I try to avoid assigning emotions to birds (not always successfully) but I swear this was one joyful little pipit.
:
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
I found this guy yesterday morning at Farmington Bay WMA. ‘He’ had recently bathed in one of the many nearby puddles and hopped up onto the wire for some exuberant shaking and preening. All the effort required to dry off sure didn’t seem like a chore to him, I had the distinct impression he was enjoying the hell out of the entire process.
Notice the length of the nails on the hallux of this bird. Pipits are known for having unusually long hind claws.
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
I never did notice water drops flying off of him but he must have still been damp enough to require further ‘aeration’.
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
He did more shaking than traditional preening. When he was preening I rarely got light in his eye so I haven’t included any of those photos.
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
In some of the shaking photos the fact that his tail is sharper than the tips of his primaries tells me something valuable to me as a photographer. Even a very fast shutter speed of 1/5000 couldn’t completely prevent motion blur in his wingtips. Because the tail is sharper than the wingtips that tells me it’s probably more of a shutter speed issue than a depth of field issue.
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
I always enjoy seeing the warped feather shapes produced by shaking birds.
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
At one point he chose to draw one of his front toes through the entire length of his bill. In the next three photos in the burst I can see his toe moving through his bill and toward its tip.
But it was an extremely awkward maneuver so…
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
he damn near fell off the wire at the end of it. Here we can still see the tip of one of his claws behind his neck as he struggles to stay on the wire..
Just goes to show there’s more than one way to be embarrassed when you put your foot in your mouth.
Ron
Note: I don’t avoid assigning emotions to birds because I think they don’t have them. I try to avoid it because it’s so often difficult to interpret them accurately. Who am I to say how they’re feeling…
This just made me happy. Thank you for sharing this! What a cute little (clean) bird.
Ron,
I love your bird photo emails!! I a so happy to find out about you. Thanks for all the fabulous and unbelievably CRISP photos. I can tell it is a labor of love.
Do you sell limited licenses for any of your images?
I would like to post your image of the darling little kestrel on barbed wire on two non-commercial websites that I maintain:http://www.juliekaynorman.comhttps://webcentricmarketing.com/agnesbakerpilgrim/
The first one is my personal website, with my resume and information about personal projects and “earthy events.”
The second is an online tribute to Native American / Takelma elder, Agnes Baker Pilgrim (1924 – 2019) from the Rogue River Valley in SW Oregon.
Thank you,
Julie
Anthropomorphize away! The American Pipit looks very pleased with itself in the first shot — I totally see a smile. 🙂 This is a delightful series!
Thank you, Marty.
This looks like one happy bird 😁
I have 3 bird baths in my backyard. Between 10-11 in the morning it’s pool party time❗️ I look forward to watching them everyday… my emotion…. joy ❤️
Diana, I have a heated bird bath but I haven’t put it out yet. It’s on my (long) list.
The whole concept of anthropomorphism is where I really get cranky with the array of -ologists who have concluded that only humans have that characteristic/ability. In fact, that idea just makes me see red on the same level as “just a [redtail, dog, cat, etcetera.]!” Emotions are nothing more than chemical reactions to environmental stimuli that result in (are expressed in?) behavior. It’s not that complicated. OF COURSE critters have emotions!! Why wouldn’t they? We humans are really not as special as we think we are!
This little pipit is so obviously enjoying his morning bath that there’s no other idea other than pure joy! And what a major cutie. But I digress.
Over the years, I’ve learned that we’re far more alike than different, that the various emotions look very, very similar, and that if I go with my gut, I’m almost always right. When I go with what I “hear” from Mariah, Jack, the other birds I’ve worked with and even the dogs, it’s good. When I question what I “hear” or don’t listen, mayhem can ensue. It’s ALWAYS best for me to go with what I “hear.”
And yes, I am a crazy, hippie-kid heretic! Thank you very much 😉
All that said, I thoroughly enjoy watching birds bathe and preen! They so enjoy it and it’s just fun watching them.
Laura, the “ologists” have come a long way in recent years in acknowledging emotions in critters, depending on how you define emotions. In fact some of the ologists have been in the forefront of promoting the idea.
But I know what you mean. When I was in training as a biologist more than 50 years ago ‘anthropomorphism’ was generally frowned upon.
Ron, I KNOW you know better, but I’ve run across way too many over my lifetime that believe otherwise and will argue the point to the death! Hmmmm, I’ve connected an election dot! Flat Earth and all!
What a sweeeeet little bird—and one I’ve not seen in person. The color of these images is really beautiful, complementing Pipit’s colors. ♥️
Thank you, Chris.
Terrific series…I love all the particulars of their ablutions! I think they enjoy bathing as much as a child loves the water. Watching a flock gather around the rim of a bird bath taking turns jumping in and splashing about are minutes well spent in my opinion! 😍 I do think I see a hint of a smile in the first photo.😉
“I do think I see a hint of a smile in the first photo”
So do I, Kathy. That’s exactly why I picked that one for my introductory photo.
Birds and baths give ME never ending joy – and I would certainly ascribe that joy to them. I have never ever seen a bird approach a bath in a ‘lick and a spit’ manner. They fling themselves (sometimes literally) into it. The post bath preening is another treat. And (yet another) reason to be impressed with their acrobatics and their flexibility. And attention to detail.
Yet another series to start my day well. Before my own ablutions. Thanks Ron.
Agreed, EC. Bathing birds and ‘exuberance’ go together well don’t they.
Such a cute bird! I can see how you’d ascribe human emotions to him. I think the ability to see a kinship in other creatures keeps our species from being even more “beastly” than it already is. I don’t mean to insult the “beasts” with that last sentence… perhaps I should substitute the word “cruel”.
Thanks, Joanne. I truly believe he was enjoying his after bath routine.
One of my pleasures in life if watching birds bathe and preen. Great series. Next time we are together it would be interesting to have a conversation about why you feel birds don’t have emotions. I am interested in you viewpoint.
April, apparently you didn’t see or read the note at the end of the post.
I actually do think birds have emotions. I’m just not sure they’re the same or even very similar to many human emotions.
I have never seen such a vivid photo of a pipit. It is a great photo and delightful commentary. It is helping me learn.
Kaye,
Park City,UT
Thanks very much, Kaye.
What fun! 😀 Those ARE incredibly long rear toenails! Wonder if they ever get hung up with them? Great to see such “joy” in just handling daily business……😀
“Wonder if they ever get hung up with them?”
I suspect it does happen occasionally, Judy. With those needle-like scythes I don’t know how it could always be avoided.
I love watching birds fluff and preen after a bath! Thank you for sharing this delightful Pipit with us, Ron.
Thanks, Melanie.
It appears you gathered the morning gold from all around and squeezed it into this picture. Charming poses all. Those halluces are extraordinary (looked up the plural, of course).
“looked up the plural, of course”
Lyle, that made me smile. Truth be told I almost looked it up too but then took the easy way out and worded it so I didn’t need the plural.
I think you’re safe in assigning “joyful” to this guy !
I think you’re right, Laurel.
Pure joy, well captured. Thanks for posting, Ron.
Thank you, Diane.
I’d never recognized a pipit until this year. I’m sure they’ve been around, but our water dishes were popular with a whole flock of them last week. Not spectacular birds, but dear little things.
Sallie, they’re easy to miss because from a distance they may look like ‘just another’ LBJ but up close I think their buffy color is both distinctive and attractive.