A colorful bird on an attractive natural perch in the mountains and a lucky takeoff shot.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Yesterday morning in the mountains I nearly missed seeing this male American Goldfinch perched very close to the dirt road as I was about to drive slowly by. By the time I spotted him and stopped I was so close most birds would have already spooked but this handsome guy just stood his ground and looked at me. He didn’t give me much pose variety but I’ll gladly take that as a tradeoff to the more likely alternative of a vacated perch.
After taking many similar photos of him my next goal was a takeoff shot but chances of success were small, in part because I was so close. Timing the shot right, keeping him in frame and getting him sharp enough wouldn’t be easy. All I could do was try to guess his eventual angle of takeoff, compose him in the frame with extra room on the left, try to anticipate the timing of takeoff and hope my active focus point was up to the task..
I got lucky.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
My timing was spot-on, he was well placed and large in the frame, I have great eye contact and a catch light, he’s plenty sharp enough where it matters and I really like his flight posture.
I like this photo very much but there’s a small but annoying fly in the ointment. Can you spot it before you read further?
There’s a speck of white debris at the very tip of his right wing. If the wing hadn’t been moving it would only appear as a tiny white dot but motion blur has transformed it into a short linear line and it’s bright white against much darker colors so once I spotted it I couldn’t unsee it. Every time I looked at the photo my eye went directly to that proverbial pea under the mattress.
So I got rid of the damn thing.
There, that’s better.
Ron
Each more beautiful than the last….loose fragments of winged sunshine…
Thanks very much, Patty.
Gorgeous! I thought I loved the first shot until I saw the third. And, yes, I saw the “nit” within the first few moments. And then? I CAN’T UNSEE THAT! lol
“And then? I CAN’T UNSEE THAT!”
It’s funny how that happens isn’t it, Arwen. Or maybe not so funny – just annoying.
Luck had a part to play – but so did your experience and your patience. Thank you for this sunny little charmer.
Thanks, EC. It was probably more persistence than it was patience. I try for those kinds of shots many dozens of times before I get one that turns out.
Persistence and patience are closely related.
True enough.
The photographs are, naturally, brilliant! Happy he cooperated a bit so you could get that take-off shot.
I’m jealous (continually) since when we see the American Goldfinch it’s only during migration and they are wearing their dull non-breeding plumage. Still handsome birds, but nothing like this!
Agreed, Wally – they almost seem like a different species when they’re not in breeding plumage.
I’m one of those who has a number of Goldfinches in her yard on a daily basis, but I don’t get tired of them! I love the look this fella is giving you as he takes off, “Take your best shot, buddy!” And you did, it’s great (nit or no). 😎
I wouldn’t get tired of them either, Chris. I love their cheery bright colors in breeding season.
My eyes were focused on his feet peeking out behind those beautifully spread wing feathers! Isn’t that a bit unlike you to “erase” a nit?
“Isn’t that a bit unlike you to “erase” a nit?”
Yup, it sure is Jamila.
But it’s a fine line and this one doesn’t bother me, especially since I’ve not only disclosed what I’ve done, I’ve made a big deal out of it. There’s no deception involved, both versions of the image were included and folks can take or leave the altered image.
Agreed!
Nit or no nit, your take off photo captures an elegance that the naked eye can’t see.
My feeders would be far less colorful without these birds. Makes one wonder where the sellers of bird seed would be without them.
Thank you, Lyle. I wish I had them at my feeder more often but I just don’t. The last one I saw in my yard was a beautiful male in my garden about two weeks ago and for about 30 seconds.
Yes my eye picked out that speck instantly 🙂 getting rid of that speck improved the beautiful shot immensely!
Good to know, Terri. Thanks for the feedback on the nit.
Classic shots– and surprisingly ( to me– because I rarely like that hue ), the
“olive green” of the background seems to be the perfect compliment to this
bird’s brilliant, clear yellow ! “Ya never know what yer gonna get in Ron’s
boxes of choklits”, to paraphrase Forrest Gump…..
Kris, that choklit box is usually a mystery to me too, often until almost the last second.
That background is a far away hillside in a mountain canyon.
Ditto for Joanne’s fantastic shot. I have taken maybe a hundred photos of the Lesser Goldfinches, but have never seen an American Goldfinch. Beautiful bird and beautiful shot.
Everett, we get both goldfinch species around here but I seldom see Lesser Goldfinches anywhere but in my back yard and only during certain times of the year.
Nice! Wonderful flight shot of the Goldfinch! 🙂 Glad it all came together for you. Better without the “nit” in my opinion.
Judy, that nit is so small it’s only a few pixels but for me its annoyance was outsized.
Fantastic shot! I am always trying to photograph these guys but I have never gotten such a nice photo. Kudos!
Thanks, Joanne. For a lot of folks goldfinches are kind of ho-him because they’re so prevalent in their yards and at their feeders. But I find them to be difficult subjects to approach in natural habitats like this one. And who can deny the flashy appeal of the males especially.