![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/yellow-warbler-1092b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"yellow-warbler-1092b-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nSimply said, I love this pose.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
1\/4000, f\/5.6, 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 Yesterday in the Wasatch Mountains Yellow Warblers were the species of the day and this one was unusually cooperative. He allowed me 47 shots as he posed, preened and warmed in the morning sun. In my experience with Yellow Warblers that’s unheard of with this frenetic little species.<\/p>\n For some reason this pose just grabs me. The drooping wing with perfect head turn in nice light is a combination I rarely get from any warbler but the pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance is that distinctive humpback look that I don’t believe I’ve seen before, at least not to this degree. When grooming many birds raise their rump feathers but this plumage bulge is on the back instead of the rump. To me it almost looks like he’s trying to hide a golf ball under there.<\/p>\n I believe this pose was the result of both preening and sunning behavior. Birds often raise their feathers in full sun to expose plumage and skin to direct sunlight in order to maintain feather health. Sunning can dislodge parasites (feather mites in particular) because the excess heat encourages the insects to move to other places in the plumage which gives birds easier access to them during preening. This guy was alternately sunning and preening.<\/p>\n To one degree or another this bird kept those back feathers raised for the entire time I was photographing him and I like many of those shots too so I’ll likely post some of them in the future.<\/p>\n Yes, the setting is busy but the bird is large in the frame and so colorful it’s easy for my eye to separate him from the clutter.<\/p>\n And I do love that pose.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n PS- Sometimes bird sunning poses can be pretty extreme. Check this one<\/a> out.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Simply said, I love this pose.<\/p>\n