Glossy Sterling

Ever since I started going into the Aviary at the Los Angeles Zoo, I've been trying to get a good picture of this bird. The sheen of this bird's feather combined with the almost irradescent coloring is beautiful... but not easily captured with my camera under the shade of the thick trees in the aviary. But two things worked in my favor on this trip: one) they thinned out some of the trees so it was a little lighter, and 2) the birds were in rare form landing so close to me that it wasn't a struggle to take the shots or worry about my zoom being over extended.

Ain't it purty?

My Bird Sightings

I so enjoy the photos of birds that I see on different blogs that my eyes are always alert but I rarely find any to shoot or when I do they're not usually worth posting. So, I gathered just a few from my last couple of outings.

I got a kick out of this first one. I had taken some apple pieces to the park with me and was actually tossing some to the ducks that seemed uninterested when this pretty blue bird swooped out of nowhere. It hung around long enough to grace me with a couple of shots. I haven't a clue what kind of bird it is.

People usually post photos of peacocks (the males), and though I agree they're beautiful, I think the peahen has a beauty all of her own. I think it's interesting that these peahens (at least the ones I've seen), tend to hang out together while the males tend to be alone. Although, now that I'm thinking about it, some of these could be the littles ones that were there on my last trip that are all grown and just hanging out with mom.



I only got a picture of this little guy because I threw some pieces of french fries out for him and his buddies who were walking around the tables looking for food.


And this was a dove (I think it's a dove) that I caught unaware. Before I could take more than a couple of shots it took off. Shucks!