![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/brewers-blackbird-6339-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"brewers-blackbird-6339-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nAt least that’s what it looked like she was doing.<\/p>\n
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1\/1600, 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 her two days ago near Glover’s Pond in Farmington. Recent rains had filled a low area in a farmer’s field and there was an entire flock of Brewer’s Blackbirds in or near the large, shallow puddle. Some were foraging, one male was bathing and others just seemed to be enjoying the sunshine, the water and each other.<\/p>\n In situations like this\u00a0where I have the opportunity to photograph both males and females of\u00a0a species I have the tendency to concentrate on the males which are typically more colorful and that’s a bad habit. So this time I deliberately focused on a female and hoped for something interesting.<\/p>\n She posed for a few moments while perched on a clump of mud sticking out of the water and then unexpectedly…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/1250, 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 she took a big stride to another clump in front of her. And she wasn’t through\u00a0puddle-jumping\u00a0yet because…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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 she did it again, this time to a much smaller clump. No big deal but her performance interested and even slightly\u00a0amused me.<\/p>\n And no, I don’t really think she was trying to keep her feet dry. After all, they were already wet. And immediately after she stepped onto this tiny, wet clump her foot appeared to sink into the mud and she began to lose her balance so with her wings raised\u00a0she stepped into the water anyway. Sadly, in trying to keep my focus point on the bird as she unexpectedly moved forward I lost focus and that shot was soft.<\/p>\n Good bird photography ain’t easy!<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n PS – A bonus bird today. Yesterday morning I drove a long distance looking for birds and was mostly skunked but a surprise Osprey took some of the sting out of it. I’m not particularly fond of photographing Ospreys on artificial nesting platforms so I don’t get many opportunities with the species and seldom even see them. When I do it’s usually a lone migrating adult or juvenile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/1600, f\/7.1 ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n But I encountered this adult in a remote area where I rarely see Ospreys at all. I’m sure it was migrating and its attraction to the area was probably a nearby rancher’s pond that may be stocked with fish since\u00a0I do see pelicans on that pond occasionally.<\/p>\n Utility poles aren’t my favorite perch and the sky has a bit of a funky cast because the photo was taken only minutes after dawn when the light was very warm. But I was tickled to see\u00a0the handsome\u00a0Osprey out in the middle of nowhere and in habitat where they’re rarely found.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At least that’s what it looked like she was doing.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/brewers-blackbird-6356-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"brewers-blackbird-6356-ron-dudley\\"")
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