Best viewed LARGE (magnifying glass above photo)
I am so stoked with this photo.....he was that BOLD! This is completely sooc (ok, I added my name and saved as jpeg).
I went for a walk at a 'Bird Sanctuary' in Calgary. It is called a bird sanctuary because the land is held natural in the middle of the city. It is situated between a rail spur, a very busy highway and a community. It is under the main pathway of flights into the Calgary International Airport....it can be a very noisy place! It runs alongside the Bow River. It is a migratory stopping place in spring and fall and has a lovely path that you can walk along. The birds are wild, it is just a safe haven for them, a 'sanctuary' where they have everything that nature can provide with the bonus, for us, that we can go there and see what is around. People obviously feed these birds as they are so bold and I even had a chickadee and a nuthatch land on my gloved hand (alas...I had no bird food). I never knew Chickadees had such lovely brown eyes....thought they were black!
Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you like this little fellow as much as me. :)
PP 02/02/13
@lynnb We sould have coordinated! Tomorrow I am going out with a group from "The Wild Bird Store" They will be on the hunt for snowy owls. Wish us luck.
@pamfromcalgary for sure...good luck...I saw one when the light was too low, down east of Granum. Saw a Bald Eagle in South Calgary. Is there a Wild Bird store in Calgary?
Fav! Beautifully captured, showing such expression. And your story of the setting makes me want to go to Calgary to be in a place where birds just land on your gloved hands!
Did you shoot this from a tripod? I am surprised that this is so good with such a slow shutter speed. These guys don't usually stay still long. Nicely done Lynn. Opps....wanted to ask what lens you were using I see 500mm.
@hollandcrew No tripod Al....I am not patient enough when out walking to carry it with me! I have a Sigma 150-500 zoom f5-6.3. Thank you for your nice comment.
Wonderful shot!! I can't believe I hadn't noticed your awesome bird shots sooner than this. Plan to go back through your first year and enjoy. I'm from Arkansas and love nature shots - that's about all I take. Your photos are a real pleasure to look at!
@rhos It's funny what is unusual in different countries, isn't it! Chickadees are quite common here, they're very cute and fun though and I really like them. Your 'coal tits' remind me of them. @milaniet Thank you Milanie, I hope you enjoy them. It is mostly what I do also.
@milaniet Thank you Milanie, I hope you enjoy them. It is mostly what I do also.