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>\nThis photo was taken in the mountains ten days ago as the nuthatch was attempting to locate and extract seeds from these two Douglas Fir cones. I took hundreds of photos that morning but kept very few because so many things can and do go wrong. These birds are so fast and twitchy that the photographer really can’t wait for a decent pose to push the shutter button, you just have to fire away and see what you get. It’s a crap shoot (literally because I get so much crap…)<\/p>\n
Only rarely do I get decent light on the bird, a catchlight in the eye, the bird sharp and unobstructed and an acceptable setting and background in the same shot. This was one of those times.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/red-breasted-nuthatch-6669b-vertical-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-breasted-nuthatch-6669b-vertical-ron-dudley\\"")
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An alternative composition of the same photo.<\/p>\n
It’s only been recently that I’ve been able to get many nice shots of this species. The fact that they’ve usually been foraging for Douglas Fir seeds and often clinging to the sides or hanging upside down from their cones has made me ponder their evolution. I’m struck by the color similarity between their bellies and breasts and the cones they spend so much time on. Could it be that their red ventral colors have been selected for as a means of camouflage against the similarly colored cones? After all, both sexes have that same ventral coloration.<\/p>\n
Makes sense to me. As a photographer I know how hard these birds can be to spot as they’re foraging for conifer seeds. Cryptic coloration works!<\/p>\n
This morning as I’m typing this text in the predawn darkness the wind is howling outside in front of another advancing snowstorm. I suspect snow in the mountains will mean roads closed for the winter and no more access to this area or these birds until next spring.<\/p>\n
I’m definitely going to miss them.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I take an inordinate number of garbage photos of this species for every decent shot I get.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/red-breasted-nuthatch-6669b-horizontal-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-breasted-nuthatch-6669b-horizontal-ron-dudley\\"")
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