[boriscleto]

What kind of tree is that?

I'm not sure, it was 3 years ago...

I'm thinking maybe a Maple, it was in a mixed forest area. It looks like it had an infestation of some type of boring beetle and the woodpeckers had torn it up...

[aslyfox]

one of the things I like to do is " reach within " a photograph and crop to adjust an image

it is great when you nail the focus and are able to do that

all photos are already cropped and pp but then I went for broke

I couldn't do it with # 1 but # 2 I was able to do that

this is a Bali myna, Bali mynah, Rothschild’s myna, Rothschild’s mynah, Rothschild’s starling, white starling. [ take your pick ] (Leucopsar rothschildi)

that I can find at the Tropical Rain Forest exhibit at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center

Bali starling videos, photos and facts - Leucopsar rothschildi | Arkive

[ very striking but all that white can be somewhat of a problem ]

[Pentaxians]

I really love the bee eater colors and your images do a great job showcasing them.

Thanks Daniel. Always wanted to get a lower perch of the bee eater but unfortunately they are always high up in the field...

[Canada_Rockies]

I was taking shots with the M 400/5.6 on the K-3 ISO 800 1/500@f/8 of a large flock of Dark Eyed Juncos, and had the feeder framed so that a Junco landing on the roof would be completely in the shot using my Manfrotto 055B tripod and Lens Master RH2 Gimbal head, watching the action with my camera on high frame rate and my wired remote in my hand when this handsome fellow landed on top of the feeder. As can be seen, I didn't have enough head room in the frame for a bird twice the size of the Juncos. This is the JPG straight from the camera and just cropped down to 2500x1600 or thereabouts and LightRoom Auto exposure corrections. The crop is to the very top of the camera sensor.

I've got DNG versions, and I'll go at that for the PF and noise later, but I just had to share this gorgeous visitor who rarely drops in to steal some seeds from us. I even have a Bird In Flight - pretty blurry at 1/500 ...

[tduell]

An Intermediate Egret.
K-3 II, DFA 150-450, handheld. See exif for shot details.

Cheers,
Terry

[str8talk83]

one of the things I like to do is " reach within " a photograph and crop to adjust an image

it is great when you nail the focus and are able to do that

all photos are already cropped and pp but then I went for broke

I couldn't do it with # 1 but # 2 I was able to do that

this is a Bali myna, Bali mynah, Rothschild’s myna, Rothschild’s mynah, Rothschild’s starling, white starling. [ take your pick ] (Leucopsar rothschildi)

that I can find at the Tropical Rain Forest exhibit at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center

Bali starling videos, photos and facts - Leucopsar rothschildi | Arkive

[ very striking but all that white can be somewhat of a problem ]

That’s an interesting looking bird. You might try underexposing next time. White birds are challenging and as a rule of thumb, I underexpose by 2 stops on an all white bird.

[Weevil]

After looking for some Black Vultures that were reported in the area of St. Armand, Quebec, Canada, un quick ride in the area reserved us a surprise: Thinking it was a Snowy Owl at first, we were stunned to realize it was a Leucic Red-Tailed Hawk [Buteo jamaicensis]. It's likely the same individual that has been seen around Bedford, Quebec in the last couple years.

I wasn't able to make good shots of the Hawk because she flew away in the sky very quicly. This photo was cropped heavily (to 1.2 mpx), but we were very pleased to see that magnificant raptor.


Trio en vol: Buse à queue rousse de forme leucique accompagnée d'un Grand corbeau et d'un Urubu à tête rouge/ Flying trio: Leucic Red-Tailed Hawk with a Common Raven and a Turkey Vulture

[zzeitg]

DA560

[alfa75ts]

I had a nice encounter yesterday, three Whistling Kites flew directly over my head quite low, one after another.

Unfortunately my shots were lousy and needed much more photoshop jiggery pokery than I liked.

These are uncropped. K3 DA*300.








This one is a little later. It's cropped but helps redeem my honour a little.




And I hope this one completes the job. It's basically untouched.

[tduell]

A pair of female Superb Fairy-wrens, and a male Superb Fairy-wren.
K-3 II, DFA 150-450 + DA 1.4x TC, handheld. See exif for shot details.

Cheers,
Terry

---------- Post added 04-07-18 at 04:15 PM ----------

I had a nice encounter yesterday, three Whistling Kites flew directly over my head quite low, one after another.

Unfortunately my shots were lousy and needed much more photoshop jiggery pokery than I liked.

Hello Craig,
It's disappointing when you get the chance to take close BIF shots of birds like that and you later find the shots aren't 100%. I've been there many times.
For these situations I have a user mode set at ISO 800 and +2/3EV compensation. That usually ensures a shutter of at least 1/2000s and better exposed shaded underside of the bird.
I may reduce the compensation to 0 or +1/3EV, and the ISO to 400 depending on conditions.
I normally leave the camera on this user mode in case shots like this appear 'out of the blue', so to speak, and if I find a perched bird I can take a moment to turn to a more suitable user mode.

Cheers,
Terry

[alfa75ts]

It's disappointing when you get the chance to take close BIF shots of birds like that and you later find the shots aren't 100%. I've been there many times.
For these situations I have a user mode set at ISO 800 and +2/3EV compensation. That usually ensures a shutter of at least 1/2000s and better exposed shaded underside of the bird.
I may reduce the compensation to 0 or +1/3EV, and the ISO to 400 depending on conditions.
I normally leave the camera on this user mode in case shots like this appear 'out of the blue', so to speak, and if I find a perched bird I can take a moment to turn to a more suitable user mode.

Yes, You and I are shooting in very similar environments. We do not know what to expect from moment to moment. A high flying Wedgie or a Wren in scrub.

I do have 3 user modes set, U1 Stationary small birds hiding in scrub, U2 Moving birds and U3 Moving backlit birds. (doesn't stop me being in the wrong mode)

For me, ISO 800 is a little noisy when you have to crop heavily but would have been great in this case. But then I didn't expect them to get so close.

Also the DA*300 seems to cause focus lock issues. Seems silly that I have a harder time with focus on a sharper faster lens but that's the way it is.

I think I'll head to the park and try again.

[aslyfox]

went on my first trip with the Topeka Audubon Society west to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge and Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area

here are some photos from the Cheyenne Bottoms

Snowy Egret

American avocets

American Bitterns

______________________

official report:

Cheyenne Bottoms WA--Outlet Canal
Apr 7, 2018
12:40 PM
Traveling
13.23 miles
199 Minutes

[ 4 vehicles in convoy, one dog, 9 experienced birders, one newbie ]


3 Canada Goose
320 Blue-winged Teal
11 Cinnamon Teal -- Saw several throughout Cheyenne Bottoms
320 Northern Shoveler
11 Gadwall
1 American Wigeon
8 Mallard
12 Northern Pintail
150 Green-winged Teal
2 Lesser Scaup
2 Bufflehead
16 Hooded Merganser
500 Ruddy Duck
1 Pied-billed Grebe
1 Eared Grebe
1 Neotropic Cormorant
42 Double-crested Cormorant
500 American White Pelican
3 American Bittern
9 Great Blue Heron
1 Snowy Egret
22 Northern Harrier
1 Red-tailed Hawk
500 American Coot
2 Black-necked Stilt
24 American Avocet
6 Snowy Plover
4 Killdeer
6 Baird's Sandpiper
10 Least Sandpiper
500 Long-billed Dowitcher
2 Wilson's Snipe
1 Wilson's Phalarope
4 Greater Yellowlegs
4 Lesser Yellowlegs
1 Bonaparte's Gull
20 Ring-billed Gull
2 Herring Gull
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
2 Eurasian Collared-Dove
1 Barn Owl
1 Tree Swallow
2 Eastern Meadowlark
1 House Finch

Number of Taxa: 44

[alfa75ts]

Well, just back from the park and it's getting a little silly.

Today:

Two "Little Eagles" like this.




And a possible "Black Falcon".



So for raptors just in this park we seem to have:

Whistling Kite x 3
Black-shouldered Kite x 1
Swamp Harrier x 2 or 3
Brown Goshawk x 2 or 3
Square- tailed Kite x 1
Little Eagle x 2
Black Falcon x 1
Wedge-tailed Eagle x 1

[Pentaxians]

A bit of story about the Spotted wood owl raising up both of the chicks at the local park. Two weeks ago one of the chick fell down from the nest, the local birders alerted the ACRES (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society), they brought over a green pail for their new home.

On last week, another chick fell down from the nest again, this time round they decided to use a slightly larger basket for the both, hopefully they are growing up peacefully and safely, both of the parents are nearby when I'm visiting them this morning.

I hope that there's NO more drama in time to come

The parents:

The chicks, in the green pail earlier on, shifted to the white basket on last week. The last photo is their nest at the branches of the tree (these three are the group messages photos sharing by the group)

[Skodadriver]

went on my first trip with the Topeka Audubon Society west to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge and Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area

here are some photos from the Cheyenne Bottoms

Snowy Egret

American avocets

American Bitterns

______________________

official report:

Cheyenne Bottoms WA--Outlet Canal
Apr 7, 2018
12:40 PM
Traveling
13.23 miles
199 Minutes

[ 4 vehicles in convoy, one dog, 9 experienced birders, one newbie ]


3 Canada Goose
320 Blue-winged Teal
11 Cinnamon Teal -- Saw several throughout Cheyenne Bottoms
320 Northern Shoveler
11 Gadwall
1 American Wigeon
8 Mallard
12 Northern Pintail
150 Green-winged Teal
2 Lesser Scaup
2 Bufflehead
16 Hooded Merganser
500 Ruddy Duck
1 Pied-billed Grebe
1 Eared Grebe
1 Neotropic Cormorant
42 Double-crested Cormorant
500 American White Pelican
3 American Bittern
9 Great Blue Heron
1 Snowy Egret
22 Northern Harrier
1 Red-tailed Hawk
500 American Coot
2 Black-necked Stilt
24 American Avocet
6 Snowy Plover
4 Killdeer
6 Baird's Sandpiper
10 Least Sandpiper
500 Long-billed Dowitcher
2 Wilson's Snipe
1 Wilson's Phalarope
4 Greater Yellowlegs
4 Lesser Yellowlegs
1 Bonaparte's Gull
20 Ring-billed Gull
2 Herring Gull
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
2 Eurasian Collared-Dove
1 Barn Owl
1 Tree Swallow
2 Eastern Meadowlark
1 House Finch

Number of Taxa: 44

Sounds like you had a whale of a time there.
Last summer my wife and I popped down to Riverside park to try out my recently acquired DA L 55-300mm where we saw some ducks, some Ducklings, Geese, Coots, Swans and these, apparently Black headed Seagulls though they might have been Brown headed Seagulls except they are native to Asia. Sorry it is not very technical, I am not familiar with bird identification though at least I didn't suggest the Geese were ducks.
I really should get out more and learn some bird identification!