birding @lemmy.world EvilTed @lemmy.world 9 mo. ago

A beautiful little fluff ball. (additional pic in post)

Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) Nikon D7200, Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6

f/6.3, 1/500s, ISO 500, 480mm

My favourite small bird. It really is tiny at about 14 cm (5 1/2 in) in length but that includes its tail which is about 60% of the total. It can also weighs as little as 5g (0.18oz) which is the same as a goldcrest, but is usually a little heavier, up to 8g (0.28oz). I have seen fledglings which are truly miniscule.

They tend to live in flocks and I have seen as many as 30 at a time but more commonly around 10-15.

You will almost always hear them before you see them, they make a high pitched pip sound as they keep in touch as they flit through the trees and bushes.

I see them almost everyday on our bird feeders in the garden and they cheer me up no end as they all try to fit on one feeder.

9 comments

Wow, so small yet so majestic!
- Yes, they do have an air of self confidence for ones so small, a bit like my chihuahua lol
  
  Do you know what region these are most commonly seen in?
Nikon colors are my fav. they have such a peaceful feel to them, are these SOOC or have you tweaked them? Absolutely gorgeous
- Thank you 😊
  
  Tldr: yes and no, because I shoot in RAW.
  
  I shoot in RAW so I have an import profile I use in lightroom for all my bird photos that's basically balancing the exposure, shadows and highlights with some noise reduction and sharpening. I don't apply any colour correction.
  
  I then mess around with the ones I want to make a tiff from or on rare occasions print. I usually end up making it worse lol
  
  This one was a bit different, in that the bird was well lit and I was happy with everything but the leaves were really blue as they were in deep shade. I looked at changing the white balance to bring the greens out or messing with the channels, but in the end I left it pretty much alone.
  
  When I started digital photography I found it difficult to deal with everyone's opinions on the look and feel of my images. I have a taste but it's not to everyone's liking. This many years later I have kind of decided you can't please everyone but I am really glad you like it.
  
  I have a couple of others I think you will like if you like this one. I'll post them up over the next few days.
  
  I am looking forward to seeing your other pics (ʘ‿ʘ)

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