Eastern Phoebe

Gallery: AvianPosted November 27, 2011178 views12 comments

Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

Place: Riparian Preserve, Gilbert, AZ
Date: November 24, 2011 1:09 pm
Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (2x), G1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 800, Aperture priority spot metered, 1/125th @ f/8
Raw, PS CS3, 61% of frame

Eastern Phoebe is a rare vagrant in AZ, and this is only my third seen since moving here in 1994 and my first decent photo op of one. It was overcast and I’d been out elsewhere when I got a report that this bird had been seen in the morning. I stopped at the Water Ranch on my way home just to see it, not expecting to get much in photos.

I hope Jim DeWitt or Peter May can comment on the pale blue feathers seen betweeen the wings. I don’t remember ever seeing that on the hundreds of these birds I used to see in NJ.

A couple other companion shots of this bird are on blog.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated.

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on November 27, 2011 at 4:21 PM

Richard, the perch and the tapestry of leaves, as well as the lovely BG really make this photo. The spot metering was a good choice with the darker bird. I wish the head were a little brighter, but there is good detail despite the darkness.

I don't know about the pale blue feathers. The few I have seen did not have this that I saw.

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

Comment posted by Mark Schiebelbein on November 27, 2011 at 4:37 PM

Very nice setting and pose here. The pastel colors and texture of the leaves make a very pleasing picture. I think the soft light helps. Exposure looks good on my monitor. Well done.

Registered on November 8, 2008, 55 Posts, 393 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Frye on November 27, 2011 at 5:08 PM

Pastgel colors look very good and I like the diaganol perch. Larger version shows some sharp feather detail --

Registered on February 3, 2007, 387 Posts, 1136 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on November 27, 2011 at 7:07 PM

Love the colors, the overall soft feel of the image and the enthusiastic head turn you got from the Phoebe. Great find and excellent photo Rich.

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

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on November 27, 2011 at 7:45 PM

Love the composition and the setting, beautiful colors and excellent details on the Phoebe.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on November 27, 2011 at 9:00 PM

Lovely image of the phoebe Rich. I like the way you framed the bird in the composition, the soft pastel background, and the sharp detail. Congrats on capturing such a wonderful image of this rarity.

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Backlund on November 27, 2011 at 9:30 PM

The comp really makes this image for me, and the image quality is really great too. The head turn is perfect. I've never seen those blue feathers on an Eastern Phoebe, so I will be interested in comments about those too.

Registered on September 29, 2005, 252 Posts, 3380 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on November 27, 2011 at 11:17 PM

Excellent, Richard. The look over the shoulder/wing is very nice. The composition works very well. But I haven't a clue about the blue. Bear in mind my experience with Easter Phoebes is pretty limited. These guys do have a late fall moult, and there are white edges to the fresh feathers. Some kind of light diffraction, perhaps?

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Peter May on November 28, 2011 at 9:36 AM

Hi Rich. I've never seen this feather coloration in eastern phoebes, and I've seen a lot of these birds wintering in Florida. Probably more accurate to say I've never noticed it. Think I'll look through my phoebe images and see if I can find anything similar. Lovely shot.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 7 Posts, 239 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on November 28, 2011 at 2:45 PM

Beautiful soft light and colors, beautiful detail.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on November 28, 2011 at 3:47 PM

Wonderful find Rich, I checked out your blog and interesting to read about this bird, along with some good photographs, way to go.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on December 6, 2011 at 11:27 AM

Really like the setting & soft light, very good details.
The bit of blue-gray plumage between the wings is nice.
Well done Rich.

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