Vermilion Flycatcher

Gallery: AvianPosted February 17, 20049,318 views33 comments

Hi all. I'm just back from four glorious days at the Salton Sea in southern California. Here's one from Sunday, a bird that was high on my nemesis list. Not any more!!

10D, 500mm f4 IS, 1.4X, evaluative metering (-.7), ISO 200, 1/640, f10, afternoon light, 95% full frame.

Comments

33 comments

Comment posted by Steve Muskie on February 17, 2004 at 8:42 AM

I gottta git me one a them birds! Beautiful shot of a beautiful bird, Bob. Congrats on bagging him.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 26 Posts, 218 Comments

Comment posted by George Forrest on February 17, 2004 at 9:14 AM

Welcome back Bob. I'm looking forward to seeing some more like this from your trip.
As usual, a flawless image. Interesting branch, i.e., color coordinated with the bird. I didn't know the Vermilion Flycatcher came that far north. (Lots of them in Belize) Question: I noticed most of your images have the perfect background, do you pass up shots if the background is not what you want? What's your technique relative to getting the right background?

Registered on November 1, 2003, 26 Posts, 443 Comments

Comment posted by Tam Stuart on February 17, 2004 at 9:30 AM

WOW! All I can say is - BEAUTIFUL!

Registered on November 17, 2003, 113 Posts, 1600 Comments

Comment posted by Matthew Pugh on February 17, 2004 at 9:34 AM

Glad to hear you get to tick one off your list with such a lovely shot

Regards
Matthew

Registered on November 1, 2003, 72 Posts, 1230 Comments

Comment posted by Kenneth Kijewski on February 17, 2004 at 9:36 AM

Hi Bob,

I am new to the site and I wanted to comment on your beautiful image! Very nice details and color! Perfect DOF and lighting!
This would be a nice entry for a bird field guide!

Nicely done!

Ken

Registered on February 17, 2004, 166 Posts, 3390 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Grey on February 17, 2004 at 9:50 AM

Great picture of one of the real glamor birds -- just f'rinstance, how about that detail in the wing-shadowed area!

Registered on December 2, 2003, 144 Posts, 2069 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Wallack on February 17, 2004 at 10:15 AM

A beautiful bird rendered wonderfully.

Registered on February 14, 2004, 28 Posts, 249 Comments

Comment posted by Vic Harris on February 17, 2004 at 11:13 AM

Bob, gorgeous bird nicely proportioned in the frame. Love that perch as well!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 295 Posts, 2830 Comments

Comment posted by Bob Steele on February 17, 2004 at 11:25 AM

George asked:

<i>"Question: I noticed most of your images have the perfect background, do you pass up shots if the background is not what you want? What's your technique relative to getting the right background?"</i>

Hi George. I have plenty of shots with busy backgrounds, I just don't show them here.

Kidding aside, I strive to get the cleanest images possible. I guess most would consider my "style" to be "field guide", and that's OK with me. It is the kind of image I like the best, and serves the purpose of my intended markets. I'm constantly looking for situations that will give me shots without distracting backgrounds. And this shot was a perfect example. Driving along the edge of a deep river bank, this bird was seen perching on trees growing up from the bank and just barely clearing the top. We drove past him and stopped. I grabbed the gear and waited for him to perch on a branch that was standing alone. A slow approach worked to gain his trust, and before I left I had over 100 shots of him on numerous perches. Being a flycatcher, he was constantly "hawking" insects and dropping back to a different perch. I spent about an hour with him. This was the nicest of the perches he used, so of course that's the one I posted!

The background is the other side of the river, over 1/2 mile away!

As for distribution of Vermilion Flycatchers, this image was taken only about 20 miles north of the Mexico border. However, this species does make it well up into the northern deserts of California. In fact, we had at least 3 pairs that nested here on our local golf course last spring. Most of these birds do move south during our colder winters, but there was a female seen at the golf course just last week.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 354 Posts, 13896 Comments

Comment posted by Garth McElroy on February 17, 2004 at 11:51 AM

Oh man! I don't even know what to say except i hate you!!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 248 Posts, 4406 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Bergmann on February 17, 2004 at 12:02 PM

Did you meet Val Kilmer?

This shot is just darn perfect in every way. Spectacularistic and gorgeotastic.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 17 Posts, 239 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Bergmann on February 17, 2004 at 12:03 PM

<i>Comment posted by Garth McElroy on Tue, 02/17/04 at 11:51 am ET

Oh man! I don't even know what to say except i hate you!!</i>

Go easy on the hate brother! Love is the only way.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 17 Posts, 239 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Hartley on February 17, 2004 at 12:14 PM

Bob, This is perfect! Congratualtions!

Terry Hartley

Registered on November 14, 2003, 5 Posts, 26 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Quealy on February 17, 2004 at 12:51 PM

Just another amazing shot Bob. Gorgeous...

Registered on January 30, 2004, 19 Posts, 12 Comments

Comment posted by Martin Creasser on February 17, 2004 at 12:54 PM

Another stunning shot Bob of a fantastic bird.

Martin.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 31 Posts, 469 Comments

Comment posted by Dusty Veideman on February 17, 2004 at 2:34 PM

With shots like this, we all might as well quit now OR spend the rest of our lives trying to get a better one!!!!!!!
Dusty V

Registered on November 1, 2003, 295 Posts, 547 Comments

Comment posted by joshua evans on February 17, 2004 at 3:23 PM

Very nice shot. Keep up the good work.

Registered on January 28, 2004, 18 Posts, 293 Comments

Comment posted by Brian E. Small on February 17, 2004 at 4:41 PM

Bob,

If you keep coming home with sweet images like this one I'll have to start restricting your travels to only within the Kern County limits.

.................and hey, I love the stick!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 147 Posts, 933 Comments

Comment posted by Andy Bright on February 17, 2004 at 4:46 PM

A real stunner, one of the very best images I have ever seen of this colourful flycatcher. A stark contrast with the U.K's main flycatcher (the spotted), which doesn't even have the spots the it's name suggests

Registered on February 16, 2004, 3 Posts, 13 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Davidson on February 17, 2004 at 5:20 PM

Gorgeous as always Bob!
Not only a BOS image (bird on stick) but a field guide shot as well

.
The most important thing is that its gorgeous and in the end its all that counts in my book

Registered on November 1, 2003, 38 Posts, 815 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zipp on February 17, 2004 at 5:49 PM

Awsome shot Bob!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 86 Posts, 940 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Bates on February 17, 2004 at 6:57 PM

Excellent, Bob!! These guys do NOT sit still for very long - as least that's been my experience with them. This is one FINE image - perfect background, the perch and a tack sharp subject too!!

Michael

Registered on November 1, 2003, 149 Posts, 2381 Comments

Comment posted by Bruce Sherman on February 17, 2004 at 7:27 PM

Sweet shot, Bob. I haven't been seeing these guys down here recently - guess they all flew out your way.

The BG is wonderful. Good job. Can't wait to see more.

Registered on November 9, 2003, 165 Posts, 1116 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on February 17, 2004 at 8:35 PM

As good as the bird and BG are, for me it's the red branch - the perfect perch for this bird.

Awesome!

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

Comment posted by Chris Ross on February 17, 2004 at 8:57 PM

G'day Bob,

a stunning looking bird and all the effort to get the clean shot paid off. If it was mine I think I'd be tweaking the levels a touch, the histogram is basically 2 peaks in the mid tones, with a trail on either side representing the few flecks of black and white. Moving in the black and white points just a little boosts the colurs up for me. They don't need to come all the way in! What I can't judge is how it compared to the bird in the field.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 403 Posts, 2729 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Kaar on February 17, 2004 at 10:19 PM

Bob - Beautiful! and ditto all the positive comments here.

Ed

Registered on November 15, 2003, 15 Posts, 195 Comments

Comment posted by George Forrest on February 18, 2004 at 12:37 AM

Hi Bob, Thanks for the response to my question.

PS. I feel compelled to make you aware of some talk going around the NPN site. It seems that a number of members have been contacted by a Garth McElroy (I'm sure it's not OUR Garth) asking if they would participate in a heist of sorts. Something about getting your camera gear and burying it in deep sand. I understand there were so many volunteers that it was necessary to make two teams. The second group of volunteers is headed up by some guy named Brian Small, (I'm sure it's not OUR Brian Small.) At any rate one group is going in for your camera and the second group your lens. You could avoid all this trouble if you ... WOULD JUST STOP POSTING!!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 26 Posts, 443 Comments

Comment posted by Herman Blockx on February 18, 2004 at 6:25 AM

yep! a real stunner! no we sure don't have flycatchers like this in Europe!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 238 Posts, 760 Comments

Comment posted by Garth McElroy on February 18, 2004 at 7:23 AM

Lol George! You spilled the beans! Someone has to stop this guy!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 248 Posts, 4406 Comments

Comment posted by Brian E. Small on February 18, 2004 at 11:10 AM

George...........I'm not taking his gear..........just his photo files and computer

Registered on November 1, 2003, 147 Posts, 933 Comments

Comment posted by George Forrest on February 18, 2004 at 11:27 AM

Brian, Good enough, that should do it.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 26 Posts, 443 Comments

Comment posted by Juza on February 18, 2004 at 4:01 PM

I love it...I'm just a bit jealous

Registered on November 1, 2003, 374 Posts, 10466 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Fusco on February 18, 2004 at 5:24 PM

Great shot, Bob!
I agree 100% with Richard D. about the perch. It really puts this over the top.

- Paul

Registered on November 17, 2003, 283 Posts, 1163 Comments