Colourful bird

[Brian Ellis]

Over the years, I've tried to get a pic of what is arguably our most colourful bird, very mobile and shy. I succeeded today. Below is the European Bee-eater, Merops apiaster.

[Fat Tone]

Here's a colourful bird I've been trying to get close to for years myself

[VJ]

I don't think FT's bird is shy...

...

or eats bees for that matter...



Jörg

[Wulfman]

the most colourful birds I ever saw in person:




no idea what they were eating.

mfg
wulfman

[Brian Ellis]

This shows the Merops in spring plumage. Unfortunately their passage here is very rare in spring; it is only during the autumn migration, when their colours have faded somewhat, that they are see and heard here.

[Wulfman]

hm. just remembered - that bird should have been an bee eater too, I think. east african...



off-focus, I know.

mfg
wulfman

[az]

Your lens has distracting bokeh

[Wulfman]

regarding which picture?

mfg
wulfman

[Brian Ellis]

That's the White-fronted Bee-eater, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-fronted_bee-eater, quite common in sub-saharan Africa. There are over 20 species of Merops. AFAIK, the only other one rarely visiting Europe is the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. They are all very colourful birds.

[az]

Wulfman, regarding the last you posted. But it's probably not the lens (it was a zoom though, wasn't it?) but the fact that you could have opened the aperture a little more. Please don't take this the wrong way, I've never shot a picture as good as that one in my life

[Wulfman]

*g*

honestly? I think it is a flawed picture - the subject is out of focus. I had the camera focus in the center, and compared to the point of focus, the bird is sitting half a meter to the front. I think you are not really complaining about the bokeh - it is just that the grasses have been in focus. it could have been a very nice shot, though - but it just isn't. normally wouldn't have posted it, but it was the only one I had that showed the colours nicely.

the zoom was a nikon 70-300 4.5-5.6 (or something) ED, nothing expensive. and yes, I could have opened the aperture more... but given the brightness of the sun some 4° south of the equator early in the afternoon, I'm not even sure if my camera could have handled an exposure time short enough with a wide open lense w/o a filter.

teaser:





not so colourful, but still a beautiful bird.

mfg
wulfman

[gt40]

Nikon D70 huh?
Just picked up a D80

[Wulfman]

at that point, yes, d70. the focusing moter failed a year later, got myself a D80. nice toy.

we should seriously think about reviving the digital imaging forum...

mfg
wulfman