digital photography – SilverLining

Pictured above is perhaps my favorite bird, the female red-winged blackbird. She strikes me as timid by nature – she’s not often seen. The photos here are a treasure to me, taken in two sessions in the last week. Though at first she might appear not much more than a small, dull brown bird, a study of her reveals a petite bird with striking lines, a lovely eye mask, and just a hint of the red (a rust colored stain) her mate boldly displays at the shoulder. And this bird is highly focused on her task of protecting her nest and its contents.

Based on my observation, each season, the red-winged blackbird males arrive several days before the females. The male is black, except for a brilliant red flash on his shoulder and a strip of creamy yellow that runs along the lower edge of the red. Depending on the season and things about mating that I’ve not determined, his red is more or less visible. For the past week, his red has been very evident. These birds seem to have established their nesting area, as always, low in the reeds in one corner of the pond.

I don’t know if the days of coupling are passed for this season, or still ahead. In the photo below (taken today) it is clear this pair is posturing for attention. The female (comparatively a dull brown to the male’s striking black and red) holds a statuesque posture as the male shows his bilateral red and calls to her.

The male is always visible, displaying a strong and confident manner. Several males will perch in the scrub along the pond’s shore, and they click, whistle and call raucously to each other (or to the females?), and they spar in the air over the nesting area. All the while, a flicker here or there, deep in the reeds, might catch my eye, making me aware that the females are present, in a far more low-key way.

Pictured here are some lovely images of the female red-winged blackbird. I’m so happy to have them to share! Most were taken today.

Click on any image and scroll from start to finish, and back again!

Enjoy!

Generally, as I approach the pond I begin to scan it with my eyes, looking for any obvious visual point of interest that might be the subject of my photo taking. If nothing readily presents, then I keep an eye peeled for more subtle presentations. It is in that closer look that I sometimes spy the Great Blue Heron. It blends with its surroundings beautifully, as you see below:

There are times, such as today, when from a distance, I have to rely on the telephoto view through my camera lens to confirm that what my unaided eye suspects is the Heron, is in fact the predatory bird amidst the reeds. I might snap a few shots, all the while knowing that without a more powerful lens, there won’t be much pizazz in the photos if I upload them to this blog. If I were to crop to a more visible show of the bird, there would be no crispness left in the picture.

Then, I hope that when the bird decides to take off (perhaps as I get too close for its comfort as I walk the path around the pond) I am well positioned, I have no visual obstructions, and I have the camera at the right settings to best capture the flight. You’ll remember, too, from past posts to this blog, that I nearly always have the leash of my dog around my left wrist!

All of what I’ve just described occurred today. And, as the Heron took off, I had obstructed view for my first shot (see here) as I gave the the ‘stay’ command to the dog, hoping it would take in his little brain! It did.

You have to appreciate that the Heron is in motion. So, I have to out-chase it, so to speak, with the lens. Then, I hold steady so that if and when it keeps on my calculated course and passes through the focal point of my camera, I have a chance at a good shot. To date, I’ve done this with perhaps hundreds of pictures of the Heron – with varying degrees of success.

I notice that since I’ve been using the camera to observe birds, my eye/brain connection has perfected what I think of as a freeze-frame phenomena. When I’m driving in my car, for instance, and a bird passes in view, in a portion of a second my eyes lock on it and my brain registers its features. It seems to me that in the past, I barely noticed the passing of a bird – it was a peripheral event, to both my eyes and my mind.

This phenomena also occurs now when I look through the lens. Today, although I took perhaps six shots of the Heron as it flew, when the few seconds had passed and I lowered the camera, I had the sense that a freeze-frame image had been caught, not just in my mind but by the camera.

With some excitement, I downloaded the shots as soon as I returned to the house. The picture at the top of this post is the one that had stuck in my mind. It has all the elements I look for – the bird in its natural habitat, the habitat and bird (especially) in focus, a keen display of wings, and the show of its body in its flight posture. The Heron, it is to be noted, tucks its head toward its body when flying (unlike Canada Geese, which fly with their necks elongated). You can appreciate this by comparing the photo at the top of this post with the photo here, which displays the length of its neck, as it stands at the shore.

I don’t expect that what pleases my eye will always be a photo that strikes my blog viewers in the same way. And today, I just hope you get some enjoyment from the photo. I, personally, love it, and consider it an achievement in my photography skills!
(As always, click on the photos for better viewing. Use your back arrow to return to the post.)

Tag: digital photography

The Red-winged Blackbird

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