Milkweed with snow bunting

[tameigh]

Was driving on a back road and there was a big flock of these. Then come here for the winter from Hudson's Bay and "fly away in spring." This is their idea of going south. I love these birds and this is the first time, after a hundred shots at least, that I got something usable.

I still would like to get the image of a large flock of these birds, white with the black wingtips, taking off in the sunshine, as I have seen them, but that is an even harder shot to get.

[MiniChris]

Never seen the likes of such a bird as this...looks like a cross between a Southwestern Indian graphic representation and a Snowy Owl..Amazing that you got them that close to the ground and seemingly in perfect focus. Nice shot.

[Suzanne]

This is just wonderful. You have a real touch when it comes to the nature animal shots. Love your fox!!! This is such a great moment that you caught. Beautiful birds. It reminds me of Robert Bateman's paintings.

[jeeperman]

Nice job Tim.

[Klickit]

This is a lovely image that speaks very strongly of winter and for those of us who live in warmer climates, is something that we may never see. You have captured those charming wee birds beautifully and they sit perfectly in the composition. They seem to be as curious about you as you are about them.

One small suggestion, and please feel free to ignore it if you think otherwise, but I feel that the image as a whole would be much stronger if those four bits of "bumph" that are floating independently of the other plants were cloned out. They take my eye needlessly away from the other elements in the picture. Just a thought.

[tameigh]

Before I moved here, I had never seen or heard of these birds either. These birds are mostly ground dwelling. Then nest in the tundra, after all. There was a grain spill on the road that there were not going to be so quick to leave, I think, so I got a lot of shots.

Suzanne,
Thank you. I am not sure what I am going to do when the snow melts though. I took up this hobby in November, so I am kind of dreading the passing of winter from a photography point of view because I know I can't keep using this style...

Here is one I am not sure what to do with of a snow goose, with similar markings. This one is a little depressing though because it apparently had been shot during the migration, which was the only reason I was able to get within a quarter mile of it, since it couldn't fly. You can see the wing is angled unnaturally. Two more geese were with it and flew off when I got there.



Klickit.
I think maybe the image already looks overly "painterly." I thought of your suggestion, but perhaps I will simply de-emphasize them somehow. They are the remains of corn stalks (maize to non Americans) and these are usually seen gleaning from these fields, so I think they add something to the picture.

[Katy Noelle]

Thank you. I am not sure what I am going to do when the snow melts though. I took up this hobby in November, so I am kind of dreading the passing of winter from a photography point of view because I know I can't keep using this style...

That's funny that you say this because I felt the same way going from summer to fall to winter - I was really intimidated by the thought of photography in snow. It's all so good and fun, although, the light is different in many ways. It's like, what I learned six months ago is just simmering and I can't wait to see what I come up with when the snow is gone again. We have a lot of twiddling of the thumbs to do before then, though, eh?