I missed some shots I’d likely have been able to get without those efforts but I did succeed a few times and this\u00a0image is one of them.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/ruby-crowned-kinglet-0531-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"ruby-crowned-kinglet-0531-ron-dudley\\"")
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1\/6400, 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 This male had been perched on the vertical twig on the right (obviously) but while perched he was side-lit and most of my photos didn’t have a catch light in the eye. But when he took off he launched at the perfect angle to give me light in the eye and on the face\u00a0and an intimate look at the head of\u00a0a kinglet in flight (or very\u00a0nearly so, one foot is still touching the twig). I love this stretched-out pose and I had no idea\u00a0their legs were that long.<\/p>\n The out-of-focus foliage at left is a bother but the kinglet has a mostly clean background and\u00a0I still find the photo interesting in a fun way. The wings are soft because of a shallow depth of field rather than lack of sufficient shutter speed.<\/p>\n In my recent kinglet posts several readers have asked questions similar to this: “If this bird is called a Ruby-crowned Kinglet why don’t I see a ruby crown?”. The answer is twofold: 1, only males have the ruby crown and 2, the crown is usually hidden in other feathers on top of the head. This bird decided to give us a peek at part of what’s really underneath them.<\/p>\n Sometime down the road I’ll likely post more kinglet images that give us\u00a0an even better look at that spectacular crimson crown.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" And this guy’s even showing off some of his ruby crown.<\/p>\n