Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road

Air Traffic Uncontrolled

February 5, 2021

A song is like a picture of a bird in flight; the bird was moving before the picture was taken, and no doubt continued after.

~Pete Seeger

The Evening Grosbeaks continue to delight us by devouring sunflower seeds every morning in a feeding frenzy of yellow, black and white. My high count was one day this week when I managed to see 26 of them (mostly males) flitting between the two feeders. Things can get crazy when they all show up at once and jostle for position at the hanging sunflower tray outside our window.

This hectic scene is repeated several times each morning

I have many photos of them at the feeder and sitting in nearby branches waiting their turn. But, how many images of a bird on a stick (even a beautiful bird like an Evening Grosbeak) does one really need?

Male Evening Grosbeak perched near feeder (click photos to enlarge)

After watching them one morning, I decided to try to capture them in flight as they came into the feeder or hovered near it trying to find a space. At first, I was hand holding the camera (and 300 mm telephoto) trying to anticipate their movements. That resulted in a lot of photos like the two below…

I then figured out it might be easier to pre-focus on an area and snap the shutter when I thought the bird might cross through the field of view.

Male Evening Grosbeak with landing gear down

I didn’t like having the feeder in the photo, so I pointed the camera to the right of the feeder and hoped I could catch them coming in. I soon discovered having the camera on a tripod and just watching the birds (without looking through the viewfinder) was the easiest way to get some pics. I just pressed the shutter whenever any bird was flying (of course, this also left me with a lot of blank images to delete). Below is a selection of incoming grosbeaks…

This is one of my favorites, the bullet bird giving me a glance as it zooms by

The feeder is shaded by the roof’s shadow at about 11 a.m and this image was taken in full shade, but I like the total spread of the wing

So, I now have a bunch of images of birds in flight near the feeder. What’s next? Well, if they are still here the next sunny morning we have, I want to capture the full version of the pic below. Every once in a while, the birds take their feeder squabbles to the air and really go at it with beaks and feet locking as the fly in a tangle of brilliant feathers. I’ll let you know if I am successful.

Male grosbeaks squabbling over position at the feeder (oh, for a camera pointed just a little higher)

chatham county evening grosbeak

Comments

14 responses to “Air Traffic Uncontrolled”

February 5, 2021

Joann

Mike I have really enjoyed all your Roads End Naturalist postings. Thanks so much for sharing

Joann

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Reply
1. February 5, 2021
  
  roadsendnaturalist
  
  Thank you, Joann.
  
  Reply
February 5, 2021

Beth Johnson

Love these & can’t think of a better way to spend a winter morning.
For inspiration, Maryland Biodiversity Project has a red-winged blackbird shot by Bonnie Ott that is simply stunning. Look for the photo with the deep blue background about halfway down the page:
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/view/1320

Reply
1. February 5, 2021
  
  roadsendnaturalist
  
  Thanks, Beth. And thanks for sharing the image of RWB dueling in mid-air. I agree, it is stunning (and she has a lot of wonderful images).
  
  Reply
February 5, 2021

Merrilee Wallbrunn

Thanks for sharing your process with us, Mike. So many times we see a beautiful photograph that seems so effortless and don’t realize the care and thought that get you there. And what a fitting subject!

Reply
1. February 5, 2021
  
  roadsendnaturalist
  
  You are welcome, Merrilee. I forgot to mention that I had to crank up my ISO (1600 or 3200) in order to have a shutter speed (1/4000) that even get close to stopping the wing motion.
  
  Reply
February 5, 2021

Sue

Even in my urban backyard I see many species of birds at my feeders. My favorite was seeing a red bellied woodpecker bring her young family.. And discovered they don’t get red marking on the head for several months. I watched as the grey heads turned pink to red over time. Of course I didn’t get a photo.

Reply
1. February 5, 2021
  
  roadsendnaturalist
  
  I agree, Sue. It is fun getting to see some of the same birds throughout the year and see them change. I saw my first hints of bright yellow on some male American Goldfinches this morning.
  
  Reply
February 5, 2021

Kathy

Great in-flight photos of the Grosbeaks! They came and went here, so maybe they’ll return. Also, loved your wildlife camera pics.

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1. February 5, 2021
  
  roadsendnaturalist
  
  Thanks, Kathy. There has been a flock of grosbeaks in our woods for about a month and they seem quite happy with at least three near neighbors having feeding stations, plus all the redbud and tulip poplar seeds they can eat. It will be interesting to see how long they stay.
  
  Reply
February 6, 2021

mary sonis

These flight images are fantastic. I don’t understand how you managed to prefocus, when you’re focusing on thin air. I always need some object like a place holder. However you did it, it’s fantastic!

Reply
1. February 9, 2021
  
  roadsendnaturalist
  
  Thanks, mary. I focused on the far edge of the hanging feeder and then shifted the camera so the feeder was just out of view. My autofocus is controlled on the back of the camera, so I just pushed the shutter whenever a bird was flying. But it produces a ton of throw-away images.
  
  Reply
February 8, 2021

Nancy Strong

I also want to thank you for sharing your process – the mental steps involved in obtaining these great pics. Just like anything, it’s trial and error but good to have a plan.

Reply
February 9, 2021

roadsendnaturalist

Thanks, Nancy

Reply