Female Fairy Wren

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clif2
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Female Fairy Wren

Taken Early in the morning at Riverdale Park, Logan.

Araminta
Araminta's picture

That is beautiful, you can even see some droplets of morning dew on the leaves.

M-L

clif2
clif2's picture

She is beautiful. My girlfriend loves the female fairy wrens and always makes me take photos of them.

Regards

               Shane

pacman
pacman's picture

It is hard to resist taking yet another pic of a Fairy-wren

another from Kattang Nature Reserve near Port Macquarie in 4/12

Peter

margaret
margaret's picture

lovely

cathshane

Nice one.

Correa
Correa's picture

Beautiful, thanks for sharing

clif2
clif2's picture

Thanks for your nice comments, it was a pleasure taking the photo.

Regards

               Shane

Karen
Karen's picture

Shane, what do you think of Riverdale's bird life?  Did you see many?  Go back in Spring when the young are about in the grasses.  Would love to know what you thought of the place.

Karen
Brisbane southside.

clif2
clif2's picture

Hi Karen, I have been to Riverdale Park about three or four times now, mainly because it was a reliable place to see Double-barred Finches of which I had only a couple of very distant photos and was hoping to get closer to see their owl-like faces. I think the place is really good and one of my favourites. It is well set out and a pleasant walk and I have seen quite a few birds there as well. Lots of Silvereyes, Quail, Buff-banded Rail, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Striated Pardalote, Red-browed Finch, all the Fairy Wrens that we get here, Spangled Drongo, Grass Birds, Golden-headed Cisticola, Grey Fantails, Rufous Whistler etc. I will put some photos up that I took there.

Regards

               Shane

birdie
birdie's picture

What a sweet little wren Shane.... an the other selection is gorgeous too. I likek the leaves and the droplets in the first shot too. I am all for a natural looking photo showing a bit of habitat . Lovely shots

Sunshine Coast Queensland

Karen
Karen's picture

Am so pleased you found it so productive at Riverdale park, Shane.  I never fail to see something there.  And seeing the small birds is so wonderful.  I once saw what I think was a female scarlet robin there some years ago, but have never seen it again.  Way too many crows there now for my liking.

Karen
Brisbane southside.

clif2
clif2's picture

Thanks Birdie, I like the environmental portrait type photos as well, portraying what they were up to at the time. If this photo was all blurred out except the bird it would not convey that it was early morning with dew on the leaves adding its touch of essense. But I do like photos of an isolated bird perched on a dead branch removed from the background as well sometimes.

Regards

               Shane

pacman
pacman's picture

good close pics Shane

Peter

clif2
clif2's picture

Karen thanks for the tip off about this place it suits me sometimes to go there if I am down at my Girlfriends place and only have a ten minute or less drive to it. Karen you may care to look at the list of birding places around Brisbane under the General section which has been compiled from info on the net and BIBY members and for you to check out the Logan spots. If you go to the council chambers on Wembley rd and ask them to send you three PDF files of a series of brochures they produced years ago about birding places in Logan East, West and Central, they are well put together.

Regards

               Shane

Karen
Karen's picture

Thanks for the info, Shane.  I don't do nearly as much bird watching as I'd like to as my interests are quite diverse, and its fun trying to cover everything.  I need to get up to the council chambers for another reason so could do both.  Just glad you enjoy one of my favourite parks and that you have easy access to it.

Karen
Brisbane southside.

margaret
margaret's picture

i finally got a fairy wren to sit still and get photographed today, i think i need a better camera.

clif2
clif2's picture

Well done Margaret, you have done well as backlit subjects can be difficult at times. I find that when you spot the Fairy Wrens if you just slowly get closer and stop when they get a bit nervous, they are very inquisitive, particularly the females, they then usually get used to your presence and will present a photo opportunity for you. It is a bit like seeing a platypus, you seem never to see one and when you do , you end up spotting them all the time.

Regards

               Shane

birdie
birdie's picture

I wish I could say the same about the platypus Shane.  I have always found the same as you with wrens though, once you find the tangle that they love to hide in, then you can stay around for a whiole and they will emerge an eventually forget all about you if you are pretty still and harmeless.

I just wanted to ask you a question here Shane, for the benefit of everyone (and this is in no way a criticism of Margaret and Pacman),  about this thread. It has been long accepted that  you don't "hijack"someone elses thread with your own stuff, but  I notice that it doesn't seem to bother you here and you have a great attitude to the other posters which is fantastic. I know others on here that would not be so impressed.  Sometimes it is nice to share the images of a particular bird that others find hard to get and therefore enjoy sharing it with someone who appreciated the hard work.

I am curious firstly about how you feel about it , given that it is your thread and secondly how others out there feel.

is it a good idea to maybe sometimes pick a bird and say ....show us your hard work...one image each ????

It is just a thought I have been having anyway...... it is always good to toss ideas around that can add interest to the forum and get the feel of what everyone thinks .

Pacman and Margaret ....lovely shots and I hope you  don't mind me mentioning this but I think it is a good point that sometimes people dont mind and maybe we should explpore that option ??

enlightened   smiley

Cheers

Adrienne

"Birdie"

Sunshine Coast Queensland

Holly
Holly's picture

Great post birdie

 

Definitely not attacking anyone - it would be interesting to hear from people to see if they want the threads that they start for their photos to be used by others to share their photos too? Is it something that people like as it generates discussion or would they prefer that new threads are started for new photos?

 

birdie and I have had a chat this morning and we thought it would be good to have a 'Bird of the Week' thread. Where everyone can put 1 photo of that particular species or from that group (we might specify 'sea birds' one week for example) and each week will add a new topic.

Just have to decide on the first one...

 

Windhover
Windhover's picture

It's a lovely image Shane and I too, like some of the others, often like to see some habitat. It is a little centered for my taste and with the bird looking towards the right, I would leave less space behind it and more in front.

Adrienne and Holly

Could I ask what the purpose of this Best Photo forum is? Is it for members to ask for assistance to take better images or is it to just post away to show what the members call their personal best images of a species?

Reason I ask is because I am not into commenting "awesome", "great" etc when I think an image could be done better and certainly in my humble opinion, those sort of comments don't necessarily improve people's photography skills. Maybe I take my photography way too seriously, but it is what I am most passionate about and find that me helping others get better results out of their equipment also helps me with my own photography. I don't want to step on people's toes in case they don't like someone suggesting to them what could be a different way to capture/process an image.

I feel that a post should be limited to one image of one species only by the person starting the thread. If anyone wanted to post their own photo in the same thread that someone else started, it should be asked of the OP(original poster) to agree and should only be done so to enhance the discussion about the original poster's image.

I find it rather annoying (sorry, but I do) when someone posts half a dozen different species, or shots of the same species with only very slightly different poses in the same thread. It really doesn't do anything for me personally. I mean this with good intent so please don't all go huffy-puffy over it.

Also, there should be a limit of no more than one, maybe two images posted in this Best Photos forum per day per user. It gets rather tedious to see several threads started by the same person, again, not having a dig at anyone in particular, I just would like to see some more control of what gets posted and how many per day. I don't think many members look at page two once people's posts get pushed onto that second page and many of the members post some wonderful images that we should all enjoy to look at.

If I think of anything else, I'll add to it.

Holly
Holly's picture

Ah stupid new laptop just ate my response...

 

Thanks for your comments Windhover - they are really thought provoking and I admit I do need to give it more thought. However, I think I see the section a little differently to you, I see it fitting into the theme of BIBY as a whole, an avenue for people to connect with birds, rather than about the photographs themselves. Of course I am sure people want to improve skills but I think it is just as valid that people might just want to share what they are seeing. We need to think about how to balance both those needs.

How about I look at creating a subforum within the photography section. A place where people post the images that they want comments, suggestions, critiques on, and where people can discuss techniques and methods? The general area can be kept for those who want to simply share what they saw. What do you think?

 

 

birdie
birdie's picture

I would agree with you there Holly ,, we definitely have two kinds of photographers here and a variety of people who think differently. I think the sub forum for critique etc is fine as long as we don't attract the kind of poster that shares nothing  of their experience with us. My view of this forum has always been as a place where people come together to share their shots and stories of the finds they treasure. Akos, you know I agree with much of what you have said , but I think it needs to be handled carefully and I am not sure about the limits you suggest imposing.  Like you , I am not into telling someone that a photo is great if it is not, but in the case of this forum, I find there are ways to say that you acknowledge the effort without compromising your belief about the photographic skills.

Maybe another way of looking at "Best photos" could simply be by thinking of it as the best you could get on the day ??  Personally I am not into someone trawling through all their excellent shots from the last two years and just posting them for people to ooh and ahh over . If there is a discussion about a particular species and it adds to the discussion then yes, but if it leads to one upmanship then I am definitely not interested.

I guess we all have our own needs and interests when we use a forum such as this, and that is why it is important for us to have community discussions to help us all "take a little ownership" of somethign we get enjoyment out of.

To others reading Akos's comments.... please be assured that he means what he says and will help anyone with questions and a desire to improve their skills on photography or knowledge of birds wherever he can do so. I personally have learned a lot from you Akos and I know that if I ask a question , you will always endeavour to give me a helpful answer.

Critique is not something that every one can handle though , and personally .... I hate reading the crtiques on some of the other forums so I would suggest that we need to take care with that one as it can so easily distract from the enjoyment of a photo and its subject.

these are my personal opinions and are not made on behalf of the forum in anyway

I look forward to hearing from others that may be interested.

Sunshine Coast Queensland

Karen
Karen's picture

To me, Best Photos has become a way of sharing rather than a photo competition. 

Holly, I think a sub forum on photography as a subject in itself is a wonderful idea and will get those interested in photographic skills involved.  But for someone like me who can only aim and snap, turning Best Photos into a photographic forum only would exclude any pics I might like to share in the future as my pics could never measure up to those taken with good cameras.

I personally don't mind if someone adds a pic to a thread I started.  To me, it shares the experience and adds to it.  Also, it shows the interest in the subject at hand, which to me is gratifying.

Just my thoughts.

Karen

Karen
Brisbane southside.

Holly
Holly's picture

Thanks Karen

 

Will put some thoughts together over the next couple of days about some guidelines for using the subforum and I will get it installed.

Holly
Holly's picture

Thanks Karen

 

Will put some thoughts together over the next couple of days about some guidelines for using the subforum and I will get it installed.

Araminta
Araminta's picture

I appreciate everything all of you said, I only want to say a few things. In my opinion the diversity and the different levels of skills are what makes this forum interesting. I do love the stories that accompany the photos, even if the photo might not be great, the story might be, and I want to hear it. Remember, when I became a member, I didn’t even have a camera, the only camera I had back then was a tiny one for $78, bought at Aldi. All I had to share were stories.
I understand that people struggle with giving comments on photos, I would not share that view. No one would post a photo, he/she doesn’t think would be of any interest to others. Everyone will take photos to the best of their ability , that needs to be acknowledged, and deserves a comment. I just remembered something, when I came to this Country many years ago, someone once told me: even if something (whatever it might be), is not very good, you can always say something nice. But if you can’t, say nothing. As for posting more than one photo, at times nothing much is happening on the forum, so I find it’s nice to look at more than one picture, I used to put a few photos together to create a funny story, (I assumed people liked that?), that would be lost. When I go out on weekends and come home with 300 photos, (or more LOL), hard to make a choice of just one, if there are of 5 different species.
To me, the forum is just good the way it is, yes I want to learn more about photography, a separate thread for that would be good. I do not want this forum to become too narrow and elitist. So, I suppose, I want to see lots of photos and stories to go with them

M-L

pacman
pacman's picture

interesting comments from various members here

I believe that I can read suggestions for 3 sub-forums in the various posts -

1)Photo for Constructive Criticism and 2) Best photo (of the day/week or similar) and 3) General photos for sharing

I seem to recall that I have seen CCA (constructive criticism accepted) used on another Forum, and there was also something for no critique wanted

If we are considering establishing some guidelines I would suggest that posts in the Identification sub-forum should include month & location, as logically this would readily include or exclude certain species 

also I thought that a recent post seeking 'good birding locations' in a particular area was a good idea, for a forum member going to another region/area for a holiday or similar they could use this list in addition to other available resources 

Peter

Woko
Woko's picture

A couple of points:

I'm happy for anyone to take any of my threats...ooops, threads (I hope that wasn't a Freudian slip) wherever they want to take them, particularly if it advances our (my?) knowledge & understanding of birds.

Being a novice photographer I like the idea of a separate thread about bird photography.

Perhaps the forum "Best Photos" would be better called "Photos" or "Bird Photos" to remove any sniff of competition.

I'm not sure about the idea of a permanent bird of the month forum. Would this overlap with any of the other forums? I'd suggest a pilot run for a few months to see how it goes.

Th..th...th...th...that's all folks.  

russianbear
russianbear's picture

I think the most of people there are birds lovers rather than photography lovers. That's not a special photography sight so people may share their photos without a fear of criticism. However a special topic for those who are looking for  their photography skills improving  may be useful.

Regards

Alex

birdie
birdie's picture

Karen wrote:

To me, Best Photos has become a way of sharing rather than a photo competition. 

Holly, I think a sub forum on photography as a subject in itself is a wonderful idea and will get those interested in photographic skills involved.  But for someone like me who can only aim and snap, turning Best Photos into a photographic forum only would exclude any pics I might like to share in the future as my pics could never measure up to those taken with good cameras.

Karen, this is something that I feel strongly about too. You need never even think about trying to measuring up to anyone else's shots that is what we want to avoid. I am passionate about photography  but cannot afford anything better than the very basic EOS 1000D.  I would never want anybody to feel excluded from sharing their pics and their experiences.

I get disapppointed at times when I know shots could be better but have learned not to take it personally and to just enjoy when others take a great shot with better equipment. Actually I think it was Akos who taught me that :)  Instead of getting frustrated that I could never do what he did , I took advice on how to get the best out of what I have and then just learned to sit back and enjoy the beautiful experience that others share.smiley

I also think that our enjoyment of the better photographers depends  a lot on their attitudes too. It helps if they are gracious about their skills and keen to interact with other members when asked about stuff.

Great to see the input here from everyone

Sunshine Coast Queensland

Araminta
Araminta's picture

Adrienne, you have taken the wind out of my sails, but I was going to say this, in my, not as good as your, words:

Thanks russianbear, I absolutely agree with you. I do not want this forum to turn out like,( I’m sorry to say this), the Australian education system, where you segregate the achievers from the run of the mill . I think all of us should have emerged and recovered from that attitude?? We are more mature than that,(?) One separate thread for educational purposes for those who have technical questions will do, although even that will in some ways segregate the people who have expensive cameras and lenses from the ones who don’t. As for criticism on the not so good photos, I’m all against it. I can tell you, I remember only last year, when I couldn’t afford a good camera , and looked at my bad(!?) photos, sometimes I cried. Criticism would have been absolutely wrong, unless I would have asked for it. I assume there are younger people on here as well, they all need our positive support, and they will get it from me.

M-L

birdie
birdie's picture

M-L ... I think it is important to note that critique and criticism are two separate things. Photo critique would never be offered unless it is asked for usually  and especially not the way Holly would set up a sub forum here. There are  ( believe it or not) those who are sufficiently interested in their photos but not confident enough in their knowledge of the technical aspects and even the artistic aspects at times, that is what the critique would be for if anyone was wanting it. I do not feel that we would be setting up a class system of elite and "the rest" ....  There are just people on here who would not be at all interested in reading through hints on photography but may like to look at birds though without feeling intimidated by technical jargon. if they know that a forum deals with that then they are prepared for it and can look without reading if they wish.

I hope this makes sense :)

Sunshine Coast Queensland

Holly
Holly's picture

Thanks so much for the comments guys, really appreciate it.

 

I will have a think about the best way forward and take everyone's comments on board. I am glad that many of you don't want things to really change smiley

 

My thoughts are:

  • A sub-forum within the best photo section that can be used for 1. those wanting constructive critisism on a shot (note - constructive!) and 2. for general advice on cameras and tips and tricks for taking good photographs. I don't want to see this section become elitist - its not a competition, but rather, a place for people to develop their skills and get advice when they would like it.
  • The general 'best photo' section to stay as is - a place for people to share their photos and stories that go along with capturing those photos. At the start of each week we can have a 'Bird of the Week' thread that I will sticky to the top of the page. That will be for a particular species or group of species and we will limit that to one shot per member (with accompanying story if they want to share one). At the end of that week I (or one of the mods) will unsticky that thread and put the next week's one up.

 

edit - birdie you once again explained things better than me laugh

birdie
birdie's picture

Ha ha thanks Holly... I just edited my post as the typos were terrible !!

It all sounds good to me so lets get it started and see how it goes :)

Cheers


Adrienne

Sunshine Coast Queensland

Karen
Karen's picture

I just wanted to say how wonderful it is, Holly, to be able to have this kind of input on a forum and know it is acceptable and taken seriously.  Many forums are so rigid, sometimes the only option is to leave it and find one more flexible.  I am so pleased to find this one is flexible and accommodating.  I think you are to be commended on how you run this forum and your attitude towards it.  The attitude of its members is also highly commendable.  This a a great group and a most enjoyable, interactive, and informative forum.

Karen
Brisbane southside.

Windhover
Windhover's picture

May I just say that I certainly don't view any of the photos as competition or want to do better than anyone, and my purpose for posting is to show the birds as I see them, as I envisage them for my liking from the perspective of wildlife photography. Quite often, I may have an image of something I want to share and decide not to, because others are posting similar species or the same and I really don't want to post a shot for the sake of people wanting to think I am being a downright tosser or competitive.

For me photography (and bird photography) is the only thing I have to keep me passionate and sane in the mad world we all live in. I love to research about my subjects' biology, behaviour, habits, calls and all the other things that make them the adorable, photogenic animals that they are for all of us sharing this forum. For me the achievement comes by guidance and help given to others who want to learn and listen. This also helps me learn and become more competent in my chosen craft. I am sure some members would love to know some tricks and there's been some great discussions with regard to image processing software, methods etc. It's all beneficial and even those members who are more casual with their photographic approach can take away some useful tips and techniques to employ to make their picture taking far more enjoyable and get better results. "Sharing", as some members like to put it when they post their photos, is certainly more than just sharing a photo. It's about sharing an experience and help others get the same out of their photography if they are interested to learn.  Therefore, a sub-forum or whatever you're thinking is probably a better option.

russianbear
russianbear's picture

Windhover wrote:

 Quite often, I may have an image of something I want to share and decide not to, because others are posting similar species or the same and I really don't want to post a shot for the sake of people wanting to think I am being a downright tosser or competitive.

Can I invite you on a special photography sight -http://www.photosight.ru/ ? Although there is Russian language in use, you can find a special subdivision for photo-hunters there.- http://www.photosight.ru/photos/category/64/ 

Regards

Alex

Qyn
Qyn's picture

What I like about this section is the fact that people do share the stories that go along with their photos and yes some photos are much better than others (ahem that's why you have not seen mineblush). I joined a photography website to learn how to take better photos and I have learnt a lot there - I don't post many photos there either as I just want to take better photos for myself and I now know what I can do to make them better. I also joined a camera club as I thought that would also be about improving the members photos but it is really about competitions and that does not interest me at all. I realise others do find that interesting.

If I did post photos here I would not mind others posting their photos as long as it did not go off topic with regard to the photos not the discussion - that is free to go anywhere IMO. I just think that if I want to find a photo of a particular bird that it is easier to find under a topic heading of that name - for example, I would never think of looking for a black swan under a BOP heading.

I think the idea of a section for tips about photography and cameras would be good but I would not like the thought of competitions stopping people from posting their other photos. At the camera club one night the judge was also a bird photographer and had made up his own iphoto book and some of the bird photos included were by his admission not very good but they were of quite rare birds where a "not so good photo" was better than no photo at all. This is my view of BIBY it is like a family where we don't all agree on everything but we all enjoy birds and I really like that community feeling and if that means we look at photos of different quality that is fine by me and what makes this a special place. There are plenty of other places to have competitions.

Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."

clif2
clif2's picture

Adrienne, i have never been bothered by other members posting or saying what they like, in my posts, as I have found always it has been relevant to my original post. In this regard I would not call this hijacking a thread, but expanding on a theme. Having said this, I do believe I have been hijacked this time and I believe it is relevant not to this post, but like a conversation where you never stay on topic entirely so the conversation progresses and remains interesting. Your comments have excited a few minds here, all good if you ask me. I can see in some situations where posting one photo does not portray what is intended. eg. Birds in Flight, you may have been to an area and photographed a number of different species and are letting others know what this area has to offer,( i have followed this advice before to my advantage), so this could over complicate things somewhat. I can relate to some posts where the photos could be better, but I would prefer to make a kind comment for the effort that was given to get that photo in the first place. As was mentioned a while ago by putting older posts in to an archive can free up resources for newer posts, but not disable someones search for a species or for an ID. I am adamant that those of us who have better equipment than others should be mindful of those trying their best with what they have, this only leads to class wars. This forum is a place of common goals, education and friendliness, not ego or self esteem and I have found it to be this way, so as others have said any changes need to be thought through instead of driving a wedge through the middle of it. I do like the idea of a topic for technical issues because this is what a number of members are looking for to improve themselves, me included.   It is good you have started something here Adrienne and others are actively commenting on matters that show they care about this forum and want to see it go places. These are simply some of my opinions and respect others rights to their opinions, so do carry on with it.

Regards

               Shane

cathshane

I think all of the above is really great and shows that as a forum we all have different ideas, be a pretty boring world if we didnt. I agree with a sub forum and think that it would be great to learn more about the cameras that they hold in their hands, ie lighting tricks and so forth. Some of us are quite new at this and getting tips from others who may or may not have better cameras i think is great. I think the way that some of the others on here word it too makes it alot easier to understand. Reading my manual gives me such a headache i end up putting it away for another day.

We like Birdie started with the basic Canon Eos 1000 and have only just upgraded to a 60D. But we enjoyed our first camera and learnt alot from it. We were very lucky to get the chance to upgrade.

Alison said

This is my view of BIBY it is like a family where we don't all agree on everything but we all enjoy birds and I really like that community feeling and if that means we look at photos of different quality that is fine by me and what makes this a special place. There are plenty of other places to have competitions. 

Well said Alison its so nice to come home from work and turn on the computer and have a good look at some great shots and get to see birds from all around Oz, some that we might never get to see.

birdie
birdie's picture

clif2 wrote:

Adrienne, i have never been bothered by other members posting or saying what they like, in my posts, as I have found always it has been relevant to my original post. In this regard I would not call this hijacking a thread, but expanding on a theme. Having said this, I do believe I have been hijacked this time and I believe it is relevant not to this post, but like a conversation where you never stay on topic entirely so the conversation progresses and remains interesting.

Thanks for your comments Shane, I had considered moving it to a new thread of its own as I realised that it was hijacking you and my apologies for that here.

We can still do that if you want ... just let me know.

To anyone using the word Competition, I can assure you that this was in no way our thinking when talking about a bird of the week. Sometimes it is just good to have a topic to get us started on ,  such as wading birds or something similar and see where it takes us.

Sunshine Coast Queensland

clif2
clif2's picture

Adrienne, my reference to hijacking this thread was in jest. I am happy for it to continue on this post, of course.

Regards

               Shane

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