Birding while commuting

Maestro

My commute to work is about 55 minutes. I live 35 miles (55 km) from my job. My wife and I carpool because she works at the school just behind my school. She's Jr. High and I am elementary. Anyhow, I bring my camera along for the ride because quite often we see many birds together. Most of the birds are common, incredibly abundant species. But sometimes there are some birds worthy of a quick shutter click. These are by no means "wow" photographs, but it just goes to show that if you open your eyes a bit it is amazing what you see (preaching to the choir here, I know. )

Belted Kingfisher with a lot of noise removed since I shot it @ISO 800 because of low light.







Any raptor, however common, is a good shot for me!

Red tailed hawk at dawn


Red tailed hawk looking over busy freeway into the median for voles, reptiles and field mice.


Black Vulture just staring


All in all we saw three red tailed hawks, one Cooper's, a huge kettles of turkey and black vultures, many scissor-tailed flycatchers, house sparrows, lark sparrows, mourning doves, more rat-birds, er, I mean pigeons that I could count, Great Egrets, Cattle Egrets, grackles, starlings, cowbirds and probably more.

dbaker1221

good shots stephen. the kingfishers here don't like their pics taken.

I like the dawn shot alot. & as for hawks, this is getting to be their natural settins.

Shasoc

Stephen, the Red tailed hawk at dawn is the highlight of this series, but all are very nice.

jonh68

Good shots!

Maestro

Shasoc wrote:

Stephen, the Red tailed hawk at dawn is the highlight of this series, but all are very nice.

That is my favorite too. I wish I didn't have to remove so much noise from the kingfisher. I have tried masking the kingfisher body and then applying Noise Ninja but then the body just has too much noise. I can't win. So, I am just going to have to go back and get better pics.

riddim_maker

This reminds me that I need to take my gear with me on those long commutes :whew
Might as well have fun while you have the time
I like them all but the "hawk at dawn is absolutely stunning
Nice series Stephen

Maestro

Thanks Russ. The hawk at dawn is turning out to be the only real keeper.

Maestro

jonh68 wrote:

Good shots!

Thanks John!

jwear

it is always good to have the camera with you you tricked that &*%^$&()))_ kingfisher

Maestro

jwear wrote:

it is always good to have the camera with you you tricked that &*%^$&()))_ kingfisher

Now if it would only give me a good perch!

Harryb

Good captures of that damned kingfisher.
Love the silhouette shot.