This morning we decided to get out of our rut a little bit (actually, I tend to like ruts) and look for birds somewhere new so we headed to the high country of Morgan County. We figured it would be a nice respite from the heat, and it was. We saw some beautiful country and quite a few birds, though most of them were a challenge to get close to.
One thing really surprised me. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such high concentrations of Black-headed Grosbeaks and Western Kingbirds anywhere. Both species were picking off bugs along the road and it was a delight to see so many of them.
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
This Western Kingbird was performing the “wing flutter” that kingbirds are so well-known for. It’s an aggressive behavior that is usually directed at other kingbirds, as was the case here. I liked the pose and the way the Scrub Oak framed the bird and helped to break up the blue sky background.
Ron
Thank you Sharon. I know what you mean about not deleting those kinds of photos – I have many such shots in my files and I still enjoy looking at them.
I love this!
I was in Vernal last month and photographed one of these as it maneuvered like a fighter jet. My photos were so poor that I haven’t shared them with anyone, but I couldn’t delete them because I could still see the fabulous poses they get into when flying.
I do so admire your work–I think it’s the best bird photography I’ve ever seen.
Sharon