The nesting season of Mountain Bluebirds in Montana’s Centennial Valley was delayed this year due to a late spring cold snap so during my visit there last week some of them were still feeding youngsters in the nest boxes. I’ve found it to be relatively easy to photograph the parent birds on top of the nest boxes with insects for the chicks in their beaks but catching them in flight as they leave the nest with fecal sacs is another story altogether.
They literally explode out of the box so timing is critical. The other issue is that they don’t remove fecal sacs very often compared to the number of trips made with food. Studies indicate that on average intact Mountain Bluebird pairs with complete broods remove only 1.8 fecal sacs per hour. In in the same amount of time there will be 12.4 food deliveries to the nest so about 7 food trips are needed to produce a single fecal sac.
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
On this trip to Montana I was only able to get one acceptable image of a parent in flight as it flew off with a sac. These sacs are actually eaten early in the nesting period but later on they are carried away from the nest and usually deposited on perches such as tree branches or fence posts. Between rains piles of the sacs can be found at those habitual perches.
This image isn’t quite tack sharp but I thought the behavior was interesting enough to post it anyway.
Ron
Parenting is SUCH hard work. And no baby-sitters either.
Thanks Ron.
It’s interesting that she doesn’t just throw it overboard. I wonder if that is to deter predators.
Overheard in midcoast Maine:”…haven’t seen as many Bluebirds this year. Cleaned out the old houses, put up some new ones, in two’s , separated them….so swallows, sparrows could have one and not bother the other…but, nothing!” We haven’t seen any yet, either, but I think I heard one…
Disappointed to hear that, Patty…
Are you able to get crisp flight shots more easily with your new rig? As Susan notes, the detail is so clear…when you’d expect them to be blurred….
Patty, with my new lens I do get a noticeably higher percentage of sharp flight shots than I did with the old one – that’s due to more accurate and faster focusing. But the old lens was very good too – this one is just a newer version of it.
I agree with everyone. Great shot of something most of us would never have the opportunity to see.
Thank you, Ellen.
Interesting how so many creatures engage in “housekeeping” routines…and the various methods they use. ..both as sanitation, basic hygiene and protection from discovery by predators. About how far from the nest do these Bluebirds take the fecal matter?
I’m not sure “how far”, Patty. To avoid disturbing them while they’re nesting I never get out of my truck in the vicinity of the nest to check the perches. And in reality they also sometimes deliberately drop the fecal sac in flight before they land. But more often they take it to a habitual perch.
From what I’ve read and seen on your blog, it’s very difficult to get a shot of a bird in flight where something isn’t a little soft. Except for the wing tips, everything is sharp, to my eyes. This is a wonderful shot, especially since it depicts a behavior a lot of us will never see..
Susan, IMO, sharpness isn’t too bad for a flight shot of a small bird but but it’s definitely not real crisp. I’m not sure if it’s lack of critical focus, insufficient shutter speed or both.
Sensational shot Ron!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.