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<\/p>\nThe numerous catbirds at this location in the mountains have been nearly impossible for me to photograph but three days ago this one let its guard down momentarily and gave me an almost literal ‘window’ of opportunity.<\/p>\n
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1\/4000, 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 Gray Catbird’s preferred habitat of dense, shrubby vegetation makes them a challenging quarry for the photographer. It’s such a strong preference that their genus name, Dumetella<\/em>, literally means “small thicket.” I see and hear catbirds at this location often but they almost never come out into the open. Their taunting, mewing call makes my trigger finger itch.<\/p>\n But this bird screwed up. For just a few moments I had a clear view of ‘him’ through all the twigs and leaves as if I was shooting through a long, narrow tunnel. If my lens location moved just a few inches in almost any direction my view of him would have been partially or completely obstructed.<\/p>\n I don’t consider these great shots of a catbird but they’re not bad, especially given the challenges.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, 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 He didn’t pose much but this shot is probably my favorite, despite the twig in front of his face. I like the puffed up droopy wing look, the even light fore and aft and the sharpness of the bird. The setting is a bit cluttered but on the other hand it’s certainly an accurate representation of their preferred habitat. Thicket indeed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Things are looking up for me to be able to spend more time in the field. The forecast calls for partly to mostly sunny skies for at least the next week and there’s a significant cooling trend downward from the 100\u00b0 weather we’ve been having for so long. And I finally got my new pickup out of the Ford shop yesterday afternoon so I’m no longer grounded.<\/p>\n Now if the smoke only cooperates. And the birds.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The numerous catbirds at this location in the mountains have been nearly impossible for me to photograph but three days ago this one let its guard down momentarily and gave me an almost literal ‘window’ of opportunity.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/gray-catbird-1484-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"gray-catbird-1484-ron-dudley.\\"")
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