Random Ranch Photos

Orange-crowned Warbler

Nikon D300, AF-S 300/2.8 plus TC20E III (2x), ISO 800, 1/200th second at f/8, 2/29/2012

Other pressures on my time have kept me from processing recent photos and from making posts to this blog, so I’ve grabbed three random images from the Gilbert Water Ranch for a quick entry.

Orange-crowned Warbler is a fairly common bird in winter around Phoenix, although not as common as the ubiquitous Yellow-rumped Warbler. They don’t show themselves as openly as the yellow-rumps do, but at least when they do they don’t move around quite as actively. This was taken at the same time and place as this previously posted Ruby-crowned Kinglet while I stood in a brush tangle near an inflow to one of the ponds. It would be a better image if the small leaves didn’t block the tail and it the perch didn’t branch right in front of the warbler. When you shoot wild birds in random encounters it helps to have a higher tolerance for some imperfections.

Anna's Hummingbird

Nikon D300, AF-S 300/2.8 plus TC20E III (2x), ISO 400, 1/500th second at f/11, 1/31/2012

Anna’s Hummingbird is the default hummer at the Water Ranch, present there in good numbers fall through spring. In summer the Black-chinned Hummingbirds displace Anna’s. In winter there are occasional sightings of Costa’s, and in migration there can be Broad-tailed and Rufous as well.

It takes the proper direction of light to illuminate the colorful gorget on male hummers; without it the entire throat can appear black as in this image. The light here is rather harsh, and the image was taken in late morning (at 9:50 am). This is much later than my usual time at the Water Ranch – this is the day that the gates were locked and I was forced to another entry point only to find out that I couldn’t get out where I planned and had to take a much longer walk to reach my car.

Rabbit

Nikon D300, AF-S 300/2.8 plus TC20E III (2x), ISO 800, 1/160th second at f/8, 2/29/2012

When I’m not working the birds I try to keep myself open to other subjects and opportunities. There are plenty of rabbits at the Water Ranch now that there are fewer feral cats, and occasionally I’ll point the camera down instead of up to capture one. This was taken the same day as the Orange-crowned Warbler at the top of this post.