The Bluebirds finally succeeded in nesting – in the house the Starlings had used. For some reason the Woodpeckers have not bothered them there, although it’s a big house that they could easily get into. (It was sold as a Northern Flicker house and a male roosted in it for quite a while but when a female showed up she didn’t like the neighborhood.) The Bluebirds had eyed it all spring but tried two other regulation Bluebird houses and had their eggs eaten by Woodpeckers as fast as they could lay them. In desperation they moved in after the Starlings had moved on, and now they have been feeding babies for several weeks. It took me that long to finally figure out a decent shooting position. It’s in deep shade at the edge of a deck overhang and from the south side the BG is bright sky. Once afternoon sun gets on it, the light is just too harsh. But from the north side the BG is a scraggly tree and the light can be balanced with flash.
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments welcome!
Technical Details
Canon R5, 600mm EF + 1.4X, hoping for better eye AF with the faster lens compared to the 100-500 + a TC. ISO 1600, f/14, 1/250 sec (fastest sync speed). 3 flashes spread out a little to try to soften shadows a bit but keep a little modeling. Only basic shadows and highlights in LR, NR in PS and some edge vignette. 50% crop.
Well that’s a relief that they finally got some kiddos and that you found a decent place to stick the tripod. The flash set up seems to be working - the background is nicely obfuscated. I do feel sorry for the lizard though.
Hi Diane! Your patience and hard work paid off. This is an excellent portrait! Your lighting setup worked very well. Great detail and DOF. I really like the background and how the white spot behind the head seems like a spotlight to focus attention on the bird and its prey. Very well done!
Superb detail in both the bluebird and the lizard, Diane. To my eye, it looks like you might want to back off slightly on the flash. The background works very well as does the perch.
Excellent job in the color and detail. Great pose and head turn. The lizard makes the shot work for me. Unfortunately, where I live, we don’t have any bluebirds at all. I always like looking at them. Dennis Plank, who lives 40 miles south of me, gets plenty of them on the Prairie where he lives.
Thanks everyone! I’ve figured out how to move this box a little to give me a better angle on the perch, for next year – in hopes they will use it again.
@David_Schoen, I’m surprised how much difference there would be between your location and @Dennis_Plank, but micro environments are so important. There are many birds in the Santa Rosa plain that I’ve never seen up here in the foothills.
Dennis, the issue with the flash isn’t so much power as positioning to get some modeling. There isn’t any practical way to move them right or left enough. That will be a little easier next year with the new next box positioning. (Just a little.) Or else I move it completely… The bird is just in complete deep shade here and I have a very narrow shooting angle.
This is one of the few shots of a bluebird going after and catching a lizard. The flash added some color to the wings and it is a little strong bad. The pose is excellent and the photo turned out quite well…Jim
Thanks @Jim_Zablotny – I saw them bring 3 lizards, but this was the best shot. They all seemed about this size but the ones I see are bigger. The bugs they have brought are mostly ones I’ve never seen here. I tramp through the grass all the time and have never seen a grasshopper but they have been catching them. Sometimes they have several bugs at once.
It’s over for the year, though – the babies flew away today, literally in front of my eyes and I never got a shot. They went straight from the nest box like little canon shots – 4 that I saw. The parents needed a rest – for the last few days they were panting when they brought bugs.
Canon shots. Heh. And you didn’t get a one. Bummer. But at least they’ve fledged and that’s something. Amazing they find stuff that we never see at all. Glad they’re getting some down time now.
Very nice, Diane. You make me miss my Bluebirds even more. For 18 years we enjoyed nesting bluebirds but the last two harsh winters we’ve had has apparently decimated our population. I’ve never seen them catch lizards before, though! Interesting behavior.
I love this little scene! The food in the mouth is precious. I especially like the vibrant, rich blue in in the Bluebird. It seems to glow. Beautiful image!
