See Birds up Close
Ranked #130 in Pets & Animals, #3,349 overall
Rare Views of Birds
Few people see this.
Often a bird appears as a small spot in a tree or a fast blur in the air.
Here are close up views from photos that I took of birds. Each shows the incredible, unexpected beauty that occurs in nature.
During summer, most people are out and about. Use this time to watch for birds. They're amazing.
Note: This photo shows the face of a California Towhee.
About This Article
Over the past year and a half, I've taken over 100,000 photos of birds. I've kept only the best 3% of these. And I use only about 10% of these photos in my talks.
From this collection, I selected photos that I could crop to show details of birds. This is possible thanks to digital photography and the lenient demands of web photos.
For example, here is the complete photo of an Acorn Woodpecker, female. It's an acceptable photo, except I'd prefer to show more of the bird if I were using this photo in one of my talks.
I can still use the photo by cropping a portrait image for this article. This is the first face photo below.
Recognize that I had to start with a sharp photo in order to do this. And it's extremely difficult to capture such a photo of a bird.
Faces
Each face tells a story
Table of Contents
Acorn Woodpecker, Female
Photo taken in Carbon Canyon Regional Park, Brea, CA
Song Sparrow
American Avocet
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Red-winged Blackbird, Female
Poll: Seeing Birds
Bushtit, Male
These small active birds move rapidly about in trees. Then they fly to another tree, threadlike, one bird following the other.
Peregrine Falcon
House Sparrow, Female
How It's Done
Taking photos like these requires special equipment
I use a professional camera system for bird photography. It consists of:
Canon 7D DSLR
I like this camera because it has an 18 MP processor that captures 8 frames/sec.
Canon 500 mm f4 Lens
Canon 1.4x Tele-Extender
All totaled (which includes the 1.6 crop factor on the Canon 7D) this system has a 1,120 mm focal length.
In practical terms, this means that at 15 feet, 5.5 inches will fill the frame. So if I can be within 20 feet of a small bird, I can take a reasonable photo.
Tree Swallow
This fast flying bird seldom stops to perch.
Poll: Observing Birds
Mallard, Chick
Northern Mockingbird
Nutmeg Mannikin
Poll: Binoculars
Red-tailed Hawk, Juvenile
Wood Duck, Female
American Robin
This bird has some dirt on its bill because it forages on the ground.
Rock Pigeon
Blue-winged Teal, Male
Essential Books for Birders
These Field Guides Help You Tell a Parrot from a Peacock (and More)
Expert birders own many of these books. Each shows birds in a different way. Or each works from a different prospective.
I own four of these books (plus a few dozen others).
Buying books is always an excellent investment.
Another Example - Black-capped Chickadee
This is the original photo
Note that part of the bird is hidden by branches. Yet, the face is sharp.
This small bird is very difficult to photograph. It moves erratically about in trees and (sometimes) shrubs.
Black-capped Chickadee
Note the feather detail on this bird's photo.
Dark-eyed Junco, Oregon
Townsend's Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Western Bluebird, Female
Western Bluebird, Male
Black Phoebe
Great Horned Owl, Female in a Nest
The male was perched high in a tree nearby
Last year Great Horned Owls raised three babies in this nest. It seems that they came back.
Photo taken March 26, 2012
Northern Flicker, Male
This is the Red-shafted Northern Flicker. The photo was taken early March 2012 in Zion National Park, near the Visitor Center.
Northern Flicker, Female
Can you tell the difference between the Female Northern Flicker and the Male in the photo above it?
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
This small bird moves frenetically among the leaves. It's difficult to see, and even more difficult to photograph.
Here is a portrait view that shows the bird with its ruby crown raised.
See Birds Clearly
Good Binoculars Make a Difference
Owning good binoculars makes it easier to find birds. Then they help you see details that lead to faster, better identification.
These are excellent pairs of binoculars.
Poll: Experience
Eyes
Windows to the World
Western Scrub-Jay
Great Horned Owl, Juvenile
Green Heron
Brown Pelican
Black-crowned Night-Heron, Juvenile
Mallard, Female
Mallard, Male
This duck was taking a nap with its bill resting on its back. I took this photo when it opened its eye.
Red-tailed Hawk
Favorite Books on Birds
I own each of these wonderful books.
I'm sure you'll enjoy them as much as I have.
Feathers
The reason birds are different
Double-crested Cormorant, Back feathers
Red-winged Blackbird, Male
Preserving Nature, One Bird at a Time
More Photos of Birds
Give a Hoot
If you enjoyed this lens, please let me know
This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.
Your Comments, Please
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MarisaAngelis
May 27, 2012 @ 11:27 pm | delete
- Wonderful ! Best Wishes :D
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Anna2of5 May 25, 2012 @ 10:47 pm | delete
- Such crisp photographs. Portraits really. Have you ever seen what a feather looks like under a high powered microscope? Its so neat to see all the little barbs and how they all hook together. Dr. David Menton with A.I.G. has a very nice lecture he does on this facet of birds. Good stuff. And your right we should be good stewards of the earth. My sister in law who works at the Houston Zoo told us all years ago about the dangers to the environment of birds the six pack ring holds. she showed the family how to cut them up so they don't so as much damage to them directly. I don't buy six packs of soda. when we do indulge in soda I try to always get the 2 liter bottle that can then be returned at the recyling bottle return thing.
So nice to see the bird portraits, and I like how you added your signature to them. Good idea.
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LittleLindaPinda May 25, 2012 @ 11:36 am | delete
- Beautiful photos.
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kaazoom May 25, 2012 @ 3:00 am | delete
- I have really enjoyed looking at your photos. Thank you for sharing them with us.
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elynmac
May 24, 2012 @ 7:44 am | delete
- I am putting your lens in for lucky penny day - you do amazing photos. I especially liked the ones of eyes... Blessed!
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About Steve Kaye
Author, speaker, nature photographer Steve Kaye uses his photos to inspire respect for nature
by Steve_Kaye
Steve Kaye inspires people to respect nature. His photos show the extraordinary, unexpected beauty that can be found everywhere.
He is in his 4th c...
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