Vermilion Flycatcher

Gallery: AvianPosted October 4, 2009372 views35 comments

Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus)

Place: Water Ranch, Gilbert, USA
Date: October 2, 2009
Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (2x), G1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 320, aperture priority spot metered @ -1/3rd stop, 1/90th @ f/8
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, 75% of frame

These little flycatchers are so brilliantly colored that even non birders remark upon them (often calling them Scalet Tanagers).

There’s usually a female or young bird somewhere at the Water Ranch in winter, but rarely an adult male like this. It showed up Thursday morning at the very same pavilion where the Black Phoebe I posted recently had been hanging out. I went back Friday afternoon to work it with light from the oopposite direction. I came home with lot of pleasing images: this is my favorite of the ones I’ve processed so far.

Ideally I'd have more space on the left side but he turned his head quickly and I didn't have a chance to reframe. I've cropped from the right to improve the balance.

If possible please view the larger version before commenting. Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated.

Comments

35 comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on October 4, 2009 at 7:58 PM

I've never seen this species before. Looks like this perch has been rather productive for you.

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by S Govindarajan on October 4, 2009 at 8:36 PM

Exquisite image, Rich. Delightful pose and perfect background to make the flycatcher stand out. I like your choice of DOF and the squarish composition suits the image very well. The details on the larger version are amazing.

Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on October 4, 2009 at 9:05 PM

Just beautiful! Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on October 4, 2009 at 9:21 PM

If the tiny bright-white catchlight was added in PS, I would say it isn't needed. The natural reflections in its eye work for me.

- John

Not added in PS. Checking the EXIF confirms it wasn't my flash, so it was either the sun poking through some cloud cover, or the flash on a friend's camera. This is the 1:1 view from he file.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on October 4, 2009 at 9:22 PM

Wonderful Richard! Terrific detail, and I like the background very much as well.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on October 4, 2009 at 9:32 PM

What a wonderful capture! The detail is marvelous, as is the BG.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on October 4, 2009 at 10:29 PM

Superb detail, Richard. An excellent job on that brilliant red, and the composition works for me. I like the texture lent by the perch.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on October 4, 2009 at 10:35 PM

This is really nice. Great detail--in the field I've never noticed black flecks on the crown. For me the crop works quite well without any additional space to the left--the weight of the perch on the right is a good counterbalance to the look to the left.

I've noticed personally that this is a really difficult bird to expose and I see it here too--this is a beautiful exposure, spot on for the bird as a whole, but in the larger version it seems like the reds in the supercilium and up towards the crown are a little blown out. I've never seen blown out reds (as opposed to whites) in anything other than a Vermilion Flycatcher and it seems like they are hard to avoid, even in such mellow light as this shot. Anyway, it may just be my monitor, and it's a small nit on a beautiful image of a beautiful bird... [EDIT: It was just my monitor--looking at this on another computer, there is great detail--nice job with this]

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Carol Nichols on October 4, 2009 at 10:55 PM

Richard, an exceptional photo in every way

Registered on November 7, 2007, 161 Posts, 1420 Comments

Comment posted by Mack Barham on October 4, 2009 at 11:17 PM

Great capture!

Registered on August 12, 2005, 537 Posts, 1107 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on October 5, 2009 at 12:35 AM

Very nice work Richard. I have never seen one of these live or even posted from what I remember. Like the pose, color and bg.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on October 5, 2009 at 5:59 AM

Very nice Richard

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on October 5, 2009 at 6:49 AM

Wonderful detail Rich, and nice natural colors. The comp is fine and I like the complimentary BG. Nice head turn and good eye contact. Well done.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Ramos on October 5, 2009 at 6:56 AM

Richard: You nail this guy for good. Colors are great composition works for me and the details are superb,Bravo!

Registered on December 24, 2008, 43 Posts, 281 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on October 5, 2009 at 10:52 AM

Really pretty image. Love the head turn. Nice work with the Reds. This bird is often presented over saturated, but not here. Very nice. The perch is a big big for this bird, but it is where you got him. Very nice image.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Carrie O'Brien-Sib on October 5, 2009 at 12:10 PM

Richard, I wouldn't change a thing. Great colors, fabulous shot!

COS

Registered on August 4, 2009, 149 Posts, 889 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Mason on October 5, 2009 at 2:09 PM

That's a vivid bird! The large version is a must view. Stunning shot!

Registered on December 14, 2005, 399 Posts, 2305 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Jenkins on October 5, 2009 at 2:24 PM

Wonderful feather detail and BG. Good job on this one.

Registered on April 20, 2008, 307 Posts, 604 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on October 5, 2009 at 2:50 PM

Gorgeous, what a wonderful capture.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on October 5, 2009 at 4:12 PM

Great image!! Detail is really sharp and colors are superb.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on October 5, 2009 at 5:08 PM

Rich,

This is a stunning bird and you have captured it superbly. Great pose, head turn, details and sharpness.

The soft green in the background is a wonderful compliment to the Vermillion's reds & blacks. Great light in the eye and a lovely choice of composition.

Outstanding image.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on October 5, 2009 at 5:25 PM

This pic will get lots of attention Rich

A stunning little bird and you captured him very nicely .

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by Ravee Wattanatanak on October 5, 2009 at 6:00 PM

Very nice color bird and the bg too.

Registered on December 12, 2008, 105 Posts, 786 Comments

Comment posted by Craig Strand on October 5, 2009 at 6:01 PM

Just OVER THE TOP image Richard. Every aspect of this image is excellent.

well done!

Registered on March 30, 2008, 416 Posts, 2885 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on October 5, 2009 at 9:29 PM

Great capture of a beautiful bird, Richard. Lovely detail.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Dusty Veideman on October 6, 2009 at 12:37 AM

This is outstanding of this striking bird. I like the one on your blog too maybe even more!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 295 Posts, 547 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on October 6, 2009 at 12:57 AM

Beautiful detail and colors Richard. The green background is a wonderful complement. It seems that Flycatchers rather like posts for perching when available.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on October 6, 2009 at 1:04 AM

Beautiful detail Richard

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on October 6, 2009 at 1:33 AM

Take a bow, Richard! Magnificent!

Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments

Comment posted by Graham Brown on October 6, 2009 at 6:53 AM

Beautiful coloured bird, i bet it has problems though hiding from any predators it may have.Lovely sharp image, bird pose and background - a really excellent image to view. Graham

Registered on November 20, 2007, 275 Posts, 1365 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on October 6, 2009 at 4:48 PM

Excellent image, Rich, and really nice soft light to bring out the rich colors. I think you made a good choice with the crop in terms of balance when considering inclusion of the perch. Had you been able to pan left more, I think the overall frame with the perch stuffed more into the corner might have looked a little awkward. Nice work as shown.

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Backlund on October 6, 2009 at 8:14 PM

I think this is the best photo of Vermillion Flycatcher I've ever seen. I can never get close enough to get this kind of detail. Spot metering at -1/3 did the trick on the difficult reds. Outstanding photo!!!

Registered on September 29, 2005, 252 Posts, 3380 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on October 6, 2009 at 10:23 PM

I agree with Doug: this is the finest photo of a Vermillion I've seen posted at NPN. The pose is excellent, the perch is great, the background is perfect for the colors of the bird and the exposure and techs are spot on. Exceptionally nice work, Richard.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on October 7, 2009 at 10:46 PM

How beautiful is that? Couldn't find a darn thing wrong

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on October 9, 2009 at 5:31 AM

Super pose - especially the head-turn, plumage detail and colour rendering excellnen. I recall that seeing this bird was a stand-out when I visited Arizona last century.

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments