Daily Pics Volume 132

Outstanding shot Margaret!

Thanks, pelletory.
Pied Oystercatchers. These guys have really strange eyes.

Red Wattlebird. This is a large honeyeater. The males (like this one) have fleshy "wattles" beneath their ears. Sometimes they grow quite long. This ones wattles are small/average in size. The females have the wattles as well, but they are so small they are barely noticeable. We have a pair of them nesting in a palm tree at our place at the moment.

Here's a shot of the Osprey returning to its lookout on a dead branch of a eucalypt only a few feet from the river's edge.

Here's one more of the Osprey leaving the water.

Spectacular shots Margaret! You are getting along well with your new camera and lens, but how about sending some of that good blue sky and light here, lol.

Margaret, how on earth do you focus that fast?! Your photos are incredible. I just love looking at them.

Sure wallaby, I'll swap you some blue sky for some rain.

Thanks Elphaba, it's an autofocus Canon zoom lens. There's no way I'd be able to capture this fast moving bird without it. I've only had the lens a week and am still getting used to it, but I absolutely love it.

Excellent pics Margaret! I love all of them. Do you mind saying the full name of the canon lens?

Whats the weight of it? Your doing a great job with it.

Hi pelletory and thanks. I'm more than pleased to share the info. It's a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens.

This is a cormorant - Resin will be able to provide details. Thanks Resin.

Margaret...these are all awesome! Love that Red Wattlebird

Margaretk I shot the swan when I was vacationing in Orlando.

WOW, Margaret, amazing shots of that Osprey. Spectacular.

I'm so fascinated by the talons. Impressive. And frightening (if I were the prey).

evie_beevie, here's a closer and cropped shot of its very powerful talons. I was speaking to a woman who often walks along the river foreshore and she said that when they catch a fish, they never land until the fish has stopped struggling.

Thanks Resin.

nanny, the Red Wattlebirds are real favourites of mine. They're as game as Ned Kelly and during the breeding season, you often hear a Raven making a cry of consternation as it flies through the air with the much smaller Wattlebird attached to its tail. The pair that are nesting in our yard at present have been around for several years and have several different nest sites in the area.

Pelletory, the weight of the lens 26.8 oz or 760 grams

Ouch!!

Yesterday, I visited a local site to gain a perhaps final look at the Osprey before they begin their long migratory journey to as far as South America ..........

I have yet to spot the osprey we have down by our lake. Maybe next year...

It is very slow here right now...but that gives me time to slow down and really enjoy what is here right now. SO... I have gotten lots of hummer shots the last few days and butterflies. I even have 3 caterpillars I hope will become butterflies. First time for that! I have 2 Black Swallowtail cats & 1 Question Mark.

I even managed to get a few shots of Goldfinch that aren't blurry!

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Fantastic shot Linth. Aren't they the most amazing birds?

Gotta have a two-fer!! lol

Fantastic shots Margaret. Lots of details and so clear.
thanks everyone and Resin thanks for the detail description, very helpful.
Female American Goldfinch.

Here's two American Goldfinch fledglings photographed in my front yard this week .......

Cute fledglings Linth.

Yellow warbler near the pond.

A couple of Chickadees.

Pine Sisken, American Goldfinch and Purple finch.

Great shots everyone!

Love the Goldfinch and Osprey Linth.

Nice shots of the American Goldfinches, nanny and linthicum.

Burn, your garden is obviously such a haven for birds. I love the three birds in the stream together.

This is a Little Corella. There was a group of about forty birds on the verge. It looks like they had partially emptied the dumpster from a building site. These guys are the ultimate clowns of the bird world..

This message was edited Aug 23, 2008 9:31 PM

This isn't a very good shot, but shows a small number in a tree gathering strength before heading off on their next mischievous foray.

Kookaburra in the tree next to where the Osprey perches.

The Osprey with a herring it had just caught. More of him later. I've cropped it hard to provide detail (I hope).

Outstanding pics Margaret! I love seeing all the birds you have in Australia.

Thanks, pelletory. I'm only managing to capture the larger ones at present. I'm not adept at getting the smaller ones - yet. Here, the Eagle has landed with the poor little fish - doing what Sea Eagles do.

Beautiful shots from everyone, but Margaret....WOW!

Another of the Osprey. It took about twenty minutes to devour the fish.

Your photos of the Osprey are stunning Margaret! Thanks so much for sharing them!

Osprey during post-prandial beak cleaning. Eyes closed and tongue out.

3 shots of male Cardinal

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