Royal Purple

@Ajay: Thanks Ajay, I really like your stuff as well : let's learn from each other : I'll keep watching your photos.

@Kaveh: Thanks again for the note: the eyes (for me) make the picture between a living and a dead looking photo - glad you saw that two: that's what I meant about the light being right. If the bird if flying the wrong way, and I didn't use a flash: no matter how sharp the bird is in flight - the picture would be lifeless.

@Barbara: I am still learning burning and dodging in photoshop - at one point, the neck bothered me as a possible limb from the trees behind. thanks again for the kind words.

@Sarah: Thanks Sarah, glad this appealed to you. I am now watching your blog, and I can see some great shots in your portfolio.

@Veronelle: Thanks Veronelle. I enjoy it when all the elements come together, and we can share them with our friends.

@Simply Col: Thanks. Made lugging the heavy lens around worth it!

@Marie LC: Marie LC, Merci. Thank you for your kind words.

@Sarito: Thank you Sarito. I agree, I find this lens to be exceptionally easy to use to create the sharpest images in my portfolio. Please visit again soon, and thanks for the encouraging words.

@B. Thomas: Thank you for your kind words.

@Photosanity: Thanks Debbie. Means a great deal to hear that from you. Borrow the lens sometime - it's worth it.

@apple8: Yes, it's a shot I'm proud of. Thank you for your words of praise. Perhaps I should stop trying to take more bird shots: and let this one rest in my portfolio. Irony is, this was my first shot of a mallard that day - and the keeper of the day.

@Michel Ruel: Thank you Michel. Appreciate you dropping a note as you reviewed the photo.

@DaveB: yes, I drooled over the posted photos (that others took with this lens) for months before shelling out the cash. The hardest thing for me is getting used to shooting with prime lenses: one gets spoiled by using zooms sometimes: rather that "framing the shot by walking back and forth". Thanks for your great comments, DaveB - I really liked your backlit shot of the surfer today.

@Ron: Almost every penny... I hope to amortize the cost with at least a few more shots. I do tell you - it's one great lens, I should use more often. I get spoiled with zoom lenses, and should just carry my primes out sometime (as I learn when I review how sharp the images are when I'm in Photoshop). Thanks for the kind words.

@Silverado Photography: Thank you - yes, getting a crisp bird shot takes practice for me. What worked this time, is that it was midday, with plenty of light - so I could really set the shutter to be super fast. I think that gave me the crispness this time. Most times I try and capture birds at twilight: and that almost never works. Thank you for dropping by the blog and posting a comment.

@paolo: Reflex timing. It was the first shot of a series (that's why I'm nearly level with him at flight). The bird poop gives that hint away (they usually poop just before they take off). Thanks for the kind words.

@Karthik: Many thanks Karhik

@john4jack: The light was with me. It made the purple iridescent. Why I chose the title I did, and it's placed in the rule of thirds on the bottom left of the frame. Thanks for the kind words on the photo.

@Kris: your comments are great: crisp and very specific. Looking forward to your posts when you come back again.

@Candice: thank you Candice. This one was pure luck, or at least reaction with a camera preset for action. I was watching flamingos in a pond at the zoo, and two mallards flew up. I had the camera set for auto focus mode, and set for shutter priority (speed) - and as they flew up, spun around, and hit the autodrive. This was the first, and best image of the sequence, that was taken on instinct (heard the flyup, spun, and hit shutter).