Warbler Finch

Gallery: AvianPosted March 10, 2012256 views6 comments

A confusing little bird. Darwin thought it was a wren. It looks like a warbler. Its common name is "Warbler Finch"... but it is actually in the tanager family. (And to add the cherry on top, the guide I was with insisted it was a juvenile Yellow Warbler!)

In general, IDing the finches I photographed on my trip to the Galapagos has caused me to need greater than normal quantities of Excedrin. For any photographer taking a trip to the Galapagos, my #1 tip is to save image files by very specific location. It's the only thing that is making positive ID's even remotely possible for me.

Specifically, this is the Grey Warbler Finch, Espanola (Hood) Island subspecies.
Certhidea olivacea cinerascens
Espanola Island, Galapagos
January 2012
Canon 7D
Canon 18-135mm @ 126mm
F 5.6
1/1000 s.
ISO 400
Pattern metering
Full manual mode
Subject distance 1.7m
Cropped to vertical comp

Thank you in advance for your C&C. Everything I know about bird photography, I learned on NPN (and by taking workshops from fellow NPNers). I am a living example of starting from zero and learning everything here; literally, I am a product of NPN! Of course I am still learning, but I've come so far since first signing up for membership. All your critiques help me so much!

(Do head/eye appear in less focus than body here? I can't tell...)

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on March 10, 2012 at 12:45 PM

126mm!!!

Very nice, and an excellent bit of advice.

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

Comment posted by Rebecka on March 10, 2012 at 12:48 PM

Yes, Richard - in the Galapagos, not only do the birds not fly away, some of them come right in to check YOU out! It's so cool. On this same island, I had Hood Mockingbirds landing on my gear belt, because they recognized the water bottle I was carrying, and were thirsty. I was aghast, especially because I was trying to keep my distance from the wildlife, as we were instructed to do. Sometimes, it's quite impossible!

Registered on February 5, 2009, 170 Posts, 924 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on March 10, 2012 at 2:40 PM

I know what you mean about the Galapagos. Fortunately I named each file for the part of the island I was on each individual day. You can certainly get close to the birds, but the harsh light still makes for a challenging shot every time. You've got some nice detail here but the focal point seems to have been on the wing, as you have inquired about this.

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

Comment posted by Ken Archer on March 11, 2012 at 1:24 AM

An interesting little bird you photographed Rebecka, especially at 126mm is amazing. I can see why it could be mistaken for some kind of wren with that tail. It does seem like your point of focus was on it's shoulder. And it seems like it's eye is really dark, perhaps a selective levels adjustment to brighten the eye might bring in some definition.

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on March 11, 2012 at 11:51 AM

Nice shot and very interesting that it was taken at 126mm. If I lived in the Galapagos I could save a lot of money on lenses for wildlife.

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on March 12, 2012 at 9:42 PM

Ken Archer said about exactly what I was going to say so I'll just say well done getting this at 126mm Rebecka!

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments