Thursday, April 1, 2010

The Excitement of the Day

.
was watching the top half of the tree outside the rig fall down!

There we were, sitting inside the rig, listening to the wind tear through the Rio Grand Valley. I love the view out our windows, it never bores me.

But it was kind of strange to watch about a hundred blackbirds land on this tree (one of their favorite roosting spots), hanging on in the intense wind, then all take off as the top half of the tree slowly sank to the ground.

Fortunately it didn't hist a thing.

What can I say, I take my excitement where I can get it. . .

Today, I took just one shot, a watcher quail. Do you know what a watcher quail is? Each group (also known as a battery, a drift, a flush, a rout or a shake) of Gambel Quails has a watcher that sits on a high point and keeps an eye out for trouble. Next time you see a battery of Gambels, look around and you'll find the watcher. I think they're very cool.

This is the original picture,
not so great.


Then a bit of cropping,
a bump in saturation


Then just a bit more cropping
and all of a sudden,
you can really see him.
I like the way ,
when you look at him close up
you can see the wind
ruffling the feathers
on his head.


Which shot do you like the best?

6 comments:

Suzanne LD Wannabe said...

I love the detail of the third picture but I like the second one best so you can see his surroundings. Glad you didn't get hit by the falling tree!

By the way, I'm really enjoying the OwlCam website. It's been amazing seeing the little ones hatch. She is such a good mother. Thanks for posting the link.

photowannabe said...

Love them all for the story each one tells. First is location, second is an invitation to get closer and the last to see the detail and the ruffling of his feathers.
Great shots Kate.

Aeagles said...

I agree with Suzanne. Second one has surroundings / perspective. Third has cool detail.

Melinda said...

I think I like the second shot best. In that third shot I want a little more blank space in front of the bird for some reason though the detail is really phenomenal. Are you really loving your 7D?

Kate said...

Melinda

I know I cropped the third one a bit tight, it's just that I get all excited about how much detail I'm able to capture with the 7D. I'm still in the loving it, hating it stage, LOTS more to learn.

Kate
http://cholulared.blogspot.com

Aeagles said...

I'm with Suzanne. Picture two is great for perspective / context. Picture three is great for detail. Depends on what story you want to tell. Andrea