Horned Lark

Gallery: AvianPosted January 17, 201169 views12 comments

I managed to get halfway close to this bird this afternoon. They sure have to work in the fields to find a seed or two!

Are there varieties of this species? The coloration and patterns (especially on the head and neck) do not match any of the samples in my guides.

Nikon D300; Sigma 500/4.5; f 7.1 @ 1/1000. ISO 250; HH; 50% full frame.

All comments and suggestions most welcome.

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by wade pettitt on January 17, 2011 at 8:21 PM

Tom , this is great. Great light and detail. A bird I have yet to see.

Registered on May 6, 2009, 184 Posts, 471 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Shellenberg on January 17, 2011 at 8:44 PM

The soft lighting on this Lark is really nice, Tom. That little seed in it's beak is great. Very nice image.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 168 Posts, 3118 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on January 17, 2011 at 9:41 PM

The yellow on the face is quite eye catching. Love the seed in the beak. Great light and details. Don't know the answer to the varieties question. But waiting to see the answer you get.

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

Comment posted by Angela McCain on January 17, 2011 at 9:58 PM

Great detail in the large photo. Beautiful bird well represented by your artistry here.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on January 17, 2011 at 10:23 PM

Subspecies vary widely in overall color.

- National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, which lists five named forms.

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

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on January 17, 2011 at 11:04 PM

I really like the snowy setting and the seed in the beak. Good image quality too. This is a different looking bird than I have seen before, excellent question you pose.

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

Comment posted by Marc Dubuc on January 17, 2011 at 11:59 PM

Excellent capture of a beautiful bird that I have yet to see. Good job!

Registered on January 4, 2011, 59 Posts, 229 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on January 18, 2011 at 6:47 AM

Wonderful shot Tom. Grear image quality and detail

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on January 18, 2011 at 8:00 AM

Really nice to get the bit of food or grit in the bill Tom. I like the setting, the light, great look at the eye and the little pieces of flying snow by the foot. Sharpness and detail look good on the smaller version, I might apply just a touch more selective sharpening to the larger version.

We've been seeing much larger flocks of this species here than we have ever seen before.

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

Comment posted by Monica Siri on January 18, 2011 at 12:50 PM

Beautiful image, Tom. Great detail and pose with the open beak and seed.

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

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on January 18, 2011 at 3:26 PM

Very nice indeed - I like the pose and and snowy setting. Exposure is spot-on. There is plenty of detail - I'd apply a tad more sharpening to make that detail appear a little more crisp.

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

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 18, 2011 at 11:06 PM

Sweet, Tom. Excellent exposure and detail.

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