With February 14th all about love, romance and heart-shaped things, here are a few images to make the birding world a bit more affectionate 🙂 You won’t find any extra technical stuff (save for the exif posted below every image), and there are not many lessons this time, simply a few delightful images that follow the theme in question.
First up is an oldie but goodie, which I seem to bring up almost every year somewhere online around this time. First time on the blog though, so here it is again: a mated pair of Burrowing Owls photographed in Cape Coral, Florida on…wait for it….February 14th, 2009. A true Valentine’s image!
Burrowing Owls, Canon 40D + 100-400mmL @300mm, aperture priority, evaluative metering, 1/125s., f/6.3, + 0.7 EC, ISO 800.
Next up, an image I created this past summer, and immediately saw the Valentine’s Day potential in the heart shape it took while preening:
Great Blue Heron, Canon 7DII + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC III, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/1250s., f/8, ISO 800.
Another heart shaped pose lined up for you: A juvenile Semipalmated Plover that did its best to get noticed by cupid when it stretched its wings in a loving way:
Semipalmated Plover, juvenile, Canon 7D + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC III, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/2000s., f/5.6, ISO 400.
One early summer morning a couple of Hooded Mergansers were hanging out on a rock in a local urban pond. The sun had just come out, and I knew some good silhouettes could potentially be had. I lined up for the best view, and after a few moments they gave me this face-to-face pose against the nice orange water.
Hooded Mergansers, Canon 7D + 100-400mmL @400mm, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/1600s., f/6.3, ISO 800.
Although not an avian subject, what’s Valentine’s without a flower? This one is from a bouquet of flowers my wife and I got for our wedding day (ahhhh!). So on this note, wishing you all a very warm and special day….and that it especially carries over beyond today!
6 Comments
Lovely images Dan! What a treat, photographing those Burrowing Owls on Feb 14th!
It sure was a treat!
Gorgeous images Dan. I love the Juvenile Semi-palm – a really creative Valentine’s Day photograph!
Thank you Laura. It’s a cute little fella eh!
Wonderful images Dan! Love them all – I think the mergansers are my fave.
Hi Allen, thank you! Glad you like it.