Common Redpolls, Pine Siskin

[ShawnZ]

The common redpoll images are from Duluth, MN., last year. The siskin image was made recently in the Sax Zim Bog. Images made with a SonyA330, Tokina80-400mm, Sigma50-500mm, iso200-400, f8-f10, fill flash on the siskin image, cropped, cloned out dust spots on the siskin image, USM.

Only one of these is a set up, can you guess which one?

Comments and critiques welcome.

Regards,

Shawn Zierman.

[Hwood]

I'll play the game. I will say the first one. With the dogwood and the redpoll's red spot and a back ground to set them off it all comes together to make a nice shot. And considering the dogwood is often a chewed down to a short plant I will guess you were down on a knee waiting for the bird.

[Jim Almquist]

They all look great but if I was a betting man it would have to be #3.

[Dbl]

Three really beautiful shots Shawn!

[finnbay]

Very nice!

If you took the siskin at the Bog, that one is not set up.

Of the other two, I'm going to guess that the last one is the one you set up.

[Steve Foss]

Nice work, Shawn.

[ShawnZ]

Thanks for the kind words and views folks. Number one is the set up I was so close to the subject on number three and the bg far enough from the bird (oof grass/tanzia) that it does kind of look like a set up. I'll bet I was less than six inches from my minimum focusing distance in number three My set up for number one was in my backyard. I set the perch towards the top of tube finch feeder that was filled with niger seed and hanging on one of those shepard hook deals that you can put in the ground anywhere. I adhered the perch at the top using one of my wife's ponytail hair-ties. Pretty high tech stuff:) I had close to 60 redpolls at a time coming into my backyard last year so the hardest part was just getting one to land exactly where I wanted it. I accomplished that by picking a perch that naturally dictated where the birds would land based on the open roomy spot on the perch. Not too terribly difficult when you only have one feeder set up for sixty birds! Not to worry though, when I was done shooting, I'd put up the other feeders and let em go to town. Pretty cheap models I guess