And some surprise magpie iridescence on an overcast morning.
1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 1250, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
A little over two weeks ago, on an overcast morning on Antelope Island, I was forced to use a higher ISO than I prefer in order to have enough (barely enough) shutter speed for birds in flight. In that funky light I was pleasantly surprised to still get some iridescence in a few of my Black-billed Magpie photos.
When this magpie took off from the sagebrush directly below him ‘he’ popped almost straight up into the air and then performed this aerial rotating/twisting maneuver as a precursor to diving steeply down toward the ground in order to search for nesting material very near the nest.
He’ll dive in the direction he’s looking.
1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 1250, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This is the next shot in the burst.
Between this photo and the previous one he’d only traveled forward about 4″ (based on a recognizable twig below him in each photo) but the angle of his body changed dramatically and very quickly.
These are the kinds of shots that are hard to get from magpies in flight soon after takeoff because you never know, in three dimensions, which direction they’re going to go. If I’d been shooting with my cropped frame 7DII I’d almost certainly have clipped or cut off his right wing in the first photo for lack of room in the frame. But with the full frame 45 MP R5 I had much more room in the frame so I avoided amputating body parts and still had plenty of pixels to crop significantly with very little loss of image quality. If any.
This year I was delighted to have multiple opportunities with nest-building magpies, which I believe is the best time to photograph them in flight. They’re incubating eggs now so there’s relatively little activity around the nest. When the youngsters fledge there will be a short period of opportunity with the entire family in the vicinity of the nest and then they’ll disperse.
After they’ve dispersed it’ll be late enough in the season to have more attractive greenery in my photos but the magpies will be harder to find. And to approach.
Ron
Note: Once again I want to make it clear that I never get close enough to the nests to disturb the magpies or alter their behavior. And I’m always shooting from inside my pickup, never on foot. Many visitors to the island get closer to some of these nests than I do without knowing the nests are there. And even that doesn’t deter the magpies.
Happy Easter everyone!
That dive shot! Even in the low light, you managed to get such great iridescent colors! Definitely one for the wall. “Hat’s off!” 😉
I dunno, Marty. I’ve grown weary of wearing magpie hats in so many photos of me. On the other hand, any distraction helps…
The colors you’ve captured in these photos are really stunning! I marvel at the second one—the bird’s flight trajectory and that sleek, multi-colored body—looking jet-propelled and gorgeous!
Happy Easter, Mr. D. 🐰
Much appreciated, Chris. And the same to you.
What an incredible difference those four inches (and split seconds) made. Wonderful captures of a truly beautiful bird. And wouldn’t you love to have that unerring mastery of your body? I know I would.
I sure would, EC. Both my body and my camera body… 🙂
Those photos made me draw breath! Magnificent!
Thank you, Phoebe.
Both photos are outstanding. The diving Magpie looks like a Kingfisher diving down to catch something. Seems that the R5 is really helpful for in flight and take offs.
Everett, the R5 is very helpful with some types of flight and takeoff shots but to some degree it depends on the situation.
I really admire both of these shots—magpies present themselves at their
best to you, in postures, markings, and iridescence– I think they know you’re
coming and will do right by their beauty !
Ha, I wish that were true Kris.
WOW! Beautiful shots freezing the motion and capturing the iridescence even in the low light. Full frame definitely helpful for this! 🙂
29 this morning – an “improvement” 😉
Happy Easter all!
Thank you, Judy. The iridescence surprised me in that light.
Great captures! The pattern and coloration, and behavior of those birds really make them a rewarding subject.
Magpies are one of my favorite subjects, Michael – for the reasons you mentioned and more.
It looks like this Magpie has a little bit of raptor in him. Looks to me like he’s stooping for his prey. Whatever twig he’s after is toast.
In any case, you captured an impressive change-up in wing position in those four inches.
Thanks, Lyle. That second shot does look like a stoop, doesn’t it.
Beautiful shots, I agree with Nancy about the R5 and you!
Thanks, Dick. We’ll see about the R5 and me. I’ve still got a long way to go with that learning curve.
Wow! The iridescence is very nice, and the photos sharp. Your new camera is serving you well–and you’re mastering it despite the challenge.
Thank you, Nancy. I’m not sure I’ll ever really “master” the R5 but at least I’m becoming less of a fumbling novice with it.
Love the “Faster than a speeding bullet” dive pose. Have you tried slow motion video with your new camera yet?
Nope, haven’t tried it yet Brett. It’s on my list though.