Yesterday morning I managed to get several shots I like of this “shy skulker”. They aren’t perfect but given my dismal track record with the species I was delighted to get them.
1/6400, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
For several weeks now I’ve been attempting to photograph a nesting pair of MacGillivray’s Warblers in the Wasatch Mountains with very little success. The nest is just too far away and the warblers almost never come out into the open, especially on those rare occasions when they’re close. But yesterday morning the male of the pair landed in a spot within a serviceberry bush that gave me a narrow tunnel of view through the leaves where I had a clear view of most of him. And he was actually close.
I only had a few seconds with him and for much of that time he was looking away from me but I managed to get a few shots where he I could see his face and had a catch light in his eye. Here I caught him in the midst of a half-hearted rouse.
My camera settings weren’t particularly appropriate for the situation but I didn’t want to take the time to change them for fear I’d miss that one shot I’d like best. In particular I wish I had more depth of field to get the foreground berries and leaves sharper but this close to the bird changing settings may not have made much difference.
1/8000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I got two shots where he appeared to be singing though I don’t recall hearing him. I was too close to get a looser composition than this but the fortunate flip side of that situation is the excellent detail we see in the bird.
On those rare occasions when I do get a good look at a MacGillivray’s Warbler I’m always struck by their distinctive white eye crescents. In this tight crop of the previous photo we can see that they’re actually tiny feathers rather than the bare skin of the orbital ring surrounding the eye.
My last few birding trips have been fairly productive and at this point I’m optimistic that purchasing a new teleconverter has solved most or all of my focusing and sharpness problems so I should have some interesting photos to post in the near future.
You can imagine my relief if my focusing problems have actually been solved..
Ron
I love the second picture. I’ve never seen that bird. Love the eye Cresent.
I haven’t seen one, but it is apparently fairly common but seldom seen here. The eye closeup is beautiful.
Interesting: like yesterday’s Lazuli Bunting, a two-toned bill.
I wonder if those serviceberries(?) will be eaten by parents and chicks when they ripen.
Good to know the TC is working as hoped.
Yup, serviceberries Lyle. I doubt they’ll be eating them though – this species is an insect eater year round.
These photos are great! Incredible detail!
Thanks, Joanne.
Beautiful photos! I wish I could solve my camera issues, they are multiplying.
I know how frustrating that is, April. I’m sorry it’s happening to you.
I am a shy skulker where people with cameras are concerned and would be very, very happy to see such beautiful portraits of me (which won’t be a happening thing).
I am so pleased that your focussing issues seem to be done and dusted.
I’m quite pleased about it too. Thanks, EC.
Sensational series Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Charlotte.
Yay for (relatively) cheap solutions! And yay for this little fella. He looks exhausted from being a dad — probably too pooped to sing. And I’ll bet the kids didn’t even buy him a tie for Fathers’ Day!
Marty, if you ask me not getting a tie for Father’s is a present in and of itself. No more useless, ridiculous and aggravating piece of human apparel was ever “invented” in my opinion.
What a delight! Since chances of me ever seeing one of these up close and personal are slim to none, I’m going to heartily celebrate these images. I just love the white eye crescents and the overall colors are just splendid! To me, this little guy doesn’t look all that happy to have been found. In fact, to me, he looks downright annoyed. LOL!
Glad your new equipment is working well.
I’m even gladder that you take it to The Great Out There every day–or almost 😉
You may be right about him being unhappy to be found, Laura. He sure worked hard at avoiding it.
That first image is, to my eye, exquisite……the range of muted colors
is truly beautiful– and those little feathered eye crescents ! Do you
know if any other bird species have anything like them ? They’re just
glamorous …….
“Do you know if any other bird species have anything like them ?”
Franklin’s Gulls come to mind, Kris.
Wow, amazing that you got such crisp photos. Worth the wait! That cute little broken eye ring is amazing.
Thanks for appreciating the sharpness, Kathy. With the focusing issues I had in the recent past that’s a big deal to me.
Very nice photos Ron. You may have a dismal track record with this species, but at least you have a record. I have never even seen one although in my Birds of Prescott book they are listed as “Transient (present during spring and/or fall migrations)”. Good luck with the new teleconverter.
They’re hard to find anywhere, Everett. Cornell’s Birds of the World describes their breeding populations as “remote and disjunct”.
Such lovely colors, and those eye crescents are cunning. I wish we had some of these in our backyard!
I wish I had some in my yard too, Cathy. I had to drive almost 100 miles to find these.
VBG! Good work on this illusive little bird, Ron. They certainly can “blend into the woodwork” with the subtle coloring other than the eye crescents which, I’ guessing, are so small as to not be an issue. 🙂
REALLY glad the new teleconverter seems to have solved the focusing problems – cheaper than a new camera by far BUT!
Far cheaper than a new camera, Judy – especially the one I was considering buying.