A Welcome Visitor, a photo from South Lanarkshire, Scotland

Photographer's Note

Because of Covid-19 we are not allowed to entertain visitors in our homes - but who would want to stop a pretty little creature like a Blue Tit from at least visiting their garden?

This little fellow (or girl?) was having a quick rest after pecking away at some peanuts in a feeder and I managed to shoot him/her (with my camera!) from our kitchen window.

The Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a small bird (average length 12cm, wingspan 18cm and weight 11 grams) and is also very common with an estimated 20 to 44 million pairs throughout Europe. They can be seen at any time of year in Britain. Their diet consists of insects, caterpillars, seeds and nuts.

They also move incredibly quickly - which makes photographing them both difficult and very frustrating!

ISO 1600, 1/800 sec at f/5.6, focal length 400mm.

pajaran, Fis2, COSTANTINO, jemaflor, papagolf21, Energysavingelk, holmertz, Royaldevon, ikeharel, jean113, jhm, macjake trouve(nt) cette note utile

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Fis2 (169759) 2020-06-03 14:08

Witaj JOhn!
Excellent shot from window.
Beautiful bird, wonderful model.
I like framing, colors and depth.
Very well done.
Good night.
Krzysztof

COSTANTINO (115563) 2020-06-03 22:48

Hello dear friend and have a nice day
delicate and pretty
sweet and beautiful
you are very lucky to have
a visitor like this one!!!!
the best visit for me...
welldone
regards
costantino

jemaflor (146312) 2020-06-03 23:16

Hi John,
Great close-up, perfectly managed about sharpness and colors rendering, good dark and blurred BG, bravo!

papagolf21 (152605) 2020-06-03 23:19

Bonjour, cher John,
Alors là, je dis bravo, chapeau bas, révérence, magnificence.
Cet oiseau à travers sa posture est de toute beauté et son regard est attendrissant.
Un grand merci pour ce partage.
Amitiés.
Philippe

ifege (46985) 2020-06-03 23:55

Hi John
We don't have this species in Australia. I guess they must be reasonably common over your way as several people have posted photos of them lately. Excellent detail in the fluffed up feathers. A good macro.
cheers
Ian

Energysavingelk (7816) 2020-06-04 0:04

Hello John!

An outstanding shot, razor sharp, with a fine blurred background and the bird in a natural and credible position. The little chap seems to have had wind from the rear: he seems to wear a bonnet on his head as the feathers stand up a little - which is not their common position

A worthy contribution to any ornithological book, châpeau! Your expenses on the 5D have well payed off.

Regards from Rhineland, gradually returning to some normality
Sven

emka (157280) 2020-06-04 0:17

Hello John, Who would love to have such a cute visitor? Delightful picture, it is so sharp, and the composition is marvellous. How is it that it didn't fly away?
Best regards MAlgo

holmertz (102008) 2020-06-04 0:55

Hello John,
This is a masterpiece of bird photography. It's so incredibly sharp and well exposed, and the neutral dark green background is perfectly blurred. I checked on the net to try to learn the difference between males and females, but I found that hardly even experts can tell the differences. But whatever this is, it is also seated perfectly.
Kind regards,
Gert

Silvio1953 (220637) 2020-06-04 1:19

Ciao caro John, great capture of lovely bird in nice pose on beautiful blurry BG, wonderful natural colors, fine details and splendid sharpness, very well done, my friend. ciao Silvio

Royaldevon (85606) 2020-06-04 2:06

Hello John,

So you have blue tits visiting you, too.
Aren't they cute!

You did well to get this one so clearly for they flit around at speed, rarely sitting for even a few seconds!
The clarity is superb!
The plumage has wonderful soft textures and we can get details of its markings and special features like a crew cut, which often happens.
The bird looks very alert with a good catchlight in its eye.

It's great to have time to watch and appreciate these visitors to our gardens.
I saw a redpoll yesterday, a bird that I haven't seem visiting for two or three years!

Have a good day and keep safe,
Bev :-)

CLODO (45116) 2020-06-04 9:16

Hi John

You were lucky, he stayed long enough to be taken inpicture. He has a kind of crest on the head and the white dot in the eye makes him live.
Have a nice day
CLODO

jhm (211734) 2020-06-04 9:25

Hello John,

Indeed this visitor, as the Blue Tit may certainly come in your garden.
Nice sharpness and clarity.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

lousat (138623) 2020-06-04 11:59

Hi John,as you know i like a lot nature pics and you caught in a perfect way this lucky meeting with the blue tit,perfect timing and the best sharpness,i like the pose too,it reminds me my lockdown birdwatching of pigeons and blackbirds on the roofs ...ehehe...have a nice evening and thanks,LUCIANO

jean113 (27639) 2020-06-04 12:14

Hello John, the tiny Blue Tit has to be one of my favourite birds. This is a beautiful picture; its' soft feathers are almost palpable.
The out of focus background is wonderful. The feeding tray provides a contrasting texture.
Excellent capture, you have got the catchlight in its' eye, what a bonus.
Thanks for sharing this little beauty.
Keep safe.
Kind regards, Jean.

Tue (91604) 2020-06-04 12:54

Hello John,
A fantastic photo of this most charming fellow! Excellent sharpness, we can count each and every one of its feathers. The blue and yellow stands out so well from the green blurry backdrop. Very well done!
Lars

Ilonka1974 (10289) 2020-06-04 12:58

Excellent shot, John!
Beautiful, majestic portrait of a bird, with nice colors, perfect depth of field and perfect sharpness.
Best regards
Janusz

rychem (72187) 2020-06-05 7:32

What a nice portrait of the bird! I like it very much, fantastic pose, great details
regards Ryszard

macjake (98262) 2020-06-06 13:37

Hi John
you took this shot at 400mm...and no tripod? the lens must have been shaking a bit? well, your shot is super sharp and clear, i gotta say its very impressive. and look at the BG too, its just as impressive, the blackness, and the hint of color that's blurred out matches the feathers so well. this is one of your best posts John, easy to see why its been favored twice. nice shot of your little friend
cheers
Craig

kasianowak (17672) 2020-06-22 11:39

I love small birds so couldn't just look and say nothing about an image of this incredibly cute subject.
For a skittish creature like this you captured a great portrait not only with perfect sharpness and detail but also in a delightful pose and on elegant dark background. Fantastic work!
Have a nice week (any news of your Wednesday walks to be reinstated any time soon??)
Kasia

Photo Information

Copyright: John Cannon (tyro) (30513)
Genre: Lieux
Medium: Couleur
Date Taken: 2020-06-02
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, Hoya 77mm Pro1D UV(0)
Exposition: 30 secondes
Versions: version originale
Date Submitted: 2020-06-03 13:42
Favoris: 2 [voir]