As usual this time of year, three days ago at Bear River MBR many of the Yellow-headed Blackbirds were feasting on midges. Typically, they’d snag them right out of the air.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
That’s what this adult male had been doing just before I pulled up on him but just before I got my pickup stopped he yielded to his springtime urges and started ‘singing’ instead. Yes, that raucous, nonmelodic sound they make is actually called singing.
1/6400, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
But just a few feet away, several females (notice their overall brownish color, instead of black) were awash in midges – so many of them that the birds sometimes seemed bewildered about which one to go after.
In this photo and all the rest the background is water, not sky.
1/6400, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
The sharp midge just above this female is doomed. A split second later it was lunch. I often tried to time my shots to show the moment a bird clamped down on a midge in flight but on this morning I was never quite successful. It happens so fast, this was as close as I came.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
In this photo (that isn’t quite sharp) we can see a midge in her bill just after capture.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I was also trying to get photos of blackbirds taking off and in flight. Once again, this female had been feasting on midges but as I approached her I think I made her a little nervous. She stopped feeding and…
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
took off. I managed to get this shot that I really like as she launched from her perch amidst the midges. I suspect she crashed into the midge directly in front of her.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I actually got another sharp flight shot of her but in this one I didn’t have enough room on the left for a composition I like so I had to add canvas on that side.
It looks like her crop is packed with midges. Right now is a bounteous time at the refuge.
Ron
Ron, how far away were you from these birds? Your photos are always so sharp that it seems like you must be right next to them, but I know you are not.
Robin, I was a little closer to these blackbirds than I usually am – perhaps 20′. But that’s just an approximation.
Excellent shots Ron. I enjoyed them very much.
Good. Thanks, Rick.
There were a LOT of midges in the air. So many it seems as if they could just sit still with their mouths open and get fed.
Feast or famine seems to be the rule. That crop is full isn’t it. And packed with such tiny morsels too.
EC, there are often so many midges, clouds of them can be seen from a quarter mile away. They fly in formations that look like tornadoes – folks around here call those formations “midgenadoes”.
Nice photo series Ron.
That 4th one is amazing and the 6th quite beautiful.
That buggy environment does not look pleasant. Got to ask. Do you get many of those midges inside your truck while taking these photos?
“Do you get many of those midges inside your truck while taking these photos?”
Ha, I sure as hell do.
On the way home going 75mph on the freeway I open all four windows in an attempt to blow them all out. But there’s always some survivors that hid in nooks and crannys. I park my pickup in the garage so it isn’t unusual for a couple of them to end up in my house.
This morning while on my way to the grocery store I noticed one of them flying between me and my windshield – one from Bear River three days ago.
Jeeez.
Lovely shots. It is fun watching them snap at midges, sometimes the birds will have midges on their heads and backs. When I try to get the birds in flight I am not very successful, they usually drop straight down into the brush.
Thanks, April. Songbirds in flight are seldom easy.
Sensational series!
Thanks.
Outstanding photography Ron. Love that 3rd shot with the midge clearly shown and there is one also below. One of my favorite birds too. Super job.
Thanks very much, Everett.
Feast or Famine and lots of hungry mouths to feed right now! Fun shots – they are a pretty bird even if their “song” is obnoxious…. 😉 Luv the shot of breakfast “almost” there. Sure takes a lot of them to make a meal tho.
“Sure takes a lot of them to make a meal tho.”
Judy, that was my thought as I was processing the last photo. I wouldn’t even hazard a guess about how many midges it would take to pack her crop like that.