Yellow-headed Blackbird

Gallery: AvianPosted July 2, 2014183 views7 comments

We got back from a pilgrimage to Yellowstone a week ago and I'm finally at the point of having an image or two to post. It ended up being mostly a mammal trip (not my usual fare), but I did manage a few birds along the way. There were several ponds between our campground and the main road, and I had noticed the blackbirds in them, so I staked them out one morning. I left this one fairly loose as I liked the environment as much as the bird. I do wish the oof reed head werent in front of the belly.

1D4, 500mm f4 ISL + 2.0TC, Jobu Gimbal on RRS legs, f8, 1/125, iso 640, aperture priority. Processed in LR5 & CS6. Cropped to 12.3 MP from the original 16. Taken June 22nd at 6:58 am (if I did the conversions right).

Your comments and criticisms are always appreciated.

Thanks for looking,

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on July 3, 2014 at 1:20 AM

Yeah, the blooming reeds crossed you up a little bit, but a nice habitat shot. The near head-on shot works surprisingly well.

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

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on July 3, 2014 at 4:34 AM

Agree with your wish for the OOF branch, but other than that a fine habitat shot ! Like the overall atmosphere and colors ! Cheers, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on July 3, 2014 at 9:58 AM

Excellent habitat shot Dennis, love it.
"I do wish the oof reed head werent in front of the belly."
Since it's fairly well back in the frame, why not use the heal/replace tool?
Well done!

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

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on July 3, 2014 at 5:24 PM

Per our email exchange.
Just used the heal/replace in CS4, then a tiny bit of brushwork here & there & at the edges..

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

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on July 3, 2014 at 7:56 PM

An excellent job, Howard, and what I should have taken the time to do in the first place. Thanks for posting the repair so people can see what can be done.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Marina Scarr on July 4, 2014 at 4:17 PM

There was so much potential here but for me the branch going up behind the bird is more of a distraction than anything in the front. I LOVE the habitat and just wish the bird had risen up just a tad.

Registered on March 6, 2014, 11 Posts, 104 Comments

Comment posted by David Bogener on July 6, 2014 at 6:57 PM

Dennis, Agree on the OOF reed, but love the habitat inclusion and the composition. Dave

Registered on October 30, 2013, 417 Posts, 1255 Comments