One of the most satisfying things to photograph are birds. They’re beautiful and graceful, colourful and elusive, sometimes also fast and camouflaged… all of which combines to make them that much more challenging and rewarding. Here are some of my faves, and where I took them. Every shot in this collection was the same lens; the Canon 100mm Prime f2.8.

Barn Owl, Vancouver Island BC
Budgies, Rome, Italy
Anhinga, Caño Negro, Costa Rica
Green Parrots – Agra, India
Brown Pelican, St Maartan
Emerald Hummingbirds, Quepos, Costa Rica
Emerald Hummingbird, Monte Verde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica
Spectacle Owl, Vancouver Island, BC
Jabiru, Caño Negro, Costa Rica
Kingfisher, Caño Negro, Costa Rica
Blue Heron, Victoria BC
Green Heron, St Maartan
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151 responses to “Photo-Take-Outter Friday #11 – Feathered Friends”

  1. Capture the Streets Avatar
    Capture the Streets

    Truly great shots. The birds are beautiful

    1. scoutcuomo Avatar
      scoutcuomo

      I love that green heron wing. great catch! these are wonderful pictures. Thank you!

  2. Hindupur Avinash Avatar

    Perfect captures.. Blue heron and emerald hummingbirds along with the nest. But in the last picture, is the head of Green Heron missing or got cropped out in pic?

    1. shireenn Avatar

      Hi there! The Green Heron has been cropped out, it’s head is missing! I had lots of shots of this bird, (with it’s head in) but for some reason this was the one I liked best, so it’s the one I chose to share :)

      1. toesfeet Avatar

        I like that it’s cropped out because it brings a lot of attention to those marvelous wings!

      2. Hindupur Avinash Avatar

        I too agree with toesfeet, the crop indeed brings attention to the wings.. and they look beautiful!

  3. baamekniits Avatar

    Wow really nice shots! Love that spectacle owl :-)

  4. Mikalee Byerman Avatar

    Wow wow WOW — those owl shots are stunning!

    :)

  5. vanityrush Avatar
    vanityrush

    Amazing shots! Great composure with Spectacle Owl and Blue Heron.

  6. Christine Avatar

    These are fabulous! Lovely, lovely work.

  7. Shari Lopatin Avatar

    You are a truly talented photographer. I especially love the photo taken in Rome, Italy. Beautiful and graceful! Love your work. :-)

  8. Romantic Asian Guy Avatar

    Such lovely pictures. Always fun to see birds out in nature doing their thing:)

  9. Carlie Chew Avatar
    Carlie Chew

    Gorgeous bird shots!

  10. emotionalsalad Avatar

    Wow !!! Beautiful photos…Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed…well deserved

  11. savor the sweet life Avatar

    Love the Humming Birds! :)

  12. halfbakedlog Avatar

    Love your pictures. Birds are the most beautiful creatures. I’m enjoying their chirps and feathers outside my window right now.

  13. justalittlebrit Avatar

    Beautiful, beautiful photos!

  14. RAMU DAS Avatar
    RAMU DAS

    Great captures! stunningly beautiful!

  15. Mom Meets Blog Avatar

    Thanks for the beautiful photographs and congrats on being Freshly Pressed!

  16. QQ Avatar
    QQ

    beautiful photos

    I love capturing birds also except my lens is usually not fast enough…

  17. Abi Reimold Avatar
  18. littleitaly918 Avatar

    These are incredible pictures. The Kingfisher is positively stunning.

  19. njr711 Avatar

    I really enjoy the Hummingbird with the nest. Very lovely greens. Hope to visit Costa Rica myself one day.

  20. misskellyjean Avatar

    Great photos. I really like the one with the parakeets:)

  21. StrayCanary Avatar

    These shots are truly gorgeous. I especially love the juxtaposition of birds with the human world.

  22. eclegein Avatar

    Beautiful pictures, especially the hummingbirds and the green heron, albeit headless! The kingfisher almost resembles a tree swallow.

  23. Photo Media Avatar
    Photo Media

    lovely shots !

  24. hannele Avatar

    beautiful, great and diverse shots! :)

  25. Constance V. Walden Avatar

    It never ceases to amaze me of the wonders of God…how He makes things so beautiful. Thanks for sharing. Connie
    http://7thandvine.wordpress.com/

  26. poojycat Avatar

    wow! amazing! ;)

  27. maybrick2001 Avatar

    The Spectacled Owl is awesome, very nicely done.

  28. Noel Tendick Avatar
    Noel Tendick

    Awesome set, great blend of stillness and flight.

  29. Antonius Wolf Avatar
    Antonius Wolf

    You have some amazing pics. I especially love the pic with the budgies. I’d love to share this pic on my facebook/twitter if you don’t mind.

    1. shireenn Avatar

      For sure! Thanks for asking :)

  30. modernmiracleme Avatar

    Great job. Beautiful pics from one bird lover to another :)

  31. The Artist Makena Avatar

    Gorgeous!

    & Congratulations!!!

  32. mcolmo Avatar

    Beautiful photos and beautiful birds. There are many species where I live but it’s very hard to photograph them. They get scared easily.

  33. coffee zombie Avatar

    Gorgeous. I in particular like the second owl picture.

  34. passport2bliss Avatar

    Wow…you’re quite talented! Love them all, but I have a soft spot for the budgies. The budgie on the very right looks exactly like the one I used to own growing up. :)

  35. wairua1983 Avatar
    wairua1983

    Very nice photos :) I also love taking photos of birds – mainly seabirds!

  36. Jamie Insalaco Avatar

    hardcore! got any big parrot photos! I have lots, but they’re all of the same parrot…

  37. Charlotte Lehman Avatar
    Charlotte Lehman

    Very beautiful photos! I especially love the Spectacle Owl in Vancouver–he has so much emotion and majesty. What a wonderful photo.

  38. Po' Girl Shines Avatar

    Fabulous pictures! I want to wear the Emerald hummingbird’s nest!

  39. The World According to Alice Avatar
    The World According to Alice

    bird photography is one of my passions – i loved seeing your work. for some reason i find the budgies particularly endearing. :)

  40. Alyssa Avatar
    Alyssa

    Lovely shots and those are really cute and colorful parrots. :)

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  41. Liz Avatar

    Love the photos, especially the owls!

  42. minimustardseed Avatar

    The two hummingbirds are my favorite but all these are absolutely incredible!

  43. triptracker Avatar

    These are amazing. I have tried my hand at birds but never had the success like these. Thanks for sharing.

  44. Dee Avatar

    wow this is truly amazing photo… thank you for sharing.. love them all, my favorite is emerald colibri.. so cute…..

  45. AbbyEscArt Avatar

    The details in these photos are beautiful!

  46. Miruna Falzon Avatar

    Hi, i was so happy to see your first photo is of a barn owl since i have a baby owl 6 weeks old and i love her to bits.
    Your photos are so beautiful.

  47. Claudia Avatar

    Gorgeous photos of gorgeous birds! Being partial to owls, I really like your owl pictures. :)

    Excellent shots!

  48. Homeward Bound and Messing Around Avatar

    Cool shots! That first owl looks like it’s judging me, haha ;)

  49. The London Socialite Avatar

    These pictures are unreal! My favourite are the hummingbirds. Absolutely stunning. Photos like these makes you appreciate mother nature, earth and all living things.

  50. cravesadventure Avatar

    Cool Photos – Congrats on being FP!

  51. Lori Lipsky Avatar

    Gorgeous photos. Well done.

  52. A Story of Light Avatar

    Beautiful shots! Thank you so much for sharing!

    ♥ Love and light ♥

    ~ Jennifer

  53. allthepines Avatar

    brilliant! love the budgies!

  54. Gotta Vent! Avatar
    Gotta Vent!

    I love your photos! I have a few birdfeeders in my backyard and I absolutley love watching all the finches, redbirds and chicadees that come visit me each morning. You’ve got me thinking about getting a better camera so that I can snap some better photos of them. Thank you so much for sharing! -Maddie

  55. Bluebird Annie Avatar

    Your Green Heron is breathtaking. I love the composure adding emphasis to the wings. You might want to check the Kingfisher picture. It appears to be a Tree Swallow. These are all wonderful shots. It looks like the birds posed for you! Costa Rica is a great place for hummingbirds!

    1. shireenn Avatar

      Thanks for the heads up! I’ll see if I can get an ID check on that little blue bird :) (I went with what my nature guide told me, but he could be wrong!)

      1. Bluebird Annie Avatar

        A great site to check out birds is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology “all about birds” guide. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tree_Swallow/id

  56. rererendria Avatar

    love it! really I love it! no doubt about it!

  57. blogoriginator Avatar

    Good photos. I like em. My favorite is the second one. Very cool shots too.

  58. samacwns Avatar

    Wonderful Pictures! I love the Barn Owl! :D

  59. Glen Avatar

    Awsome photographs! keep up the good work!

  60. geordiesgirl Avatar

    Ahhh the Hummingbird’s are majestic. Beautiful Images!
    http://www.geordiesgirl.com

  61. dreamz infra Avatar

    truly great pic’s like it very much…

  62. Abrielle Valencia Avatar
    Abrielle Valencia

    Beautiful birds! Love the pictures!
    Follow me @ http://abriellev.wordpress.com/

  63. Dreamz Infra:Fantastic Flats For Sale Avatar

    wow!!! beautiful and colourful birds.It is one of the most satisfying things to photograph are birds. Really they’re beautiful and graceful, colourful and elusive, sometimes also fast and camouflage. which combines to make them that much more challenging and rewarding.My favourite are the hummingbirds. Absolutely stunning. Photos.Thanks for sharing.

  64. pixelogist Avatar

    amazing shots! i cant pick a favorite. it takes a lot of skill to capture shots like these, i should know!

  65. ladyladylike Avatar

    What a delightful post! I love watching the birds in the morning out on the ranch here in northern California. So beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

  66. Dreamzinfra provides wonderful Flats. Avatar

    Wonderful birds photograph.That first owl looks beautiful.Gorgeous photos of gorgeous birds! I am happy to see your all photos.

  67. Feathered Friends « My Favorite Spaces Avatar

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  68. lincoln300 Avatar

    Indeed challenging to take nature photos, especially that of animals. I like owls, they seems to be deep in thought

  69. Meghan Johnson Avatar

    The colors are surreal. What a great collection. Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed, it’s well deserved!

  70. Real Estate Properties in Bangalore Avatar

    birds never give loss to anyone ,birds is one of the beauty of world so love them…

  71. Crystal Avatar
    Crystal

    These shots are beautiful… I agree birds are so beautifully colorful and very tough to capture at times

  72. Manoj Avatar

    Nature sure can mix and match colors and get away with it !! Great photos, thanks for sharing.

  73. katzfood Avatar

    Beautiful pictures!! I love birds!! My favorite is the barn owl. Absolutely stunning!!! I am looking forward to seeing many more pictures. You are very talented! Thank you for sharing!!! Come check out my blog! http://www.katzfood.wordpress.com. Good luck to you!

    1. shireenn Avatar

      I definitely will! Thanks for sharing :)

  74. Boomdeeadda Avatar

    I really liked the composition of your photo’s. We lived at a lake for 25 years and were lucky to have many species like Pelican, Haron, Ducks etc. But never got shots like yours, good job. The hummingbird on nest was my favorite so I PIN’d it. Thank you.

  75. onewomaninaricefield Avatar
    onewomaninaricefield

    WE have a budgie! You did such a good job of capturing their many moods in one photo.

  76. Fourth Generation Farm Wife Avatar

    Great post. I love birds! The humming bird shots are great.

  77. Java Girl Avatar
    Java Girl

    That Kingfisher is amazing, such beautiful colors! Great job capturing these wonderful creatures on camera!

  78. Donkey Whisperer Farm Avatar

    I love to feed the wild birds just put a bird swing out in view of the humming bird feeder very cute. Congratulations making freshly pressed!

  79. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    Beautiful work! It takes a lot of patience to photograph birds.

  80. peacerocko Avatar
    peacerocko

    Cool photos. Congrats. :)

  81. Pedro Alvarez Fotografía Avatar
  82. diaryofachefswife Avatar

    I’m partial to the hummingbird photo since I love hummingbirds and find it incredible that photographers (such as yourself) are able to capture their wings in flight, but I have to say, the colours in that wing of the blue heron is stunning! What a great compilation of photos and talent!

  83. pnwauthor Avatar

    I love birds too, come from a family that enjoys photographing avians, but still have not mastered the art of photographing birds. You, on the other hand, have done a fabulous job. What a lovely post.

  84. welikethemoon Avatar

    Ooooh, I like the last one. Almost gone, but still a beautiful shot of the wings. Tried hummingbirds too, very hard, but also very rewarding when you succeed in capturing them.

  85. Two Troublesome K9s Avatar

    Beautiful photographs!

  86. rommypujianto Avatar

    wow, the photographs were so wow :)
    but i’m wondering what happened with the last frame? why it’s croped?

    1. shireenn Avatar

      Haha, it’s been an ongoing discussion in the comments section – I had many photos of this bird, I used maximum burst to shoot it taking off. This last shot had it’s head cropped off, but it was the one I liked best and the one I chose to share because the detail on the wings is so lovely here. I think the general consensus is that it worked out well ;)

  87. nbushphotography Avatar

    Beautiful captures of the wildlife here. I especially love the last photograph of the Green Heron. It’s different in that it doesn’t focus on the entire bird, but only the incredible detail in its feathers. Thanks for sharing your great images!

    – Nate

  88. rolandmingus Avatar
    rolandmingus

    wow huming birds :p

  89. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    Wonderful photos. I’m new at photography, but love birding so have combined the two, myself. The hummingbird with nest is sweet and beautiful. Congrats on being freshly pressed!

  90. kennysntv Avatar

    Great Photo’s Wish my photography could look that great

  91. toughlittlebirds Avatar

    Beautiful shots! I’m so impressed that you found those owls. I love the Anhinga.

  92. Crazystufftodo Avatar

    I love the emerald hummingbirds!

    My website is crazystufftodo.wordpress.com – I would be SO grateful if you had a look!

  93. hellomynameisamina Avatar
    hellomynameisamina

    you’re photography is amazing:)xx

  94. phytoplanktonic Avatar

    Just absolutely gorgeous… great photos, I love birds :) The spectacle owl is spectacular!!

  95. Pip Rowson Avatar

    The Budgies in Rome! Great stuff.

  96. shimmyshimmybangbang Avatar

    BEAUTIFUL! In love with the Spectacle Owl :)

  97. angelique523 Avatar

    Such a beautiful blog. I love birds. Have two horned owls outside my house most nights. They say it is a sign that someone is going to pass away. I have learned that in reality it is a sign that there are a bunch of rabbits, squirrels, rats and other good things for them to eat around. Your blog is fantastic and all birds are beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

  98. Sarah Avatar

    I literally gasped when I saw the anhinga. Wow. All of these shots are just beautiful. Thank you for having the patience and talent to take them!

  99. Bonnie Anderson Avatar

    Beautiful shots of beautiful birds. You have quite an eye. I especially like the budgies.

  100. paperstew Avatar
    paperstew

    Lovely images! The green parrot in Agra India is commonly known as an Indian Ringneck parrot (or parakeet). They are super noisy and gregarious, but I loved seeing them in the wild when I was there.

  101. Lakia Gordon Avatar

    Beautiful birdies!

  102. poemattic Avatar

    I sent this to my mother in law. she loves birds. What beautiful photographs

  103. katesfolly Avatar

    Stunning images, the emerald hummingbirds are a real standout! And the kingfisher…and the owls! x

  104. Theresa Roth Avatar

    Wow, those pix instantly peaced me out! Re-Freshing!!! Thanks!

  105. Erin, Bella Bleue Avatar

    The depth of color in your photos is stunning…The birds make me feel happy and peaceful. Thank you for sharing, Erin, Bella Bleue

  106. Off The Cuff Avatar

    Awesome Pictures, I love how the barn owl looks spiritual.
    The crop on the heron really works!

  107. missuniversessk Avatar

    beautiful friends :)) , :)

  108. sketchjay Avatar

    Beautiful photos – Maybe we can collaborate sometime?

  109. rastelly Avatar

    I lived in south louisana all of my
    life before encountering a Least
    Bittern – my nine year old neighbor
    came to my door claiming to have
    seen a flat bird. Thinking I was to
    be shown an interesting road kill
    I was takin to a perfectly healthy
    specimen perched on the back
    of a chair – it was a few inches
    away from being a cardboard
    cut out and appeared to be
    made of wood. Only its
    yellow eyes followed me –
    All in all the tineist stark
    I had ever seen. It flew
    away once we had
    backed off but very
    few are luckey enough
    to see them – my uncle
    hunts duck in the marshes
    and had never seen one in
    his life – but supposedly
    they are very common.
    Hideing in the reeds and
    staying perfectly still –
    there can be hundreds
    all around you and you
    may never ever know
    it. If only I had had a
    camera.

  110. Richard McCargar Avatar

    Lovely pix. Congrats on your freshly pressed!

  111. Kaitlin Avatar

    Oh wow, these are gorgeous. I’m a sucker for birds.

  112. riowemel Avatar

    Reblogged this on riowemel and commented:
    I Like you blog

  113. sternstaubmagie Avatar
    sternstaubmagie

    I really LOVE the two hummingbirds ♥

  114. John Saddington Avatar
    John Saddington

    Reblogged this on 8BIT.

  115. akahai.photography Avatar

    These pictures are amazing! Birds are so hard to shoot because of the constant movement but you make it look easy! I admire your skills! Love the collection! :)

  116. Saudi Prices Blog Avatar

    Beautiful birds, Nice photography

  117. Shaggygirl Avatar

    Reblogged this on Shaggygirl and commented:
    Too beautiful not to share

  118. lazerhorse Avatar

    That green heron shot is awesome… actively dodging our gaze… elusive little bugger.

  119. nazarioartpainting Avatar
    nazarioartpainting

    Wow. You are amazing because it is a challenge capture beautiful photos of the birds in flight.

  120. lydiaa5656 Avatar

    My sentiment, awesome picture, I will be following for a long time to come.

  121. nyparrot Avatar

    I love those birds shots, being NYParrot and all;). Seriously – great job capturing beautiful moments on the fly!

  122. Quarterflip Avatar
    Quarterflip

    Reblogged this on QuarterFlip and commented:
    These are really good picture and pretty amazing to see !

  123. CrabbyChique Avatar

    The Rome pic is gorrrrgeous

  124. Bruce Avatar

    My favourites; Spectacle owl and the 2 Humming birds frozen in time.

  125. siaranicolle Avatar

    These pictures are wonderful! I love all kinds of birds. Owls are my favorite though so I was thrilled to see pictures of them:)

  126. armchairauthor Avatar

    What beautiful photographs! I love the hummingbirds and the pelican, and that green parrot against the red brick in India.

  127. Mathurini Avatar

    These are absolutely AMAZING! Firm favourite of the humming birds for me! Fantastic! xx

  128. newmexicopiyo Avatar

    Great hummingbird shots, I know they’re hard to get!

  129. Jessica Avatar

    Great shots. I’m pretty sure that’s not a kingfisher though. Looks to be a swallow.

  130. Champred Avatar

    Woow…….Amazing…. :-)

  131. on thehomefrontandbeyond Avatar

    incredible artistic – love all of them, but especially the first owl

  132. Four Avatar

    Great I like ^^

  133. Curls & Q Avatar

    Love the pictures! I wish my bird pictures would come out as well. The picture of the Jabiru reminds me of Icarus flying too close to the sun!

  134. […] Nachdem ich eine kleine eingängige Melodie immer wieder hörte, habe ich die mal nachgefiffen, und nun haben wir hier richtige Pfeifkonzerte, in denen einer anfängt, dann einer einsetzt – wobei meist Malia und ich den Anfang machen – es ein kleines Duett gibt und am Ende noch der eine oder andere Wellensittich mitpfeift. Dabei besteht eine Melodie aus maximal 5 Tönen, manchmal muss man auch nur einen Ton in der richtigen Tonhöhe treffen, wobei ich immer ins Hintertreffen gerate – ähm, Tonhöhe finden und halten… nö, das kann i net. Hier noch ein kleines Schmankerl: Eine Sammlung von schönen Vogelfotos diverser Arten, leider nicht von mir: Feathered friends. […]

  135. […] Photo-Take-Outter Friday #11 – Feathered Friends […]

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