Weekly Bird Challenge: Green Feathers.

I’ve delved deep into the archives for this week’s pictures.

They were taken around ten years ago when I used a Canon 500D with a 100-400 lens. I’m sure anyone who is familiar with the 500D (and the later 7D) will agree that the main drawback was the amount of “noise” (grain) that showed up in images when using a high ISO to get a fast speed.

As I couldn’t find the originals, I downloaded from the album “BIRDS” on my flickr stream, opened the pictures in LUMINAR 4 and used the Noise Reduction filter.

It was a very cold winter in 2010 when I saw this most handsome Shelduck standing to attention on an icy lake:

Further on was a Teal strutting his stuff:

I saw this Lapwing sheltering from a cold November wind the month before the Big Freeze of 2010:

A few months later when Spring arrived I spotted a male Shoveler in full breeding plumage:

I’ve enjoyed looking through my archives. It’s getting me ready for birdwatching this winter (as our usual jaunts to theatre, city shops, restaurants etc. won’t be happening). Every cloud has a silver lining and I have been neglecting my birdwatching for a while!

Many thanks again to Lisa for her Weekly Bird Challenge #15: Birds with Green Feathers.