Crimson Sunbird (3)

D700 500mm +1.7 teleconverter ISO400 f/6.7 1/160 flash -1.3EV tripod

Lucky one here. While the bird was preening his feathers, a lot of pauses were not very photogenic. This shot, on the other hand, was not bad. A slightly faster shutter speed might have improved it but the light level was low.

Crimson Sunbird (2)

D700 500mm +1.7 teleconverter ISO400 f/6.7 1/250 flash -1.3EV tripod

A few flaps of the wings seem necessary for this bird to keep up to the level of the flower. A great opportunity for a shot.

Crimson Sunbird (1)

D700 500mm +1.7 teleconverter ISO400 f/6.7 1/160 flash -1.3EV tripod

The famous Asoka tree at Lower Pierce Reservoir was populated with 5 photograpers and their big guns, 1 squirrel and many sunbirds this sunday afternoon. As it had rained earlier in the day, I did not know what to expect. The output was pretty good as quite a few birds decided to perform for us.

Walk Within The Mangroves (5)

D700 500mm ISO200 f/5.6 1/60 tripod

Walk Within The Mangroves (4)

D700 500mm ISO200 f/4.5 1/60 tripod

In addition to anchoring the tree to the muddy soil, the mangrove roots have two important roles: (a) they filter salt out of the water (balance salt intake is evacuated through the leaves); (b) they develop aerial breathing "snorkels" to avoid suffocation in the oxygen poor mud.

The darker section of the roots on the above picture show the level of water at the highest tide.

Walk Within The Mangroves (3)

D700 500mm ISO200 f/4.5 1/60 tripod

One of the characteristics of the mangroves is their impressive roots, which stabilizes the tree in the soft muddy soil in spite of being exposed to the changes in tide and the waves.

Walk Within The Mangroves (2)

D700 60mm ISO200 f/4.5 1/125

The tide was pretty high and still on the rise. Another 10cm and the branch is in the water.