Great-tailed Grackle

Gallery: AvianPosted May 20, 2010131 views18 comments

Quiscalus mexicanus

Taken May 3, 2010 in northern Utah. Two years ago this species was not very common here, but they have increased in numbers since then.

D200, lens resting on vehicle window, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 400, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light. This is fullframe from side to side and I took 3% off of the top of the image to balance the composition, thus is is 97% of the original image. I did get a little mption blur on a feather on the bird's back from a breeze that blew the feather up.

I've provided the larger version for evaluation of sharpness and details.

As always, I sincerely appreciate your comments and critiques. Thank you for looking.

Comments

18 comments

Comment posted by dan elster on May 20, 2010 at 6:10 PM

Grackles have beautiful eyes and plumage and the challenge is always to show that in a photograph..which you've done here.

The blue irridenence really shines. The motion blur of the single feather is a super minor "nit" that only another bird photographer would ever notice.

Registered on September 23, 2005, 299 Posts, 2443 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on May 20, 2010 at 6:58 PM

Everything that Dan said, and I like the little blur! It gives a nice touch of reality to what could otherwise be a static composition. I like the neutral background and the even lighting as well.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by David Haynes on May 20, 2010 at 7:36 PM

Great exposure on tis Mia. Not often do you get this kind of detail on a blck bird unless it's perfectly exposed and at just the right angle to the sun. Beautiful eye, great perch, and sharp beak. Appears very intent on something below him. Nicely done Mia.

Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on May 20, 2010 at 7:41 PM

Excellent details on this hard to expose properly subject. I love the tail and the wiggly little feather. They make the image speak.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Ronnie Gaubert on May 20, 2010 at 7:54 PM

Hi Mia,
As with all your images the techs are good. The tones of the background and perch go well together. Black birds photograph much better in very low light. I rarely ever attempt to shoot black birds in sunlight. Just too difficult to get details across the entire bird.
Thanks for posting.

Ronnie g.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 810 Posts, 3495 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Moore on May 20, 2010 at 9:20 PM

We have had a few of these lately. I really like the colors that come out with the different light and angles. The tail is the icing on the cake for me.

Dan

Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on May 20, 2010 at 11:53 PM

Very appealing photo Mia, like the composition (removing that 3% helped I think) and uncomplicated forms and colors. Glad to hear that some birds appear to be doing ok.

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

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on May 21, 2010 at 12:32 AM

I like the pose, background, perch, and simplicity of this.

This species has expanded a lot here in Phoenix and has become a problem in residential areas - our Gambel's Quail chicks are not safe any longer with them around.

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

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on May 21, 2010 at 8:23 AM

Lovely detail and image quality in the larger image Mia

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by May Haga on May 21, 2010 at 8:55 AM

Excellent work Mia.
May

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

Comment posted by KC Choo on May 21, 2010 at 9:35 AM

You've done very well with this one, Mia - as usual!

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on May 21, 2010 at 12:31 PM

Nice job on this Grackle Mia! The eyes really pop! The exposure looks real nice and I like the pose.

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

Comment posted by David Chauvin on May 21, 2010 at 5:28 PM

Nice job on the exposure. Capturing the colors in grackle feathers is tough in this kind of light.

Registered on August 5, 2004, 1007 Posts, 5595 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on May 21, 2010 at 7:03 PM

Mia:
I like the brown BG, weathered perch, the vivid eye, and the captured iridescence. It is a dramatic image.

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

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on May 21, 2010 at 9:16 PM

Mia I really like how you captured the great "layers" of that awesome tail, the sharpness of the face and eye and the great metallic glow of the colors

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on May 21, 2010 at 11:26 PM

love the pose, comp, and iridescence. could wish for a little more detail in the face, but overall the detail looks great.

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

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on May 22, 2010 at 9:15 AM

Nice job, I really like the composition. Hard to get a satisfactory composition with long-tailed birds, at least for me, but this works very well.

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

Comment posted by Steve Balke on May 23, 2010 at 11:28 AM

The textures across the body of this bird are so well captured, Mia. Detail is great. I would classify the motion blur you mention as a micro-nit.

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