A few from Wednesday at Crescent Lake in Sugar Land...

[Shadow]

[Dave In La]

#2 is just awesome....sweet light.
Would like to aee this with the bg softened and not sharpened

[Shadow]

Thanks, Dave. For # 2, I was shooting the 70-200VR for #1, and didn't have time to switch to the 300+1.4TC @420mm. That combo would have given exactly the results you suggest. I should shoot two bodies more often to be ready for quickly changing situations like this (or pick up a 200-400VR.. :) ). It was wonderful light to shoot in....

[ldelacruz]

You got a nice variety there! Where is Crescent Lake?

I think what Dave means is for you to make a mask around the birds and sharpen them in post then you can do an invert mask and do a blur on the background. Try it out and I think you will like it much better.

[slickshooter]

Nice shot of the whistlers.I like how you caught the light on their wings.I agree with Dave & Lonnie.You can also stack the original on top of the sharpened image and erase the blur on the ducks revealing the sharpening underneath and then flatten.

[tech1961]

Nice shots.

[Shadow]

Thanks, all. :)

@ Lonnie: Crescent Lake is just south of the First Colony Mall in Sugar Land in a subdivision of the same name at the end of Lexington. Check my Flickr properties for details (link in my signature).
Flickr seems to think that the city is "Smada", but it's Sugar Land. I'll have to try some of your PP suggestions. Hope to get out shooting Saturday in this great weather... :) Bruce.

On another topic, I made the front page of Global Bird Trekkers with a recent Whistling Duck shot. :)
link here... http://globalbirdtrekkers.org/content/view/341/1/

It is a very interesting world-wide site started by folks in Africa. They also have a Flickr group here... http://www.flickr.com/groups/globalbirdtrekkers/

[ttusa]

Love that backlighting on #2!!