Siberian Stonechat

Above; Male assuming breeding plumage Below: All Females





This Siberian Stonechat or Asian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus) was another winter migrant, that found my ship as a resting spot as they flew across the Mediterranean, destined for Africa.
The bird was difficult to photograph as it was constantly moving and hiding away from me. Finally I managed to locate its favourite, perching spot and waited in ambush to get these closeup's of the female. The male proved to be elusive as ever.
Got my hands on a wonderful book on wildlife photography called "Digital Nature Photography: The Art and the Science by John and Barbara Gerlach" Presently reading it word by word and every page is a treasure trove of knowledge. The author insists on using the histogram during image preview, to decide if an image has been adequately exposed. The 2 inch screen of a camera may be too small to make a good judgment and the image on the screen may be influenced by several other factors, like external light and viewing angle. I found this tip extremely helpful and have been using it since then.