{"id":156083,"date":"2024-03-27T05:09:20","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T11:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=156083"},"modified":"2024-03-27T06:51:52","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T12:51:52","slug":"some-recent-birds-and-some-minor-grossness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2024\/03\/27\/some-recent-birds-and-some-minor-grossness\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Recent Birds And Some Minor Grossness"},"content":{"rendered":"

The “minor grossness” partially explains why I’ve been posting to Feathered Photography less often recently.<\/p>\n

Occasionally I post a collection of recent photos that I don’t think quite deserve standalone status on Feathered Photography but collectively they should hold some interest for readers. Each of these photos was taken in northern Utah within the last nine days.<\/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

An adult Bald Eagle that was too far away for a more conventional presentation but with the eagle perched on the tall rocky pillar I think the setting helps to make it an interesting image as almost a birdscape. These two photos were taken very soon after sunrise, thus the very warm light. I was hoping for takeoff and flight shots but that didn’t happen.<\/p>\n

I wasn’t pleased with the twig seeming to stick out of the back of ‘his’ head so I…<\/p>\n

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1\/5000, 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

drove a little further down the road in an attempt to remedy it. While I was moving, the darn bird turned on his perch and faced me. I prefer the side view that includes his tail.<\/p>\n

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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

Another uncooperative Bald Eagle later that same morning. This immature bird spent several minutes circling some large trees on the east side of the road where the morning sun caused him to be back lit.<\/p>\n

Again and again his looping flight brought him right to the edge of the road but he refused to cross it, which would have given me much better light on the bird. It was frustrating because he was so close for so long and because I think he has such interesting coloration.<\/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

You probably knew there’d be a singing Western Meadowlark in my collection, especially this time of year. I like the partial side light, the singing pose and Great Salt Lake in the upper background.<\/p>\n

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1\/4000, 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

A female Great Horned Owl incubating her eggs (only females of this species incubate) in an old Red-tailed Hawk nest high on a cliff. I never did see the male.<\/p>\n

My time spent with her was unusually memorable because there was a pair of calling Sandhill Cranes hidden in the vegetation very close behind my pickup. Their rattling calls were haunting and very loud as they echoed off the cliffs in front of me. It was sensory overload but I enjoyed it very much.<\/p>\n

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I’m sure readers have noticed that I’ve been posting to my blog less often than usual. Following is one of the primary reasons why.<\/p>\n

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This is what my left elbow looked like a week ago today. A few days before that I developed bursitis in that elbow so the bursa sac filled with fluid. Typically, elbow bursitis only causes swelling at the tip of the elbow but in my case there was so much fluid buildup, the bursa sac was grossly stretched and extended about a third of the way down my left arm.<\/p>\n

At it’s worse the swelling looked like there were several chicken eggs laid end to end directly under my skin. The skin stretching made the hair on that part of my arm fall off (I’ve seen photos of the same condition in others where the same thing happened<\/a><\/span><\/span>) and the age spots appeared to migrate to and concentrate at the margins of the swelling (don’t ask me to explain how THAT happens…).<\/p>\n

The most common causes of bursitis are repetitive motions or positions that put pressure on the protective bursa around a joint. I know without question what caused my bursitis. While I’m sitting at my computer editing photos or writing my blog, I spend many hours each day with much of my upper body weight supported by my left elbow on my office chair’s arm rest. I know I shouldn’t do it (I had less severe bursitis in the same elbow about ten years ago, caused by the same bad habit) but while I’m concentrating on my work I forget and then eventually realize I’m doing it. By then the damage may already be done.<\/p>\n

So I’ve been posting less often to keep me from aggravating my elbow so much.<\/p>\n

In the last week or so I’ve had my elbow drained twice. The first time they were only able to drain about 1\/4th of the fluid but three days ago they drained more than 70 cc’s of serous fluid (not pus, it isn’t infected) out of my bursa so now it looks much better, although there’s still significant swelling. If the swelling continues to go down, I’ll likely be in the clear. If not, I’ll have to see an orthopedist for possible surgery. Thankfully, the actual joint isn’t involved and my elbow bursitis has never been very painful. Often it is.<\/p>\n

This experience has brought back strong and still vivid memories from seven decades ago, memories of eating dinner with my family on the Montana farm when I was a little kid. My mother was a stickler for table manners and she would repeatedly say to me during the same meal – “Ronnie, get your elbows off of the table!”.<\/p>\n

I wish I’d taken her ‘advice’ (it was really an order) to heart. If I had, maybe I wouldn’t have this bad habit.<\/p>\n

Ron(nie)<\/p>\n

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