My window with a view. Office in the trees. Whatever. Arm-chair birding, lazy-birding. Whatever. New visitor captured today while trying to do some data recovery to a failed and corrupted storage-drive....The data recovery process looks like a possibility, just need to get the right tools [decide which software to use]. In the mean time, I've started to catalog all archived photo directories from each storage-drive and have started to back these up in batches to DVDs. its going to be a long and arduous process, but just has to be done!

Chestnut-tailed Starling [Sturnun malabaricus]

Nikon D3 helps gets the picture: The fast AF tracking on the D3 really works [when one figures out how to get it to work well for ones shooting style] and today I did a fast burst of 10 frames and all are in crisp sharp focus on the eye or the bird. Lovely! There was a pair of Starlings, but I knew they would not stay too long, and so I just let it rip. For bird photography, I find that the concentrated 9-points or at most the 21-points focus tracking pattern more effective than the highly acclaimed 51 points AF focus points setting [«Moose» Peterson recommendation]. And, BTW I find the D3's infamous 51 points 3D AF  tracking completely useless! Also, the track-wheel to move the central focus point can be clicked diagonally in one click instead of having to do 2 clicks [like one click up [or down] and one click to the left [or right] - thus saving a big amount of time. The burst of 10 frames was done in a few seconds, and the bird was gone... the combo of fast AF, accurate focus tracking, and the ability to shift the central/main focus point freely certainly helped me get the photo above.

For the past many weeks the WIP photo project for «The Jungle Book» production at AIS/D Elementary School had taken up all of my shooting time. Am not complaining! in case that is what it sounded like. It was a great experience, both photographically and to witness the progression of the learning process the kids went through... and to then finally watch the fantastic performance where each one of them shone like stars! The Work In Progress photo record/essay runs into 100's of [final] images and these are grouped in separate PDF files [full resolution JPG's] for each session. 5 sessions + 1 from the Dress Rehearsal + 1 lot of backstage photos + 1 lot of group photos of the cast + 1 lot from the final performance night. I probably shot around 2000 frames and culled these down to a manageable number. I might post some sample images from these sessions a bit later once the photo-CD is done and produced.  You can take a peek at The Jungle Book CD-Cover if you like. This image is a conversion from one of the photos.

I've not shot much in the last many days as the post-processing job took [a total] around 80 hours... and so those itchy fingers have been missing the familiar feel of the ridged focusing-ring and shutter-release button.

I've been observing the Starlings [Sturnus contra] and Crows starting to build their nests high in the Mahogany tress.... and this one particular crow is extremely alarmed every-time I take a peek out the window at the nest being built. The Starlings are building a nest much higher in the other tree but are very watchful and can notice me even if I am behind a window screen. Today I was able to get a few images before the Starlings flew off to watch me from another tree.
 

Updated [a few hours after posting the above]:

I decided to post a few assorted ones from the work-in-progress photos of The  Jungle Book rehearsals in no particular order.....

Images from the «Work-In-Progress» during rehearsals and also some images from the performance day of The  Jungle Book - by the AISD Elementary section. The main performances were on the 13th and 14th March 2008.

More to be added soon....

The Mahogany trees are sprouting new leaves and the Starlings, Mainas and Magpie Robins are bringing bits of stuff to build nests... the color of the Mahogany leaves are bright orange red like fall colors anywhere else!

    
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