The Twilight Zone --- Bird Silhouettes.

[Gottshotz]

Probably all of us can recall coming home from a late afternoon shoot, when we come across a bird silhouetted in a tree, just past sunset --- invariably, the camera has been packed away or it's just too dark to get an identifiable shot, so we don't bother-just watch it disappear into the gloom. Sometimes, if the camera is to hand, I have "fired away just in case" and have been surprised at the beautiful shapes that have resulted, post edit.

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The Classic --- Grey Heron at Kafunta, South Luangwa, Zambia. D500 with Tamron 150-600mm. at 150mm. f7.1, ISO 100, 1/500 Sec. Handheld 08/09/18.

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In A Huff --- Southern Crested Caracara having a "domestic". Pantanal, Brazil. D7000 with Tamron 70-300mm. @ 300mm., f5.6, ISO 800, 1/1000 Sec. Handheld 09/09/15.



Silouettes are not just black and white versions of our normal photos, but can often have glimpses of colour in the disappearing light giving an evocative clue as to their subject's ID in the frame !

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Together for Ever --- Hyacinth Parrots in the Pantanal, Brazil. The bright yellow eyes and cheek markings reflecting the last sunrays help to identify these birds from other large parrots or Macaws in the gathering dusk. D7000 with Tamron 70-300mm, @ 300mm., f6.3, ISO 200, 1/640 Sec., handheld 11/09/15.

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Bedtime Snack --- Southern Grey Hornbill with a Mopane Worm, Etosha, Namibia. D60 with Tamron 70-300mm @ 300mm., f5.6, ISO 250, 1/125 Sec., handheld 22/04/09.

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Moon Struck --- Chestnut-mandibled Toucan under a new moon, Uvita, Costa Rica. D750 with 24-85mm., @85mm., f4.5, ISO 900, 1/200 Sec., handheld 02/03/17.

 

[Robin]

A silhouette with a splash of colour, a great combination.

 

[Gottshotz]

A silhouette with a splash of colour, a great combination.

Yes indeed Robin, probably not everybody's cup of tea, but they can be very evocative and a reminder to us that these birds may be there roosting all night.

 

[Icarus]

Lovely shots. Particularly like the Hyacinth Macaw shot with the touch of yellow showing.

 

[Gottshotz]

Lovely shots. Particularly like the Hyacinth Macaw shot with the touch of yellow showing.

Thanks Icarus, just shows how luminescent their yellow is --- probably helpful to recognize each other in dense wooded areas too.

 

[Callie]

Lovely places, all! Some wishlist birds too! (SY-BH, with mopane worm)

 

[Gottshotz]

Lovely places, all! Some wishlist birds too! (SY-BH, with mopane worm)

Yes Callie, and it would be great to be able to travel to them again now --- but we have just finished 5 weeks of 3/4 lockdown and as the R number is still rising (probably schools ) we are getting another 2 weeks full lockdown (food shops and schools only open) starting next Friday -- what a bummer !!

 

[Harry.G]

Very nice series David .. They are all good shots for a variety of reasons but if I were to pick a Favourite it would have to be the last shot, the silhouette of the leaves with a little sprinkling of colour here and there does it for me .....


Harry.G