's only very rarely any thought given to composition and that's usually reserved for things that don't or rarely move (landscapes! rocks! trees!).

Here's a photo I like; it's not a great shot, but I like it largely because of the color palette, how well the zebras (Chapman's Zebras) and the landscape go together. The animals are clearly of the land, where they should be. (Also, zebras are beautiful!)


^*All of my shots are singles; I don't use burst mode, in part because it takes too long for my camera to recover from it and also because the photos usually aren't as good as single shots.

[owlice]

Paying my thread tax with this Cape Starling (Zimbabwe)

[Elgarian Redux]

Paying my thread tax with this Cape Starling (Zimbabwe)

It's curious that he has the iridescence of our British starling (but is nowhere near as scary-looking) but a completely different beak shape.

[Elgarian Redux]

It seemed to me he was seeking the limelight, so to speak; here's another photo of him:

Fabulous lighting in this and the previous picture.

And yet another, this a pose that many (so so many) creatures adopt when they see my camera:

I've noticed this myself! I try not to be intimidated by it.

[Elgarian Redux]

When I see something, a bird, let's say, the radio chatter in my head and actions are along the lines of where'd it go... why the [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] can't I find it in the camera?!... oh, it's there! ::focus on bird:: oh, it's not there anymore [redacted].... OH! quickquickquickquickquick FOCUS FASTER!!!!! ... ::focus:: ::click shutter:: ::click shutter:: ARGH!!! where did it... OH! ::focus:: ::click shutter:: ::click shutter:: ::click shutter:: ... oh, it's gone ... did I get it? ::checks camera:: ... dang it! ... and so on.^*

Sometimes (more often than I'd like to admit) it includes classics such as ... take the lens cap off, you fool! and ... dang it, wrong setting!

Most shots are taking in frenzied panic. There's only very rarely any thought given to composition and that's usually reserved for things that don't or rarely move (landscapes! rocks! trees!).

This is pretty much exactly the kind of desperate process I go through too. But I do think that through the madness some guidance is coming from the intuition (a lot more in your case than in mine). I think of the world-class batsman facing the world-class fast bowler. He doesn't think about the ball that's hurtling towards him at 100 mph, because there isn't time for conscious thought. He reacts intuitively, resting on his lifetime of thinking about, and watching, and experiencing fast bowling. I would desperately try to do the same, but he hits a boundary and I'm bowled out.

Here's a photo I like; it's not a great shot, but I like it largely because of the color palette, how well the zebras (Chapman's Zebras) and the landscape go together. The animals are clearly of the land, where they should be. (Also, zebras are beautiful!)

I agree completely - it's a superb image. One of the factors that makes it so striking is the way the stripes on the zebras interact with their body shapes, don't you think? It creates a complex sort of visual unity to the group.

^*All of my shots are singles; I don't use burst mode, in part because it takes too long for my camera to recover from it and also because the photos usually aren't as good as single shots.

I wanted to ask you about that some time. Thanks for anticipating my request. (It's academic for me because my little Panasonic camera doesn't have a burst mode.)

[owlice]

It's curious that he has the iridescence of our British starling (but is nowhere near as scary-looking) but a completely different beak shape.

Most starlings are shiny (as adults). I can think of only one off the top of my head that isn't, the Wattled Starling. Here's a sampling.
As with sparrows in the US, Africa has a lot of different starlings... Spotless, Red-winged, Violet-backed, Pale-winged, etc. and so on.


African Pied Starling (South Africa)


Greater Blue-eared Starling (Botswana)


Superb Starling (Kenya)


Burchell's Starling (South Africa)


Wattled Starling (Tanzania)

[Elgarian Redux]

Most starlings are shiny (as adults). I can think of only one off the top of my head that isn't, the Wattled Starling. Here's a sampling.
As with sparrows in the US, Africa has a lot of different starlings... Spotless, Red-winged, Violet-backed, Pale-winged, etc. and so on.
African Pied Starling (South Africa)
Greater Blue-eared Starling (Botswana)
Superb Starling (Kenya)
Burchell's Starling (South Africa)
Wattled Starling (Tanzania)

My goodness, aren't they superb? Our starlings hang about on motorbikes on street corners with flick-knives and bicycle chains, and go on marauding sorties just for kicks that scare all the little birds away. But most of yours look so princely! The Burchell's and the Superb are magnificent, and the Greater Blue-Eared looks positively jet-propelled.

[owlice]

My goodness, aren't they superb? Our starlings hang about on motorbikes on street corners with flick-knives and bicycle chains, and go on marauding sorties just for kicks that scare all the little birds away. But most of yours look so princely! The Burchell's and the Superb are magnificent, and the Greater Blue-Eared looks positively jet-propelled.

They certainly look superb, but I'm pretty sure they can also be jerks! 

Here's another Superb Starling (just for its exquisite shininess):

These are common in their range (East Africa), and, like European Starlings, will form flocks/mixed flocks outside of their breeding season. (Starlings are starlings where'er they be.)

[Elgarian Redux]

They certainly look superb, but I'm pretty sure they can also be jerks! 

Here's another Superb Starling (just for its exquisite shininess):

These are common in their range (East Africa), and, like European Starlings, will form flocks/mixed flocks outside of their breeding season. (Starlings are starlings where'er they be.)

When I was a teenager, dreaming of the exploration of other planets, I used to wonder about the strange forms of life one might encounter. In my young foolishness (different to my old foolishness), it didn't occur to me that unimaginably strange forms of life existed on this planet. It wasn't necessary to go to Mars (or wherever). All you had to do was walk down the street, or into a field, or into a wood somewhere with open eyes and a desire to see things clearly.

In terms of possible alien lifeforms I don't think I'd ever be likely to see anything stranger or more wonderful than a bird. Any bird. Even a house sparrow.

Or a worm.
Or a mouse.
Or a butterfly.
Or (shudder) a spider.
Or a daisy.

[owlice]

When I was a teenager, dreaming of the exploration of other planets, I used to wonder about the strange forms of life one might encounter. In my young foolishness (different to my old foolishness), it didn't occur to me that unimaginably strange forms of life existed on this planet. It wasn't necessary to go to Mars (or wherever). All you had to do was walk down the street, or into a field, or into a wood somewhere with open eyes and a desire to see things clearly.

In terms of possible alien lifeforms I don't think I'd ever be likely to see anything stranger or more wonderful than a bird. Any bird. Even a house sparrow.

Or a worm.
Or a mouse.
Or a butterfly.
Or (shudder) a spider.
Or a daisy.

Or a tardigrade or a nudibranch or an armadillo ... 

[Elgarian Redux]

Or a tardigrade or a nudibranch or an armadillo ...

They have all been proven to be either Venusian in origin, or (more likely) to have originated on a small planet made of weird stuff, on the outskirts of the Andromeda galaxy.

Or an oak tree
Or a donkey. (Who could possibly invent a donkey?)

[Elgarian Redux]

Sudden excitement in the garden. Siskins! We don't get them very often and these didn't stay long - just long enough for me to get 3 poor shots. The one I didn't photograph was definitely a male adult siskin. The other (this one) was smaller, less yellow, and at first I thought it might be a female, but now, looking at the photo, I think it might have been a juvenile male. Can anyone say which, please?

The blue tit was on the bird bath at the same time, so why not let him be famous too?

[Elgarian Redux]

When my daughter gave me a window feeder earlier this year, I was doubtful that it would work, and indeed for several months all the birds studiously ignored it. Then one by one, a coal tit would dash in, grab some food, and dash out. It stayed like that for a while until one or two blue tits joined in. Today we had our first goldfinch (see below) and he didn't flinch when a coal tit joined in (see also below).

It's a great thrill to be so close to these birds. They are on the other side of the window, and we are inside, only 3 or 4 feet away. I've never been so close to a goldfinch as this, before. They never stand still of course, as ever! These are the dodgy best of about a dozen shots.

[JBS]

Some birds local to me (local meaning on my street).
You would think being in the subtropics we would get some colorful ones. But we don't. Maybe they save themselves for the tourists.
Number one was chirping merrily away in a tree. I have no idea what sort of bird it is.

[JBS]

Number two is a Muscovy duck. It's actually an invasive species. They like to swagger up and down the street, making noise and being driving hazards, in little gangs. We're starting to Canadian geese travelling on their regular migration, which means there will soon be rumbles between ducks and geese over which group gets to slurp from the rain puddles

[JBS]

Number three--more ducks, but in the water and not on the street.
As Nature intended. And a goose to the right of them.

[Elgarian Redux]

Some birds local to me (local meaning on my street).
You would think being in the subtropics we would get some colorful ones. But we don't. Maybe they save themselves for the tourists.
Number one was chirping merrily away in a tree. I have no idea what sort of bird it is.

I'll not be able to identify any American birds, that's for sure. If it were here in the UK I'd guess it might be a female chaffinch? But that's a shot in the dark. Owlice will know!

Looks like the kind of picture someone should write a song about!