Blue Jay in Flight

Hi Len,

  Beautiful action shot with wonderful clarity, colors & background.  Take care, Patsy

Congratulations Len! You have your blue Jay. In flight too.

Wonderful details.

Warm regards.

Thanks for your take on this offering.  Your visits are appreciated.  Best, Len.

Yah, my perseverance finally paid off.  Got him heading to the feeder.  Got another with him heading away, peanut in beak but this is the better of the two. Pretty birds!  Best, Len.

Fantastic capture of this handsome guy on final approach with full flaps... Mike

I guess that prevents the pain that comes with hitting the feeder full tilt.  The first time I started a series of shots as he approached the feeder he broke off the mission, much to my dismay. (feeder is a foot or two to the left)   But after a while he ignored the click-click-click of the shutter.  Worked out well for both of us.  Thanks for your always welcome visits.  Best, Len.

The color is outstanding Len as is your timing. This is a difficult shot at best and you managed it well. After looking at both jumping/flight bird images this one is my favorite.

BR, Holger

A little bit of luck certainly helps in these endeavors.  As for the colours, mother nature, Nikon, and Photoshop Elements can take some of the credit.  :-) The most difficult part is the waiting; sometimes over half an hour between opportunities.  (The jays have their own time schedule) And the second you take your eyes off the target area all you see is tail feathers and the bird feeder just a rockin' back and forth.  Tough life!  Good thing I'm retired. :-)  Best, Len.

LOL, actually I really like the escapee shot.  Do you use a blind?  ...Mike

'C'ontinuous shooting mode helps but they're so fast I can usually only capture one or two frames of them actually flying. Thanks for your thoughts on this offering.  Best, Len.

Yes, one can imagine him yelling, 'Abort, abort'!  No blind this time but I'll try one in the near future.  I was about 20 -25 ft away and this shot is near 100% crop so the secret is to get closer.  Trouble is, the closer you get the harder it is to even get them in the frame. This was also in the open shade of a large maple tree so if I could get a brighter light (happens late in the day) I'd be able to bump up the shutter speed to ensure absolute sharpness.  Glad you got a chuckle out of it.  Best, Len.

Len:

Really nice shot. You come up with some great images and you do it without venturing into exotic locations.

Jeff

Thanks for your kind comment.  I do the best I can with what I have.  It's always tempting to think that perhaps with more exotic equipment ( a 300mm f4 for example) my results would be better.  Then again, I'd likely wind up with images showing only tail feathers or entirely empty space.  :-)  Best, Len.

By far, this is the best image of a blue jay I have ever seen!  Well done!

Even better than this one?  :-)  Thanks for your comment.  Best, Len.

Very sharp for the circumstances! Frozen! Bravo, Len!

Best regards

PDE

A bit of bait, great patience, a quick shutter finger, and some luck. Voila! The elusive Blue Jay!  :-)  Thanks for your observations.  Best, Len.