Birds and Blooms

[SCraig]

Golden-Hour Cardinal

Wood Duck Just Passing By

Snoozing Owl

Tulips at Cheekwood

 

[DarkShadow]

Wow Nice the flowers to. #! Cardinal Screams Golden Hour the perfect title.:thumbup:

 

[nzmacro]

Oh those wood ducks, man I wish we had those !!. Stunning in its colours and details. Simply gorgeous. Nice flower shots and I know exactly how the Owl feels. I might need a nanna nap

The Cardinal is in great lighting and love the colours of those along with the details you have pulled out there. A wonderful small bird and how lucky you folks are to have them. Beautiful.

All the best Craig, nicely worked shots.

Danny.

 

[SCraig]

Wow Nice the flowers to. #! Cardinal Screams Golden Hour the perfect title.:thumbup:

Thanks, Dave. I don't shoot flowers much but these were an event at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. They presently have, according to their web site, over 100,000 tulips in bloom. I went last year and it was absolutely gorgeous so I decided to go again this year. I wasn't disappointed either, they were fantastic.

Oh those wood ducks, man I wish we had those !!. Stunning in its colours and details. Simply gorgeous. Nice flower shots and I know exactly how the Owl feels. I might need a nanna nap

The Cardinal is in great lighting and love the colours of those along with the details you have pulled out there. A wonderful small bird and how lucky you folks are to have them. Beautiful.

All the best Craig, nicely worked shots.

Danny.

Thanks, Danny. I appreciate the comments.

Wood Ducks were my nemesis for many years. I used to work with a bunch of duck hunters and they told me I needed to get some photographs of a Wood Duck. I asked where they could be found and was told, "Aw, just about anywhere there is water. They are everywhere around here." That was about 1978 or so and their "Everywhere" took me over 30 years to find. I finally saw my first one in 2010. Naturally, now that I have seen my first I do see them everywhere

I think the Cardinal thought I had some food for her. She sat on that fence post about 6 meters from me for a couple of minutes watching me. A 500mm lens on a 24mp camera at 6 meters does resolve a lot of detail

Thanks guys. Much appreciated.

 

[nzmacro]

Ha, well we certainly don't have them down here Craig Only ever seen them on the net and they are simply stunning in colours and details. A great shot !!

Yes, 500mm is my favourite focal length as well even at close range. I think we share the same Sony sensor. IMO the perfect focal length and being able to hand hold that one. They make them so darn sharp, you could shave with them

All the best Craig, maybe one day I'll get to see the wood duck.

Danny.

 

[SCraig]

Perhaps you don't have Wood Ducks but you do have some amazing wildlife and scenery. I've never been to that part of the world but have always wanted to some day. Come up here during our spring and I'll try and find one for you

I've been real happy with my 500mm lens, and it gets a lot of use chasing birds around.

Ha, well we certainly don't have them down here Craig Only ever seen them on the net and they are simply stunning in colours and details. A great shot !!

Yes, 500mm is my favourite focal length as well even at close range. I think we share the same Sony sensor. IMO the perfect focal length and being able to hand hold that one. They make them so darn sharp, you could shave with them

All the best Craig, maybe one day I'll get to see the wood duck.

Danny.

 

[baturn]

Beautiful! Especially the cardinal. I feel your pain with the wood ducks. There are a few at the local marsh, but every time I go there they are on the other side and too far.

 

[oldhippy]

Love them all, but the duck got my vote. Ed

 

[BillM]

A wood duck and an owl in the same thread

That is seriously pimptacular !!!!!

 

[SCraig]

Beautiful! Especially the cardinal. I feel your pain with the wood ducks. There are a few at the local marsh, but every time I go there they are on the other side and too far.

Thanks, Brian. Much appreciated!

Once I saw my first Wood Duck I started seeing them everywhere. I'm convinced that it was a duck-wide conspiracy to prevent me from seeing one. Once the first pair slipped up and let me see them the rest stopped worrying about it. They are still a little shy and won't let me get too close but they are starting to lighten up a bit

Love them all, but the duck got my vote. Ed

Thanks, Ed. Wood Ducks are just plain beautiful birds. That massive array of varying colors is just gorgeous. In late summer the drakes are the same overall color as the hens, but the drakes still have those brilliant red eyes and the hens have that white teardrop around their eyes.

A wood duck and an owl in the same thread

That is seriously pimptacular !!!!!

Thanks, Bill! I did the same thing again this morning with a hen Wood Duck thrown in the mix The owl was shot at a whopping 5.96 meters according to the EXIF data.

 

[Radical]

Wow! those wood ducks are amazing!

 

[SCraig]

Wow! those wood ducks are amazing!

Thanks, Radical. It isn't the photographs, they are just plain gorgeous birds in real life. Since this is their mating season they are in full plumage right now and are really pretty.

 

[nzmacro]

EXCELLENT !! The ducks are gorgeous once again, but that Owl shot is stunning Craig.

All the best up there and great eye for a shot.

Danny.