I recently took a trip to Texas for bird photography

[moon/Laura]

Ordinarily, TX is a state I wouldn't go to, between the weather and the politics. But, for photo ops, I had to. Spent 10 days feeling like I'd forgotten to dry off before getting dressed, and bathed in bug spray to no effect, but came back with 40 new species. I really don't know how people can stand it, lol. I started up near Houston, and ended up in the Brownsville/South Padre Island area. I thought I'd share the link to my Flickr album in case anyone cared to look at the pics I took.

Disclaimer - the weather while I was there was often overcast, and some birds would hang out deep in the trees. So, lighting was a challenge and to be honest, there are several photos that simply "suck out loud" (to coin a friend's phrase). They're good as 'proof' I saw the species and that's about it.

If you're on my FB, you may have already seen these. No need to look again, if so.


TX birding trip photo album

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Those are fabulous! Many of those, particularly the water birds, were in FL where we lived. Most are new to me. You have some lucky shots, like the warbler with the caterpillar!

[msventoux]

Thanks for sharing, those are awesome!  

[wvugurl26]

Great photos!! Looks like a very successful trip.

[anciana]

Gorgeous! Thank you very much for sharing!

[moon/Laura]

Thanks everyone!

I like to get action shots (like the caterpillar and warbler) when I can. They make for fun pics.

[moon/Laura]

May 15, 2024 11:35:12 GMT -5 Cheesy FL-Vol said:

Those are fabulous! Many of those, particularly the water birds, were in FL where we lived. Most are new to me. You have some lucky shots, like the warbler with the caterpillar!

This is true - a lot of commonality between TX and FL. I will probably get to Florida eventually, to try for better Magnificent Frigatebird pics.

[haapai]

Did you include the "suck out loud" photos in the gallery that you linked us to?  I'm not seeing them. 

Do you shoot first and identify later or do you know what you are taking a picture of?

[moon/Laura]

Yes, the bad ones are in there. One is the Magnificent Frigatebird, and another (though not quite as bad) is the Black-billed Cuckoo. The Northern Waterthrush is kind of a noisy mess, too. I'm picky, what can I say.

I always shoot first, and about 60% of the time I know what it is at the time.

[busymom]

Wow!  Great pics!  


Obviously, the talent of the photographer is the main reason these pictures look so great, but sometime could you also share what type of camera you use?  The colors just pop!  

[moon/Laura]

Thanks, busymom. I use a Nikon Z9 camera body, with a NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S Lens. I also shoot in RAW, so that I can bring the colors out of the shadows during post-editing. Shooting RAW makes the photos at least a little noisy/grainy most of the time, so every one of these has at been put through a denoise app. Otherwise, there may be cropping involved and then other basic exposure adjustments. One thing I really try to avoid is making them look unnatural.

[TheOtherMe]

Beautiful photos.

[empress of self-improvement]

Moonie, those pictures are FABULOUS! I am very impressed. And jealous. I can't take a picture worth a crap, with or without an actual camera.

[billisonboard]

Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed looking at them. Showed them to my wife who really loves birds and she is still "wowing" her way slowly through all of them.

[mollyanna58]

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

[daisylu]

Those are amazing! Thanks for sharing.

[moon/Laura]

May 15, 2024 18:42:40 GMT -5 empress of self-improvement said:

Moonie, those pictures are FABULOUS! I am very impressed. And jealous. I can't take a picture worth a crap, with or without an actual camera.

It just takes practice! I'm still practicing, and always will be. The 'good' pics are maybe 10% of all I took. Thank goodness for digital or I couldn't do this. OTOH, I shoot high speed continuous so it does mean I have LOTS of basically identical photos to go through. But sometimes, you have that one good shot between 2 not so good so......

[moon/Laura]

May 15, 2024 20:40:09 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed looking at them. Showed them to my wife who really loves birds and she is still "wowing" her way slowly through all of them.

I have a whole album that's all my birds, with thousands of pics in it. Also have albums for other wildlife, bugs, etc.

[Artemis Windsong]

Beautiful photos.  I regret not studying bird identity.  I know there is still time.

[Opti]

I really liked the green jay in profile. I like many of your other photos too, but I am a bit jealous of your pretty signature. Looks made for artwork. Do you sign your photos digitally?

[moon/Laura]

May 18, 2024 17:42:23 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

Beautiful photos.  I regret not studying bird identity.  I know there is still time.

There's always time - I didn't start until the very end of 2019. And even then, it was about learning my new camera rather than the birds. There are plenty of apps out there that will help you with IDing, too. One of my favorites is Merlin BirdID. If offers several ways to ID - from uploading a photo, to choosing characteristics (like size, primary colors, habitat), and even listening to the bird sounds around you. It then offers you a list of possible birds. It's not 100%, and birds like Mockingbirds, Jays or Grackles - which can mimic - can give false results. But it's a great starting spot. It even has an 'explore' option that will give you a list of birds likely to be in the area, based on your location.

Your own yard is a great place to start!

[moon/Laura]

May 18, 2024 18:15:50 GMT -5 Opti said:

I really liked the green jay in profile. I like many of your other photos too, but I am a bit jealous of your pretty signature. Looks made for artwork. Do you sign your photos digitally?

I just created this signature in Photoshop about a month ago, so it's not actually "my" signature at all. I simply found a font I liked, fiddled with letter spacing, etc. I was bored with my old one and really like this version as well.

[Artemis Windsong]

My H. and I used to bird watch. We do have bird books and look up the ones we see the best we can.  I was in a bird group that gave us a list for our area to check off.    The bird group was fun and I learned a lot from people who can recognize birds quickly.  Alas, the group disbanded.  There is a birding group here but I won't join it because of one woman was overly interested in me and my comings/goings.