Tag: perched

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Cedar Waxwing (Photo of the week)

A cedar waxwing perches on a tree eating berries
A cedar waxwing perches on a tree eating berries. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3: 1/800 sec. at f/7.1.

This weeks photo features the Cedar Waxwing, one of my favorite passerine species. I love the way this bird’s feather colors blend together into soft gradients, giving the appearance of a painting. Waxwings derive their name from bright red feathers near the tips of their wings, which is thought to resemble sealing wax. Cedar Waxwings travel in flocks and almost always perch off the ground, usually in trees, and rarely in bushes or shrubs.

A cedar waxwing perches on a tree in soft diffused light
A cedar waxwing perches on a tree in soft diffused light. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3: 1/500 sec. at f/7.1.

The waxwings seen here descended on a row of cherry trees, and proceeded to eat with great gusto for about an hour, moving from tree to tree. All shots were taken hand-held with my 100-400mm zoom lens. This is a great walk-around lens, which I use on hikes if I’m expecting the possibility of seeing wildlife.

A cedar waxwing perches on a small branch of a tree
A cedar waxwing perches on a small branch of a tree. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3: 1/500 sec. at f/7.1.
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Winter Palm Warbler

A palm warbler perches on a tree branch in early morning light
A palm warbler perches on a tree branch in early morning light. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 640. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/2000 sec. at f/7.1

Earlier this month I was happy to get some nice views of a wintering palm warbler, while photographing in the city of Redwood Shores, CA. This is a somewhat uncommon bird for this area, so I was excited when I confirmed the sighting after further research. My view was unobstructed and the lighting perfect – about an hour after sunrise with the low, winter sun directly behind me.

I shot quickly and furiously, trying to capture as many poses as possible before the bird flew off. I ended up with about 45 seconds of time before the little guy decided he’d had enough with the paparazzi. The following photos were taken at the same time, in the same tree. Thank God for 8 frames per second!

A palm warbler perches on a small twig of a tree
A palm warbler perches on a small twig of a tree. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 640. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/800 sec. at f/7.1
A palm warbler perches on wetland vegetation, showing off its yellow underside
A palm warbler perches on wetland vegetation, showing off its yellow underside. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 640. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/1000 sec. at f/7.1
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Anna’s Hummingbird (Photo of the week)

An anna's hummingbird poses long enough for a quick portrait
An anna's hummingbird poses long enough for a quick portrait. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/1000 sec. at f/7.1

This week’s photo features an anna’s hummingbird that frequents my front yard. Her favorite perch is the top of a cherry tree, offering her an expansive view of her surroundings. Hummingbirds can be very territorial – I have seen brief squabbles that have sent the loser zooming away to find flowers elsewhere.

An anna's hummingbird poses long enough for a quick portrait
An anna's hummingbird poses long enough for a quick portrait. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/500 sec. at f/7.1

These shots were all taken hand held with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens. Although this lens has been available on the market for a long time, it is still a great walking around lens (for wildlife anyway), and is a great asset for birds-in-flight shots. With zoom capability, it is much easier to find and track subjects in air than with longer lenses.

An anna's hummingbird perches at the top of a cherry tree
An anna's hummingbird perches at the top of a cherry tree. Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 0: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1
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Northern Mockingbird (Photo of the week)

A northern mockingbird perches atop a bush filled with berries
A northern mockingbird perches atop a bush filled with berries. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6

Recently I photographed a Northern Mockingbird perched on a berry bush. It appeared as if he was gorging himself on berries, stuffing one after another into his mouth. Soon after this feast, he flew from the bush to a nearby tree. He began working his mouth up and down, and to my surprise, a berry emerged from his mouth and into his beak, as seen in the photo below. After he ate one berry, he again worked his beak up and down, and a second berry emerged.

A northern mockingbird perches on a small branch with a berry in its mouth
A northern mockingbird perches on a small branch with a berry in its mouth. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6

I realized that when I first saw the mockingbird chowing down on berries, he was actually stuffing them into his mouth for later consumption. I couldn’t find any notes about this behavior online, but it was quite a sight to see berry after berry magically appear in his beak. However, not every berry worked out so successfully, as can be seen in the photo below.

A northern mockingbird drops a berry as it tries to eat it
A northern mockingbird drops a berry as it tries to eat it. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6

Copyright 2017 Hank Christensen