{"id":152611,"date":"2024-02-07T04:40:33","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T11:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=152611"},"modified":"2024-02-07T06:31:11","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T13:31:11","slug":"european-starling-perched-taking-off-and-in-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2024\/02\/07\/european-starling-perched-taking-off-and-in-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"European Starling Perched, Taking Off And In Flight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plus a bike-riding raven and a motorcycle-riding owl.<\/p>\n

In over 13 years of publishing 4196 blog posts to Feathered Photography (averaging 313 posts per year), only three of those posts have been devoted exclusively or primarily to European Starlings. Despite my reservations about starlings, I figured it’s about time for another one.<\/p>\n

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1\/2500, f\/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

Nine days ago on Antelope Island, starlings were the most abundant birds I saw (Western Meadowlarks came in a close second.) These four were perched on the hump of a grazing bull bison and since I didn’t have nearly enough depth of field to get all four birds sharp, I hoped to get takeoff or flight shots I liked.<\/p>\n

That didn’t work out for a variety of reasons.<\/p>\n

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1\/6400, f\/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

But 16 minutes later I had better luck with another starling perched on sagebrush. This time I actually started my burst before the bird took off, so…<\/p>\n

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1\/6400, f\/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0I caught ‘him’ with his wings held vertically before the first downward power-flap.<\/p>\n

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1\/6400, f\/5.6, 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 timing of my shutter was in sync with his wing beats so his wings were in a vertical position in…<\/p>\n

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1\/6400, f\/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

all of my takeoff and flight shots. That isn’t necessarily a good thing. For the sake of variety I’d have preferred to get at least one shot with his wings in the down position.<\/p>\n

I didn’t have a lot of luck with other birds that morning but as I was preparing to leave the island I got some shots of a Common Raven that are nothing if they aren’t unique, at least in my portfolio.<\/p>\n

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1\/3200, f\/5.6, 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 raven was preening while perched atop a display bike from Antelope eBikes<\/a><\/span><\/span>, an ebike rental establishment at the marina. While the raven was preening I never once got light on its face or in its eye but eventually I got this profile shot that I think works pretty well.<\/p>\n

I was too close to get the entire bike in the frame. This shot was taken vertically.<\/p>\n

After a mostly unsuccessful morning on the island I didn’t think I’d be smiling as I drove toward home along the causeway but this raven plastered a big grin on my face. I’ve photographed a…<\/p>\n

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fledgling Great Horned Owl on a motorcycle before but never a raven on an ebike.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

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Notes:<\/em><\/p>\n