![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/belted-kingfisher-4625-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"belted-kingfisher-4625-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nAnd a medical update. Let’s get the medical stuff out of the way first.<\/p>\n
Medically, I’m in a holding pattern. It’s been 11 months since my last MRI on my back so my orthopedic surgeon wants a new one before surgery. The medical imaging centers around here are backed up so I’m waiting for them to call to make an appointment. But there’s no question I need surgery. When my surgeon saw the X-rays of my back, taken in his office last week, the first words out of his mouth were “Wow, your back is a mess.”<\/p>\n
In the meantime I’m very grateful that my pain level has subsided to somewhere in the ‘tolerable’ range so at least I’m able to sleep. So far I haven’t taken any pain meds but I have them if I really need them. Hopefully I’ll get the appointment sometime this week.<\/p>\n
OK, enough of that. I’m sick of thinking about it. But I figured I should bring my blog followers up to date.<\/p>\n
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It’s been something like two weeks since I’ve done any serious bird photography and yesterday morning I thought I could tolerate a few hours of sitting in my pickup so I finally got out again.<\/p>\n
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1\/6400, f\/5.6, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n While I was waiting for a few spring birds to show up at my shooting location this male Belted Kingfisher flew in to do a little fishing. He wasn’t close and the setting is about as busy as it gets but it was a kingfisher and I had a clear view of him so my goal was takeoff and flight shots.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/6400, f\/5.6, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n I got several and this one is my favorite. I had to tone down a line of very bright specular highlights<\/a><\/span><\/span> on the top of his wet bill but I like his flight posture, I have light in his eye, he’s sharp and almost miraculously there are no twigs in front of him.<\/p>\n It was good, very good, to get my bird photography juices flowing again.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" And a medical update. (2 photos)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/belted-kingfisher-4663b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"belted-kingfisher-4663b-ron-dudley\\"")
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