Second photo of an Anna’s Hummingbird at UBC (a couple of days late)

Anna’s Hummingbird / Colibri d’Anna / Calypte anna: For some reason, I completely forgot to post this second photo, as I promised a few days ago when speaking about the same bird. Here it is, then! Taken on March 2, 2015 with a handheld Nikon D5200 and AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED (ISO 400, 300mm, f/5.6, 1/1250). Not baited, called in or set up.

Bushtits: Photo essay

Today’s instalment of the bird photos I’ve taken over the past few months features a photo essay of one of the smallest birds found in the Metro Vancouver area, the Bushtit* (Mésange buissonière / Psaltriparus minimus) – only hummingbirds are smaller, in fact. (*Outside of North America, this bird is known as the American Bushtit.)

These birds almost always travel in flocks of about 10-40 birds, except around nesting time, when you may only see a pair together. In the winter months, flocks are especially large and are easy to spot because the birds twitter quite loudly; seeing their acrobatics on impossibly small twigs and leaves can be quite entertaining! Another peculiarity of this bird is that eye colour is the only way to reliably tell the sexes appart in the field: The males have a dark brown eye, while the female’s is a striking yellow.

The following photos were taken in February 2015 – exact location, date and photo specifications are included at the very end:

All photos taken with a handheld Nikon D5200 and AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED. None of these birds were baited, called in or set up. Specific details for each photo are as follows…

Female taken at the University of British Columbia’s Point Grey campus (UBC), February 11, 2015: ISO 1600 / 300mm / f5.6 / 1/200.
Male taken at UBC, February 11, 2015: ISO 1600 / 300mm / f5.6 / 1/125.
Male taken in Stanley Park’s Rose Garden, Vancouver, BC, Canada on February 21, 2015: ISO 400 / 300mm / f5.6 / 1/1000.
Female taken in Stanley Park’s Rose Garden, Vancouver, BC, Canada on February 21, 2015: ISO 720 / 300mm / f5.6 / 1/1000.

Composition matters: Steller’s Jay at UBC Vancouver

This photo of a Steller’s Jay is a classic example of why composition matters: If I had gone a few meters to my right and bent down a bit further, I would have gotten a better shot of this bird, since its tail would not have been cut off by a random twig, while still avoiding the appearance of twigs in front of its eye. But I still think this is a decent photo, so I decided to post it on my blog!

Taken on January 30, 2015 at the University of British Columbia’s Point Grey campus, next to Vancouver, BC, Canada, with a handheld Nikon D5200 and AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED (ISO 800, 300mm, f/5.6, 1/640).

That looks berry delicious, doesn’t it?

American Robin / Merle d’Amérique / Turdus migratorius: Taken at the Point Grey campus of the University of British Columbia on January 30, 2015 with a handheld Nikon D5200 and AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED (ISO 500, 300mm, f/5.6, 1/1000).