Pretty and Ugly

[SCraig]

Pretty first ...

Mocking Birds are the Tennessee State Bird, and they are so much fun to watch. They have many different vocalizations, and for some reason they will occasionally fly straight up and then come back to roost in exactly the same spot. I have no idea why but it is a really interesting antic. I wish the small limbs weren't there, I asked him to move but he didn't listen.

This appears to be a Black Vulture. If it wasn't already ugly enough it appears to have broken the tip of its bill off which makes it even uglier. From other photos I looked at it the bill should not look like a snoot but should hook down over the front.

This one was sitting on a light fixture on top of a utility pole. He wasn't real concerned with me taking photos of him, and the last one was taken leaning against the pole and shooting straight up. He leaned over and looked straight down at me.

 

[shefjr]

I really like number 3.
It's probably my eyes but, 4 and 5 seem to have a glow about them. I wonder if the tip will grow back. I read somewhere that a birds beak grows like fingernails.

 

[Rick58]

I agree. I also like #3. That's definitely a face that only a mother could love

 

[HL45]

I like the second shot of the Mocking Bird! Great display for whatever reason, I wish the limbs would have listened lol

 

[SCraig]

I really like number 3.
It's probably my eyes but, 4 and 5 seem to have a glow about them. I wonder if the tip will grow back. I read somewhere that a birds beak grows like fingernails.

You're right, there is a halo around them. I didn't notice it until you mentioned it, but it's definitely there. I'm not sure why, it isn't HDR and I really didn't do much to them other than crop them, but I'll go through both again. Thanks for pointing it out.

As to the tip, I suspect it will. I think it is material like fingernails, and will probably grow back over time. Guess he'll have to slurp his dinner for a while

I agree. I also like #3. That's definitely a face that only a mother could love

Thanks, Rick. It is a truly ugly bird. I just stood there watching it through my camera for a minute or two and then couldn't watch any more.

I like the second shot of the Mocking Bird! Great display for whatever reason, I wish the limbs would have listened lol

As I mentioned, for some reason they will shoot straight up several feet and then come back down right where they were. This one was landing from such a jump when I took that shot. I wish the limbs had gotten out of the way to, it would have been a much better shot.

 

[Rick58]

"Thanks, Rick. It is a truly ugly bird. I just stood there watching it through my camera for a minute or two and then couldn't watch any more."
I was watching one of those critter shows on TV and this guy had a tame one on his fore arm, tethered like a hawk. While he was talking, he was feeding this buzzard hulks a raw rabbit meat. I have to admit, I did think that would make a pretty cool pet. I can only assume it would need to be raised from an egg. Anyway...back to your thread.

 

[SCraig]

"Thanks, Rick. It is a truly ugly bird. I just stood there watching it through my camera for a minute or two and then couldn't watch any more."
I was watching one of those critter shows on TV and this guy had a tame one on his fore arm, tethered like a hawk. While he was talking, he was feeding this buzzard hulks a raw rabbit meat. I have to admit, I did think that would make a pretty cool pet. I can only assume it would need to be raised from an egg. Anyway...back to your thread.

I might consider a hawk, or a falcon, or an eagle, but a vulture would not be my first choice as a pet

 

[SCraig]

No idea what caused the halos around the original photos but they weren't there in the RAW files. I processed them again and I think they are gone now.

 

[baturn]

yup! Birds are totally uncooperative subjects, although the vulture didn't seem to mind posing. In the last frame it does indeed look like the beak is growing back. Nice captures!

 

[SCraig]

yup! Birds are totally uncooperative subjects, although the vulture didn't seem to mind posing. In the last frame it does indeed look like the beak is growing back. Nice captures!

The vulture didn't seem to mind at all. In fact he seemed to be as interested in what I was doing as I was in him. He watched me walk closer and closer and made no effort to fly away. When I leaned against the pole he was perched on he looked over and stared at me until I walked away. It was kind of eerie. I kept thinking he might know something that I didn't

 

[coastalconn]

Nice series. If those branches had co-operated #2 would be a money shot... I like vultures, they are cool in their own special way..

 

[ceeboy14]

Sometimes just the sharpness of the lens seems to cause haloes in the jpeg compression. I get it frequently. Like the second one but agree about the branches...you know, sometimes they just don't cooperate.

 

[SCraig]

Sometimes just the sharpness of the lens seems to cause haloes in the jpeg compression. I get it frequently. Like the second one but agree about the branches...you know, sometimes they just don't cooperate.

Good point about the JPEG compression, and you could be right. I normally leave them as uncompressed JPEG coming out of Capture NX2, and then compress them in Paintshop Pro when I add my watermark. No telling what Corel has done with their algorithms.

Nice series. If those branches had co-operated #2 would be a money shot... I like vultures, they are cool in their own special way..

I've seen Mocking Birds do that dance many, many times but this is the first time I caught it with a camera. Naturally there had to be a bunch of small branches in the way. That's the way it goes sometimes.

There was a vulture sitting on the masonry outside the second floor of my office building one day last week, and I walked right under it. I watched the bird and the bird watched me. I remember saying to myself that things like that only happen when I don't have a camera with me. Maybe it was the same bird and he heard me

 

[shefjr]

There was a vulture sitting on the masonry outside the second floor of my office building one day last week, and I walked right under it. I watched the bird and the bird watched me. I remember saying to myself that things like that only happen when I don't have a camera with me. Maybe it was the same bird and he heard me

I swear this is what happens to me. I had a black capped chickadee land on my finger this past winter and take food from my hand not once but, twice! When I go out and fill the bird feeders they are all over the place. If however, I bring the camera with me or it is anywhere in view they flee the scene and are no where to be found. It isn't just like that at home either. When I go out with the purpose of birding not one bird will stick around when the Sigma comes out. It is really frustrating!

 

[SCraig]

I swear this is what happens to me. I had a black capped chickadee land on my finger this past winter and take food from my hand not once but, twice! When I go out and fill the bird feeders they are all over the place. If however, I bring the camera with me or it is anywhere in view they flee the scene and are no where to be found. It isn't just like that at home either. When I go out with the purpose of birding not one bird will stick around when the Sigma comes out. It is really frustrating!

Been there, done that! I sit on my deck a lot in the morning or evening and watch the birds. I don't even bother to bring a camera any more because if I do there won't be a bird within a quarter mile.