“Birding” (birdwatching) is one of the fastest-growing pastimes in North America and it has now captured my attention. More specifically, bird photography. Enjoying the beauty of not only the colors and shapes but also the behaviors and sounds of birds around us is fascinating. I became involved in this new “hobby” this week when a friend of mine and I decided to go to Pedernales Falls State Park (where they have two bird blinds) to try out my new Sigma 150-600 Sport lens with real subjects and get some practice with the new gear. Not only did I enjoy the experience but I was very impressed with this new lens.
Birding, like wildflower photography, has some very special technical requirements and is also very research intensive. Identifying the birds has opened up a whole new learning experience for me. I had no idea how similar some birds are and how difficult it can be to identify them. Having some available human, printed and online resources significantly improves the identification process.
One of the bird species that was very prominent during our photography outing was the Ladder-backed Woodpecker. I’ve always enjoyed woodpeckers and I decided that they should be my first “birding” post on my site. So, let me introduce you to The Ladder Family. The male has a distinctive red marking on his head and both have the “ladder” pattern on their backs.
This image was taken with my Canon EOS 5D Mark III using my Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Sports Lens set on 470 mm. The camera was set on Aperture priority mode with the aperture set at f/8, shutter speed at 1/400th of a second and the ISO set at 2000. All the image processing was done in Lightroom. The Diptych was assembled in Photoshop.
You can view my Birds of Texas collection by clicking here. Please use the section below to post your comments, questions, or suggestions.
© 2015 T. Kahler Photography
