Canyon Towhee

Gallery: AvianPosted December 9, 2009110 views12 comments

My first real outing in months got me to Catalina State Park (my old stomping grounds) outside of Tucson, AZ. A few birds greeted me on an overcast day yesterday. Here is a cooperative Canyon Towhee. I actually had a 4 Towhee hour seeing Canyon, Abert's, Spotted and Green-tailed Towhees within 1/4 mile which was about as far as I went.

I would have given more room in front of the bird but this is just about full frame and the bird was too centered in the shot.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions!

Canon 50D, 300mm f/4 IS w/1.4 handheld, 1/250 @ f/5.6, ISO 400

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Bob McQuade on December 9, 2009 at 8:28 AM

Very nice image, makes you realize how well this bird's plumage is designed to mimic his surroundings. Too bad about the blurred object in the right 4grd

Registered on October 8, 2009, 214 Posts, 432 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on December 9, 2009 at 8:52 AM

I really like the bird Hans - looks like you have some wonderful detail there. The OOF twig in LR doesn't draw my attention and your relatively tight comp works well for me. Amazing to have a 4 towhee day - hope to see some of the others posted here soon.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on December 9, 2009 at 9:00 AM

I love these Towhees. Good to see you posting again Hans . The oof twig under the bird shouldn't be too hard to get rid of if you so wanted to.

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

Comment posted by KC Choo on December 9, 2009 at 9:09 AM

Keep them coming, Hans! Like this one a lot! Great detail, full-frame and, of course, "the Hans Thing"!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on December 9, 2009 at 10:07 AM

Beauti8ful, Hans. Lovely detail and I like the way the bg works with the bird.

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on December 9, 2009 at 9:31 PM

very nice and sharp. the surrounding habitat does not bother me at all.

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

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on December 10, 2009 at 1:41 AM

I have never even seen a Towhee of any stripe, so 4 in an hour is remarkable! I like the even lighting on the bird allowing some excellent detail, especially the eye and beak. I would like to see a bit more room at the bottom, but not much you can do if it's nearly full frame.

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

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on December 10, 2009 at 2:47 PM

Hans, I like this a lot. What a great bird. Comp works well and the sense of habitat is there too.

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

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on December 10, 2009 at 3:02 PM

I like the pose and eye contact, and the bird is very sharp too.

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on December 10, 2009 at 4:52 PM

The bird looks super here Hans and this is a tough species to get perched up like this, so good job there. The oof bit is a small distraction for me.

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on December 10, 2009 at 6:26 PM

Hans,

I like this image a great deal as posted and love how it provides a great profile view of this species.

A very appealing & well done image.

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

Comment posted by David Sparks on December 10, 2009 at 8:45 PM

If the other 3 Towhees are nearly as nice as this one, it was a very special outing. No nits from me.

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