Thank you. We are currently getting our "autumn" colors around here in So Cal. This set of lakes has a few Oak trees that either cast a dark reflection or a colored reflection on the water. Rarely is there any wind to speak of so frequently the lake surfaces are still and mirror like.

Thank you. That was one of a burst of about 10 shots during his bathing routine.

Who does not love Wood Ducks. Truly one of the really unusual birds many of us get to see and photograph. I am very fortunate in that these Woodies at Santee Lakes are tame. They allow a very close approach.

Thanks for looking and commenting. Maybe next month for the Waxwings. There are differences in migration times this year for a number of different species.

I take that as a very nice compliment. I hope you enjoyed Costa Rica and brought home some nice images. My wife and I love that country.

Thank you. I had fun taking them.

One of my favorite places to photograph birds in my area (San Diego County) is Santee Lakes. There are large numbers of year round birds, but during the winter the numbers of birds (both individuals and species) swells considerably. I went down to attempt to photograph Cedar Waxwings; normally in early December they are present in large numbers feeding on Pyracantha berries. Unfortunately this year, not to be; at least so far. Going to plan B I was able to capture some of the resident birds and came away with images that I thought were worth processing. Some of these are cropped with a 16:9 ratio as they will be showing on a TV that I have dedicated to bird images.

All images shot with Canon R5, 600 f/4.0 with 1.4x extender, off tripod. SS varied but between 1/3200-1/5000, ISO 250-500, f/5.6, EC of -1.0-2.0.

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Thanks to everyone for looking and commenting. One day I hope to get a better image (unobstructed) but if not, this one still makes me smile.

I have traveled to many countries and locations in Latin America and taken many photos of beautiful birds, but this is the only time I have seen this bird, a Lesser Ground-Cuckoo. I followed him through the brush for 100 meters trying to get a shot in the open. This was the closest I got. This was taken many years ago and I have had this bird on my target list every time we travel south, but have never seen it since. Maybe some day.
This was shot with a Canon 7D2, a 400 mm 5.6 lens with a 1.4X extender (560 mm total) at f/8.0, SS 1/500, and ISO of 1250. It was hand held and processed in PS (minimal adjustments to WB, whites and blacks) and Topaz DeNoise AI. The lens was non stabilized and neither was the camera (a DSLR). Amazing that even before all the new technology it was possible to get a sharp picture.

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Thank you, everyone for looking and commenting. Yes, it is a unique looking bird. Would highly recommend the Canopy family if you are ever interested in visiting Panama.

This is one of the more interesting birds we photographed in the Darien Gap of Panama in April of this year. A Red-billed Scythebill, an uncommon bird even there. He is also very shy so difficult to see and certainly to photograph. He uses the long curved bill to pry under pieces of bark to search for insects. Fortunately for us, he has a very distinctive cry, so our guide, Oscar Fria, was able to detect him and set us up for photos. Difficult environment to shoot-LOTS of vines, leaves, etc, and a bird that would not sit still, this is the best shot we got (of 300 taken in 15 seconds). Shot with a Canon R6, 100-500 lens at 500 mm, SS 1/400, ISO 5000, EC of +0.3. Processed in PS with BG reduced and bird slightly brought up. Hanging piece of vine over head of bird cloned out.

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Appreciate everyone looking and commenting. Love this time of year when many of our "winter waterfowl" are returning.

Nice bird, nice pose, good exposure. Good job!

Spent this morning at one of my favorite San Diego bird photography spots, Whelan Lake in Oceanside. One of the reasons I enjoy this area so much is the beautiful sunrise colors on the water. This is an Eared Grebe in non breeding colors. Somewhat of a drab look, but the orange eyes set it off. Shot with a Canon R5, 600 mm f/4.0. Mounted on a tripod that was mostly submerged in the water, leaving the camera about 8-12" above the water. I used a remote shutter release and focused with the LCD screen. This keeps the POV low so the golden water surrounds the bird.
SS 1/1600, ISO 1000, F/4.0, EC +1.0. Processed in PS with bird brought up in ACR about 1.0 full stops and BG brought down about 0.3 stops.

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