Kathy Buckard
November 2024 - Male Boat Tailed Grackle
About the Image(s)
This image was taken in a reserve called Circle B Bar in Lakeland, Florida a few years ago. The area is made up of natural wood lands, grass lands, swamps, ponds, lakes, and easy walking trails. Plenty of wildlife and many birds feeding in the shallow water, along with gators and turtles. Not sure what this bird is ??“ thought it was in the grackle family but all images I found have yellow eyes.
Nikon D500 70-400 lens - Shot at 330 Speed 800 FStop 8 manual exposure
This round’s discussion is now closed!
13 comments posted
(Groups 21 & 94)
Apparently only along the FL coast do Boat-tails have brown eyes. Everywhere else they are yellow. Their plumage is stunning but can't say I love grackles. The bird and worm could be in slightly better focus. Color is good. Posted: 11/06/2024 20:43:41
Thank you for your response. Focus could be better for sure. It was a snap of the moment when I saw the green worm in his mouth. Posted: 11/27/2024 13:44:13
Kathy I really like the colors and the green of the worm with the green grass background. I agree that you could denoise/sharpen a bit the bird's head and the worm. Posted: 11/13/2024 21:47:50
Kathy, good capture of the bird and worm. I did lower the brightness to the worm. It is always good to submit an image with some sort of action, rather than a static bird on a branch, unless it is a very unusual bird or is difficult to photograph in normal circumstances. The worm is the added bonus. Posted: 11/14/2024 16:46:14
Looks better with the worm brightness lower. Posted: 11/27/2024 13:46:06
Kathy,
You brought out the beautiful colors in Grackle feathers in this photograph. The worm is an added bonus. I like Isaac's edits. Really nice. Posted: 11/14/2024 20:05:18
You brought out the beautiful colors in Grackle feathers in this photograph. The worm is an added bonus. I like Isaac's edits. Really nice. Posted: 11/14/2024 20:05:18
I like Isaac's version too. Really like my contrasting colors of the green and blue. Posted: 11/27/2024 13:47:27
You handled this image very well Kathy as a dark bird is not easy to expose for in these circumstances . I like Isaac's recommendation. I find to use exposure compensation with spot metering to bring out the detail of the dark subject against a lighter background ? Posted: 11/19/2024 18:55:33
Thank you for your comments. Will try the exposure compensation in the future. Posted: 11/27/2024 13:48:27
Kathy, you were dealing with extreme contrast with the dark blue feathers and the bright worm. I took your jpeg image into the PS-CC RAW plug-in and tried some things. Highlights down 100, shadows up 100, exposure up 40, green luminance down 25, contrast up 25, texture up 33, and clarity up 20. The bird's feather detail and the worm detail are clearer, but I'm not sure the overall shot was improved. Of course, working with the full RAW file works better. You did good with a tough shot. Posted: 11/19/2024 21:39:52
Thanks Jerry! Always fun to try to improve the images. Posted: 11/27/2024 13:50:32
Kathy, a good capture of the beautiful bird with the worm. I like Isaac's edits in related to the warm action of the birds. Florida seems to be a paradise for animals and birds. Thanks for your sharing. Posted: 11/23/2024 02:45:08
We are fortunate to have a large variety of birds in Florida and the warmer weather to go out a photograph all year long. Thanks for your comments. Posted: 11/27/2024 13:51:34