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Standing Proud (For Celtic Ranger)


Standing Proud (For Celtic Ranger)
Photo Information
Copyright: Kathy Meader (writerscrawlz) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 259 W: 2 N: 749] (2437)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-07-08
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS digital rebel XT, 70-200 f2.8
Exposure: f/5.0, 1/640 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-07-10 11:12
Viewed: 345
Points: 14
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Yesterday morning, unable to sleep, I dragged my dog out of bed at dawn and we headed out for what I thought would be a short walk. Five hours later (including the time we took to rest), we returned.

My dog was...well, dog tired. Since I still had a bit of energy, I walked around my neighborhood. I found a nice, shady place to sit (yes, in somebody else's yard), and made myself at home.

At first I didn't see this male Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) as he munched away at a bug fest he found. And, in all honesty, I found him by mistake. Due to the sun shining in my eyes, I turned around to get more comfortable and noticed movement.

Northern Flickers are fast, and not wanting to spook him, I watched for several minutes before I attempted to take some photos.

After a bit, this fellow noticed me. Afraid he'd fly off (and again, wanting to catch him in action), I had the ISO set to 800. True, the ISO is high, but in addition to the rapid movement, I also wanted to make up for the shade.

Instead of flying off, the woodpecker decided I might be worth watching for a few seconds. When he stood, he reminded me of somebody who is proud of who and what they are, hence the name of the photo.

I took a risk and scooted an inch or two closer, even knowing that would be more than enough to send him flying up, up, and away.

To my surprise, he tilted his head as if to get a better look at me. No, I wasn't a bird, cat, dog, or some other animal that probably chased him on a daily basis, but I was a curiosity.

Forcing myself to relax, this bird and I spent close to five minutes together. Knowing how extraordinary this encounter was, I only took a couple of photos, not wanting to lose the moment.

I'm sure this could've turned out much better, but the encounter was worth every second. I had my 200mm with me, not the one I typically use for birds - so I'm actually happy with the outcome of this capture.

There's the wonderful sense of joy knowing that each time I see this photo, I will remember what it felt like to spend time with an animal that was just as curious about me as I was about him.

Sadly, as I've pointed out many times before, I do have severe allergies, and when I sneezed unexpectedly, he flew off. Hoping he would return, I stayed for several more minutes, but he was gone.

still, I treasure the time we spent together, especially given how shy these wonderful birds are. This time, as I made myself at home on somebody else's lawn, I saw the owner peek out the window.

Fortunately, they are aware of who I am, but that may have been the first clue that I've made myself quite at home on their lawn. (The water bottle, candy, and nuts might have given it away...)

I hope you enjoy this Northern Flicker as much as I did.
iris, eliz, tuslaw, Jamesp, eqshannon has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To arfer: bribes work wellwriterscrawlz 1 07-17 21:22
To claudine: thank youwriterscrawlz 2 07-11 16:10
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • eliz Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 35 W: 0 N: 73] (400)
  • [2008-07-10 12:56]

interesting bird. is the first time when i see it.

  • Great 
  • tuslaw Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 236 W: 8 N: 600] (1905)
  • [2008-07-10 18:18]

Very nice image Kathy,
Your right about flickers being skittish. I tried all last week to get a shot of the parents bringing food to their young, but they never came around as long as I was close by.
You captured this one beautifully! Great pose and wonderful colours.
When you see one this close you really can see just how pretty they actually are. TFS.
Ron

  • Great 
  • iris Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 389 W: 40 N: 730] (2302)
  • [2008-07-11 0:44]

Hi Kathy,
This is an interesting capture with attention to details..
I love the colours here and the way the pose of the Northern Flicker has been captured.You have been quite lucky to find and present this beauty.

This is such a colourful bird with excellent details on the plumage patterns and colours.I also like the way you have composed the shot in a slightly tilted angle keeping the subject to the far left and the leaving the rest of the frame clear.I quite like this style.

TFS & Cheers

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1252 W: 0 N: 4834] (14354)
  • [2008-07-11 6:57]

Hi Kathy

Worthy dedication of this lovely posting. Great composition with nice detail and colour. Well seen and captured.

James

:) L8r

Hi Kathy,

I have chased this bird for hours this morning but they are so shy!!! I don't see them often and I had the chance to discover that a couple is living in a park near home. This is a beautiful capture with nice details and composition. They are so colorful! I would have run the background in Neat Image to remove the noise but this is very nice! Thanks,
Claudine

I truly love this shot Kathy...and I am also unsure how I missed it..I have been out on the fire you know...and then caught a cough/allergy...well you know the rest..and my cell no longer works...I shall cal you with new number.
Bob

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-07-13 21:45]
  • [+]

Hello Kathy

I don't know how everyone does it.
These guys just never hang around long enough for me to catch them on the ground like this.
Excellent pov and dof.
The colours are vivid and well saturated.
Well done.
TFS

Rob

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