EarthArts Loc: Schenectady,NY

Watched this guy try to hide that piece of food in a snow pile today. He gave up after a while and flew away with it. Don't know if it was because I was watching or the other 8 crows watching.

Crow


Crow

woodworker236 Loc: Western, Pennsylvania Home of the first JEEP

They are an amazing bird. We once watched a crow take a bag out of a garbage can at McDonalds that was overfilled. It took the bag down to the ground dropped it, and walked around to the back of it and picked it up again then shook it until about 10 or so fries fell out. It then walked around and picked a few of them up and flew away . We could not believe what we had just seen, and I did not have my camera with me.

msrer Loc: West Central Illinois

The black crow on white snow is a really tough exposure to get right. You have detail in both which is amazing. How did you do that?

cameranut Loc: North Carolina

Yeah, I'd love to know that too.

mollymolly Loc: In the heart of the Everglades.

I watched a special on PBS about crows. Did you know that they can recognize faces and whenever people show up who feed birds, they recognize them. I have 100's and 100's who show up at my job everyday, because I throw out stale bread and stuff. As soon as my truck pulls up, they start coming. I only feed them about every two days because we have lots of insects and they also eat them.

EarthArts Loc: Schenectady,NY

Exposure data is ISO 400, 1/320 sec. @ f/8. -1/2 EV
Nikon D2x w/200-400 f/4 lens @ 280mm
Matrix metering and aperture priority

This was taken in late afternoon where the sun angle was low and the sky had a thin layer of clouds giving a nice diffused light. This also gave more texture to the snow. There was some minor sharpening and minor contrast added in photoshop after. Also keeping the snow as a small % of the overall image helped. No bracketing done but when in doubt that is always an option as well.

Normally I would have used Manual Mode but opted for aperture priority because I was concerned with the contrast issues. I did take a couple in Spot Meter Mode looking to bring out detail in the crow, which it did but blew out all detail in the snow to the point where it could not be recovered.

Thank you for looking. Hope this helps.

Alan

EarthArts Loc: Schenectady,NY

Exposure data is ISO 400, 1/320 sec. @ f/8. -1/2 EV
Nikon D2x w/200-400 f/4 lens @ 280mm
Matrix metering and aperture priority

This was taken in late afternoon where the sun angle was low and the sky had a thin layer of clouds giving a nice diffused light. This also gave more texture to the snow. There was some minor sharpening and minor contrast added in photoshop after. Also keeping the snow as a small % of the overall image helped.

Normally I would have used Manual Mode but opted for aperture priority because I was concerned with the contrast issues. I did take a couple in Spot Meter Mode looking to bring out detail in the crow, which it did but blew out all detail in the snow to the point where it could not be recovered.

Thank you for looking. Hope this helps.

Alan

Mudpaws Loc: mich

heh they are very very smart i saw one unlock a barn he pulled the bolt over and pushed the barn door open i was like o_0 and i watched one use a stick to pull some thing out of the swearer dean , i just wished i had my video cam with me at that time it would of been a very cool video :(

msrer Loc: West Central Illinois

I had a pet crow when in high school. It would ride on top of the school bus for 1/4 mile in the morning. Also would fly 3/4 mile to the field where I was working and ride on the tractor with me. Tried to say words, but just made gurgling sounds. Poor thing fell in a bucket of used oil and drowned one day while I was gone.

forbescat

When we lived in Illinois, crows were the early warning system for our village. They would raise a ruckus when a stranger walked down our street but they knew the regulars. West Nile virus wiped them out one year and the street became deathly silent.

Mudpaws Loc: mich

heh cute and sad