The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic / Expressive
About This Image
Following the rural farm roads again. A small flock of quarrions landed on the fence as we were driving past. They were there for a second before flying off. Yellow fields of canola in the background.
Feedback Requested
I could crop a bit closer but wanted to keep a theme going of “farm birds on fence posts.”
Technical Details
Camera: Canon 5D4
Lens: Sigma 150-600mm
Focal length: 600mm
Shutter speed: 1/800
Aperture: f6.3
ISO: 800
Taken from vehicle.
I love this for a couple of reasons. First is that in the US we think of these as pets. Something we can go to the store and buy. They become a commodity and that’s really not fair considering that we exterminated our only parrot species. I love seeing them together and wild, not in a cage and not at the whim of a breeder. This pair looks great together and I like the vagueness of the background as it relates to the fence and wire. Those crests and tails are something and seeing that I have no parrot species to watch, I wonder at their evolutionary advantage. Do they sing? Do they flock? Such wonder.
Hi Glenys, really nice addition to the series. Love how the gray on the birds matches other elements like the fence post and some of the background. Also love that orange cheek patch on the front bird and raised crests. Nice sharpness on both birds. Pleasing background. Well done.
Thank you @Allen_Sparks . And, @Kris_Smith . Kris, it’s incredibly sad what has happened to your parrots. The same has happened here with the Paradise Parrot and The Swift and Night Parrot are on the brink. Mainly always from habitat loss and introduced predators. We have 56 different species of parrots and cockatoos.
I have seen their crests flat on their head, but not very often. The crest seems to signal emotional states of curiosity or alertness. Visual communication. I’m not sure about their lovely tails, apart from helping them steer through thick undergrowth. A good crest and tail appearance might play a role in courtship. They don’t sing, but chatter away and whistle a lot. They are a flocking bird for sure. There was a small flock of 5 or six on this wire. The further west you travel the bigger the nomadic flocks seem to be as they search for water and seed.
Thanks for the info - fascinating and also sad because so many birds like this lead completely solitary lives instead of flocking like they should. And yeah, the Carolina parakeet was wiped out because of the usual reasons and to fulfill the demands of vain women and their lust for hats. Audubon’s painting of them is really spectacular.
I love this!! The composition is wonderful and getting his girlfriend looking at the viewer is a perfect touch! I think of one touch I would add here, which is a subtle darker gradient from the bottom to give some depth to the canola field and a slight bast to the post.
And it brings back memories – our older daughter had one when she was in high school and he became “ours” when she went away to college. He did sing – or tried to. He absolutely loved Jessye Norman and Led Zeppelin (go figure…) and did his best to sing along. When she came home on weekends he recognized the sound of her car and went nuts singing and dancing! He would raise his crest when he was happy or excited. When she married, he moved in too, and they acquired a mate for him and raised a second generation.
Another excellent birds-on-a-fence image, Glennie. The poses of the birds, as noted above, really make this one special and the bit of dimorphism in the plumage helps with the composition. I really like the slight lean to the post in this one, it just feels very appropriate. It’s also cool how the distant tree line parallels the male’s back. I don’t think it’s necessary to this composition, but if you should want the post sharp as well, taking another shot after the birds fly works fine for a short stack.
Thank you @Diane_Miller . Cockatiels are very much a cage bird here as well. Never had a cockatiel, but when I was a kid…a long time ago, Dad had found a pink and grey Galah. His name was Joe. He slept in a very small cage at night with the door open so he could come and go as he pleased. He loved Dad, but loved my mother’s toes more. No matter where she was, Joe would seek her out and nestle into her toes. Joe helped do the dishes at night by sitting on the bench top and throw out any cutlery that had been washed and dried and put away. He didn’t touch anything that wasn’t clean. He also helped dad do the many hedges we had around the garden. Never tethered or constrained in anyway, just helping with the trimming and nibbling dad’s ears when he got bored witht he gardening. Joe passed away a month after Dad. Dad was 96.
@Dennis_Plank ! Thank you. Good idea. I do have a sharper version of the post and did think about replacing. I will have a look at that. I’m pleased the wonky post didn’t offend!
What a great story! And I am quite sure he mourned for your Dad. I’m reading “Becoming Wild” by Carl Safina and just started the section on Scarlet Macaws. They are incredible – and so is the book! Very highly recommended, as are all of his books. He is the Carl Sagan of the animal kingdom.
This is lovely, Glennie. What a fantastic pose from these two, and in their now native habitat. I haven’t been tracking this series, but this one got my attention, so I’m going to take a look at the previous posts and look forward to the next.
