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Turdus merula (Family: Turdidae; common name: Blackbird)
Taking good photos of the female blackbird proved to be more difficult than initially anticipated. The main problem is to find the bird. In contrast to males, females of this species are far more shy and remain hidden for the bigger part of the day. They have a light brown colouration which allows them to blend perfectly with the background and finally, they do not sing, so you cannot figure out where they hide. The birds shown here were found in the places where we least expected them, either on the ground or on a tree next to a house. The bird in the last photo was completely invisible and we only noticed its presence when a male landed on the same tree and started jumping from branch to branch to get closer to her.
Photos by Marina Parha and George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/2.8 D with TC Kenco 1.4x Teleplus Pro300 @ 420mm
1. Sensitivity: ISO 1000
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/500 sec - f/10, Shutter priority mode, -2EV
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL/BL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.
2. Sensitivity: ISO 1000
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/500 sec - f/4, Shutter priority mode, +1EV
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL/BL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.
3. Sensitivity: ISO 1000
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/500 sec - f/4, Shutter priority mode, +2EV
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL/BL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.
4. Sensitivity: ISO 1000
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/500 sec - f/4, Shutter priority mode, -2EV
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL/BL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized. | 
