Sora Sora Sora.......... walk like an Egyptian

When i was a kid, mom raised a flock of chicken in our backyard. I really enjoyed observing their behavior. After moving to city, the only chicken i saw was the one on my plate. The childhood feeling came up when i saw this Sora. It was my first time seeing this bird. The way it walked, with its head doing the Egyptian thing, was really interesting.

Had to deal with harsh lighting because it was high noon. And the Sora's habitat wasn't really the cleanest place. I remember i had flies on my Bigma, my fingers, face and neck. Some even bit me. But i was too excited to see the bird and concentrated 110% taking its picture. After that, my gf and i had to use cell phone to talk even in the same living room. She said i was kinda smelly.

All pictures were taken with Bigma and 36mm Extension tubes. They are uncropped. Only resized, PP'ed. Hope you like them. C/C welcome.

500mm, f8, 1/250s, ISO200, -0.33, Flash

I like the first one best because I can see the eye!

That's a neat looking bird. I don't think we have those here in Oregon.
You've painted a funny picture in my mind with the flies biting and the exciement of getting the shots- did you actually lie on your belly in that muck???? I'm guessing so because of need for cellphone! Definately worth the effort- nice shots.

I am pondering the use of the tubes with the big zoom lens?????????Can you explain why?

First time view for me Fee of an incredible looking bird and 'Walk like an Egyptian' --the tune is now in my head.
I love the shape and the markings on this Sora, it's a neat little guy.
Great shots with good details, sharpness etc, well done.

Excellent shots as always Fee. Love the angle. I have never seen this bird before so thank you for posting. These shot were definitely worth getting a little dirty and smelly for. My wife usually smiles patiencly and shakes her head when I come home after one of my expeditions all covered in mud and thinks (I guess) when will he grow up.

Great capture! The exposure looks good for noon. Thanks for the exif - Bob

Great shots of an interesting bird, Thanks Fee

Great shots, Fee. Very nice to see such great images of this normally very shy bird.
But you need to come out of your shell and express your excitement. Don't hold back.
Life lovers are easy to spot.
Ron

Nice shots Fee. The first shot with the fill flash is my favorite. The light was just enough to bring out the shape of the eyes and seperate it from the rest of the birds face. The others are also very nice captures. Thanks for sharing these as I don't get to see these here in my neck of the woods.

Cute lil guy, Fee. Thanks for braving its toxic environment to get us these shots.

Nice shots Fee, now thats dedicated.

Dan

Thanks all for commenting. Glad you enjoy them.

Bea, i agree. It's really hard to pull the eyes out because of the dark patch on its face and around the eyes. #1 was just good timing when it looked up a little.

Jnbradley, i was squating at the edge of the mudflat. The temperature was probably around 90 degree. I was sweaty and could hear the buzzing around my ears but my eyes never left the bird.
I used the 36mm extension to get some magnification. As Ron said, the bird was very shy. it never came near to me. So to get it show up larger in the frame, i could either use my 1.4x TC or the extension tube. Both have their pros and cons. TC degrades image quality, the tube has a maximum focus distance. In that particular case, quality is more important, so i gambled. Betting the bird would move within the focus range required by the extension tube, and it did. So that paid off.

Tony, that song popped up in my head when i saw the bird too.

Sindri, i guess the ladies just have to deal with us big kids. Thank Buddha for powerful detergent and tornado washing machine.

I appreciate the kind words Bob, DDA. I hope the exif is helpful to others. I know it is to me.

Ron, I'll definitely try . Sometimes the excitement is beyond words. On top of that, English is my second language. I need to constantly borrow words to express myself.LOL!

You are right Keith. The exposure is more even in #1 and i hope it's the same with the other photos too. I remember i was too excited until i turned off the flash because i didn't want to scare the bird away. It was bearly within the extension tube's focus range. Now i kinda regret it.

Thanks Joe, Dan. I am sure y'all are just as dedicated, if not more, than me. It's my pleasure to share this with you.

Great series, I love the first and the third ones. Fantastic bird!

OooOo interesting looking bird you found there.
ive had a bad experience with chicken. unfortunately, i watched my grandma kill one for dinner... not something youd want to see as a child.

Excellent find! The way you sorted those images it looks like the Sora is pacing back and forth.

Reading your post reminds me alot of myself...including the gf part (wife in my case). The things we'll do for a photograph!