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<\/p>\nAfter yesterday, when I nearly grew icicles on my chin inside my own home, I needed to post an image with some greenery and some implied warmth!<\/p>\n
I’m partially remodeling my home and yesterday was the day nine new windows were installed. It was +14 F outside when contractors began tearing out my old windows and needless to say it was downright\u00a0chilly inside my house for\u00a0most of the morning. As I sat at my computer in my heavy winter coat and hat all I could think of was warmer times and summer birds so this is my image of choice for today’s post.<\/p>\n
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1\/3200, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II US, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n I photographed this female Western Kingbird on Antelope Island\u00a0in June of 2014 as she was building her nest while her mate stood guard nearby. Here she has just delivered nesting material to the nest\u00a0(which can be partially seen at lower left) and is leaving for another load. I know this is the female because male kingbirds\u00a0don’t participate directly in nest-building.<\/p>\n I enjoy the behavior documented by the image even though the foreground is busy with some of the sagebrush twigs in front of the bird. I’d never posted this photo before because of the shadow near her eye which I found a little distracting but I had a change of heart because of the springtime motif, the greenery and the implied warmth of the image.<\/p>\n After yesterday those are things I’m especially appreciative of\u00a0right now…<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n Note: Rest assured that I did not disturb these birds at their nest. The nest site was adjacent to both a road and a parking lot for a nearby trailhead\u00a0and I photographed them with a supertelephoto lens from inside my pickup. I watched carefully for any signs of disturbance and there simply\u00a0weren’t any – they were obviously acclimated to the hubbub typically associated with parking lots.<\/em><\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After yesterday, when I nearly grew icicles on my chin inside my own home, I needed to post an image with some greenery and some implied warmth!<\/p>\n