Tuesday, May 05, 2015

Mourning Dove - Wild Bird Wednesday

I am brand new to bird watching and photography and recently learned about Wild Bird Wednesday so I thought I would share a few photos I recently took at the Environmental Nature Center (ENC) in Newport Beach, CA.  These were all taken with a digital Canon PowerShot A570 IS on aperture priority mode.


 
 
Mourning doves are quite common in this area, but I chose this photo to share because, as a beginner, I thought it was the best photo that I took on that day.  This bird allowed me to get quite close so I did not have to use my zoom much at all.  One of my favorite things about these doves is that although they appear to be a drab gray/brown all over, they have hidden surprise colors.  In flight, you can see deep blue/purple feathers on their wings and white feathers all around the edges of their tails.  At rest, like in this photo, you can see a subtle lavender iridescence on their head and neck feathers. 
 
 
 
 
This shot and the one below are blurry, I know, but this Common Yellowthroat was a new bird for me so I thought I'd share it anyway since I was so happy to have captured it at all.
 

 
 
This bird was extremely skittish and so very fast - hopping almost non-stop among these reeds!  I had to use maximum zoom to get anything and every time I even twitched, it took off.  Of course, once I sat down at a picnic table to change the batteries in my camera, he popped up at the very top of a reed and stared at me for a good 30-40 seconds in what would have been the PERFECT shot...had my camera not been out of action.  The moment I had the batteries back in and was ready to go - he took off again.  About 10 minutes after that, it started to rain so that was the end of bird watching for the day! 
 
As a newbie to both bird watching and photography - I'd love any constructive commentary...especially about cameras as I am on the verge of upgrading and am trying to decide between a more powerful digital with longer zoom capability (like the Canon SX50 HS) or an entry-level DSLR (Nikon D3300).
 
 
(http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/)


 
KJ

11 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

don't you hate chasing little flitty birds around through trees with your camera? a challenge that we can all relate to. :)

Karen said...

Mourning doves are common in my yard! I love the iridescent colours when the light hits them a certain way. Always exciting to spot a new bird!

theconstantwalker said...

Wonderful to see....

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Great that you joined this meme as you wil see many other posts adnlearn a lot as I did. these are great shots especially as the birds were not too coperative.

KristiBowmanDesign said...

Oh that sounds so familiar to all of us birders. I've spent nearly an hour trying to capture one flight little bird. I love the Mourning Doves. They are in my neighborhood but only come to my feeding station now and again, but I hear them. Happy you're joining in the fun!!

FAB said...

The Dove looks very content.

As for camera choice I always use a DSLR plus 70-300 lens for wildlife work. The SX50 HS would be a nice upgrade from your existing unit. I use one for landscape, macro shots and video but it needs a tripod or mono-pod for full zoom distant shots.

eileeninmd said...

Love the sweet dove and the pretty warbler. Great sightings and photos.. Happy birding, enjoy your week!

Amy F said...

I vote for a DSLR - I have one and love it, and you can get some great lens.

the doves are my backyard fav - I love their coos

mick said...

Welcome to photography and birding! Nice photo of the dove - and my pet hate is little birds that flit just out of reach of my camera lens! I started with a simple Canon camera years ago but upgraded to a DSLR when I became really serious about it all. I especially liked the way the DSLR was so much easier to get faster shots.

NatureFootstep said...

I love the beautiful dove.

You definitely need a longer lens. Myself I prefere zoom lenses as I don´t have to change them at all times :) Good Luck!

A Colorful World said...

Welcome! Love your beautiful mourning dove photo! So glad you shared it. The yellowthroat is great...I know what you mean about not being ready when the perfect shot is available! I had that very thing happen to me yesterday! :-) I am not a photographer, but do the best I can. Look forward to seeing more of your posts!