Click On Photos to See Larger Image
Yesterday afternoon I photographed a new species for me, the Red Crossbill, near the Edmonds Marsh. A flock of the birds was in an evergreen tree near the entrance on the North side of the Marsh. I was surprised how close the birds let me get to the tree that they were in, and that along with a 400mm telephoto lens resulted in some good closeups of the birds!
The crossed mandibles of these birds’ beaks are especially interesting. According to the Audubon guide this results in beaks that are specialized for opening pine cones, which as you can see in the top photo is exactly what these birds were doing when photographed.
Photographs taken with Nikon D7000 and Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 ED VR lens.
Jud
16 Jan 2013Mike, Great photos, I really enjoyed them, Jud
Mike McAuliffe
16 Jan 2013Thanks Jud! I am glad you enjoyed the photos of the Red Crossbills.
Catherine
16 Jan 2013Wonderful photos, Mike. Thanks for sharing them.
Saw your post on Tweeters; thanks also for posting your links – I’m seriously considering a Snowy Owl photo tour with Aaron.
Mike McAuliffe
16 Jan 2013Thanks Catherine – glad you enjoyed the photos. I just did another tour with Aaron last week (bald eagle tour) and it was great, as of course was the Snowy Owl tour. Mike
Mary @ Fit and Fed
16 Jan 2013Good close-ups, those are hard to get!
Mike McAuliffe
16 Jan 2013Thanks Mary. I appreciate the feedback and am glad you enjoyed the photos! Mike