This one’s a little different from my usual fare.
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
This photo was taken very shortly after dawn two days ago at Bear River MBR. Meadowlarks can be relatively easy to get close to in spring and early summer when they have gushing hormones but this time of year they’re very difficult to approach. I believe the relative cold that time of morning made this one a little more ‘sticky’ than usual.
This isn’t the kind of takeoff shot you’d usually see from me. The perch, a pile of rocks, is unattractive and I usually prefer the wings in an up or down position rather than horizontal like this. But I do like the flowing lines and S-curves of the body and wings, I got a catch light in the eye despite the near back light and the dynamic and athletic postures of birds at takeoff always appeal to me.
Besides, whenever I get takeoff shots of songbirds that are sharp (or sharp enough) with no body parts clipped or cut off and plenty of room in front of the bird for composition I always feel like I’ve accomplished something.
Ron
Note:
Yesterday I bellyached about all the mosquito bites I got at Bear River on the morning this photo was taken. As I type this it’s 28° outside here in Salt Lake City and the forecast low for Bear River early Monday morning is 14°. When those nasty little buggers freeze to death I hope it happens slowly.
This view/position is different…I like it….Meadow Larks, the happiness birds.
Thanks, Patty.
One of my favorite hiking tunes is meadowlark on repeat. I adore the sound of their warble. 😀
Arwen, you should hike Antelope Island in the spring and early summer. There you don’t need a recording.
Unusual – but impressive.
I am so often blown away by their athleticism. And their beauty. They float my particular boat much more than MM.
Thanks Ron.
Thanks, EC.
Beautiful take off position! My bird baths all had a layer of ice but only half the plants; tomatoes, squash, peppers got nipped. I had to go out and revel in the cold air, I love how it feels on my skin.
April, I plugged in the trailer at 5 AM so I wouldn’t have any pipes freeze. Gotta winterize it today.
I concur that it is an unusual take on a takeoff, although I’ve come to expect the unexpected from you. Always a learning experience.
Thanks, Lyle. I take that as a compliment.
What a super shot of the Meadowlark taking off like Superman! I have not seen a Meadowlark in my area in over 30 years. I am still giggling over your wish that the midges and mosquitoes suffer! I am not a cold weather fan but I do appreciate that winter provides us with a welcome break from being a bloodsucker’s meal! Hope all your stakeouts are bug-free until spring.
“Hope all your stakeouts are bug-free until spring”
They should be Melanie. The down side is frozen fingers and ears. At least my new pickup has heated seats.
Aesthetics aside, photos like this increase our understanding of flight. Angle of body, force of push off, movement of wings. Thanks!
I agree, Sallie.
My first thought was cute tutu ❗️I like it 😁
Thought of you when a skeeter bit me last night…booger itched all night 😠
Diana, usually my skeeter bites stop itching within an hour or so but this last time it lasted for about a day and a half – probably the cumulative effect of that many bites on my immune system
To me it looks like the swirling skirt of a dancer on her toes.Very unusual position. Thanks for posting it.
Boy, you have some great take-off shots, Ron. Without a photo to look at i would never see anything like that. Thanks once again. (And thanks for the chuckle about “the little buggers freezing to death”. I”m with you all the way!)
Nina, ‘nasty little buggers’ is the most accurate description I could think of that was relatively family friendly.
Wonderful photo, Ron. Kathy’s MM analogy for the wings is perfect…..😀 The lighting and body angle are great! Of course, they are seasonal here so haven’t experienced them being them being too spooky.
+4 with ice fog this morning – no skeeters here! 😉
Judy, many of our meadowlarks migrate too but if it doesn’t get too cold in the winter some of them stick around.
That is a unique photo as Kathy mentioned. Very different from your usual fare in many ways, but a neat photo nevertheless. I like it. Being a biology teacher you know way more about mosquitoes and what happens to them when freezing temps come and no matter how many freeze to death they are back again the following summer than I do.
Everett, a friend who lived in Alaska for decades says that some of their mosquitoes up there have a natural antifreeze that allows them to survive freezing temperatures. I’m sure glad ours don’t…
It is incredible sometimes how wildlife and birds can live through the winters. We have a couple Anna’s hummers who live all winter in a row of photinia shrubs along the side of our house. Here at 5400 feet we get some very cold winter nights, but they go into that torpor state and are ready to go the next day. We have a feeder for them that we bring in every night and then I put it back out at 530 or 6 in the morning and they are right there ready to go as I hang it on a tree.
Quite the unique photo! I like the basic monochrome color here (minus the sky). In fact the more I look at this the more I’m drawn back to it…I find so much appealing from the ‘s’ curves to the curved toes to the markings on the belly. It really is unique and would be a favorite if it were mine! 😍 Now having said that I must add: the first thought that came to mind as I looked at this…the iconic photo of Marilyn Monroe as she was standing over a heat grate with her dress billowing about.
Ha, you’re right about that MM photo, Kathy. I’d have never thought of it but now it’ll probably always come to mind when I see this photo.