This has been a week of understated loveliness with so many kind comments and offers of help as I slowly regain energy, that I have felt overwhelmed and very, very grateful.
Canon 5DSR, Canon 100-400mm L IS II USM
1/800, f/5.6, ISO 1600, focal length 400mm
It seems fitting to share a species that I think fits the description of understated loveliness. This time last year I was walking with my youngest daughter and her baby, the same sweet baby that hugged me through the glass today. We dawdled at the oval, watching Crested Pigeons searching for seeds among the dry grasses.
Unsurprisingly I had my camera with me, and unsurprisingly I was soon flat out on the grass taking photographs. I love the pastel colours in this shot, they seem to emphasis the gentleness of this unassuming species. Its fine feathered crest stands out against the blurred background while the pigeon’s pinkish-red foot stands out in the narrow line of in focus grasses.
Examining the colours of this pigeon I’ve suddenly been reminded of 1980s kitchens! Crested Pigeons make a characteristic whistling sound when they take off due to a modified wing feather. They can often be identified at quite a distance as they raise and fan their tails when they land.
I have caught up with comments from last month and will catch up with last week’s comments as soon as I can. I feel that we are part of a wide birding family, it’s a comforting thought.
Happy birding from home, Kim
~ Facebook page Kim Wormald – lirralirra
~ Facebook group Ethical Bird Photography
Good to hear you’re getting better! I love the colours of these pigeons, so subtle and soft.
Thank you Donna. I love the subtleness too, there’s a gentleness about it that is very sweet
Truly beautiful!
Thank you Susan
Serendipity. It was only yesterday that I pointed a crested pigeon out to my partner and said how glad I was to see them again. Like so many of the less showy birds a close examination shows that they have a very, very real beauty of their own.
I am glad that you are feeling a smidge better. DONT push it. Please.
What a sweet coincidence! They are hidden beauties. Thanks for your advice too, I don’t think I could push it if I’d tried, a couple of times a day I get to a point where I know I’m about to fall asleep and there’s nothing I can do about it. I hope your friend is recovering well.
So glad your on the mend now .
But let time do it’s thing and heal. Soon enough you will be fighting fit and back out taking magical photographs like this
Thank you for your kind comment Bill 🙂
I love crested pigeons! Such a strange noise when they fly. A gorgeous shot 🙂
It really is a peculiar sound, very distinctive. I’m glad you like them, thank you 🙂