Some days it seems like the birds are conspiring against me. They are so skittish that they fly away long before I am within range or they hide behind a wall of branches, where I can hear them but cannot see them clearly.
In moments like that, a male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) often comes to rescue me from my despair. These birds are so bold and defiant that they refuse to hide. Instead, they find the most prominent perch and sing out as loudly as possible, showing off for rivals and potential mates.
This past Monday was one of those days when I was having trouble finding subjects to photograph. Suddenly a blackbird appeared and flew to the highest branch of a nearby small tree. Undeterred by my presence, he looked in my direction and seemed to smile. After a moment, he burst forth in singing while continuing to look at me, as though he were saying, “This one’s for you.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mugging for the camera 🙂
Second pic is just Wow👌👌👌👌
Birding is not my cup of tea… it require so much of patience… once I managed to frame one luckily… here: http://lensed.in/2016/01/birding-with-dsc.html
Thanks. Taking photos of birds definitely requires a lot of patience and persistence. Fortunately I have a pretty good amount of both.
I love images of them singing. Even without sound, it’s quite cheering.
That second one is priceless! Great capture, Mike!
They’re not shy. I’ve been chased away from nesting sites I’ve stumbled into a few times.
great capture
Thanks, Margo.
I was expecting a Budweiser can.. 😉
We are all victims of advertising. 🙂