Flaycatchers at Aransas NWR
Flycatchers are one of my favorite smaller birds. Next to the painted bunting, I know not a flycatcher, the vermillion flycatcher is just an incredible looking bird. If anyone thought that cardinals were red, one needs to see a male adult vermillion. Wow, just wow! I also had the luck of observing and photographing a group of six Couch's Kingbirds. I wasn't sure if they were couch's or tropical kingbirds but two gentlemen who bird Aransas weekly to help keep count of the species there told me that it was definitely a Couch's. They are loud, gregarious birds. The last two are the much more common eastern phoebe.
The Couch's were hanging out high in the trees thus the shots have that from the bottom-up feel, not straight on. In fact none of these are that nicely composed as the birds, especially the Couch's, were flying all over the place.
These were shot on Monday, 19 November in late afternoon Too bad Couch's aren't one of the birds for the Scavenger Hunt. All shots between F5.6 and F10.
I have the wide shot of the above photo below. I thought it was neat because you can see a Vermillion Flycatcher, either juvenile male or female, in the background. It was like a twofer. :nod
The vermillion flycatcher was a marvel to behold. It was darting from perch to perch chasing insects and occasionally hitting the water trying to pick off the odd water walking insect. These shots are from the 21st. The day was cloudy to partly cloudy. The first three were shot at F6.3. The last one was shot at F7.1.
These last two of the phoebes were shot in completey overcast skies at F5.6 using my external flash in high speed sync mode.
The first one I found hanging around the marshes of the Rail Trail at Aransas NWR.
The next one was found deep in Aransas on the touring loop. Also shot at F5.6 plus my flash.
The Couch's were hanging out high in the trees thus the shots have that from the bottom-up feel, not straight on. In fact none of these are that nicely composed as the birds, especially the Couch's, were flying all over the place.
These were shot on Monday, 19 November in late afternoon Too bad Couch's aren't one of the birds for the Scavenger Hunt. All shots between F5.6 and F10.
I have the wide shot of the above photo below. I thought it was neat because you can see a Vermillion Flycatcher, either juvenile male or female, in the background. It was like a twofer. :nod
The vermillion flycatcher was a marvel to behold. It was darting from perch to perch chasing insects and occasionally hitting the water trying to pick off the odd water walking insect. These shots are from the 21st. The day was cloudy to partly cloudy. The first three were shot at F6.3. The last one was shot at F7.1.
These last two of the phoebes were shot in completey overcast skies at F5.6 using my external flash in high speed sync mode.
The first one I found hanging around the marshes of the Rail Trail at Aransas NWR.
The next one was found deep in Aransas on the touring loop. Also shot at F5.6 plus my flash.
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Dave
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How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
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