Lesser Goldfinch
Other priorities have limited my time in the field lately, but I have managed a couple visits to the Gilbert Water Ranch. I found a small flock of Lesser Goldfinches feeding on the remains of the largest stand of sunflowers at the Ranch and couldn’t pass up a few photos. It was already past 8:00 am so the light wasn’t as nice as it could have been, and in addition the sunflowers here are on the south side of the path so the shooting is almost always against the light.
As much as I detest working with flash I knew my best chances of usable photos here would require some flash fill, so I attached my SB-800 flash to my Nikon D200 and confirmed it was ser to high speed sync and -2 2/3rds stops compensation. That’s just enough power to open up the shadows without wiping them away completely. It also adds a catchlight to the eye to give the subject some life.
Its not my best shot of the species, but at least I didn’t come home empty handed.
Rich Ditch's Photography Blog 
This is beautiful. I think the flash worked nicely for this image. I’ve seen several goldfinches at the preserve, but I haven’t managed to get such a clear shot of one.
Comment by Kimberly Hosey (AZ Writer) — November 17, 2009 @ 12:26 pm