Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) Nikon D7200, Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6
f/6.3, 1/500s, ISO 500, 480mm
My favourite small bird. It really is tiny at about 14 cm (5 1/2 in) in length but that includes its tail which is about 60% of the total. It can also weighs as little as 5g (0.18oz) which is the same as a goldcrest, but is usually a little heavier, up to 8g (0.28oz). I have seen fledglings which are truly miniscule.
They tend to live in flocks and I have seen as many as 30 at a time but more commonly around 10-15.
You will almost always hear them before you see them, they make a high pitched pip sound as they keep in touch as they flit through the trees and bushes.
I see them almost everyday on our bird feeders in the garden and they cheer me up no end as they all try to fit on one feeder.
Thank you 😊
Tldr: yes and no, because I shoot in RAW.
I shoot in RAW so I have an import profile I use in lightroom for all my bird photos that’s basically balancing the exposure, shadows and highlights with some noise reduction and sharpening. I don’t apply any colour correction.
I then mess around with the ones I want to make a tiff from or on rare occasions print. I usually end up making it worse lol
This one was a bit different, in that the bird was well lit and I was happy with everything but the leaves were really blue as they were in deep shade. I looked at changing the white balance to bring the greens out or messing with the channels, but in the end I left it pretty much alone.
When I started digital photography I found it difficult to deal with everyone’s opinions on the look and feel of my images. I have a taste but it’s not to everyone’s liking. This many years later I have kind of decided you can’t please everyone but I am really glad you like it.
I have a couple of others I think you will like if you like this one. I’ll post them up over the next few days.
I am looking forward to seeing your other pics (ʘ‿ʘ)