One of my favorite photos of the species and I didn’t even know I had it.
1/1250, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Last night I stumbled across this older photo of a male Yellow-headed Blackbird displaying at Bear River MBR that I didn’t even know existed. It had been hiding in my files for years after apparently escaping my attention when I originally took it way back in May of 2009.
I won’t list all the things I like about the image but if I did the list would be a long one. If I had to pick a nit it would be that there isn’t a lot of detail in some of the blacks but no one’s forcing me to pick one so I won’t…
Some might think it’s the ‘wrong’ time of year to post a singing/displaying songbird but I was excited enough to find this photo I decided to post it anyway. I’m not finding these hidden gems as often as I used to.
Ron
Note: This seems like a good time to clear up an apparent misconception amongst some of my readers. When I post an image that I call an “older photo” that doesn’t mean that I’ve posted it to my blog before and I’m posting it again as a rerun. It only means that the photo is more than one year old so it’s what I call an “older photo”. When I post a photo for a second time, which I don’t do very often, I always try to remember to say in my blog text that I’ve posted it previously.
So, this image is new to my blog.
Wonderful happy photograph! Thanks.
Thanks, Joanne.
Beauty isn’t seasonal…and that certainly is a beauty!!!
Thank you, Patty.
Beautiful and fun! 🙂 He was REALLY having at it! A good laugh and smile to be had by me! Needed it this morning/afternoon…. 🙂
Judy, I’m glad you got it but sorry you needed it…
He is so enthusiastic! I love the raised wings and belting a song at the top of his lungs.
Thank you, April. Hope you get your flooring problem solved soon.
Ditto!
Stunning! He looks like I feel about the first days of October. Well, pretty much all the days from here until June.
Thanks, Arwen It’s nice to have some cooler weather for a change isn’t it!
It is NEVER the wrong time to post a gem like this one! Woo Hoo!
And, as always, I’ll happily work with EC to peruse your files. 😉
“I’ll happily work with EC to peruse your files”
Marty, I’ll supply the coffee. And the food. And the bourbon. You and EC will probably need gallons of the latter…
What a beauty. And a complete reinforcement of my often stated position that I would LOVE to have a week or two (probably longer) to go through your files. And would have some excellent company to do so.
I should probably take you up on your offer, EC. I doubt I’ll ever get through them all.
I wish. How I wish.
Opera star for sure! 😉 And thank goodness you found him, he should not have been kept under wraps for all these years—it’s an all-around excellent bird photo, with all that color, that behavior, and really interesting background to boot!
Chris, it was only luck that I found the photo. I rarely go back that far in my portfolio to look at photos that old.
The photo captures so much of what makes a blackbird a blackbird — perched on a cattail and raucously exclaiming to the world its thought of the moment.
Thank you, Kent.
Love it😊 So many cations to go with this pose. If he could put his wings on his hips… “I’m not going to tell you again”❗️
Have a great day.
“If he could put his wings on his hips”
Ha, now I have that image in my mind, Diana!
Good morning Ron. As nice a photo of this species as I have ever seen, nice timing with the light entering the open singing gape. Nice to see what I perceive as a cheery photo to start the day.
Thanks very much, Gary. Coming from you that means a lot.
Love it. Like Lyle’s description. I really enjoy seeing them when the large flocks come sometimes combined with their Red-winged cousins. I saw a flock of them at one of our lakes when we first moved here 16 years ago and had no idea what they were. In the photo I am wondering if he has just landed, getting ready to take off, or just stretching?
“I am wondering if he has just landed, getting ready to take off, or just stretching?”
He’s doing none of those, Everett. He’s performing a typical territorial display of the species.
Super shot. Love the Pavarotti comparison.
Thanks, Granny Pat.
I think he’s either giving you a scolding, Ron, for overlooking him in the first place, or he’s celebrating because you finally found him. What a terrific shot! Great way to start my day.
Thank you, Nanci.
He looks like the Pavarotti of YHBL’s, big belly and all. I can just hear him belting out nessun dorma for all it’s worth. But, perhaps as Nancy alludes to, a version only a female of the species would appreciate.
Lyle, loved your observation about his big belly when comparing him to Pavarotti.
Oh my goodness! What a cheerful fella!! Glad you found him again.
Thanks, Kathleen.
You’ve caught this guy at a very nice angle. So often their heads are awkwardly turned away from their bodies when displaying, and they just look weird. Speaking of yellow-headed blackbirds and weird, it’s too bad you couldn’t include their voices. How could such an overall attractive animal have such an unappealing voice???
I agree, Nancy. Many of their typical postures while they’re displaying are very unappealing. You have to catch them at the right moment.
I also agree about their “voice”.