{"id":73153,"date":"2019-07-04T03:56:15","date_gmt":"2019-07-04T09:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=73153"},"modified":"2019-07-04T04:22:29","modified_gmt":"2019-07-04T10:22:29","slug":"gray-catbird-playing-relentless-cat-and-mouse-games-with-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/04\/gray-catbird-playing-relentless-cat-and-mouse-games-with-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Gray Catbird Playing Relentless Cat And Mouse Games With Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

This darn bird was having fun at my expense for most of my morning in the mountains yesterday.<\/p>\n

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1\/640, 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 hour and 15 minutes I spent at this spot the catbird nearly<\/em> allowed me decent shots about a dozen times but each time “he” had leaves or twigs in front of him or he had his back to me or he took off a nanosecond before I clicked my shutter. It was maddening.<\/p>\n

Then wouldn’t you know – as soon as the sun buried itself in thick clouds for a few minutes he came out into the open and just stood there staring at me, almost daring me to take his picture in the poor light. So dammit, I did. In fact I took 48 of them while he was on this branch. This shot is about as sharp as I got in the low light with such a slow shutter speed and at this long focal length.<\/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

The second the sun came out again he went back into the bushes. He was a black-hearted soul.<\/p>\n

I think you have to study this shot a little to appreciate it. Notice that the catbird isn’t perched. Instead he’s hurtling through the air with his wings completely closed and his feet not touching anything. When the bird took off from a spot where he was mostly hidden he had to thread the needle with his body in order to get out of the thicket. If he had opened his wings at this point they’d have only hit obstructions.<\/p>\n

I don’t think it’s a great shot but the unconventional takeoff amuses me. Besides, if Trump can have his tanks on the National Mall on the Fourth of July I figure I can post a novelty shot on the same holiday.<\/p>\n

Convoluted logic I know but it works for me.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This darn bird was having fun at my expense for most of my morning in the mountains yesterday.<\/p>\n

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