Western Meadowlark

Gallery: AvianPosted December 9, 2011112 views11 comments

This Western Meadowlark was found looking for his breakfast in some frosted grasses and sub freezing temps this morning. Captured at the Ridefefield National Wildlife Refuge, WA. This cropped image is 80% of the original. Shot from car on refuge auto tour route.

Larger version available, Thanks for stopping!

canon 7D
canon 600mm f4.L IS USM
F/8. 1/320 ISO 160
Auto window beanbag rest, layered clothing, hot coffee, CS5, LR3, NIKs suite of filters

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on December 9, 2011 at 8:53 PM

Love this shot Craig. Great light and exposure. I really like the habitat and the pose of the bird. Makes the image for me. Well done.

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

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on December 9, 2011 at 10:00 PM

Way to get down low and showcase this bird in its natural habitat

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

Comment posted by Mark Schiebelbein on December 9, 2011 at 11:50 PM

Real nice Craig. I prefer this to the typical fencepost shot you often see. The angle seems low enough even if shot from a car. I like the frost on the vegetation. I wonder if it could use a touch more brighting and contrast?

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

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on December 10, 2011 at 9:31 AM

Much harder to get a good looking image on the ground many times, looks great Craig.
Nice details and natural color, like the soft early light as well

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

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on December 10, 2011 at 9:52 AM

I love it as posted. A very natural image: perfect setting; wonderful light; strong composition.

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

Comment posted by Keith A Anderson on December 10, 2011 at 1:50 PM

Great image, Craig. I, too, prefer these guys in the natural grassy habitat to sitting on a post or wire. I like the catch light and the intense look on the bird's face.

Registered on February 13, 2006, 166 Posts, 1818 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on December 10, 2011 at 4:51 PM

I like your list of equipment. :) This is beautifully soft and sharp at the perfect places. Beautiful light and colors.

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

Comment posted by Rob Graham on December 11, 2011 at 12:44 AM

Classic meadowlark image. Great light, I like the touch of frost on the grass. Well done.

Registered on August 22, 2006, 842 Posts, 2824 Comments

Comment posted by John Launstein on December 11, 2011 at 2:01 AM

Craig, this is beautiful. Great job on the capture (I echo the earlier comments), but perhaps even better job on the processing. The control of the yellows and feather detail is excellent. Happy for you, but wish this was mine!

Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on December 11, 2011 at 5:22 PM

The detail of the bird is outstanding. Great light and composition.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on December 12, 2011 at 3:47 PM

Nice job spotting this, I like the way the meadowlark is looking up so you can see more of it's body in the grass, looks like the layered coffee approach is working just fine, way to go, the larger image looks great.

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