Photos from yesterday's birding outing with daughter

[jedirunner]

Well, I've finally cropped and done (a little) processing on some of our photos.

I've discovered that I don't have much reach with a 70-300 for just walking around and shooting birds. They're too ... flighty. I'm sure as we get to know some of the spots better, that we'll settle in and let the birds come to us, and also learn how to better approach them and not scare them off so easily. For now, these pics had to be *heavily* cropped to actually get to the birds. I look forward to more ventures and less cropping as the year goes on.

We saw plenty of other bird varieties, but the pics just didn't end up any good at all, or at least not as interesting as these.

I'd love for 2 things:

1. C&C
2. Confirmation on my bird identification (just used iBird Pro to examine our pics after the fact)

So here we go:

1. Black-necked stilt (I think)

2. Black-necked stilt in flight

3. American avocets in flight

4. American avocet chasing young ducks of some unknown (to me) variety

5. Yellow headed black bird (Never seen these around my home, but there were hundreds all over the place as we drove around the lake-front road for a couple hours).

6. Baird's sandpiper

7. Sandhill crane (Never seen one around here ... he was just in some farmer's field we happened to drive by, and was fairly distant, unfortunately)

Thanks for any comments and bird identity confirmation or correction, as well as C&C you can provide.

Kevin

 

[Desi]

Sweet backlighting on #2

#1 I think could be cropped differently. You have two birds on opposite sides, both looking away from the frame. I think you can crop out the bird on right and give the bird on the left some more space in front of him. Or, try less of a crop so the birds don't seem so distant. Just some thoughts.

Desi

 

[BlackSheep]

I like photo #4, you caught a neat moment there.
The ducks look like cinnamon teals to me: Cinnamon Teal Facts, Figures, Description and Photo

 

[jedirunner]

Sweet backlighting on #2

#1 I think could be cropped differently. You have two birds on opposite sides, both looking away from the frame. I think you can crop out the bird on right and give the bird on the left some more space in front of him. Or, try less of a crop so the birds don't seem so distant. Just some thoughts.

Desi

Thanks. Yeah, it's almost a parting ways photo. "i'm jealous cause you got all the rocks, so I won't talk to you!" ;-)

I like photo #4, you caught a neat moment there.
The ducks look like cinnamon teals to me: Cinnamon Teal Facts, Figures, Description and Photo

Yes, I like that one as well. Thanks for the identification comments on the ducks.

Kevin

 

[Aloicious]

nice! you're right, #1 and 2 are both black necked stilts, I agree the ducks in #4 are a cinnamon teals (male on the right and female on the left jumping out of the water) they're common around here this time of year...#2 is my fav those guys are hard to chase in flight, and that backlighting with the legs crossed is really interesting...yup 300mm is about where birding starts, but you've got a great bunch. I saw my first sandhill crane (i think, I just got back and haven't been able to review the pics yet) today up at bear river, I'm excited to sort through them all especially after taking a look at yours.