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Ed Rotberg
10th of January 2005 (Mon), 23:15
Some recent favorites. Enjoy!

= Ed =

Sandhill Crane
http://www.edrotberg.org/images/Sandhill%20Solo%202.jpg
Green Heron
http://www.edrotberg.org/images/Green%20Heron.jpg
Yellow-billed Mapgpie in flight
http://www.edrotberg.org/images/Yellow-billed%20Magpie.jpg
Cactus Wren
http://www.edrotberg.org/images/Cactus%20Wren.jpg
And finally some Bald Eagles (the first has a twig cloned away from his face)
http://www.edrotberg.org/images/Perched%20Bald%20Eagle%202%20tweaked.jpg
http://www.edrotberg.org/images/Bald%20Eagle%201.jpg
http://www.edrotberg.org/images/Perched%20Bald%20Eagle.jpg
Khaja
11th of January 2005 (Tue), 01:54
Wow!! The intensity in the eagle's eyes in the flying photo is something!!

Great shots! Thanks for sharing.

Khaja
Ikinaa
11th of January 2005 (Tue), 02:02
Great pictures...
I love the composition (grass and cliff...) and colors of the second (Green Heron)
Have you been so near or did you use a big zoom?
Maz
11th of January 2005 (Tue), 02:12
Those are truly great photos Ed. Keep up the excellent work!
Maz
http://www.homesteadsforsale.com
Mills
11th of January 2005 (Tue), 02:16
The second of the eagle is magnificent.
Ed Rotberg
11th of January 2005 (Tue), 09:56
Khaja: Thanks for the kind words.

Ikinaa: Thank you for the compliments. I guess the answer is both. :) I used a 400mm f/5.6 lens (not a zoom however), and I stalked slowly. I've gotten closer to other herons, but it largely depends upon the the heron, the location, the time, etc. The tricks that I know to getting closer are:
1) move very slowly - take small steps - stop often - avoid quick motions with your camera.
2) don't stand up tall - crouch a bit - in some cases crawling is your best bet
3) avoid making eye contact as much as possible
4) don't disturb a roost or nest
5) be patient and don't give up :)

Maz: Thanks, and glad you liked them.

Mills: Thank you. Those eagles are very intense creatures. Simply magnificent IMHO.

= Ed =
CyberDyneSystems
11th of January 2005 (Tue), 10:06
Ed,.. these are wonderfull,..

You are now officially "The Man"
Superb photos ;)
boomer1959
11th of January 2005 (Tue), 18:14
Simply magnificent :D Very well done
atenkley
11th of January 2005 (Tue), 18:23
Especially liked the Magpie....something about the patterns in the wings! Thanks for sharing!
cricket
11th of January 2005 (Tue), 18:32
Gorgeous photographs!

The lighting and all is beautiful.

Did you shoot RAW, and how many Megapixels, cropping? Thanks!
Ed Rotberg
11th of January 2005 (Tue), 20:30
Gorgeous photographs!

The lighting and all is beautiful.

Did you shoot RAW, and how many Megapixels, cropping? Thanks!

Cricket,

These were shot with my 20D - yes I always shoot RAW. All of the flight photos have a certain amount of cropping, if only for composition in some cases. The mapgie is more severely cropped than the other flight shots. Off the top of my head, I'd say that the Green Heron and the Cactus Wren are either full frame or very nearly so. I needed a longer lens for the Eagles.

I mean ideally we'd all like to be able to shoot full frame with our macro lenses, but that takes a captive bird, as with the Ferruginous Hawk below (10mm f/2.8 Macro at f/5.6, ISO 400, and 1/800th).

Ferruginous Hawk (captive)
http://www.edrotberg.org/images/Ferruginous%20Hawk.jpg

= Ed =
sparker1
11th of January 2005 (Tue), 20:33
Incredible shots. Undoubtedly the result of much hard work (I hope). Otherwise, I'm gonna feel really bad.
RockOne
12th of January 2005 (Wed), 04:19
These are truely magnificent pic's. The narrow depth of around the green heron isolates him perfectly. Simply superb.
Wouldn't fancy being a cactus wren though, landing on that must be tricky :-) , but I guess it would deter predators :-).
IanD
12th of January 2005 (Wed), 05:26
Beautiful images Ed. You should be bvery proud of them.
whowie
12th of January 2005 (Wed), 09:33
Like them. Especially the bald eagles and the ones of the birds in flight. Nice job!
PacAce
12th of January 2005 (Wed), 11:35
Great shots, especially the cactus wren. How'd you get so close to it? Or did you use a very long lens?
Ed Rotberg
12th of January 2005 (Wed), 12:11
Great shots, especially the cactus wren. How'd you get so close to it? Or did you use a very long lens?

Leo,

I was actually waiting to take the shot shown below when the Cactus Wren alighted on the top of one of the "branches" of the Saguaro cactus. I was using the 400mm f/5.6L (one of my very favorite lenses) which I was hand holding (it's very light) and I just turned and took the photo. He was about 12 feet away - very near the minimum focusing distance for that lens.

That 400mm was used for all of the photos here except the Ferruginous Hawk.

= Ed =

Starling in a nest probably made by a Gila Woodpecker or Gilded Flicker
http://www.edrotberg.org/images/Starling.jpg
cricket
12th of January 2005 (Wed), 19:07
Thanks for the info!

A joy to look at your bird photos!

Have you ever seen an Elf Owl? They also make nests in cacti.

You have inspired me! I'm thinking what I can use a prime 400mm for. I'm going to Arizona this Spring, lots of cacti there! But, can't get that lens just for the one trip... :neutral:
RJSorensen
12th of January 2005 (Wed), 20:21
Ed, stunning shots . . . I am not sure such beauty is within my 20D, but you have given me inspiration to at-least try same. Thank you for allowing me to share in your beautiful work.
Chris1le
13th of January 2005 (Thu), 20:40
Great shots Ed. I like them all. I think the crane is my favorite though.
PhotosGuy
14th of January 2005 (Fri), 08:31
Excellent shots! Post more!