{"id":75706,"date":"2019-09-12T05:13:28","date_gmt":"2019-09-12T11:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=75706"},"modified":"2019-09-12T05:55:39","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T11:55:39","slug":"merlin-in-deep-shade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/12\/merlin-in-deep-shade\/","title":{"rendered":"Merlin in Deep Shade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plus some of the challenges I’m facing right now that affect my blogging and may do so in the future.<\/p>\n

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1\/125, f\/5.6, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

I could probably count the number of times I’ve photographed a Merlin on one hand so each encounter is memorable for me, even when conditions for photography are poor. I found this one early in the morning exactly five years ago yesterday in Montana’s Centennial Valley. As you can probably surmise from my camera settings, shutter speed and the background in the image the little falcon was in deep shade but I’ll photograph a Merlin no matter the conditions.<\/p>\n

In this light I was lucky to get even this glimmer of a catch light in the eye but it’s there and I’m grateful for it.<\/p>\n

Most Merlins breed in Canada and Alaska but migrants should be showing up in my area soon so this is the time of year I can start watching for them again. My chances for another encounter are always slim but they do exist. Maybe next time I’ll have better light.<\/p>\n

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I feel like I should inform my readers regarding some of the challenges I’m facing right now because several of them are already affecting my blogging efforts and others could do so in the future:<\/p>\n