Oh gosh the sun came out on my day off.........that was a nice long overdue gift So up early and headed out in hopes of some waterfowl at a place called Castalia's Blue Hole..........the water never freezes and they are correct! However mix warmer water with 5 degree temps and you get a constant fog/mist which does wonders to degrade details
There will be more on this later but I found some colorful birds to enjoy, yes those pesky noisy birds we call Starlings.
I have always enjoyed the colors that lurk in the dark birds, Starlings posses that and some contrasty textures too, lots of character IMO.............and that's what counts.......................isn't it?
Your comments and questions are always welcomed.......thanks for the visit.
I should mention that these all are handheld though I may have braced on a few, shot out the window of my vehicle. I have not done a micro adjust on this body/lens combo yet either, for those making judgement on the sharpness of this new Tamron lens
Karl
***Second group #4 was edited per Tim Kuhn suggestions*** It is posted as #8 image
Sterling starlings Karl...glad you got out and grabbed some color;...I'm afraid another bout of winter's white stuff is about to keep me cooped up for another long while
Eric
Lovely color in those birds Karl!! #5 & 7 are the ones that stand out for me, but each certainly has merit for consideration as favorites. Great comp and pose in 5. Nice shots with the new lens.
You must be beside yourself getting these captures in this horrid winter! ⛄️❄️
I feel Spring in the air ☀️
BeeBalm
Oh you are really fired up and ready I can see It was nice to get a break from the dreariness Bee Balm, it was still only 5 to 8 degrees out but it felt warmer
Thanks for all your excitement and kind words
Beautiful set of Starlings with excellent color and clean detail brought out by your careful exposure compensation choices... very well done Karl.
Wonderful perches... the red color isn't something I would have expected to survive and remain in your tough winter... that's very nice element in these images.
Compositions are very well done as always... 1, 2, 6, and 7 are my favorites.
The Tamron performed quite well IMO... I haven't cancelled my pre-order yet.
Great job on a very fine set buddy... so glad you got to see and feel the sun.
Karl, Looks like the glass is working great in your nimble hands my friend
beautiful shots of a bird that causes so much damage: estimated that yearly starling damage
to agriculture was $800 million in damages per year… WOW
Just a little Google fact check.
It's hard to love a starling if you live in the US as they have decimated the population of so many natives. Regardless of this sentiment, your images are artfully composed. The 5th shot is a real stand out.
regards,
bruce
Fantastic set, Karl, plus some interesting factoids (800 million? Wow).
Can't imagine a better advertisement for the Tamron...overall, it's a high-impact set with a wonderful complement of colors, terrific detail, and beautiful comps. Specific comments...
#1 Love the colors, maybe a bit too centered for my taste
#2 My faaaavorite in the bunch...warm, tight, feels like fall!
#3 PERFECT exposure
#4 My second favorite (guess it's not fall)
#5 Probably my lack of subtlety but I might have tried to bump up the yellows and reds
#6 OK, tied for 1st.
#7 Love this one, perfect exposure choices again
So up early and headed out in hopes of some waterfowl at a place called Castalia's Blue Hole..........the water never freezes and they are correct! However mix warmer water with 5 degree temps and you get a constant fog/mist which does wonders to degrade details 
a very stunning set!
