I suspect feathers can’t endure much more flexure stress than this without breaking.
Another installment in my intermittent series on the ‘common’ species.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Yesterday morning I spent some time photographing songbirds in bushes near a seep (a place where water oozes slowly out of the ground) in a remote area of Box Elder County. I can’t actually see the water but the birds know it’s there and they bathe in it often. Then I can sometimes hear them shaking off while they’re still hidden deep within the bushes. Not long before this shot was taken I could hear a bird shaking its feathers repeatedly..
Then this juvenile White-crowned Sparrow landed in a more exposed spot and continued to shake its feathers. By now its plumage was mostly dry and based on the enthusiasm the sparrow put into its shaking I can see why.
This shot caught some of the tail feathers in extreme flexure stress. I may have never seen tail feathers bend more than this. I just think it’s a visually interesting pose so I decided to share, despite the out of focus leaves and twigs in the middle foreground.
Photos like this illustrate one of the many reasons I typically shoot at such high shutter speeds. It was a very smoky morning so light was low and I needed a higher ISO than usual to get a fast SS. At a slow SS those feathers would have been just a blur.
After my recent mostly birdless camping trip to Montana and Idaho it was exciting to find a variety of birds to photograph yesterday morning. Some of my best photos were of Red-tailed Hawks but I’ve been posting quite a few of them lately so I’ll wait a day or two to post the red-tail shots I took yesterday.
Ron
Wonderful Shot Ron. You seem to get lucky more than most if us so.
Stay safe.
Quiltbear
Love the way every feather is not where it’s suppose to be and his head is perfectly still ❗️
Thanks, Diana.
What a unique shot! Didn’t even notice the twig, my gaze was so fixed on the bird’s rippling feathers. This sparrow is definitely going to be spending some time re-zipping all those feathers.
I’m amazed at your ability to hear a bird shaking its feathers. That skill must have served you well in the classroom. People had better be careful what they whisper around you! 😉
“That skill must have served you well in the classroom”
It would take a teacher to recognize that, Marty. Yes, my good hearing was a bonus in the classroom.
But then given the size of my ears good hearing should be expected… 🙂
Now I understand why I could always tell if my kids had been smoking before class. (I was going to put in a “nose” emoji, but the one I have just looks all kinds of wrong and this is a family show. 😂)
Capital WOW.
And huge thanks for yet another awe and wonder filled start to the day.
Thanks, EC.
It is nice the camera can stop the action that occurs faster than I eye can see.
I agree, April.
Birds! Amazing creatures, and thank goodness for you, your camera lens and shutter speed to give us captures like this that we’d otherwise never see! What a great shot of one of my favorite winter visitors. 😍
Thank you, Chris.
Ain’t birds just spectacular critters? And feathers…just WOW!!
They surely are.
That’s a real feather bender. It’s amazing how much avian physiology and behavior you reveal with your fast shutter speeds.
Yup, I’m addicted to fast shutter speeds, Lyle. At least in many cases.
Amazing photo, Ron. I have never seen a song bird’s tail feathers bend like that even with wind behind the bird. Of course the bird has no control over the flexing of their feathers so if there was no breeze then the feathers being bent up in a completely unnatural position is a mystery. Fascinating.
I’m glad you liked it, Melanie. Thanks.
Welcome home Ron. Great, interesting shot of this sparrow. Love it!
Thank you, Kathleen.
Omgosh I immediately remembered the “Prell girls” shampoo commercials from the early 70s…remarkable capture of the minutia our slow[er] eyes see but don’t register….I hope you are well and the stinking fires can be quelled quickly.
Thanks, Diane. I remember those Prell commercials.
WOW! Know they have “some” flex BUT! 😀 Amazing how they can get them all “sorted” eventually. Great capture, Ron, and glad more birds are available even with the smoke…….. Pretty much “dead calm” here this morning and much of yesterday – VERY unusual. Lower smoke level this morning.
Thanks, Judy. I hope your smoke continues to diminish. I’ve seen photos of Glacier NP that are just so sad.
Even the sides of some feathers are rippling. No wonder feather wear out in a year.
Good point about feather wear, Pam.
Love, love, love it! This has the appearance of an exotic bird that I find on elaborate embroidery pieces of tapestry…not quite real. 😍 How fortunate for you to be in the right spot/right time!
Thanks, Kathy. Yes, “right spot/right time” applies to yesterday much more than it did during my camping trip. 🙂
He looks like a tiny phoenix. Or at least the fantasy images of same with those crazy curving feathers. Happy Monday, everyone.
‘Crazy curving feathers’ indeed. Thanks, Arwen.
That is indeed a unique shot. We have two bird baths out back and I have taken many photos of birds bathing and shaking off including White-crowned Sparrows, but have never seen a more interesting shot than this one.
Thank you, Everett.
What an amazing photo! This is one of those “never would have believed it unless there was a photo” shots!
Heidi, that’s one of the magic qualities of photography. It can reveal things that our eyes never really see,
Great shot, love it!
Home is home no matter how much we travel!
Thanks, Dick.
I never would have imagined a bird could do that with its feathers. It’s such a compelling image any out of focus elements aren’t noticeable — all the attention is focused where it should be: on that tail!
Thanks, Shoreacres. That much bending certainly caught my eye.