trumpeter swans (and a few geese)

livinginoz

i spent another cold saturday at the mississippi river where these birds winter here in minnesota (see a trend developing?). this is the first time i have been there when the sun came out, and i feel like i got some decent shots. i am still learning on the action shots, but i like how these turned out.

yes, the first ones are geese









get away from my woman!!





walking on water





my personal favorite, though i realize it's a little burned out on the neck








thanks for looking


canon digital rebel xt
sigma 70-300 zoom

Harryb

You got some real good shots in this set Laurie. I would watch the highlights a bit more carefully (not easy when there's a lot of action going on) and try to catch the flight shots with a clean background (a lot easier if the birds would co-operate).

Rohirrim

Nice in flight shots Laurie.

livinginoz

Harryb wrote:

You got some real good shots in this set Laurie. I would watch the highlights a bit more carefully (not easy when there's a lot of action going on) and try to catch the flight shots with a clean background (a lot easier if the birds would co-operate).

thanks very much, harry, coming from you i really appreciate it. wish i could watch the highlights, i guess i'm still too much of a beginner. trying to get everything lined up and hoping for focus kind of gets to be like walking and chewing gum at the same time. whew.....too bad i can't follow you around for a week or so and learn some of what you know by osmosis or something

dallas

Once again Laurie, how can you even shoot in that kind of weather....I'm from So. Calif., and I don't know anything lower than 75 degrees. My favorite is the four flying swans, very pretty.

livinginoz

dallas wrote:

Once again Laurie, how can you even shoot in that kind of weather....I'm from So. Calif., and I don't know anything lower than 75 degrees. My favorite is the four flying swans, very pretty.

thanks, i have no IDEA how we put up with it. i guess we are all crazy up here. watching those birds fly in is just amazing. and the noise is quite deafening. the hang around by a neighborhood in which one woman feeds these birds several hundred pounds of food a day. there is a little park created between her house and the next one, and that's where the people can come and see them. i always put something in the can to help pay for the food.

saurora

Great aerials, Laurie!!! I'm jealous! You're doing great, keep it up. I'm still hunting for a local (accessible!) place to shoot. All kinds of birds fly directly over my condo complex everyday....but straight up is a difficult angle to shoot at!!!

gluwater

I agree with Dallas on the 6th shot. Do you know if the different coloration is male and female or maybe adult and Juvi?

livinginoz

gluwater wrote:

I agree with Dallas on the 6th shot. Do you know if the different coloration is male and female or maybe adult and Juvi?

i believe the darker ones are young, called cygnets.