![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/yellow-warbler-4188-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"yellow-warbler-4188-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nThistle, especially when flowering, can provide an attractive setting for bird photographs but it does have its challenges.<\/p>\n
A little over two weeks ago I spent some time photographing Yellow Warblers in the Wasatch Mountains as they foraged for insects on thistles. It was a mixed group of adults and juveniles and I believe they were feeding mostly on aphids.<\/p>\n
In addition to the expected difficulties of following hyperactive warblers with a long lens the thistles themselves presented their own challenges, especially compositionally. The flowers on the stalks were in various stages of development from immature flower buds to very attractive and colorful mature flowers to those far past their prime that can be less than appealing in a photo.<\/p>\n
But no matter their stage of development they’re visually dominant on the photos, nearly as much so as the birds themselves, so cutting them off at the frame edge is often distracting and less than ideal. If you crop the photo to include the entire flower (if you have the entire flower in the original frame) the bird is often placed awkwardly in the composition.<\/p>\n
It’s often a no-win situation but with these photos I did the best I could.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
1\/5000, f\/7.1, 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 These birds spent at least as much time upside down, or nearly so, as they did right side up. The tiny aphids they were after were mostly found in the protected spaces between the sharp spines of the thistle so it took some acrobatic maneuvering to get at them safely.<\/p>\n The spines point upward so it’s often safest to go after the aphids between them from above.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/7.1, 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 Warbler flight shots are incredibly difficult to get, in part because of their unbelievable quickness at takeoff, but I try anyway. This photo has at least three strikes against it including the out of focus flower between the bird’s wings, the vertical stem directly in front of its bill and the shadow on the front part of its face. That shadow aggravates me most of all.<\/p>\n But it’s a warbler in full flight and the bird is sharp so for me it’s a keeper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/7.1, 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 While I was taking this shot in the field I remember trying to include the flowers at upper left and lower right in the frame and at the same time keep my active focus point on the bird’s face. I mostly succeeded but I just didn’t have quite enough room for the flowers up top, they’re too close to the frame edge.<\/p>\n But I still like the shot, mostly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/7.1, 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 Here I thought the warbler was going to jump to the flowers at left and my goal was to catch him in mid-jump but it didn’t happen.<\/p>\n But compositionally I like this photo as well as any I took of the warblers that morning. I didn’t cut off any of the primary flowers, the bird is well placed in the frame, all the elements in the photo are sharp or sharp enough and I have a clean background.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anyway, good or bad that’s how my session with these warblers turned out. I love photographing birds on thistles and I should have many opportunities with various species on thistles in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n But it does have its challenges.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Thistle, especially when flowering, can provide an attractive setting for bird photographs but it does have its challenges.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/yellow-warbler-4121-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"yellow-warbler-4121-ron-dudley.\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/yellow-warbler-4214-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"yellow-warbler-4214-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/yellow-warbler-4091-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"yellow-warbler-4091-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n