A bird not quite in my back yard
Feb 9, 2014 08:35:47 #
Common Ravens in Alaska grow to about 27 inches beak to tail. Even more so than Magpies ( http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-158948-1.html ) getting a decent photo is tough. The deep black of their feathers, beak and feet make it difficult to properly expose. In addition, they seldom want to sit still long enough for me to get what I want. My wife spotted this one across the street from our home this afternoon and it was kind enough to sit there while I fired off about fifty-five frames (ya' got to love digital) playing with my exposure the entire time. In addition, I would whistle to him and he would craw back ...I think he asked for a complete set of 8x10's ...at a discount, of course.
Feb 9, 2014 08:41:39 #
Feb 9, 2014 08:44:06 #
Feb 9, 2014 08:44:13 #
Feb 9, 2014 08:47:26 #
Excellent shots, erbiv! Really like the second one; this bird seems heavily feathered for the cold.
Feb 9, 2014 09:30:16 #
Feb 9, 2014 09:31:20 #
erbiv wrote:
Common Ravens in Alaska grow to about 27 inches be... (show quote)
That's quite a bird. Nice shots, too.
Feb 9, 2014 09:37:20 #
You made the very difficult appear quite easy! I know the feeling of pitching 90% of what I shoot!
Good work!
Bob
Good work!
Bob
Feb 9, 2014 12:11:14 #
pkricker wrote:
Terrific!
Thank you very much Pkricker.
Feb 9, 2014 12:12:00 #
Feb 9, 2014 12:12:31 #
hb3 wrote:
Outstanding captures....well done... :thumbup:
Thank you hb3 I appreciate you commenting.
Feb 9, 2014 12:15:16 #
rlaugh wrote:
Great shots of a very hard to photograph subject!!
Thanks Rlaugh! The mass of black makes it difficult to properly expose without blowing away the background. It might be a perfect subject for HDR ...assuming one would hold still enought for several frames. This one might have, but the thought had never crossed my mind before.
Feb 9, 2014 12:17:51 #
Jimande wrote:
Excellent shots, erbiv! Really like the second one; this bird seems heavily feathered for the cold.
Jim the Common Raven is all over Alaska and Northern Canada. They survive at temperatures below -50F. The colder it gets, the more they hold out their feathers trapping air for added insulation.
Feb 9, 2014 12:19:03 #
Linda From Maine wrote:
Beautiful shots + fun story!
Thank you Linda. Every shot worth keeping needs a story I think.
Feb 9, 2014 12:21:10 #
jerryc41 wrote:
That's quite a bird. Nice shots, too.
Thanks for looking Jerry. They are very smart birds often hiding food in the snow for later retrieval. They are also tend to be comically entertaining in groups of more than two.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.