driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 15,002
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Birds!
Oct 22, 2021 14:24:34 GMT -8
Post by driftwoody on Oct 22, 2021 14:24:34 GMT -8
Yellow Tail Black Cockatoo. Can anything be ascertained about the YTBC'S mental attitude from the body language in that awesome photo?
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franco
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,297
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Post by franco on Oct 22, 2021 15:29:42 GMT -8
Yellow Tail Black Cockatoo. Can anything be ascertained about the YTBC'S mental attitude from the body language in that awesome photo? yes, that the bird is having a great time carving that small branch. They do that anyway to keep their beack sharp but they do have fun doing it particularly when they are bored . As this one was performing, another two or three were at the back watching . They do chatter with each other as they play and carry on.
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franco
Trail Wise!
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Post by franco on Oct 22, 2021 22:21:54 GMT -8
Today it was raining so we did not bother to go out birding. To make up for it, a Painted Button Quail visited the backyard. Some of the local birders are very excited because they have not seen one here before. I knew it was a quail but not what type. Photo taken through the screen on my window.
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,687
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Birds!
Oct 23, 2021 7:59:58 GMT -8
Post by rebeccad on Oct 23, 2021 7:59:58 GMT -8
franco, I’m impressed you saw it! Pretty camouflage, and you can see in the photo why those colours.
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franco
Trail Wise!
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Post by franco on Oct 23, 2021 14:08:36 GMT -8
In that particular photo the pine leaves and dead olive flowers make the bird blend in but when I first saw it it was just outside the full wall window next to where I am right now. The bird then kept walking around having a good look. The local birders on Facebook are still excited. This is the type of quail we have in the parks around here where we walk, called Brown Quail
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franco
Trail Wise!
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Post by franco on Nov 9, 2021 15:40:07 GMT -8
Nobody is posting so I thought of creating a Panasonic FZ 300 ad... All too often in the bird forums when someone asks what camera to buy for bird photos , even after adding comments like "budget conscious, for fun, weight is important..." inevitably a $3000 6 lbs it will be reccomended as if one can only take photos with that. So here it is, the $500 or so , 1.52 lbs weatherproof Pana FZ 300. (btw the other day I did use it in the rain)
I'm nursing one eye after a cataract operation so I can't be bothered using my heavier camera and just having some fun with the Pana. All taken in the last few days except the photo of Bert the (female) kestrel on a pole. That one I took a couple of years ago.
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franco
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,297
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Post by franco on Nov 9, 2021 15:57:02 GMT -8
On the other hand, if one is not restricted by the budget and does not mind a slightly heavier but still rather small (for what it is...) camera , this i the Sony RX0 IV. I bought the Pana FZ 300 for my wife to see if she would get interested in taking bird photos. She did rather well but compared to those taken with my (much heavier and bigger ) camera they were not as good So I bought her the Sony. These are some photo she posted from our esterday's walk .
Ann does her own editing but I have better stuff for that, so this is my edited version of the Cisticola in flight (from the above photo, I don't have the original) The difference becomes visible on full size. All of these photos are compressed here so they usualy look better if viewed on full size. BTW, I am a Sony fan, so I am biased but I think the Sony RX10 IV is the best "bridge" camera around. This is where we walk most days. Photo taken yesterday with the Panasonic. (I was the shop buyer for both Panasonic and Sony...) All those photos are crops, even with the 600mm (equivalent) both cameras have, we don't get that close to those birds.
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Birds!
Nov 9, 2021 16:47:24 GMT -8
Post by trinity on Nov 9, 2021 16:47:24 GMT -8
Great info, franco , and great photos!
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Birds!
Nov 9, 2021 17:24:24 GMT -8
Post by downriver on Nov 9, 2021 17:24:24 GMT -8
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franco
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,297
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Birds!
Nov 10, 2021 15:40:34 GMT -8
Post by franco on Nov 10, 2021 15:40:34 GMT -8
Our raptors are on holiday at the moment. We have a Black Shouldered Kite and one Hobby (a VERY small raptor). Looking forward to see the others, little Eagle, Sea Eagle, Brown Falcon, Whistling Kite ,Swamp Harrier , Kestrel... back again. This is the BSK this morning, looking for a mouse. This from yesterday .The uncommon , here, Common Bronewing. Depending on the angle to the sun those feathers reflect a different colour. For example
(photo by my wiofe with her Sony. Mine was out of focus...)
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franco
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,297
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Birds!
Nov 13, 2021 1:13:12 GMT -8
Post by franco on Nov 13, 2021 1:13:12 GMT -8
Continuing my unpaid commercial on the Panasonic FZ 300, I like to point out two facts that are not all that obvious about it. The camera has a 12 MP sensor. On the same saze sensor you can have 16 and even 20 MP (how do they get 20 million pixels on that size ia a bit hard to understand). Having more pixels lets youenlarge the image further or crop more but you lose out big time in low light because each pixels captures less light. (so don't assume that more pixels is always better) The other point is that because the sensor is so small , at the same f stop you get a lot more deph of field than with larger sensors .This is a good example , photo taken at f /3.2. If you used that f stop on a "Full Frame " camera you would have very little in focus. ( I just discovered how to get a spot focus area on that camera so I was testing that out)
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franco
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,297
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Birds!
Nov 13, 2021 18:10:50 GMT -8
Post by franco on Nov 13, 2021 18:10:50 GMT -8
Last photo for a while because now I am confined at home after a Covid test that I need for my cataract operation in a few days (second eye) This is a pair of Chestnut Teals, the male is in front. Ttaken this morniong with the Pana FZ300. (BTW, you only get the right colours if you click on the photo and then choose full resolution)
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Birds!
Nov 15, 2021 8:50:14 GMT -8
Post by trinity on Nov 15, 2021 8:50:14 GMT -8
franco , I hope the procedure goes well.
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franco
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,297
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Post by franco on Nov 15, 2021 19:15:46 GMT -8
franco , I hope the procedure goes well. Thank you. The first one did and the surgeon is one of the best around.
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Post by downriver on Nov 16, 2021 13:34:20 GMT -8
My lunchtime visitor today...
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