Male Eastern Bluebird

Gallery: AvianPosted February 17, 2011141 views11 comments

A visit to my favorite grasslands yesterday yielded a nice surprise when 4 Eastern Bluebirds made themselves seen and heard. This male perched atop a spent common mullein flower stalk.

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC HH from car window
f/8
1/800s
ISO 500

Cropped to 75%, sharpened using smart sharpen and USM in CS5 on a 27" iMac

- Luke

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by David Haynes on February 17, 2011 at 10:37 PM

Luke,
What a great surprise. Nice perch Luke. Love the blurred out background and the catchlight in the eye. And all from a car window. The white in the bottom of the frame, is that snow on the ground? You had luck on your side Luke.

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

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on February 17, 2011 at 10:51 PM

David,

Yes that is some remnant snow which should all but disappear with tomorrows 60+ degree temps! The grasslands piece where I photographed this bird is a breeding ground for these (with a few nest boxes on site) but this wasn't near there which made it more of a surprise.

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

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on February 18, 2011 at 1:56 AM

Lovely !
Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by Karen Summers on February 18, 2011 at 5:57 AM

love the simplicity of this one Luke lovely shot

Registered on December 3, 2009, 83 Posts, 818 Comments

Comment posted by richard remington on February 18, 2011 at 8:21 AM

Luke,

Love the natural look and feel of this shot. It is a winner!

Registered on March 12, 2010, 105 Posts, 368 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on February 18, 2011 at 5:58 PM

Like this alot Luke. The idea of a bird dwarfed by its surroundings and yet still being the dominant elemne tin the image. I'm not quite sure about the squarish crop, but then I'm not quite sure what I'd do instead - maybe a bit off the top or go for a vertical but still with plenty of room around the bird??

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on February 18, 2011 at 7:15 PM

The isolation of the bird and perch is what makes this work for me Luke.

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

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on February 18, 2011 at 9:50 PM

I really like the composition and background on this shot! The blurred out grass with touches of snow does it for me. Great shot!

Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments

Comment posted by Craig Strand on February 19, 2011 at 8:43 AM

Really pleasing comp Luke, excellent BG!

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

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on February 19, 2011 at 8:57 AM

Nice Luke. I like it. An attractive comp.

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

Comment posted by Andrius Pašukonis on February 20, 2011 at 8:00 PM

I like the simplicity and the all the space surrounding this tiny colorful bird. Gives a real feel of the environment.

Registered on July 23, 2005, 111 Posts, 408 Comments