Bird Watching: Starting Bluebird thread Number 3, 1 by 2dCousinDave

2dCousinDave wrote:
It would depend on the kind of shots we're talking about. For example, if it is just a bird sitting still, like the snow shots above, I probably I can get a keeper almost every time. My problem in those cases is, since I normally shoot in rapid fire mode, I often end up with a hundred nearly identical pictures. Of course, among them I may find one where the bird sneezes, or blinks, or has an in focus snow flake on its back, which is the kind of shot I like.

If we are talking about in flight shots, my success rate is much lower and depends on a couple of other factors. If I am 30 feet away or more, I can again stop them in flight with a high rate of success. Probably 70 to 80 percent. In these cases I like to pick out the shots where the light is right or the wings are in a flattering position. If the bird is as close as 10 feet, the chance of wing blur is higher and since the bird moves when you least expect it, it often moves out of the frame before the camera fires. I must have 100 or more shots that are near perfect but for the fact that all or part of the bird's beak is out of the picture.

Here's one from this morning, which is similar to the ones from yesterday. As you can see, this is a "pose" I try for.

Dave