{"id":51176,"date":"2017-08-29T05:08:49","date_gmt":"2017-08-29T11:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=51176"},"modified":"2017-08-29T06:18:26","modified_gmt":"2017-08-29T12:18:26","slug":"gray-catbird-and-willow-flycatcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/29\/gray-catbird-and-willow-flycatcher\/","title":{"rendered":"Gray Catbird And Willow Flycatcher"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s unusual for me to even see these two species much less get decent photos of them.<\/p>\n

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1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

I photographed this Willow Flycatcher eleven days ago while I was working hummingbirds as they fed on bee plant nectar. The bird suddenly appeared close to me in order to hunt insects around the bee plant and some adjacent dead sagebrush. I was disappointed that there was a very out of focus twig in front of its tail but I photograph this species so seldom I was still happy to get the shot.<\/p>\n

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1\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

The same bird came in even closer but it had its back to me and never did give me a compensating head turn.<\/p>\n

So each photo is seriously flawed\u00a0but in all the years I’ve been blogging I’ve only posted\u00a0images of this species once so I couldn’t resist including these today. I like just seeing the bird up close\u00a0and I hope others do too.<\/p>\n

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Yesterday morning I spent several hours in canyons of the Wasatch Mountains looking for birds and was mostly skunked. By the time I was almost ready to head home I had no decent images to show for my time and effort but there had been one bright spot- several\u00a0bugling elk! I didn’t see them but I heard\u00a0at least\u00a0two\u00a0of them clearly\u00a0for several minutes\u00a0as that unique and\u00a0haunting sound came echoing down a smaller side canyon in the still of the morning. It seemed just a little early in the season but apparently the rut is about to begin. These are exciting times for\u00a0elk and for anyone lucky enough to hear and\/or see\u00a0them.<\/p>\n

So I headed down the canyon thinking the bugling elk would likely be my only memorable nature experience of the morning but an unexpectedly cooperative Gray Catbird proved me wrong.<\/p>\n

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1\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

All morning every likely place I stopped to look for birds was devoid of them but I stopped once more and after a while this catbird flew into a tree right in front of my lens (I had no inkling it was even in the vicinity). This photo was taken only a second or two after it landed and based on this pose it looks like it was about to take off again. Thankfully it didn’t and I was able to get 137 shots of it over several minutes.<\/p>\n

Here we get a\u00a0fairly good look at those rufous undertail coverts that are so often difficult to see. Sexes are indistinguishable so I don’t know if this is a male or female.<\/p>\n

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1\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

This may or not be a calling pose – if it was calling I don’t remember hearing it but that sometimes happens when I’m so involved with the photography task at hand. Like other Mimids catbirds display considerable vocal versatility and part of that ability is due to the unusual structure of their syrinx (the specialized voice organ of birds). In catbirds both sides of the syrinx can operate independently so they can sing or call\u00a0with two voices at the same time.<\/p>\n

How’s that for a nifty trick!<\/p>\n

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1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

In the time I spent with it the bird didn’t give me much pose variety and I missed the takeoff (though I came very close to getting it)\u00a0but one time it did look to its rear. This is one of the better views I got of that distinctive blackish cap.<\/p>\n

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1\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

Despite the shadows on the tail this might be my favorite pose because I like that perky but droopy-winged look.<\/p>\n

I was excited to get these shots – partly because I’ve been trying to get nice catbird photos for many years and they’ve always eluded me (here in Utah we’re right on the edge of their range). Yes,\u00a0the setting is busy and there’s “stuff” in front of the bird but this is typical habitat for the species so I like that congruity.<\/p>\n

After\u00a0all, their genus name, Dumetella<\/em>, means “small thicket” which reflects their preferred habitat – dense, shrubby vegetation, so as far as I’m concerned this setting\u00a0works\u00a0just fine. But then I’m the photographer so I may be biased… \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

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It’s unusual for me to even see these two species much less get decent photos of them.<\/p>\n

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