Hey Loungers, still more photos

[Maestro]

Male ruby throated hummingbird



Female ruby throated hummingbird just after lift off



Female ruby throated hummingbird getting some nectar



Pyrrhuloxia (The desert cardinal)


And a whole bunch of Golden Fronted Woodpeckers













And this last one is a juvenile that came by one of the blinds I was stationed at while visiting the Martin Refuge.


The hummingbirds are from the wilds of my backyard here in N. Texas while the other images are all from the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas

[Phentex]

1. Just

gorgeous!I have really enjoyed these threads. Thank you.

[Maestro]

7. I am certainly glad you liked them.

And believe it or not, there is more to come.

[RushIsRot]

2. Your bird photos are absolutely astounding! Great job!

[Maestro]

8. Thanks RushIsRot

Sincerely appreciated....

[bertha katzenengel]

3. Maestro

You. So. Totally. Rock. Beautiful photos. You've made my day.

[Maestro]

11. Thank. You. So. Much!

You rock for taking the time to look and comment.

[bertha katzenengel]

17. capture-the-pixel is a very sharp site.

you built that with SmugMug? I'd never heard of SmugMug. I took a quick look. Is it like Photobucket only with no shit that draws 20-year-olds and no ads etc., etc.?

[Maestro]

23. Perfect description. I can't stand that aspect of Photobucket.

I still use Photobucket only to post online pics. For presentation purposes, I use SmugMug. Great site and relatively cheap. I pay $150.00 a year for mega bandwidth plus I can have a custom name like www.capture-the-pixel.com Thanks again for the comments. Check back over there often. I am always adding images.

[Haole Girl]

4. Oh wow!

That's great...how you captured the detail of the bark on the trees and the Woodpeckers! Thanks for sharing.

[Maestro]

14. Thanks KC2.

You seeing any hummers in your area?

[Haole Girl]

18. No, I haven't seen any in my area

Maybe I should slow down when I'm riding!

[Maestro]

24. Well hummers can fly 60 mph so you don't need to slow down

too much. But they are small.

[NJmaverick]

5. No doubt these are professional quality pictures

well done

[Maestro]

16. Perhaps some day I will be in a magazine or something

but until then I am just having loads of fun. Thanks for the comments.

[marzipanni]

40. Someday...? Why not someday soon?

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/photo-contest/photo-c...
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/your-shot

[Maestro]

46. Thanks and check it out.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/myshot/gallery/32640

[xchrom]

6. ...

[Maestro]

25. Thank you

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. My dear Maestro!

These are really amazing!

You have honed your craft so damn well...

The level of detail and the narrow depth of field are the marks of a master, IMHO!

Keep 'em coming!

[Maestro]

28. Thanks for noting the improvement.

I have been trying.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

10. I have fallen in love with you and

your pictures

If you were not married, I would Lust after your camera

Thanks again Maestro, for my moment of Zen

[Maestro]

29. Alright, now I can at least

say that you lust after my equipment! There may be a double entrendre in there somewhere.

Seriously, thanks.

[Duncan Grant]

12. It's always a pleasure to open one of these threads.

Thanks!

[Maestro]

30. Thank YOU

for taking to the time to comment!

[DeepBlueC]

13. these photos are spectacular

I am utterly entranced. Please keep them coming.

[Maestro]

31. Will do!

More coming...

[SeaLyons]

15. Really beautiful pictures...

Thank you for sharing.

[Maestro]

32. It is really my pleasure.

[BrklynLiberal]

19. Absolutely wonderful, beautiful, incredible pictures!!!!

Thanks...Please keep posting more....

[Maestro]

35. Thanks for looking in the thread

and I'm glad you are continuing to enjoy the photos.

[gatorboy]

20. Those hummingbird shots are incredible.

What camera do you use?

[Maestro]

36. Thanks Gatorboy

I use a Canon 40D.

[WinkyDink]

21. You're making Texas look beautiful!!

[Maestro]

37. Thanks

It really is a beautiful state with beautiful wildlife. I'd just like to kick out a few choice individuals, DeLay, Shrub, Gov. Perry (Goodhair), and really the whole friggin Texas repuke party.

[Forkboy]

22. And still more thanks from me for posting them.

That's one photogenic woodpecker. "I'm ready for my closeup."

The Pyrrhuloxia is awesome. I've had the same pair of Cardinals here for years. Hearing their songs almost every morning is always a highlight.

[Maestro]

42. Thanks Forkboy

Those golden fronted woodpeckers are very photogenic and nowhere near as shy as most other woodpeckers. In July, I spent quite a bit of time tracking down a pileated woodpecker near my father's in law house, but never could get an image of it.

[zanne]

26. I didn't know that desert cardinals existed!

That's great.

[Maestro]

43. That is just their nickname since they like the more arid climates,

but they are related to the cardinals. I like their beak. It is very distinctive.

[graywarrior]

27. F'n incredible!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these!

[Maestro]

44. Thanks again graywarrior!

Believe it or not, more to come....

[emilyg]

33. Thank you.

Birds are just as beautiful as flowers.

[Maestro]

45. I think you nailed it!

Birds have that ineffable beauty that flowers have. You also can't go wrong with a butterfly + flower photos either.

[Zuiderelle]

34. Gorgeous! The hummingbirds in flight are perfect, but it makes me curious...

It actually looks perfect to have the wings slightly blurred. But, what speed film do you have to have to catch the wings still? (The first is almost there.)

And those beautiful woodpeckers. They've always been a favorite bird of mine.

Nice stuff.

[Maestro]

47. Hello PelosiFan

I don't use film any more but what would be equivalent digitally speaking is the ISO setting. This refers to what was film speed. Obviously, as shutter speed increases, the film or digital sensor must become more sensitive to light. I'm not looking at the EXIF info currently but I would suspect that I had set my ISO at 400 or higher, but not higher than 800 because of increased noise introduction in the image. The newer Nikon DSLRs can handle extremely high ISO setting but my 40D is average, but better than older Canons. Now to really help stop action, you have to increase your shutter speed as well. I was probably at either 1/1600th of second or 1/2000th of a second when I shot the hummingbirds. To go any higher to try to stop everything including the wings I would need more external lighting because at those speeds the shutter just isn't open long enough to let enough light without the use of more flashes.

And woodpeckers are quickly becoming one of my many favorites to photograph too! Thanks for all the questions and comments.

[Zuiderelle]

49. Funny, my partner has a Canon Rebel SLR, but I'm still stuck in the dark ages.

Thanks for the explanation, and all the great pictures.

[Kat45]

38. Beautiful pictures of beautiful birds, as always.

You have real photographic talent. To get such great pictures of a bird as tiny and fast as a hummingbird--wow!

[Maestro]

48. Thanks notmyprez

The hummingbirds really are not all that difficult. They are very curious little creatures and after some time they tend to ignore you if you sit outside with them a while. With a steady tripod and patience, you can get them.

[leeroysphitz]

39. You LOOOOOOVE winged creatures.

[Maestro]

50. Guilty as charged

[Evoman]

41. The only thing cooler than a bird (and I do love birds) is a praying mantis.

Pnwed

[Maestro]

51. And such are the brutalities of Nature.

Praying mantis are certainly cool though.

[spindrifter]

52. That juvenile is so cute!!

Great pix! What a talented eye you have.

[Maestro]

53. Thanks spindrifter

The juvenile sure is cute.