Today I busted out the big lens. Don't miss the gif at the end!

It's been a while since I carried my Nikon D750 and Tamron 15-600 lens around. That camera and lens combo is just too heavy for me these days, but today I took my big rig to the park for some bird shots. It sure does get me close to the birds and animals!

The first photo shows a male fledgeling Barred Owl. It flew over my head and perched on a branch looking down at me. After a while, it began to dance from foot to foot crying out for its mother to bring food. The sound it made was almost like a hissing noise. The poor little dear was starving! Check out the animated gif near the end of the post.

The baby Great Blue Herons are just now learning to fly. They stand on the treetops flapping their wings and eventually take their first very short flights. In the next photo, a baby heron makes the 10-foot flight from one treetop to the next.

Next, I've got a common Rock Pigeon for you, captured in-flight.

Here's the poor starving Barred Owl, impatiently waiting for breakfast.

Next we see the Mom ripping a small black bird to pieces to feed her babies. Perhaps it was a crow, I couldn't tell.

And finally, Mom makes a delivery and junior gets his meal!

I've been thinking seriously about selling my DSLR gear because of the weight, but I think after today I will hang onto it a little longer. Thanks for taking a look!

These photos are for #featheredfriday hosted by @melinda010100