Opie and the Gang

The first week of January I began visiting Bluebonnet Swamp, our local nature area that sits smack dab in the middle of Baton Rouge. For the next two weeks I observed a goofy-looking O'Possum who liked to amble over to the bird feeders to snack on seeds. I named him Opie. Each day I looked forward to seeing him; he came at the same time every day. The photos of him with his mouth open, appearing vicious, is really just him chewing on sunflower seeds. He was harmless. Unfortunately, Opie did not survive an attack by either an owl or hawk. I will spare you the grisly details. I was very sad.

During the time I was enjoying and studying Opie, I noticed a male and female House Finch missing the top half of their beaks. The photos were sent off by my birding friend to an expert in the field. Turns out they both had Pox which also affects their feet. Sad.

These images are just normal observations. Nothing odd or sad here.

GERONIMO!!!

Buff-bellied Hummingbird
A winter resident

Chickadee who got a little careless with his seed.

Holding tight to this one!

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Sharing with Anni at...

The Usual Suspects

Sorry for the same cast of characters. I will try to do better as the weather allows. Thank you for your patience. All images photographed on Jan 9th.

Tufted titmouse

White-throated sparrow

Northern cardinal - female

Carolina chickadee

Ruby-throated hummingbird

Sitting Pretty

I wanted some nice portraits of my favorite feathered friends and these beauties were gracious enough to indulge me.

My bed is a magical place where I suddenly remember everything I am supposed to do. 
(Pinterest)

Linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'
Thank you, Anni!

Sharpening Notes

Since I splurged on Bertha last October I have been trying to get to a place where I'm happy with my images. Shooting with a full frame sensor was a whole new ball of wax, and not something I completely appreciated or comprehended. What I learned right away is that I can shoot with an ISO of 3200 resulting in very little noise—a huge plus in low light. When shooting birds, a high ISO is a must in order to freeze action with a fast shutter, even in bright light. Still, I have been less than happy with my images, feeling they were not as sharp as they should be.

This morning a lightbulb went off. I wondered if the noise reduction techniques I was employing in Lightroom might be the culprit. After 6 months of disappointment and with help from Google, I finally learned that over-applying the noise reduction feature in Lightroom does indeed result in loss of sharpness. The Noise Reduction slider has two choices: Luminous and Color. I was using the Luminous slider at 100 when it should have been 50 or less. Yes, I got some dreamy backgrounds; however, I failed to notice that it was at the cost of my subject. This is how I learn, by doing the WRONG things! Sigh.

These are some shots I took during the month of March, applying less rigorous noise reduction. Although some noise may be present, I am more satisfied that the images appear sharper. A little noise is preferable to loss of sharpness. N'est-ce pas?

Carolina chickadee

Downy woodpecker, male

Northern cardinal, female

I apologize for the technical nature of this post for those that don't get into all that, but I hope I help someone out there that might be struggling with the same issue. If you have any questions about Lightroom and the Noise Reduction panel (or any other feature in LR), please do not hesitate to ask me!

A question for those technically inclined: should I turn off Image Stabilization if my camera is mounted on a wobbly, flimsy tripod?

Sharing with Weekly Top Shot.

Birding, Boating and More

Lake Martin, Louisiana, April 12, 2013.

Little Blue Heron

The task of the day was gathering sticks.

Great Egret with babies

Fishing

Sailing

Romancing

Probably my favorite shot of the day. :)

Canoeing

Double breasted cormorants kissing

Carolina Chickadee

Prayers for our country and the senseless bombing in Boston. Words fail me, truly.

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