14 August 2013

Blue skies and a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

do you see what I see?    Yes I know, you've got to know where to look ...

now?

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, and I'm loving the blue skies too

that's one stray little feather stuck on top







Birds of Australia book notes: familiar characteristics, when perched a distinctive habit of 'shuffling' or refolding of wings.


Sharing with Wild Bird Wednesday


40 comments:

eileeninmd said...

What a pretty bird! The cuckoo is a hard bird for me to sight. I usually hear them before seeing them. Your skies and Cuckoo shots are wonderful.

Bob Bushell said...

What a lovely bird and a blue skies.

HansHB said...

Lovely birds and a great blu sky in Your serie of photos!

FAB said...

Super views Carole against that beautiful blue sky.

TexWisGirl said...

he is handsome - and he fits in perfectly with stewart's post today. :)

FOREST SNAPPER said...

great looking bird and as you say lovely sky's

Faye said...

Such a handsome bird, but like an old man hanging on to that last bit of hair! :-)

Liked your approach to revealing the bird. I looked hard but didn't see until about the 3rd frame.

Brian King said...

What a handsome bird and the blue skies are awesome! He's really up there! Wonderful photos!

Your new posts aren't showing up in my Blogger feed again, but I'm getting them through Bloglovin'.

Carletta said...

Even with his subdued color he is striking against that lovely blue sky!

Rohrerbot said...

Incredible!!! What a beautiful bird.....and good eye:)

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

That was fun, I felt like you had given me binoculars and told me where to point them. And what a beautiful bird you spotted for me! Thanks.

mick said...

Great photos - and everything is extra nice against a beautiful blue sky.

Jane said...

Wonderful photos of the cuckoo-shrike Carole. I thought he looked a bit like he was at Ascot in his black, grey and white and wearing a fascinater (think that's what you call them!) Seriously though, really lovely to see, thank you. Bye for now Jane

Karen said...

Love his feather "do"!

Jan Castle said...

Perfect shots Carole...it took me awhile to see him - LOL! You cheated with your lens!!!!
Hugs,
Jan

Joop Zand said...

Lovely bird and nice contrasts on the pictures.

Greetings and i wish you a nice day, Joop

No Tulip on my blog Carole.... gives problems with posting.
maybe late on i will try it again.

Unknown said...

A beautiful bird and amazing blue skies.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Yes Carole I did spot t but only when you told me a bird was in the shot!!
Beautiful shots and like the way you bring it closer and closer to us.

Gumer Paz said...

Beautiful photographs Carole! Thank you very much! A kiss :)

Unknown said...

Handsome bird!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Stewart M said...

Very nice bird in (as far as I cam tell) a typical position! ie a rather long way away! As you may gather I have no decent pictures of them!

Cheers and thanks for linking to WBW.

Stewart M - Melbourne

PS; I rather like the header too!

Christian Perrin said...

That zoom lens is incredible - but you've got to know where to point it, so good spotting! Though it's a common bird, it's always been one of my favourites for its subdued beauty, gentle call, and compulsive wing shuffle. Thanks for show-casing him!

Dianne said...

What an interesting bird Carole ... I don't think we have them in our area.

Seraphinas Phantasie said...

Wonderful photos of this bird, so clear on the top of the tree. Great !

Irma said...

Beautiful bird and so close.

Montanagirl said...

He's a very striking bird! How big is your zoom lens again?? LOL. Did you zoom him in closer in a photo program? Excellent photos.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful shots of that handsome bird. I love your header shot too!

Carole M. said...

glad you each enjoyed the shots, and to Monanagirl: How big the lens? 50xzoom takes it to 1200mm. All photos taken hand-held and that means bracing myself well and truly! None of these needed to be cropped. If I'd cropped they'd have shown up the inperfections/noise more at that distance. Believe me when I say, not every zoom shot at this distance turns out as good as these did; I was happy with them too. I'm still getting used to what settings to mix; I'm trying to get the recipe right still

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Eagle-eye Carole does it again. Well done.

Teresa Cypher said...

Stunning! Wonderful job. Nice that you started out wide and then pulled us in closer--for perspective. Cameras are so incredible. I'm old enough to remember when I used to carry field glasses. lol. With the zoom even off the shelf cameras have today, why bother? Excellent pics. Thanks for sharing :-)

Jeanne said...

Carole, whatever lens you used for this, it is amazingly accurate, unless of course you climbed the tree!! LOL. Will not see you for a acouple of weeks, but will catch up when I get back. Will also look for your second blog as I did not find it before. Best from Texas

Carole M. said...

Jeanne it's the fixed lens in this new bridge camera I'm using. I'll add an appropriate link to a review on it in my sidebar shortly. Enjoy that trip Jeanne

Phil Slade said...

That bird was a long way off when you spotted it Carole. Glad it hung around on the branch long enough for you to get those pictures - a smart looking bird.

Donna said...

What a great bird and shots from way up there...

Anonymous said...

beautiful shot! i just watched "the big year" this weekend and your photo reminded me of those quests!

DeniseinVA said...

A wonderful series of photos Carole, and that bright blue sky makes such a pretty backdrop to this lovely bird.

Helma said...

Soooo ...... really very well seen and beautifully photographed Carole!

Anonymous said...

Hello Carole,
that's a wonderful series, perfect pictures of a nice bird!
Wish you a good weekend
moni

Thanks if you visit my blog
http://www.reflexionblog.de

Wally Jones said...

That's a very handsome bird!
Nice work on holding steady for that nice, clear shot!
It doesn't hurt that he's showcased with that gorgeous sky as a backdrop!

Neil said...

Beautiful series.