A long overdue victory of sorts for this bird photographer.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Black-billed Magpies often reuse older nests rather than build new ones and I’ve been following some of their established nests for years. But six days ago I found a new nest that was still in the process of construction so I spent some time trying to capture magpies in flight with nesting material in their bills.
I was more pleased with this photo than you might think.
When I post photos of magpies in flight, especially when they’re carrying nesting material, it’s inevitable that they’ll be compared to my best known magpie photo – the one I used to have a large print of hanging over my fireplace. Some readers call it my “Magpie Hat photo” for reasons many will understand (that photo can be seen here, 3rd photo down). That image is pretty close to one of a kind, in part because of all of the iridescence it reveals in the plumage. But I was at least as happy to get this photo as I was to get the Magpie Hat shot, even though there’s no iridescence showing. I’ll explain.
It has to do with degree of difficulty. The Magpie Hat photo was relatively easy to get because that bird had just taken off from one bush to go to its nest bush so I had locked focus on the magpie before it launched. Keeping focus locked on a bird in flight is MUCH easier than acquiring focus while its in flight, especially when the background is close to the bird.
But for this photo the magpie had been in flight for a long time before I got the shot so I had to acquire focus on it in flight. With magpie nesting photos, because the backgrounds are so close to the birds and they often fly so erratically, I’ve found that almost impossible to do. I’ve tried thousands of times to get magpie photos like this one and almost always failed.
So for me this photo is a long overdue victory of sorts but I’ll only take part of the credit. The rest of it goes to my new camera, the Canon R5, and its amazing autofocus system. That AF system has a downside or two but when it works it really works!
Credit where credit’s due.
Ron
Beautiful and busy bird, beautiful shot! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Arit.
What would you say are the downsides to the R5 auto-focus system?
Rene, please see my response to Elmer’s comment below.
I look forward to your review of the R5 – Thanks!
Ron,
And this magpie doesn’t have a stick across its eye!
Stephen
Stephen, neither did the other magpie. But you’re right, it’s close. Too close.
Equipment is nothing unless it’s in the right hands and you’ve shown that you certainly possess those hands!
Thanks for your confidence in my abilities, Marty.
Another out standing image – it might be new equipment but the results in the hands of an already outstanding photographer are impressive.
Much appreciated, Gary.
Great image, looks like the new camera is coming along with familiarity.
Thanks, April. Familiarity helps.
Brilliant. Soon you will be as nonchalant about focusing on birds in flight as the magpie is about carrying that unwieldy bit of nesting material… Perhaps.
Or perhaps not. Most likely not.
Getting birds in flight sharp is likely something I’ll never be nonchalant about but with the R5, in certain situations, it is noticeably easier.
The ‘Magpie Hat’ photo is SO Delicious!!! Congrats on capturing a new technical merit badge with this magpie flight shot!
Thank you, Kathleen.
Congrats on the excellent wing-shot.
Thank you, Michael.
Like Cheryl I noticed and liked the tucked in feet and the open beak carrying the nesting material. We don’t have Magpies, but I have seen them elsewhere and tried taking photos so I can attest to the difficulties of picking them up in flight. Outstanding work.
Thank you, Everett.
I appreciate that you catch creative ‘poses.’ The details revealed are so interesting, and not seen (or at least easily overlooked) in most others’ work. For example, in this shot I like noticing the slightly open bill as it grasps the twig. And the feet tucked in. And the particular lines of B&W contrast on breast and left wing. Your captures show off just how beautiful the birds are.
Cheryl, thanks for noticing those details. It goes without saying that I notice them, especially while processing the images, but I probably pay too much attention to them. Here’s an example.
You mentioned the “slightly open bill”. When I process images like this one I mask the bird very carefully before sharpening because if I don’t and sharpen the image globally it often leaves a very narrow sharpening halo around the bird, especially at the edges of the blacks but elsewhere too. Those halos drive me crazy because they’re so distracting, at least to me. I did a good job of masking this bird, except in one tiny place inside and at the back of its slightly open bill.
If you look very carefully there’s a very tiny group of pixels there that are slightly lighter in color than they should be because my sharpening mask wasn’t perfect in that spot. It’s hardly noticeable, but I notice it. I wish I didn’t.
I even thought about reprocessing the image but that was too much work and would take too much time. I do have a life outside of bird photography and blogging… 🙂
Great shot. I know how difficult it is to get birds of this size in flight. It sounds like you’re getting well adjusted to the R5 now. I wonder how you find the speed of its ability to initially acquire the bird and stay locked compared to the 7dii.
Elmer, the answer to your question is complicated but overall I’m happy with both. I plan on covering the subject in some detail when I think I’m ready to publish a review of the R5 on my blog. I’m not there yet.
Excellent capture, Ron! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Everything sharp including the twig! Congrats on a goal met! 🙂
Thanks, Judy. I was happy with both the sharpness and the exposure and detail in the blacks and whites.
I am still waiting for the Duck Butt hat. 🙂
It’ll happen I’m sure (but actually it will be a Grebe Butt hat…)
I’m so pleased that you are happy with the new camera and that you met
your personal goal –Magpie in flight…….now, a nosy question, if I may–what
image have you chosen to replace the classic “Magpie Hat” over your fireplace? You have a plethora of wonderful choices, which makes me curious !
“What image have you chosen to replace the classic “Magpie Hat” over your fireplace?”
This one.
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2022/01/20/the-reincarnation-of-two-of-my-favorite-photos/
I still have the magpie print on display but now it’s in my dining room. I wanted a change over the fireplace, at least temporarily.