A twitchy bird in low light – a daunting challenge for both the photographer and his gear.
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 3200, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Six days ago I had a mostly unproductive morning in the mountains but at least it started out with a pretty good bird, a male Yellow Warbler. I found him in deep shade, long before the sun came up over a nearby mountain, so I was really struggling for shutter speed for such an active bird.
I noticed almost immediately that he was hopping or jumping everywhere he went in the willow, without using his wings. You can imagine how difficult he was to track with my lens as he hopped and zigged and zagged in three dimensions through all the twigs and leaves.
As soon as I saw him look up like this I figured he was about to jump to another perch so I fired off a short burst.
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 3200, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
And jump he did, all the way from his perch at lower left to the twig at upper right. I almost had enough shutter speed to get him sharp.
From his new perch he hopped around a little from branch to branch before I could get my lens on him.
1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 3200, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
And then he performed another pretty impressive jump without using his wings but at this shutter speed he’s dreadfully soft. And besides, it looks like my focus may have been on the forked branch above his head.
He looked damp to me so I wondered if he’d bathed recently in the nearby stream and wet feathers might be at least part of the reason he was reluctant to use his wings.
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 3200, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Here he is on his new perch and it was at this point that I realized the likely reason he was wet. Even though it was a clear morning, it had rained the night before and the willow in the shade was still sopping wet – as evidenced by the water dripping off of the branch at lower left in this photo and the previous one.
He was here for only a moment before he hopped along the branch to his right and disappeared in the foliage.
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 3200, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
A few moments later I got what was probably my best shot of him.
And you guessed it, when he left this perch he…
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 3200, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
jumped without using his wings.
While I was with him I was concerned that he might be injured and that was why I never saw him open his wings. But soon after this shot was taken he flew right in front of my pickup to the other side of the road.
So I’m pretty sure his wings were just wet, making them less efficient than usual, so he didn’t use them unless he had to. That’s my theory anyway.
Ron
Note: So, photographers may be wondering. If I was in such low light and struggling for shutter speed, why didn’t I switch over to f/5.6 instead of f6.3, which would have increased my SS a little? An unfortunate brain fart is the answer.
Such a sunny delight! 💛
I love the little Yellow Warblers. I never noticed the red feathers on its breast before. Thanks for pictures.
Trudy, males have more of those red (chestnut) feathers on their throats and underparts than females so that’s one clue to the sex of the bird.
Wild seeing the warbler jump from twig to twig without using his wings! 🙂 Had one jumping around in a bush yesterday availing itself of the sprinkler with a fairly find mist in the area – still never hold still for long!
Judy, sounds like your warbler wanted to get wet. I’m guessing it’s still hot up there.
Yep, hot/windy/”hazy” (aka smoke) Little cooler today – not flying weather tho with wind and smoke….. 😉 Harvest starting near GF
What a delightful splash of sunshine. Thanks Ron. I won’t see a yellow warbler (big, big sigh) but do hope to see some sunshine later today.
Good luck with the sunshine, EC. I had to remind myself that you’re in the middle of Aussie winter.
“And the winner in the Warbler long jump is…..” Or maybe it’s the uneven parallel bars! Love his rumpled outfit. I’m imagining your camera hopping around as much as he was. Kudos for getting the “lightening in the bottle” (per Michael McNamara 😄).
Yup, my camera and lens were pretty frisky for a while. Thanks, Carolyn.
Action and behavior shots always have great appeal for me. So a warbler in mid-air with wings folded and feet outstretched is fun to see and helps tell the story so well. A slight bit of softness does no disservice to such photos.
“A slight bit of softness does no disservice to such photos”
I think so too, at least in documentary photos, so thanks for the reinforcement, Dan. But given my druthers I’d still prefer to have them sharp.
Little wet bundle of sunshine hopping about to start his morning – so cute!
Pretty good description, Kathleen.
Zumba Warbler! Thanks, Ron – what fun!
You’re welcome, Ellen.
Excellent Ron. Love these little yellow Warblers. I have always liked taking photos of birds who are wet from bathing in a creek or lake. And of course lots of fun watching them bathe. I think you are right about the camera focusing on the branch above – look how sharp the water drops on the branch are. I especially like that next last one.
Thanks, Everett. In that shot the bird didn’t give me enough time to lock focus on him so my active focus point probably grabbed the branch.
What a little cutie! Those mid-air shots are fun. 🙂
Good. Thanks, Cathy. I got several more of them but they were very soft.
I am amazed that you get any photos of warblers at all. But you do, and good ones with a story too. To me it is like trying to put lightening in a bottle.
“To me it is like trying to put lightening in a bottle.”
It often is for me too, Michael. With most warblers it comes with the territory.