Western Kingbird Off Balance

There was a bit of a breeze as this Western Kingbird was trying to maintain its balance on the precarious perch which resulted in this body position.

 

western kingbird 2633c ron dudley

1/3600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light

I thought the pose was interesting because of the wing position and the angle of the bent tail.  This is a small crop so there’s enough detail to see the hooked bill and stiff rictal bristles typical of flycatchers.

A little more detail on the shaded underside of the tail would have been nice and I probably could have brought some out in processing but that often introduces noise.  I have difficulty seeing noise, so I didn’t…

Ron

11 Comments

  1. This is a stunning bird, and I love that precarious perch and the muted background which sets the Kingbird off beautifully. Thank you.

  2. I like the pose, the BG and the excellent detail. Quite a balancing act to stay on that small perch on a windy day.

  3. Patty Chadwick

    I am a retired special ed. teacher finally able to follow my passion…drawing and painting wildlife. Over the years, I’ve raised and released several wild rescues, mostly birds. I especially enjoy painting birds and really appreciate your amazing photography. Above all, I appreciate your photography ethics re how, when and where to snap these beautiful creatures. Your respect for them is what I admire most

  4. Sharon Constant

    He’s so beautiful! I also love the background–so ethereal.

  5. Charlotte Norton

    What a fantastic shot. Boy,is it detailed! I never knew they had a hooked bill. Thanks so much for sharing!

  6. Very nice Ron, you can see him using his wings for balance. Clear, sharp!
    Question: Are you on auto-focus or are you manually focusing?
    I am constantly amazed at how sharp your focus is on all your shots!!

    • Thank you, Dick. I never use manual focus. IMO, birds are just too flitty and fast for manual focus. Believe me, I take my share of soft shots, it’s just that I generally don’t post them.

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