Occasionally a bird will have trouble maintaining stability on its perch and the results can be entertaining.
1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Three days ago I photographed two Willets perched about 20′ apart on Greasewood bushes on Antelope Island. I suspect they were male and female (sexes are similar though the female is slightly larger) in the process of establishing pair bonds. I believe this one to be the male and I’ll refer to him as such.
The female, out of frame to the left, barely moved in the roughly 25 minutes I spent with these birds but the poor male was having a devil of a time maintaining his stability on his perch. If he stayed absolutely still he was fine but he had an urge to preen that he couldn’t resist and when he tried to do so the movement made him do…
1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
multiple face-plants into the bush.
1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
Here he’s trying to recover from one of them…
1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
He spent a lot of time with his wings up as he tried to re-gain his balance…
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
and he turned on the perch several times as he did so.
1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon 100 – 400 @ 100mm, not baited, set up or called in
I quickly grabbed my other Camera to show the entire scene with both birds. The presumptive male is on the right.
I’ll admit to enjoying the discomfort of this poor bird as it struggled to maintain its balance on the perch. But then I do remember my mother telling me when I was a kid that I had a warped sense of humor…
Ron
Great photos, and definitely comical. I’m glad the poor bird doesn’t know how many people have been entertained by his face plants. Actually, having done a face plant on pavement that resulted in at least 15 stitches on my face, I do feel sorry for him. Maybe I should rethink being entertained by his difficulties?… Fortunately it appears that the only wounds he experienced were to his ego.
you and Mia have me on this park- on my bucket list. i have had a few laughs at the expense of a few red-winged black birds.
Wonderful shots Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte Norton
It’s nice to see nature isn’t always poised and graceful! Kinda reminds me of a freshmen guy at a dance, trying to impress the ladies only to trip over his shoelaces!
I bet the female fell madly in love with him because he gave all his effort to right himself, and didn’t fly away and hide. Lol
I find this sort of thing funny also. I can sit and observe wildlife behavior for hours. Your narrative adds to your photos tremendously and helps conjure up in our minds how this would have played out live. Beautiful shots and particularly like the overall vista of the scene.
Thanks Cori – nice to know you liked the last shot for its perspective. I always appreciate shots like that in the work of others – it helps me to visualize the situation.
As a high priestess of klutzdom it is always nice to see other sufferers. Stunning series. And warped humour? Shared. To the max.
Elephant’s Child, nothing wrong with a little skewed humor now and then, is there!
The wing patterns in the second shot are beautiful…bet they acted like sails, though, catching the wing and pushing the poor fellow off balance !
Patty, I haven’t often seen a bird have such a tough time staying balanced on its perch when there wasn’t any wind. He really struggled.
Poor fellow. Trying to impress her loved one and the damned balance is blowing his efforts away.
The second shot is a treatise of a wing/feather composition.
Very well done Ron.
I had the same thought, Jorge. He blew his chance to impress her…
Comical, I bet the male was a young one and the female was older, just a guess!! Great shots Ron, much appreciate the series.
You may very well be right, Dick. Thank you.