Post your Bird Portraits

edmidlifecrisis wrote in post #18685657
Bitterns are tough. I usually find them when I am not looking for them!

I understand what you’re saying. I got lucky last year with this Least Bittern. I was parked next to a cattail marsh and suddenly this guy popped out right in front of me.

docg wrote in post #18685861
I understand what you’re saying. I got lucky last year with this Least Bittern. I was parked next to a cattail marsh and suddenly this guy popped out right in front of me.

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Beautiful little bird, now I definitely need to see one!

MatthewK wrote in post #18685764
Lovely bird, would love to see one myself someday! Are they hard to come by?

They are common and noisy around here. They are beautiful birds but aggressive and not well liked by most. They are quite smart. It is not hard to approach them to 10 feet or so, but will fly away as soon as you point a camera.

Today is about pouring rain.... love shooting in the pouring rain.

Two brothers on a wet morning

Both in the moult...

And one smiley face..

Lester Wareham wrote in post #18685817
Wonderful catch.

Thanks Lester.
Happy trails,
Paul

MatthewK wrote in post #18685859
Any tips for "not looking" for them? I've never seen one, so am not sure how to go about finding them.

When I go to the local wetlands occasionally someone else has spotted one and will point it out. Other times if I am sitting with the tripod looking at something else like a heron or egret waiting for something to happen (like if it is fishing), after a while I will catch some movement in the weeds nearby and see one skulking about. My sightings have mostly been accidental while tracking something else that isn't quite as secretive. We have two kinds here, the least and the American. I have even gotten one in flight quite by accident and being in the right place at the right time and having flight-shot-ready camera in hand (and being FAST). Once. ONe time there was an American eating a snake in plain view and I came upon a crowd watching and I DIDN'T HAVE A CAMERA!!!!! It was in the car. Nuts.

There was a breeding pair of leasts at the local wetlands earlier this year, some of the locals got some photos (the young did not survive evidently but were photographed) but I never saw them. There's always next year.

ed

docg wrote in post #18685861
I understand what you’re saying. I got lucky last year with this Least Bittern. I was parked next to a cattail marsh and suddenly this guy popped out right in front of me.

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forum: Birds

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Great shots!

graham121 wrote in post #18685792
Must be very similar to the European Magpie of which I saw many of recently in the UK.

Our local Antipodean Magpie is completely unrelated to the Northern Hemisphere one..... here is a young'un ( still has a lot of grey in the colouring ) from a few years ago having a snack. About time I took some more pictures of our local magpies....they can be as comical as they are common.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/niqQ​zy magpie with lunch by Graham Mahoney, on Flickr

Nice one Graham. I can sure see that there is no similarities to our magpies out here (unrelated, like you said).

shooz wrote in post #18685851

Very nice David.

docg wrote in post #18685861
I understand what you’re saying. I got lucky last year with this Least Bittern. I was parked next to a cattail marsh and suddenly this guy popped out right in front of me.

Hosted photo: posted by docg in
./showthread.php?p=186​85861&i=i215005074
forum: Birds

Hosted photo: posted by docg in
./showthread.php?p=186​85861&i=i109704701
forum: Birds

Wonderful shots, Doc. The close-up is very cool.

Pondrader wrote in post #18685892
Today is about pouring rain.... love shooting in the pouring rain.

Two brothers on a wet morning

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Jeff...All 5 of your shots are really nice, but I am totally baffled by your love of shooting in the pouring rain. I am quite the opposite...it's sunny days for me!!!

Lame-Duck wrote in post #18686098
Wonderful shots, Doc. The close-up is very cool.

Thank you sir.