Western Meadowlarks can be quite approachable when they’re singing on territory in the spring and summer but they’re generally shy at other times. So I was quite surprised yesterday morning when this one allowed a close approach as it preened on a snowy perch.
1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
At first it just watched me to see if I posed a threat.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Then it struck one of the stranger poses I’ve seen from a bird. This may appear to be a fairly typical scratching pose frozen by shutter speed but its behavior was atypical. The right foot barely moved for quite some time as it held its beak wide open. I would have expected the foot to be moving fast as it scratched but it wasn’t. I took 29 shots that looked almost exactly like this one with the foot in almost the same position (it wasn’t rapidly going up and down) and its beak was wide open the entire time. I remember being quite surprised and amused by what I was observing.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Here I caught the wing slightly up as it returned to a more typical standing position.
1/2500, f/8, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Then a vigorous rouse…
1/2500, f/8, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
and some preening. Here the bird looked up for a moment after having had its bill buried in its feathers.
1/4000, f/8, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Then it stretched its right wing followed fairly quickly…
by a stretch of the other wing. Western Meadowlark preening sessions can last for up to 10 minutes (BNA Online) but this one was over in about three, possibly because of traffic on the nearby road.
One of the joys of winter bird photography is catching them in snowy settings like this one. I’ll be tired of the snow before spring but right now I welcome it.
Ron
Hi! great photo’s so many good angles! Keep up the great work!
Love this series! These birds are so beautiful and their song is a nice icing on the cake! Thank you for keeping your snow up there. It’s beautiful and I’ve tried to like it, but my Florida blood is just too thin I reckon.
Yogi Meadowlark?
Great series! I love the way you’ve captured the interesting personality and behavior of the bird.
While we were driving home today we saw a hunting vehicle that would be great for bird photography. It was a large pickup truck with a superstructure on the back that had a framework (which I assume would be covered to make a blind), comfortable swivel chairs, and even two seats on the front bumper. All you’d need is a driver… When I saw it, I immediately thought of you.
Wow, sounds like quite the rig, Susan. But as you say, a driver is critical. Don’t think (no question, actually) Mia would agree to drive and stash her camera while I photographed birds though. She’s a generous person but that’s pushing it…
I never even considered having Mia drive, given that photography is clearly very important to her. If she did have to drive, there’s no telling if all those bars one could hang onto would keep you up there. 🙂
Simply wonderful behavioral shots Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
Wow, Ron! An amazing series of the most spectacular photos of a Meadowlark I have ever seen! Thank you and Happy New Year!
I’m delighted that you like them so much, Pamela. Thank you.
What a fascinating series. And haven’t we all had days when we are in ‘go slow’ mode. Thanks Ron – big smiles early in my day (it is not long after five) are a treat.
Thank you, EC. Actually, I’m in “go slow mode” right now. Nap time…
Wonderful series. Great catch. Beautiful bird.
You kept your word. Thank you.
Let’s hope hackers gave up…
Yep, I did tell you that I was going to change my publishing schedule, didn’t I, Jorge? Lets just hope that the fix is a permanent one…
One of my conures would do the thing with the foot. The only thing I could liken it to was someone trying to stop an itch by poking it rather than scratching it. Very strange.
Interesting about your conure, Arwen. Maybe that was what was going on here.
Very nice Ron. Stunning pictures of course. But I always love you pointing our behavior. Thanks.
Thank you, Art.
Great series! Second photograph = the Thinker. 🙂
Love your blog!
“Second photograph = the Thinker.”
Someone on Facebook said the same thing, Jane. Great minds think alike…
Great series of images, Ron! I love watching birds preen, rouse and stretch!
Thank you, Gail.
I follow daily… this series just made me SMILE! Thank you for sharing your photos & settings.
Happy New Year!
Your smile made me smile, C. Thanks for that.
Truly wonderful shots as always, and I especially enjoy the way you notice & capture what these wonderful creatures are up to.
Looks like each wing stretch is accompanied by a stretching of the leg on the same side, something I’ve seen other birds do. Quite a balancing act.
Alexia, yes, the bird not only stretched its leg but it spread its tail also. That’s more difficult to see because the tail is so short.
What a series Ron! The detail you captured is breathtaking! I think every feather can be counted! I just love feather colors and patterns on birds!
Thank you, Nancy. Happily I was close enough to the bird to get that detail. These images haven’t been cropped much at all.