American Kestrel

[SCraig]

Nice! You were the second thing I noticed.

Thanks! I did put his eye where it would draw the viewer's eyes

What part of Tennessee are you in? There are several members here across the state.

 

[jedirunner]

Love the clarity. Which 70-300 are you shooting with? Those are amazing.

Kevin

 

[SCraig]

Love the clarity. Which 70-300 are you shooting with? Those are amazing.

Kevin

Thanks! The lens is the Nikkor 70-300 "G" lens. I've had it for several years now and would be lost without it.

 

[Radical]

Beutiful Bird.

 

[SCraig]

Beutiful Bird.

Agreed! He is a gorgeous little one.

 

[JacaRanda]

Very nice shots Mr. Scott. I am fortunate to have them here in Southern California, specifically at Bolsa Chica Wetlands. The sad part is that I have not been happy with my shots of them. That darned lack of length thingy is MAJORLY bugging me! I am just about to do something my wife may call crazy; like eating Top Ramen noodles for the rest of my life to make up for .......................!!!!

 

[SCraig]

Very nice shots Mr. Scott. I am fortunate to have them here in Southern California, specifically at Bolsa Chica Wetlands. The sad part is that I have not been happy with my shots of them. That darned lack of length thingy is MAJORLY bugging me! I am just about to do something my wife may call crazy; like eating Top Ramen noodles for the rest of my life to make up for .......................!!!!

Well, there's no end to the quest for longer lenses. I have a 150-500 and it's frequently not long enough because I tend to shoot over a couple of different lakes a lot. If the critters are on the opposite side of the lake they could be in another state by the time I got over there.

The best thing to do when it's possible is get them to come to you. Throw out some seed or other food and they will come closer (if I do that at one of the lakes I frequent it's a $200 fine though). A zoo is also good for shots since the subjects are frequently very close. This little guy wasn't in a zoo but he wasn't going anywhere either so I could have gotten closer if I had another lens with me.

 

[ktan7]

Great close up close!

 

[JacaRanda]

Very nice shots Mr. Scott. I am fortunate to have them here in Southern California, specifically at Bolsa Chica Wetlands. The sad part is that I have not been happy with my shots of them. That darned lack of length thingy is MAJORLY bugging me! I am just about to do something my wife may call crazy; like eating Top Ramen noodles for the rest of my life to make up for .......................!!!!

Well, there's no end to the quest for longer lenses. I have a 150-500 and it's frequently not long enough because I tend to shoot over a couple of different lakes a lot. If the critters are on the opposite side of the lake they could be in another state by the time I got over there.

The best thing to do when it's possible is get them to come to you. Throw out some seed or other food and they will come closer (if I do that at one of the lakes I frequent it's a $200 fine though). A zoo is also good for shots since the subjects are frequently very close. This little guy wasn't in a zoo but he wasn't going anywhere either so I could have gotten closer if I had another lens with me.

Indeed! We do our little cheating now with bird seed in front of our patio. However, most often we are in state or county parks that frown upon feeding the wildlife. We even let people know that feeding bread and crackers to geese, ducks etc. could really screw the whole thing up for all of us. Canadian Geese that don't fly back to Canada can be and has been a problem in the area.

Anyways, I am seriously looking at that 150-500 Sigma.

 

[SCraig]

Great close up close!

Thank you. Much appreciated.

Indeed! We do our little cheating now with bird seed in front of our patio. However, most often we are in state or county parks that frown upon feeding the wildlife. We even let people know that feeding bread and crackers to geese, ducks etc. could really screw the whole thing up for all of us. Canadian Geese that don't fly back to Canada can be and has been a problem in the area.

Anyways, I am seriously looking at that 150-500 Sigma.

Same here. Most of the time I'm in a state or national park when I'm looking for birds. I have a couple of feeders here at home and occasionally see something worthwhile there, but most of the time it's sparrows, robins, or doves. Oh, and squirrels

I've had good luck with my 150-500 Sigma. Some have not had good luck with them, but I've had no complaints with mine. Give it enough light and it works great but it doesn't like dim conditions. If the light is gray and flat the images are really soft contrast. I usually just leave it at home on days like that.