April's Photo of the Month is...

The Startling Grackle.

Several other photos (like Daffodil Closeup and Snow in April) received strong support but I had to go with the Startling Grackle because, quite frankly, it's one of my own personal favourite photos from the entire year. And Elizabeth likes it too!

Photo Favourites from April 2011

Here are April's finalists for photo of the month. I'm offering six for you to choose from today because I just couldn't decide on five. Please send me your votes for your favourite of the six (of course, you are also welcome to go back through the month's photos and nominate one that I've left out as well). You can use the Comments button at the bottom of the entry, send me an email or, if you know me, tell me in person which picture you prefer.

#1: Daffodil Closeup (91)

#2: Shadows and Tall Trees (97)

#3: Tree-line Perspective (101)

#4: The Startling Grackle (104)

#5: In A Dog's Eye (115)

#6: Snow in April (91)

Day 104 - Brush Strokes and Stunning Colour

I honestly don't know what to say about this photograph. The product of patience and plain luck (and the 18-times zoom on the Olympus), this portrait of a strutting grackle simply took my breath away. I heard him before I saw him. Then I had to sneak up on him, zoom right in and click away. He moved in and out of the shadow of a large trailer (you see one of the trailer's metal supports in the photo) so it took some time to get a good shot.

This is taken at full zoom. I still had to crop it in iPhoto, which results in the very slight lack of focus. Rather than a fault, however, I find the slight blur to the image of the bird actually adds to the picture: because it's not perfectly focused, I see the grackle's feathers in brush strokes of colour, brush strokes that make him look almost painted, with vivid, magnificent colour that only a grackle in sunlight can offer.