Pic of the Day

Dickcissel, Spiza Americana;

Winfred Thomas Agricultural Research Station:

Hazel Green, AL.  USA

     Yesterday morning I took a drive out to Alabama A&M’s Winfred Thomas Agricultural Research Station just south of Hazel Green, Alabama to see if I could find some birds to photograph.  Fortunately there were lots of birds.  Dickcissels, pictured here, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Grasshopper Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlarks, Blue birds, and Tree Swallows were everywhere.  This was only my third trip to the research station, and my first early morning trip.  I was quite happy with the photos and will make another jaunt to this avian paradise very soon.  Hope you enjoy the photo.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f/4, Exposure 1/1000^th second @ f/7.1

Pic of the Day

    Dickcissel – Tallgrass Prairie Preserve; Pawhuska, Oklahoma:  I have made three trips to the tallgrass prairie and can’t wait to go back.  I love the prairie in spring when the flowers bloom, and birds in their finest breeding plumage sing their territorial songs.

     This Dickscissel was photographed on one of the tallest weeds in its territory as it proclaimed its dominance for all its rivals to here.  Using my van as a blind I drove within 18 feet of the perch and photographed the bird from the van using a window mount tripod head.  The combination of a long telephoto lens, extension tube and close proximity provided the scene with a shallow depth of field.  The shallow depth allowed the distant prairie grasses to blur into a solid mass of color and isolated the subject from the background.  In painting this technique of placing a bird against a solid, uncluttered background is know as the Audubonesque style.  It is certainly one of my favorite styles to shoot. 

Nikon D300, Nikkor 500 f4, 24mm extension tube, Digital Capture ISO 200

Note:  See post for June 6 and June 8