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Yellow Warbler (male)
digishooter

Yellow Warbler (male) (Dendroica petechia)

There is no one there. Just the Sun comming up; soft breeze in the crown of the trees; cool, early morning air and the chatter of the first birds of the day. The crunch of gravel under foot as the equipment is readied for the morning excursion. It will be a bright, if not overly hot, day: let come what may. A pond down an embankment is being played by Avocets and ducks. A thick stand of trees and brush is vibrating with darting birds. One voice is almost non-stop. It is one of the target birds of the day...Yellow Warbler. Sun beating on the back of the neck, (the hat was carelessly left at home) and a light film of moisture has begun to collect on the brow and back. It does not matter, the day will be what it will, what one makes of it. A brilliant yellow charges into view. The Sun could not be more resplendant. Several images are captrued. In that moment, that brief interlude, all is focused on the bird; the heat is not a factor. Will it look as good on the comuter as it did in the minds eye. Funny, the mind sees the ideal image, the perfect shot. The camera sees only what is there: no wishful thinking. Move on, now there are more birds to see, a good day to enjoy: yes, a good day to enjoy.

This is a bird for the list.
Habitat
Riparian to mixed: ponds/trees/open grass
Location
San Joaquin Riparian Preserve: Orange Co., CA., USA
Date taken
May 2008
Scientific name
Dendroica petechia
Equipment used
Canon 30 D: EF 500 IS L @ 4.0: 1/2000 @ f 6.3, EXP comp -.66 : ISO 400: white bal 5100 : Fill flash, Canon EX 580 gun, -.66comp Better Beamer extender : RAW, processed in Adobe Lightroom, CS2, Neat : monopod
As a carver and painter of realistic songbirds, I am always on the look out for good photos from which I can judge the shape of the head above the eyes, eye placement and shape of the bill where it meets the face. In looking through your gallery, I am pleased to see that you have a fair number of these types of shots. I really appreciate your work, the more so since I am starting a yellow warbler in the next few days.
 

Media information

Category
North America
Added by
digishooter
Date added
View count
130
Comment count
15

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