Uploads from Pandamon

bewick's wren (Thryomanes bewickii)

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:19:43 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

while I was busy admiring a yellow warbler, this little wren surprised the heck out of me, positioning at my back and cutting loose with a super-loud testosterone-laden song.
needless to say, that attracted my lens like a magnet, lol.

warbling vireo

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:06:43 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

wilson's warbler DSC_0905

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:47:12 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

I've only had brief sightings this spring, but this is all I have for now. Not an easy customer for sure.

Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:56:02 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

yellow warbler

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:40:51 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

I'm always impressed by the intense bright yellow of this species.
(The pure white background is the result of an out of focus sky on a cloudy afternoon)

black-headed grosbeak

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:23:41 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

yellow warbler

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:08:49 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

I don't see these guys very often (mostly during spring or fall migration). The intensity of the yellow never fails to impress me.

orange-crowned warbler

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:43:01 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

these guys are everywhere it seems, a spring delight on recently greened branches

american goldfinch

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Sun, 05 May 2013 09:09:51 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

one of my favorite spring birds, such a splash of bright colour and delightful song,
they are at their best plumage and colour this time of year

common yellowthroat

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Thu, 02 May 2013 22:38:15 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

this energetic spring songster is back on the shores of Burnaby Lake, competing with the marsh wrens in full voice ... I had to wait a long time for him to emerge from the thickets, but it was great to get a clear shot.

FOY OCW

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:59:50 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

first of year (for me anyway) orange-crowned warbler,
went to the park for a few minutes after work today, and found the OCWs feeding in the brush among some bushtits.

common merganser female

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:01:36 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

Saw this lovely redhead among a group of mallards in Lost Lagoon.
Once in a while I saw her chasing a particular male mallard ... not sure if it was agression or a romantic overture.

trailer for "Birders: The Central Park Effect"

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 22:36:19 -0700

Pandamon posted a video:

(original 1-hour documentary was broadcast by HBO last year, 2012)

Birders: The Central Park Effect reveals the extraordinary array of wild birds who grace Manhattan's celebrated patch of green, and the equally colorful New Yorkers who schedule their lives around the rhythms of migration. Author Jonathan Franzen, an idiosyncratic trombone technician, and a septuagenarian bird-tour leader are among the lively cast of characters in this charming, lyrical documentary that transports the viewer to the dazzling, hidden world of America's most famous park.

Reactions

"A delight for everyone." -Wall Street Journal

"Shows the non-birders among us what we're missing out on. And it's pretty cool." -GQ

"The best film about birding that I have ever seen." - Victor Emanuel, legendary birder and tour leader

marsh wren

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:59:25 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

(building nest, spring 2013)

Sora

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 04:07:20 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

Thanks to other birders reports on this sighting, managed to get double-lifer captures on the virginia rail and sora, two amazing wading birds I had never seen before (except their back side when scurrying away from me!).
I was surprised at their size (smaller than expected), and found that the sora can be quite vocal when safely hidden in the reeds.
Met some friendly birders there (hi's to John, Vladimir, and Scott).

Virginia rail

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 03:49:57 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

Thanks to other birders reports on this sighting, managed to get double-lifer captures on the virginia rail and sora, two amazing wading birds I had never seen before (except their back side when scurrying away from me!).
I was surprised at their size (smaller than expected), and also that they are quite vocal. I was delighted when I saw a virginia flying in to a clump of reeds right in front of me, he hovered in mid-air just before landing, but I was so stunned by the spectacle I forgot I had a camera!
Met some friendly birders there (hi's to John, Vladimir, and Scott).

another Nikon D7100 sample-test shot: head crop

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:08:32 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

300mm with 1.4X TC at f/7.1, 1/640 sec. ISO 320 on tripod

of interest to Nikon birders:

- in-camera 1.95X crop factor (at 15.4 MP): your 300mm becomes 585mm, and ups the frame rate to 7fps, same as D300s
- improved low-light auto-focusing (down to f/8), good for using teleconverters
- no OLPF (low-pass filter) - same as D800E; this should enhance details in feathers
- weatherproof design, a little rain should be no problem

gadwall couple

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:25:10 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

(first test frames from a Nikon D7100)

1/1250 sec. ƒ/7.1, ISO 320, 420 mm

marsh wren

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 23:08:15 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo:

The marsh wrens are back in town, and are busy staking out nesting territory.
(March 24, 2013)

downy woodpecker

nobody@flickr.com (Pandamon) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 22:59:34 -0700

Pandamon posted a photo: