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<\/p>\nYesterday morning I finally got out again and actually found some birds, including a fun encounter with a family of Western Kingbirds.<\/p>\n
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1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n There were four of them, two recent fledglings and their parents. And man, were they ever noisy. Based on the racket they made you’d think the youngsters were on the verge of starvation.<\/p>\n Most of the time the fledglings would wait on a branch in one of the adjacent bushes for the adults to deliver food to them but occasionally they followed their parents around, making an absolute nuisance of themselves as they did so.<\/p>\n Here the fledgling on the right is reacting to its parent flying off after a food delivery. Mostly I’m including this photo to give readers a feeling for the pandemonium that was occurring as the adults tried to appease their hungry offspring. It’s the only shot I got with more than one bird in the frame where both birds were sharp.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The following three photos are sequential without any skips.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n The fledglings were old enough to fly, probably to the regret of their parents because if they’d stayed in one place they’d have been a lot easier to keep fed. I caught this youngster just prior to takeoff.<\/p>\n Notice the bald spot in its ‘armpit’ where the axillaries haven’t grown in yet – one of the indicators of its tender age. Another such indicator is its prominent gape (see note below).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n The next photo in the burst.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n This is the last shot I got where the fledgling was sharp enough. I have a fourth one but in that photo the bird is just too soft. In this photo there’s a third indicator of the young age of the bird. Can you spot it?<\/p>\n Notice how short and stubby its tail is. Those tail feathers haven’t yet reached their mature length.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I had a blast yesterday, with these kingbirds and others. I thoroughly enjoyed the remoteness of my location, the resulting solitude (in 3 1\/2 hours I only saw one other vehicle on the road) and of course the birds and mammals I encountered. I arrived on location before sunrise so it was also my favorite part of the day – very early morning.<\/p>\n It reminded me of what I’ve been missing while I’ve been stuck at home for various reasons.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: <\/em><\/p>\n “Gape<\/strong>: This is a fleshy area at the base of the bill where the upper and lower mandibles meet. In young birds, it is often enlarged or may seem so because the birds have not developed their mature feathers to help conceal it, and it may be brightly colored so their mouths are more noticeable when they beg for food.”<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yesterday morning I finally got out again and actually found some birds, including a fun encounter with a family of Western Kingbirds. (4 photos)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/western-kingbird-5068-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"western-kingbird-5068-ron-dudley\\"")
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