bird on a window

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First the bad news: birds are always trying to come into my house through the window. The window is not open so they usually are in for a big surprise when they don’t get in. A little bird tried to get in the other day and left his mark on the window. The good news is he (she?) seemed fine and flew away. The feather left stuck to the window is about half an inch (about 13 mm) long and I wanted to get a shot of it. This was shot from the opposite side of the window that the bird hit. The equipment I used to get this shot was the Nikon D600 with 100mm macro lens, 3 extension tubes and a focusing rail, all mounted on a tripod. This was only the second time I used the rail and it works very well. Both the tubes and the rail came from Amazon, which gets them from Adorama only Amazon offers free shipping.

24 thoughts on “bird on a window”

disperser April 21, 2014 at 2:19 am

Good for you, but sorry for the bird . . . by the way, what brand focusing rail and tubes did you get? I keep threatening to spring for stuff, but there are a lot of choices out there ranging from cheap to very expensive.

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oneowner Post authorApril 21, 2014 at 9:16 am

Thanks, E. I got both accessories from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009SJ7UWU/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MBDWV8/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I think both will be fine for your camera. The tubes are plastic so I wouldn’t put a long heavy lens on them. I used my macro and they seem sturdy enough and made all the auto connections, though I don’t use auto-focus when I’m doing macro.
The rail is very smooth and sturdy, especially for the price. You can spend a lot more on stuff like this but before you do, try to determine your needs and commitment to macro work. I look upon this as mostly an indoor activity where I can keep control over the process.

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1. disperser April 21, 2014 at 10:09 pm
  
  I will definitely get the focus rail . . . I’ve been reading more about the tubes, and I’m not sure how much I would use them . . . sure would be nice if there was somewhere I could go and see a practical demonstration of them. You know, from regular users, not from review places.
  
  Someone that I knew was not doing it for any personal gains. Oh well . . . can’t even imagine where I would find someone like that!
2. oneowner Post authorApril 21, 2014 at 10:58 pm
  
  My macro gets me to 1:1 (life size?) but sometimes that’s not enough to do what you want to do. Plus, it opens photographic doors you may not have thought about before. Here are two options for you: purchase a set from Amazon, try them for up to 30 days and if you don’t like them, return them, no questions. Or, send me your address and I’ll loan you mine to try. Such a deal!!!
3. disperser April 21, 2014 at 11:32 pm
  
  Eh, I could rent a set from one of the rental places . . . except I need to find the time to try them; we’ll see.

Malin H April 21, 2014 at 2:28 am

This is so beautiful, Ken. Fantastic image!
… and a relief to know that the bird survived this adventure. 🙂

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oneowner Post authorApril 21, 2014 at 9:17 am

Thanks, Malin. We seem to have a lot of small birds hit the windows but most seem to recover in a short time.

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albertopr April 21, 2014 at 9:40 am

Beautiful shoot, here a solution for the birds if you don´t mind put some “Birds window sticker” I think they are called or “Birdsaver Window Decals” they stop birds from flying into your windows. These decals are designed to place on windows and they are like black bird silhouettes. Happy shooting!!!

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oneowner Post authorApril 21, 2014 at 10:16 am

Thanks, Albertopr. I found some on Amazon but they ain’t cheap. Still, I will consider them.

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1. disperser April 21, 2014 at 10:22 am
  
  You can make your own . . . any decoration will do. I also found the disposition of the blinds (if you have any) matter.
  
  However, you’ll never eliminate the occurrences . . . they are, after all, bird brains.

Meanderer April 21, 2014 at 2:29 pm

That’s a beautiful, dreamy, image.

It’s dreadful when birds crash into windows like that. I’m so pleased this one survived and flew away.

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oneowner Post authorApril 21, 2014 at 4:22 pm

Thanks, Meanderer. The background is so soft due to the extremely small depth of field with the macro setup. And I had no sensor spots!

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Linda Grashoff April 21, 2014 at 4:54 pm

I like the triangular arrangement of feathers (how did she do that?) and the delicate colors. Nice work.

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oneowner Post authorApril 21, 2014 at 5:39 pm

Thanks, Linda. The shape comes from my trained birds.

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serialphotographer April 21, 2014 at 5:12 pm

That is a beautiful shot.

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oneowner Post authorApril 21, 2014 at 5:39 pm

Thanks, sp.

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Journey Photographic April 21, 2014 at 9:11 pm

At least the bird can be comforted that something beautiful came out of their misadventure. Lovely work.

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oneowner Post authorApril 21, 2014 at 10:05 pm

Thanks, JP.

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Monte Stevens April 24, 2014 at 8:57 am

Ouch. I’ve always wondered what birds think when they hit the glass.

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oneowner Post authorApril 24, 2014 at 5:15 pm

If they think at all! Thanks, Monte.

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Mark April 27, 2014 at 8:01 am

I often wonder the same when we see bird strikes here. Are they truly OK? Do they fly off and die elsewhere? I think this is a fascinating shot, and a bit haunting at the same time.

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oneowner Post authorApril 27, 2014 at 9:19 am

Thanks, Mark. I wonder the same thoughts. I prefer to think they’re okay when they fly away only because I really am afraid they did some serious damage to themselves. The power of positive thinking.

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