By ‘best’ I mean that this flycatcher gave me more poses yesterday, on more perches, over more time than any other small bird in longer than I can remember. And “he” even allowed me a bunch of shots with prey for good measure, including a yellowjacket. My only complaint is that many (though not all) of his chosen perches left something to be desired.
All photos are presented in the order they were taken.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
In 11+ minutes I took 371 photos of him as he hunted for insects from a variety of perches in the Wasatch Mountains. He wasn’t particularly close for this one but it was a suitable distance for takeoff shots…
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
and I got lucky with a posture I adore.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
But luck wasn’t always with me. For some reason this bird didn’t care much about the aesthetics of my photos and was more concerned with the success of his hunting so he usually chose perches with ‘problems’. In this case the issue is with the brightness of that vertical branch to the right. I could tone it down a little during processing but I still think I’d be bothered by it.
I was a little surprised that at f/6.3 and the distance I was from the bird the tail and especially the bill aren’t sharper.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
The bird was a relentless hunter and he was successful with insects several times. His concentration on potential prey in the nearby leaf litter was absolute, which is probably why he ignored me and my pickup for as long as he did.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Some may wonder why I’d even bother to focus on the bird or push the shutter button for a shot like this because he’s largely hidden by the branches and covered in dark shadows. I did so because the photo documents hunting behavior and because there’s always that remote chance I could…
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
get lucky with a second takeoff shot of the same bird on the same morning which almost never happens. I was happy to get the ‘twofer” even though I wish the background was further away from the flycatcher so the bird would stand out a little better. Technically this is actually a flight shot because his feet have left the perch
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
His next hunting perch also had problems, particularly that out-of-focus twig he’s perched on because it’s jutting out almost directly toward the viewer. In an effort to minimize the problem I slid my lens as far right on the ‘noodle’ on my window as I could with only limited success. But I do like that almost coquettish hunting pose.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
The bird was considerate enough to give me a climactic finale to his extended performance. He caught a yellowjacket and proceeded to kill and eat it in good light and on a perch where I could actually see most of the action. Leaves in the foreground obscured the tip of his tail and they’re annoying but I can live with them. I took 86 shots of him killing and eating that nasty yellowjacket and then cleaning his bill so I may post a few more of them in the fairly near future.
In my book any bird that eats yellowjackets is a good bird.
Ron
Notes:
- I’m fairly confident of the ID of this bird but the Empidonax flycatchers are notoriously difficult to identify so please correct me if I’m wrong.
- While typing this on a calm, dark morning in Utah I keep thinking about those of you back east who are hunkering down at the beginning of what could potentially be one of the most disastrous and dangerous hurricanes ever. I can only imagine what it would be like. Please, please stay safe as you face the immense challenges of Florence.
I was camping in a national park last week … no Dusky Flycatchers to be had, so we used a yellowjacket trap. Which apparently is frowned upon by NPS but there’s no way to enjoy a meal in the great outdoors otherwise! Even with the “annoying” perches, these flycatcher pics are lovely.
Sensational series Ron!
Charlotte
Ron, an amazing series of a beautiful, although rather drab-colored bird. All birds are beautiful coming from your camera! Lovely series.
Thanks for those very kind words, Judy.
Ron, I don’t know if you watch any cable TV, but ‘Alaska, the Last Frontier’ has some pretty amusing footage of the family patriarch, Otto Kilcher, a funny guy in his own right, going after a huge colony of the Alaskan variety of wasps with a contraption that shoots an LP gas flame about two feet long. Very satisfying…
I don’t watch much TV at all, George. But I’m curious enough to see if I can find a clip…
Found the clip about Charlotte’s Wasp Traps but nothing about an LP gas flame.
Love all of the shots Ron. He was in his natural habitat. The fact he was between two branches doesn’t bother me at all. Such a sweet little bird. Well done!
Yup, this bird was certainly where he wanted to be, Jean. Thanks.
What an absolute charmer.
LOVE that second shot in particular.
Thanks, EC.
Your photos have certainly made a “dusky” bird look beautiful. Even the yellow jacket looks vibrant.
Thanks very much, Lyle.
These are all great shots Ron, but I especially like the last one! I won’t go into too much detail, but in 1989 my wife and I took our young family camping out west on a summer sabbatical from teaching. On our way back stopped in BC Canada. I was chasing my son, who consequently tripped over a log that housed a Yellowjackets nest. Suffice it to say I ran in the opposite direction, NOT my wife. She heard her son screaming and in protective mode as he ran to the camper, she came out and grabbed and killed every yellow jacket on him. She never got stung. Ever since, she has been called the mother bear who looks after her cubs. There is more to the story, but thankfully, our son didn’t have any reaction to the 21 stings from the Weatern Yellowjackets who are supposed to be more potent than the eastern.
I guess that tells you where I stand on Yellowjackets.
Wowsers, your son was lucky there weren’t more dire consequences than that, Dick. I’ve been stung by them a few times but never anything like that.
You can understand the immediate concern and the fortunate chance we were able to go to a doctors house where he gave our son a shot of epinefrine (sp) I think. At any rate he was OK. You can also see why Mamma Bear was held in such high esteem after that! No one ever tried to mess with Mamma Bear after than!!! VBG!
You must have bright, strong light to get this series at ISO 800 and 1/4000, 1/5000, 1/6000. What time of day did you get these?
in re yellow jackets: some fools will try to convince you that they are beneficial insectshttps://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/pest-control/benefits-of-wasps-yellow-jackets-zw0z1303zkin but beekeepers know better. https://beeinformed.org/2012/10/11/yellow-jackets/.
As honeybees are pleasant, good-tempered people who hum melodiously as they go about their work of pollinating every flowering thing, as opposed to the yellow jacket tribe, whose purpose in life is to take over your garden and your eaves and then sting you, your dog, your kids, and your neighbors in the name of defending their territory, I say exterminate the bastards.
Martha, all those shots were taken at about 9 am. One of the advantages of my 500 f/4 lens is that it pulls in a lot of light, even with the tc attached.
They’ll never convince me to like yellowjackets, you can rest assured of that.
I second your termination motion!
This is a pretty amazing series of this bird. I like it’s attitude. I know approximately nothing about Empidonax Flycatchers so I won’t think about trying to identify this one. The second takeoff shot is saved by the spread out wings, which (at least for me) dominate the photo.
We have property on the Outer Banks (fairly far north), and relatives that live nearby, who have decided to ride out the hurricane. It shouldn’t be as bad in that area, but I am concerned for all who will be affected by the hurricane and hope they make it through okay. I’ve been through hurricanes before, but nothing like what we are having these days.
Sometimes I’m lucky if I can get it down to just flycathcers, Susan. An exact species is often beyond my knowledge of that genus. Thanks.
Wonderful photos Ron, and a beautiful bird. I don’t believe we have the Dusky Flycatcher, but we do have a few of the others. Like Hummingbirds and Sparrows, Flycatchers are tough for me to ID. These are the type photos that make your day. Hope you have a good weekend.
Everett Sanborn
Prescott AZ
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Everett. Thank you.
Very nice photos Ron! We have Eastern Woods Peewee and Great Crested Flycatxher which I have often mixed up. Love watching those little guys.
Thanks, Kelly. I probably see the Willow Flycatcher more often than other flycatchers (except for the 2 kingbird species of course) and I’m not very good at all at ID with most of them.
WOW! Wonderful series Ron including the demise of the yellow Jacket! ‘Tis the season for yellow jackets for sure… 🙁 All the shots are great but am partial to the “take offs” 🙂 Even the one of him peeking out from behind the twig is awesome….. I too have those on the East Coast in mind and hope all stay safe – they’re getting drowned and we can hardly get a drop – amazing how that works….
Those takeoff shots are my favorites too, Judy – that old “degree of difficulty” thing. Thanks.
Absolutely wonderful series of photos! What a spread of wing feathers of the second ‘flight shot’…very impressive. 😍 Looking forward to more photos with the yellow jacket.
Kathy, I was unusually lucky on the photo you mention because I was so close to the bird that normally I’d clip or cut off body parts or completely miss having the bird in the frame. Thank you.
I agree with the admiration for anything that eats yellowjackets. Love the two “wing fling” shots — woo hoo! 🙂 I also like the slight head cock in the second shot — I’m imagining him thinking, “Who’s that bird with weird looking ‘eye’ sitting on that odd perch?” 😉
I’ll echo your sentiments for those in the path of Florence.
Thank you, Marty. I try to avoid negative thoughts about any natural and wild critters when I can but with yellowjackets it’s a losing battle.