Photographing an Indigo Bunting

It was a dreary day when I took these photos, and that matters when photographing birds with blue plumage. On a sunny day, you can easily see blue, purple, and aqua hues glimmering on the feathers of male Indigo Buntings. The more light, the more intense the colors appear to be. But it’s really just an illusion. There are no blue pigments in the feathers of Indigo Buntings, or any of the blues we see in nature.

It’s All About Light

Indigo Buntings (and all other birds of blue) are unable to manufacture blue pigments. Pigment is what gives us true color. We see blue only because of the reflective structure of the Indigo Bunting’s feathers. When light waves fall on his feathers, the feather structure breaks the different colors of the light apart. Only blue tones are reflected back out. (The other colors of visible light are absorbed by the feathers.)

You can see in these photos patches of black and brown colors because when there’s little or no light, the feathers of Indigo Buntings are actually all brown and black. I was a little disappointed that the feathers of this male were not more colorful for the camera, but he was sitting amongst glowing Red Bud flowers, and that helped.

Encircling Floral Frames

I love showy flowering Red Bud Trees. The long graceful twigs are wide spread, slim and tender, with heart shaped leaves leaving plenty of room for the camera lens to intrude. Its fruit consist of purplish black pods in which are nested tiny, bird attracting black seeds. These understory beauties are one of the earliest to flower in our shaded yard and consequently attract a lot of migrating avian pollinators. Tiny rosy purple flowers even grow on the Redbud’s bifurcated trunk.

Framing Strategies

Some considerations when framing birds within branches and flowers are:

• The frame is essentially a wrap around intended to spotlight an eye catching subject and the beauty of its natural surroundings. It should accentuate and complement the subject.
• You can frame with flowers, shadows, dark patches- any defined area that can serve as an enclosing border. The fewer the distractions, the better.
• Since you control what your viewer sees,  judicious cropping in post processing is an important part of framing.
• In addition to accenting and complementing the subject, the frame should give the photo context (in this case Spring).
• Texture, color and detail add emotion, thus engaging the viewer.
• Depth of field add to the sense that there’s a frame. Tight depth of field accentuates the front and back. Blurred background and foreground make the frame less noticeable.
• You can prune and rearrange flowers and foliage to create the perfect perch. If you do not, you will likely have to maneuver the lens to focus tightly within lots of branches.

Attempting to frame a bird in a picture perfect natural setting takes timing and perservance, and no small amount of luck. It’s worth the effort, even on those days when the bird’s plumage colors are muted.

Looking for Late Avian Migrators

It’s deer hunting season, so I’m searching for alternative birding locations where I won’t hear (and worry about) the cracking sound of rifles firing in the morning. There are plenty of county parks to explore– some wild and unruly, some with groomed hiking trails, clean bright bathrooms and wi-fi enabled resting areas. And then there’s the Lake MI shoreline. Birds can be found in abundance in all of these places.

Most of migrators have either passed through SW Michigan or have just started to arrive here for their winter stay. The list serves I subscribe to boast of sightings of unusual birds forced to seek shelter on the beaches during the recent 50 mph winds.

A Walk on the Beach Without My Camera

My husband and I decided to check out the beach after the recent wind storms. This was one of those few times where I talked myself out of bringing my camera, due to the brisk winds and blowing sands. (Upon reflection, it was an ill-considered decision, given all the reports about blown-in migrating birds.) About 15 minutes into our walk, we spotted a lone mystery bird, whose shape and flight behavior did not match the shorebirds we usually see on the beach. We followed it to where it settled on the rocks. Could it be a Bunting? Immediately knew I needed to go get my camera.

My husband stayed to keep an eye on the bird’s location while I hastily plodded through the sand to the dune stairs – ran up 78 steps – jogged to the house – picked up the 300 mm 2.8 L II lens attached to my 7D Mark II DSLR camera already packed in a light case – ran around looking for my car keys – drove back to the dune stairs – dashed back down the stairs with the camera case on my back, and trudged back through the sand to where my husband and, thankfully, the Snow Bunting were waiting 20 minutes later.

Stray Light Hitting the Sensor

This Snow Bunting sheltered himself from the blowing sand by perching on top of limestone rocks put in place to protect the dunes from erosion. He was decked out in his non breeding plumage and looked weary- but wary enough keep me at what he considered to be a secure distance.

Snow Buntings are arctic birds who make their nests in the cracks and crevices of the rocky tundra. According to web resources, it is not uncommon for these birds to winter in Michigan along the lakeshore, as well as in grassy fields.

The Snow Bunting let me photograph him for 10 minutes. The sun was high in the southeastern sky, and I was facing east toward the dunes. I could see that stray light was hitting the sensor and causing unwanted streaks of lens flare on my images. I draped a microfiber dust cloth over the camera’s eyepiece and continued shooting.

I took small steps and eventually got on my knees in an attempt to change the angle of the lens and trajectory of the light on the images.  He was watchful and very patient, but eventually, I must have taken one step too close because he ducked inside the rock crevices and stayed there.

Take the Camera!

This adventure is another reminder that I need to take my camera along whenever I go for a beach walk, or any walk, especially when the light is favorable and conditions are optimal for spotting and photographing new birds. While it may be inconvenient and uncomfortable to lug that equipment whenever I go exploring, that’s what it takes to expand my portfolio and grow as a photographer.

See this post to read about lens flare.

See this post to read more about Snow Buntings.