Marsh Wren

Gallery: AvianPosted May 22, 2011153 views17 comments

Inspired by Ron Dudley's recent excellent shot of this species, I decided to give them another try, despite the fact these little guys have frustrated me severely in the past.

I spent two hours in a canoe in a marsh near my home, staking out a dummy nest - the clouds parted - and I was rewarded with some great views! I still don't believe it.

Nikon D300; Sigma 500/4.5; f7.1@1/1000; ISO 400; HH; approx.30% FF.

All comments and suggestions most welcome.

Comments

17 comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on May 22, 2011 at 10:24 AM

Lovely classic tail-up singing pose, a great BG and POV Tom..Like that fuzzy perch too :)
Details held up well, even with this significant crop..
Your two hours in a canoe paid off well, great shot

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on May 22, 2011 at 10:50 AM

Excellent in all respects! Sharon

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

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on May 22, 2011 at 10:50 AM

Love the pose, perch, and BG Tom. Really a great singing pose. Although the large crop is evident in the larger verison it is still a great image and better than anything I have of this species. When I try for these guys all I get is bulrush stems.

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

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on May 22, 2011 at 10:59 AM

Nice pose, background and composition. Worth the two hour wait.

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

Comment posted by Neal Cooper on May 22, 2011 at 11:29 AM

I like the bird's pose on top of the rush. The isolated rush with the bird on a complimentary BG really makes this a special image and one you can be really proud of. Your effort and patience have been rewarded.

Registered on June 3, 2009, 144 Posts, 306 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Olsen on May 22, 2011 at 12:32 PM

Sweeeeet photo Tom!
Excellent detail, lots of emotion and great background and perch!
Congrats!!

Registered on October 19, 2006, 306 Posts, 1571 Comments

Comment posted by Fabio Giarrizzo on May 22, 2011 at 2:22 PM

Great shot- Awesome pose, good detail and excellent perch- My congrats, Fabio

Registered on December 3, 2010, 90 Posts, 1614 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on May 22, 2011 at 3:37 PM

Sweet. Every element in the image works harmoniously to showcase this fine little bird.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on May 22, 2011 at 5:13 PM

Gorgeous image. Wrens are really tough. They just move constantly. Love the light. Love the perch. Love the comp. I would be tempted to do just a little local sharpening at the eye and head and try to bring them up to the sterling quality evident throughout this photo. (Can only tell it needs it in the larger image) Good job.

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

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on May 22, 2011 at 5:21 PM

Wonderful sing pose, perch and smooth background.

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

Comment posted by Anand Narayanan on May 22, 2011 at 6:53 PM

That is the perfect perch for this cute bird. Terrific Image

Registered on October 25, 2009, 110 Posts, 835 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on May 22, 2011 at 9:10 PM

Really like pose, light, exposure and perch Tom. Very clean shot, especially for these wrens. The significant crop still looks good. I might try Angela's sharpening suggestion on the head to see if you can get away with it. I'm delighted that you were able to get such a nice image after so much frustration - frustration that I know about with this species!

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

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on May 24, 2011 at 7:06 AM

Your wait was well and truly worth it Tom - great pose, perch and detail

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by antino cervigni on May 24, 2011 at 7:51 AM

Beautiful colors and light. And well composed. Great image. Regards.

Registered on April 17, 2010, 70 Posts, 202 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on May 24, 2011 at 12:15 PM

I like the singing pose, uplifted tail position, perch and BG. Good job catching the active bird in the open!

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

Comment posted by David Williams on May 24, 2011 at 1:00 PM

Your patience paid off, Tom.........nicely done. We are only now starting to get them back here, but the weather is still too poor to try for them much.

Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on May 26, 2011 at 6:27 PM

Wonderful image Tom. Your patience paid off.
May

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