A few (quite a few) avian pics.

[Maestro]

Man, if only I could just quit my job and travel the world taking wildlife pictures. Oh well, there is the weekend. :)

Brown pelicans perching





Brown pelicans flying



Roseate Spoonbill that I watched over a four day period. It was pretty shy and did not give me many opportunities for good shots.















And lastly, a baby killdeer that was in the wetlands making all sorts of noise with mom nearby.





More to come...Enjoy and protect our wildlife and land from over zealous developers wherever you can.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear Maestro!

You keep hitting them out of the park!

I especially love the two of the Roseate Spoonbill on the post....Stunning!

Thank you for these......

I appreciate your efforts so damn much!

:yourock:

[Maestro]

10. Thank you so much CaliforniaPeggy.

It's really no effort. I love doing it. :)

[Richard Steele]

2. Great pics!

Thanks for sharing them. :thumbsup:

[Inchworm]

3. Omg! Excellent pics!

I love em all! Im particularly facinated by that spoonbill. I like the shots with wings spread.

:thumbsup:

[Maestro]

12. Well that makes me happy.

You can always view more of my pics at http://maestros.smugmug.com/Animals :hi:

[In_The_Wind]

4. The Spoonbill pictures are wonderful!

The Killdeer really does look like a baby. When see a Pelican, I remember hearing this when I was a child ~ His bill will hold more than his belly can.

Thank you so much for sharing these photos with us. :thumbsup:

[Maestro]

9. Thanks Joan.

I don't know if you saw these, but I had put up some other pics earlier. It was probably early last week. tricolored heron

I have some pics also of the brown pelicans doing their patented dive to get food. It's quite impressive (not my pics, the dive) ;)

[Blue-Jay]

5. The flying pelican pic is magnificent..

The others are very good too. Well done!

[Maestro]

11. Thanks.

That one was mostly luck. I saw them coming in over the bay. I simply tracked them until my auto-focus had a good read on the them, then click the shutter. I'm glad you liked it.

[sarge43]

6. Thank you Maestro

Superb.

[Maestro]

17. I still hope to improve even more.

I look at what the pro avian photographers are doing or even the very advanced amateur and I just sigh. Thanks for the comment, though, I sincerely appreciate it.

[BarenakedLady]

7. Beautiful pictures!

Thank you for sharing them.

:thumbsup:

[Maestro]

16. I'm glad you liked them

and I appreciate your comments. :hi:

[YankeyMCC]

8. Very nice thanx nt

[Maestro]

15. Really, it is

very much my pleasure.

[WinkyDink]

13. Beautiful! That pink bird is the BOMB! What camera do you have?

[Maestro]

14. Thanks.

My photographs of birds are done with my Canon Digital Rebel XT, sometimes coupled with a Speedlite 580 EX II, a Canon F4.0L 100-400mm telephoto zoom and/or a Sigma 500mm prime lens. The spoonbill that you like was captured with the 500mm lens. Thanks for taking the time to look and comment. :hi: More to come...

[wildhorses]

18. thank you

:loveya:

[tigereye]

19. great pix!

thanks for posting!


Isn't it interesting that the killdeer (which we have here in PA) is really a shorebird? ( Here they love grassy areas -or so I have read...) They are beautiful birds.


Great to see the pelicans (we saw some in Calif. when we visited a few years ago).

[Maestro]

23. The Killdeer is in fact a shorebird that has adapted

to pretty much any grassy environment. I have them all over my backyard. In fact, it was a killdeer that got me interested in avian photography. I snuck up on a nest about three or four years ago with an old point and shoot digital and was able to get a pretty good pic of one. That spurred my interest in birds from that point on. FYI, there is a mountain plover, same family, that is also considered a shorebird. :crazy: :hi:

Edit: I found that first killdeer pic.

[tigereye]

43. I had never seen one until one time when I was at my brother's old house-

it was more grassy than the city/suburb where I live. I thought it was so striking - I love the colors of it's plumage...

doesn't it also do the broken wing protection move, to protect it's nest?

[Maestro]

44. Yes it sure does.

Here is a pic showing that. :)

[TK421]

20. Very nice pictures! Thanks! The Roseate Spoonbill didn't seem that shy!

nice shots of that one! The coloring is amazing on that third shot

[Maestro]

24. Well I guess what I mean to say is that it didn't let me get close.

I have seen photos where the photographer must have been practically on top of the bird. This one was okay as long as I kept my distance. Thanks for the nice comments. :hi:

[Ghost in the Machine]

21. Here's a goose...

Taken at Watts Bar Lake in Tennessee



Edited to add: Nice pictures, BTW! I have some taken on the lake of some nesting ospreys and some blue herons and a few mallards. I've got a few 'nature shots' of some creeks, woods, fields and barns, plus some good lake shots. I'm still trying to catch a shot of two bald eagles I saw over on one island last year and again early this year.

[Maestro]

25. Nice Canada Goose.

I am still trying to get a good pic of an osprey. I haven't yet, but I will eventually. Thanks for looking.

[barb162]

22. They are all beautiful photos.

I really like birds and take a bunch of photos of them whenever I go on trips.

[Maestro]

26. There is a certain elegance about birds.

I guess that is why I like taking pics of them, but I would like to add more wildlife to my bank of photos.

[barb162]

27. They are wondrous creatures.

Flying is an amazing feat.

[Haole Girl]

28. Wow! Those are amazing!!

And, you know what? I think that Roseate Spoonbill must have liked you!! :-)

[Digit]

29. These pictures have been a joy to behold!

Thank you so much for posting them!

[Maestro]

36. Wow. I am glad to know

that you liked them so much. I'm humbled.

[Flaxbee]

30. those are fantastic photos!

the flying pelicans is wonderful; the pink of the spoonbill is beautiful, and I could just kiss that baby killdeer. Look at those spindly baby legs!

[Maestro]

37. He was a cutie.

Momma wouldn't have let you get close though. She was right there the whole time. Thank you for the nice comments.

[u4ic]

31. Once again, some fantastic photos, Maestro!

:toast:

I especially love the two pelicans in flight, and that last picture of the spoonbill.

Birds are such marvellous subjects, aren't they? :)

[Maestro]

35. I really like shooting them.

They make such interesting subjects; other than my kids. ;)

[KT2000]

32. Thanks for sharing

those are very special.
All wildlife in my backyard is definitely protected!

[Heidi]

33. Your username suits you very well.

I love you work, Maestro. Well done! Of this group, this is my favorite. :thumbsup:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v116/maestros/Nature/Waterfowl/Wading%

[Maestro]

38. You're too kind.

My nick comes from the kids I teach, or at least used to teach, who were all Hispanic. Maestro means teacher. :)

[fizzgig]

34. the spoonbill is amazing

i've never seen a bird like that before

great pics :)

[Maestro]

41. Thanks.

It's evolution at work. That bill helps them pick up small animals as it trolls in the water.

[cwydro]

39. Roseate spoonbills!

OMG, you are my hero! I have seen them here (in the Keys) only once...but I have seen them in the Everglades. Beautiful creatures. One for you.

[Maestro]

40. Thanks for that.

I can't tell if that is a snowy or a white egret but either way it sure is elegant looking. I'll have more to post later. Check back soon.

[cwydro]

42. Another