Female Black-Chinned Hummingbird

Here is a image taken on a overcast Monday afternoon of a Female Black-Chinned Hummingbird perched at my Hummingbird garden. She is the only regular visitor that I see almost every day. This is her favorite perch which is unfortunately not the best looking. Some self critique for this image is I wish it were a tad sharper ( see shutter speed ) and I wish that her head was tilted more towards me. But other than that I was at least pleased with the background! ;-)
As soon as the week long rain and clouds move off and give way to some sun I will try to get out to get more images that are hopefully better than this.
Enjoy.

Specs: 1/80th. | f/5.6 | ISO 500

Western Kingbird

When out biking around the park near my house yesterday I spotted about 5 of these juvenile Western Kingbirds sitting on the same branch of a tree just chattering away and waiting for some food. Not having my camera with me, I peddled home as fast as I could and grabbed my gear, then took off again. When I got back they were still sitting there.
They were easily approachable and I had time to snap a few photos before some storm clouds covered the sun. I hope you enjoy this one.

Specs: 1/2000ths. | f/5.6 | ISO 320

Pied-Billed Grebe

Hello All,
I finally made it out to the reservoir Monday and the weather was very nice. I saw many species but was unable to get many shots, except for this one of a Pied-Billed Grebe,
which was quite a heavy crop at that. I think this would have been a better image had I gotten the reeds in the background, but I will try that next time. Among the species I saw were: Pied-Billed Grebe, Wood Duck, and Least Bittern. This afternoon I will be off to the Fort Worth Nature Center for some great birding and hopefully great photography! I will post what I come back with soon.
Enjoy.

Specs: 1/800ths. - f/8 - ISO 200

Chipping Sparrow

Hello Everyone,
Wow, I am sorry that it has taken me so long to post! I have been sooo busy this summer and have had so little time for photography (I cannot stand it!) and what ever time I have I never get anything worth sharing. The weather here is your typical summer here in Texas. The temperatures have reached a sweltering 104 degrees and things are getting very dry.
I have hopes of getting out for some shooting soon. Today I when I drove by the reservoir I could see a flock of waders in the shallow stream that flows into the reservoir, so I am very anxious to get over there and see what species they are and get some images. We will see...
So for now here is an image from earlier this year. This of Chipping Sparrow that visited my backyard. Unfortunately, the only place he perched where I could get a shot of him was on the feeder pole. So while not a perfect shot, I was still happy to get it.
I hope that I will have more to share with you all soon.

Specs: 1/500ths. - f/8 - ISO 200

House Finch

Sorry for not posting in a while Everyone! Not much has been going on photography wise. I have family visiting from North Carolina this week, and won't be doing any photography for the duration of their visit. I am hoping to make it out to the Fort Worth Nature Center on Monday and photograph the White Pelicans and Prothonotary Warblers that have been seen nesting under the boardwalk.
But for now here is an image from a week or so ago of a House Finch perched outside my bedroom window. Hope you like it!

Specs: 1/320ths. - f/8 - ISO 200 - cropped vertical

Great Egret Pano

My Mom and I went to the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge on Monday in hopes of spotting a Painted Bunting, but we never did see one. But we did see a huge flock of White Pelicans, many different species of Herons and Egrets, Hawks and many others. Unfortunately, none of the birds wanted to have their photo taken! The best I came home with were two images of this Great Egret fishing. Towards the end of our trip we did find a really nice bird blind that the Nature Center built for birders. It is situated over the marsh, really close to all of the water birds, and has two platform bird feeders on each side of it on the bank. We did not see much, but this was where I did get this image, we only spent about 20 minutes there though, and plan on making that the spot we will spend most of our time at on our next visit. I cannot wait! Anyway, I kind of liked this because it included the environment and he had a fish in his bill. Let me know what you think!
BTW, to see the image better click on it to view a bigger size in a new window.

Specs: 1/125th. - f/8 - ISO 400

Monarch Butterfly

While going through some images I found this one taken last September. I was at the reservoir and saw this little fella' perched on a reed. So I took this photo of it, not really caring much about how it turned out, and to my surprise when I uploaded it to the computer I really liked it!
The details really showed and I loved the colors, I couldn't be happier!
It figures I spend forever trying to get just one decent photo of any bird and come across this lovely butterfly and just snap a pic for fun, and it is the best thing I come home with!
Such is my luck... ;-)
Hope you like it.

Specs: Taken with my old Rebel XT
1/800ths. - f/5.6 - ISO 200