The Western Bluebirds have formed their winter flocks (pretty much the parents and youngsters of the year, though I suspect some mergings now and then). We’ve had a group of at least 12 come in to bathe and look for mealworms. They seem to finally have gone through the fall molt and most of them are looking pretty good now. Interestingly, around here, they seem to form mixed flocks with a few Yellow-rumped Warblers joining the Bluebirds.
7DII, Sigma 150-600 C @ 600 mm, hand held, f/8, 1/500, iso 1000, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. Cropped from a horizontal to a 2818x3426 vertical. Taken at 5:22 pm yesterday evening.
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This little Bluebird looks like it is wearing a new winter sweater the way the feathers are puffed up a bit. Nice job keeping everything nice and soft looking although photo is very sharp with lots of detail. I could see a bit of lightening on the face area but that would be personal preference. Very nice catch. Nice alert pose.
Very nice portrait! Good details and the tree is a lovely color-coordinated setting. It’s so interesting that he seems to be perched on a single leaf. I would be tempted to clone or crop the leaves just peeking into the frame at the bottom. I love Western Bluebirds, but usually only see them from a distance. I need to try mealworms again, but the Scrub Jays steal them in the first few minutes.