![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/greater-yellowlegs-0391-horizontal-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"greater-yellowlegs-0391-horizontal-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nYesterday morning was my first time out shooting in 29 days. It (mostly) felt very, very good.<\/p>\n
Until yesterday I didn’t feel well enough to even want to go shooting but thanks to the inflammation-reducing effects of prednisone, a steroid that’s an absolute wonder drug in my book, I decided to go for it so I headed for Farmington Bay WMA. Prednisone is potentially dangerous stuff (members of my own extended family can vouch for that) so I can only take if for a few days.<\/p>\n
But I’m grateful for the temporary reprieve because it provides me with some significant pain relief while I continue to heal from major back surgery. At my first post-op appointment last week my surgeon told me that I have nine new incisions (I can’t see all of them, even in a mirror) so considerable inflammation and resulting pain are to be expected. He jokingly complained about how tedious and time consuming it was to close that many incisions.<\/p>\n
OK, enough about my surgery. But I know that many blog followers are interested in how my recovery is going so I wanted to touch on it. I’ve been surprised by how many readers have already had similar back surgeries or have them looming ominously in front of them.<\/p>\n
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1\/5000, 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 Birds were pretty slow yesterday but I did manage to get a couple of sharp photos of this Greater Yellowlegs in flight. Of the two I like this one best because most of the reflections in the water aren’t directly behind the bird. I wish I’d been closer to the Yellowlegs but if I had been I’d probably have only one flight shot instead of two. Tradeoffs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A vertical composition of the same photo that includes the bird’s reflection might have been my preference if it wasn’t for…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n an unfortunate and highly distracting gull in the foreground.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Although it was wonderful to get back in the field again it was more than a little frustrating and discombobulating. Because I still can’t twist in my pickup seat due to surgery restrictions (and won’t be able to for some time), my available shooting angles out my window are reduced by about half. As a result, I couldn’t even aim my lens at several birds that were close and performing interesting behaviors. I’m pretty sure I invented some new cuss words.<\/p>\n And my muscle memory pulled a major switcheroo on me. After shooting with my previous camera, the Canon 7D Mark II, for nearly eight years and then not using my relatively new and current camera, the Canon R5, for an entire month, I kept trying to use buttons and dials that either don’t exist or are in different locations on the R5. The time wasted searching for the right button or dial cost me some nice opportunities with several birds.<\/p>\n I still won’t be out shooting as often as I used to but yesterday morning was a new beginning and for that I’m grateful.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yesterday morning was my first time out shooting in 29 days. It (mostly) felt very, very good. (3 images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/greater-yellowlegs-0391-vertical-cloned-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/greater-yellowlegs-0391-vertical-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"greater-yellowlegs-0391-vertical-ron-dudley\\"")
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