Photo of the Month 8/14

Gallery: AvianPosted August 1, 2014800 views24 comments

Grey Backed Fiscal

Now correctly identified ( I hope)

Taken in Kidepo Valley National Park, Northern Uganda
EOS 1DX
200 -400 mm F 4 at 560 mm
F 7.1
ISO 800
1/1600

Comments

24 comments

Comment posted by John Neukirch on August 1, 2014 at 6:55 AM

The large version is awesome. Love the perch, really sets the bird off nicely.

Registered on July 9, 2012, 207 Posts, 1476 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on August 1, 2014 at 10:09 AM

Great detail on this guy, Ken. The perch is great also.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Berry on August 1, 2014 at 10:17 AM

Really nice. Nice pose with a really pleasing, complementary background.

Registered on June 20, 2014, 17 Posts, 71 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on August 1, 2014 at 11:05 AM

Very nice frame. The composition and space provided works very well. Pleasing, complimentary background. Nice use of 7.1 to get enough DOF to get the bird sharp from tip to tail..

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on August 1, 2014 at 12:04 PM

Great head turn, Ken, and excellent choice of aperture for just the right DOF. Very nice pose and perch.

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on August 1, 2014 at 6:53 PM

Beautiful job, Ken. Great head turn and detail and plenty of dof to get those wonderful thorns in focus.

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on August 1, 2014 at 9:43 PM

Very similar to our Loggerhead Shrike (a bird I can't ever get close to). Really great image you have here Ken. Techs look good and comp is great. Great work!

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Josiah Launstein on August 2, 2014 at 1:07 AM

Oh man, this is a great picture! I love the pose with him looking back at you and the AWESOME perch he's on with the deep greens and all those wicked thorns! That looks like trying to land on a porcupine!

The background is super nice, too.

We have shrikes around here, too (especially in the mountains) but I haven't gotten any pictures of one yet. They sure don't look like this guy, though!

Registered on January 26, 2013, 52 Posts, 126 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on August 2, 2014 at 9:06 AM

Thanks everybody for your kind comments, the are greatly appreciated

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on August 2, 2014 at 6:52 PM

Terrific as posted. Great pose and setting, nice colors, excellent detail.

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on August 3, 2014 at 10:26 PM

Beautiful lighting and great thorny perch Ken with a nice comp, this isn't a White-crowned Shrike which has a white crown not grey. I am pretty sure it's a Lesser Gray Shrike or a Grey-backed Fiscal.

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

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on August 4, 2014 at 2:45 AM

Sandy,
I am relatively hopeless at Bird ID, the reason I choose White Crowned was the brownish colour of the feathers on the back

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Greg Oakley on August 6, 2014 at 4:16 AM

Excellent image Ken - very nice comp, IQ and pose. There is a slight green cast which is no big deal

Registered on June 12, 2012, 115 Posts, 266 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Ramy on August 7, 2014 at 10:34 PM

Hey Ken,
Great Image whatever this is,
Congratulations on the WP . . .

Registered on June 16, 2012, 567 Posts, 2809 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on August 8, 2014 at 7:22 AM

Congrats on teh WP. Well deserved.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on August 8, 2014 at 7:50 PM

Very impressed with he shot, Ken! Those thorns are impressive, too! So it's a wonder to me how it flies to its perch, there, without impaling itself.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on August 9, 2014 at 12:57 AM

Thanks very much for the honour of the Weekly Pick

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on August 25, 2014 at 1:03 PM

Great pose, tack-sharp throughout, and sweet colours - congrats on a fine WP!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on September 13, 2014 at 5:41 AM

I missed this one Ken, but due to the homepage placement I see it now. A very fine image, like it all around ! Cheers, Hans

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

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on September 14, 2014 at 6:04 AM

outstanding image! if you ever need assistance with id'ing african - and especially ugandan - birds, let me know!!

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on September 15, 2014 at 9:33 AM

Just back from Namibia/Zimbabwe, thanks to everybody a great privilege for me

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on September 22, 2014 at 9:52 AM

Ken, I'm glad this picture was on the home page or I probably would have missed it. Excellent work on this!1 Beautiful image and I love the wonderful details in the large version.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on September 25, 2014 at 8:00 PM

Ken, congrats on this being photo of the month. It's a great look at this bird with the sharp perch and the turned head.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Mario Moreno on September 26, 2014 at 2:06 PM

CONGRATS Ken !!! Great to see this image as the opening shot

Registered on January 24, 2012, 163 Posts, 369 Comments