Photographing a Blue Grosbeak – A Rare Bird in SW Michigan

July 31, 2014Grosbeaknmckown

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Searching for the Blue Grosbeaks

It pays to persevere when you are looking for a bird that is usually not seen in SW Michigan, but you know is there. My friend John (a most excellent nature photographer) and I spent more than a few early mornings in our separate vehicles canvasing the road where a pair of blue grosbeaks was spotted. Other anxious birders were out on this road as well, binoculars and cameras at the ready, watching and listening; hoping for a glance of this rare bird.

Photo of Male Blue Grosbeak — Blue Grosbeak-A Good Profile Pose of that Large Beak.
ISO 500; f/9.0; 1/1600 Second

Blue Grosbeaks Nesting Out of Their Usual Range

This is the first time I’ve seen and photographed a blue grosbeak. They are not common birds, even in the southern states, the southwest and southern Mexico where they nest. Blue grosbeaks are long distance migrators, wintering south of the U.S. in Mexico down through Panama. A confirmed Michigan sighting (in the Allegan State Game Area in Fennville, Michigan) is very exciting news indeed.

My First Sighting of a Blue Grosbeak

The first time I saw the male blue grosbeak, he was perched on a mullein flower on the west side of the road as I was heading south. The morning sun was mostly behind the clouds, though it did occasional peak out. My camera and 500mm lens were on my lap. Since the bird was closest to the passenger side window, I hurriedly propped the camera up on the bin next to me before stopping the car. I was so excited and fearful of losing the moment, I took the first burst of shots before turning off the car’s engine. The tall grasses around his mullein flower perch were blowing back and forth in front of him, causing the auto focus on my 500 mm lens to work its crazy back and forth search routine. I could hear the image stabilizer (IS) whirring away before I took the shots, no doubt trying to compensate for the movement caused by my fast beating heart.

Day Two – Photographing Blue Grosbeaks

John and I went back the next day, hoping to again spot and photograph the male and female blue grosbeaks. The sun stayed behind thick clouds most of the morning but the wind was less fierce. We waited three hours and were rewarded with a couple sightings. The female made an appearance for a very short time, but she chose to nestle within the flowers and grasses, making it very difficult for my lens to achieve a sharp focus. The male appeared on the very same mullein flower, but did not stay long.

All in all, searching for and finding new birds is a very gratifying experience. I hope to go back again this summer to photograph the female and perhaps a juvenile blue grosbeak.

To read more about “bursting” to capture the action, see this post.

To read more about image stabilizers, see this post.

Photographing Herring Seagulls “Sharing” a Bluegill

July 24, 2014Gullsnmckown

Photographing Two Herring Seagulls

The antics of herring seagulls squabbling over a dead bluegill make for an easy and fun photography shoot. 😎

In the summer, herring seagulls gather everywhere in and around Lake Michigan. These seabirds seem to thrive around humans and consequently, are easy to photograph. One of the few species of birds that will approach me on the beach, gulls are inquisitive, bold, opportunistic and highly social with each other. They come in many different sizes, shapes and colors. As they are adept at flying, hovering, walking and swimming, they do not confine themselves to the water. Most are migratory, although it is not uncommon to see them in Michigan in the winter.

Gull ID is not difficult, even when viewing flocks of them on the beach. See this link for strategies on how best to ID gulls.

Photo of 2 Herring Seagulls — Two Sea Gulls Appear to Share a Bluegill. I Did Not Witness
Which Gull Actually Caught the Bluegill.
ISO 500; f/8.0; 1/2500 second

Sequence of Photos Showing Seagulls Eating a Bluegill

I found these two herring seagulls squabbling over a dead bluegill on a local boat launch. The pale yellow eyes and thick orange, hooked bills (with a spot of red at its tip) make these birds appear quite comical. Add to that the pink legs and web feet holding up a rather large and barrel chested body and you wonder how they look so elegant when in flight.

These photos tell a story. In the beginning (during the peaceful time), eyes and blood rich gills were shared equally between the dining gulls. It didn’t take long before the sharing was abandoned and raucous squabbling and tugging over the bluegill meal ensued.

Photo of 2 Sea gulls Eating — The Herring Seagulls are Still Cooperatively Sharing the Bluegill.
ISO 640; f/9.0; 1/2500 Second

seagull3 NMcKown — Soon it Turned into a Tug of War.
ISO 400; f/9.0; 1/2500 Second.

Photo of Seagulls Eating Bluegill — The Winner! – At least for a While.
ISO 400; f/8.0; 1/2500 Second

All Good Things Must End

This sequence of events took about five minutes. Eventually, one of the gulls grabbed the remains of the carcass and flew off with it, leaving the other gull on the boat dock wondering what happened.

A friend suggested that the seagull tug of war photo would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day card next year. I think she’s right.

Early Morning Bald Eagle Encounter

July 17, 2014Raptorsnmckown

Photographing Unexpected Encounters

It was very early. The sun had yet to peak over the trees when I was driving down Lakeshore Drive. From a distance, I saw the eagle in the dead tree that I (and most of the crows in the area) have designated as my hotspot for seeing raptors.

Photo of Perched Bald Eagle — Perched Bald Eagle
ISO 800; F/10; 1/1250 Second

Always Bring That Camera

I always try to bring my camera with me, even if I’m running errands. It is a hassle and most of the time it stays in the bin, but once in a while I get lucky. This was one of those mornings. My new 500mm f/4.0 Canon lens was attached to the camera, along with a 2x teleconverter. I positioned my camera on the door window ledge and rode the car brake, slowly approaching the tree. I wanted to begin shooting immediately.

Prime Lens or Zoom

I knew the minute I stopped the car that I was too close for the extender. I took a dozen or so tight body shots with the extender attached so I wouldn’t miss the shot entirely if the eagle bolted. These are such big birds. I had to rotate the camera and lens (90 degrees) to portrait mode to get the whole bird in the shot. Not difficult as long as I had the car door window upon which to rest the heavy lens. I then quickly removed the 2x extender. NOTE: Even without the extender attached I was still close enough to clip the eagle’s wings as he leaped from the branch. This would have been a great time to have a zoom lens.

Essential Lens for Bird Photographers

Birds around Southwest Michigan are neither tame nor trusting. Consequently, a good 500 mm lens, preferably with image stabilization, is essential equipment for serious photographers. This prime monster lens doesn’t have the magnification range and convenience of a zoom lens for image composition, but it makes up for it with stellar optical quality. The distance allows you to get natural looking shots with beautiful backgrounds. Removing an unneeded 2x extender as I had to in this photo shoot took only seconds.

Let me clarify what I mean by “distance”. You still have to get fairly close with this lens – within 50 feet, preferably closer, to get optimal results. The farther the distance between your lens and the bird, the more you will have to deal with image quality degradation. The Canon 1.4x and 2.0 extenders do an excellent job adding that extra reach. The image quality on the extenders is very good, but both extenders (especially the 2x) slow down focusing speed. See this post for more information on extenders.

Photo of Bald Eagle — Bald Eagle Coming in for a Landing on “my” Raptor tree.
ISO 1000; f/10; 1/2000 Second

Photo of Bald Eagle With Blue Jay — Bald Eagle Eye to Eye with Blue Jay. A Peaceful Encounter. I Believe This Blue Jay Had a Nest Nearby.
ISO 640; f/10; 1/1250 Second

Zoom Lens v Prime Lens for Bird Photography

For bird photography, I own 300mm and 500mm lenses. I love the quality and precision of prime lenses, but, I have to admit, sometimes I wish I had a quality zoom lens. Canon makes a 200-400 F/4L zoom lens with a built in 1.4x extender, giving the lens a range of 280-560mm (f/5.6) on my DSLR. This means optimal versatility when out in the field photographing birds, especially in situations were it is difficult or unwise to attach or detach an extender. This zoom won’t give me the reach I have with my 500mm with 2x extender attached, but it could replace my 300mm. Something for me to think about if I can get past the sticker shock.

The Canon 200-400 f/4L zoom with IS is not cheap. $11,799. See this B&H link for more information and reviews.

Photographing Uncommon Sparrows. All In A Name

July 9, 2014Sparrows and Finchesnmckown

Where Do Bird Names Come From?

This bird naming game is perplexing and curious.

It is my observation that accuracy, consistency, logic and convention do not appear to matter when naming birds. Many bird namers seem to stumble upon the common bird name by haphazardly identifying the bird with its behavior, shape, plumage, colors, appearance, characteristic, eating habits, songs, geographic location, type of surroundings, or perhaps even a beloved long lost relative. Birds names have also come from literary, folklore, mythology, and biblical references.

The most helpful of bird names precisely identifies some distinguishing attribute that birders everywhere can quickly and clearly see or hear for ID purposes. The honor of assigning the common name to a bird typically goes to the discoverer of the species. Sadly, most of the fun details as to when, why, and how most birds were given their common names are lost to history.

Ornithological Classification

Luckily, imprecise common names are not used to definitely ID birds. The more useful terms in bird identification are the scientific names, or ornithological classifications. This consists of a two word name, the first word describing the genus and the second word describing the unique species.

Photographing Grasshopper Sparrows

I found this grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savanna rum) in the fields at the Allegan SGA. It is a rather inconspicuous sparrow, not common in SW Michigan. The aptly named grasshopper sparrow not only eats grasshoppers (among other insects) but also sounds like a grasshopper. Listen to its song here. This little guy unknowingly posed for my camera while it perched on stalks in the fields. I think its most definitive physical characteristics are its round stocky body and rather flat head. (Hard to get a strong common name out of those characteristics, I guess.)

Photo of Grasshopper Sparrow — Grasshopper Sparrow Clinging to His Perch in the Field.
ISO500; f/8.0; 1/800 Second

Photographing Clay Colored Sparrows

Another field dweller, this wary clay colored sparrow mostly hid from my camera in the dense grass cover. Occasionally he would perch on the mullein flower stalks at eye level with my lens. Clay Colored Sparrows (Spizella pallid) do have some clay colored feathers under the beak and on the breast. However, I would not immediately associate that clay color with this little sparrow because it has other lovely shades of yellows, browns and tans as well. A more precise and definitive label for this rather indistinct looking bird would to describe its song. It’s a strong buzz…very insect like and distinctive. Listen to its song here. (So was Buzz Sparrow already taken?)

Photo of Clay Colored Sparrow — Clay Colored Sparrow Fluffing His Feathers.
ISO 500; f/9; 1/1250 Second

The Power of a Name

Once a bird is named, millions of birders will forever know and designate that bird with that name. Consequently, naming birds is more than a chore. It’s a gift laden with the responsibility to assign a common name that aptly describes that species for present and future ornithologists and birdwatchers.

If you are interested in taking a look at some really silly bird names, this link will lead you to wikipedia’s list of recognized birds species (9,721!!) labeled by their common names.

For photos of more uncommonly beautiful (and poorly named) sparrows, please visit the following blog links:

Field Sparrows

Savannah Sparrows

Song Sparrows and White Crowned Sparrows

Photographing Eastern Bluebirds Attending to Their Young

July 3, 2014Thrushesnmckown

Photographing Hard Working Bluebird Parents

Raising 2-3 clutches of baby bluebirds each summer is no job for slackers. First, there’s the 12-18 days devoted to incubation…. a quiet time. Once the eggs hatch, both of the devoted parents spend all of their waking hours warding off predators and competitors, gathering insects and fruit to feed the hatchlings and hauling out waste (fecal sacs) from the nest. Each clutch of babies makes its demands for 16 -21 days. After that, they are mature enough to leap and soar, never to return to the nest- tho the parents still bring food to them in the trees.

Photo of Female Blue Bird — Female Bluebird with Food for Young. She did Perch on the Raspberry
Brambles Before Bringing Her Catch to her Fledglings.
ISO 1600; f/9.0; 1/1600 Second

Photo of Female Bluebird Feeding Young — Female Bluebird Feeding her Insistent Young.
ISO 1600; f/8.0; 1/800 Second

Equipment Setup

I set up my tripod early one morning near the bird houses after navigating a formidable field of raspberry brambles gone wild. The backdrop was beautiful, full of lilac bushes and pine trees. To capture that background, the bluebirds would have to perch (fairly close) on one of the tall raspberry stalks before taking the food to the fledglings. This happened only once.

It was a rather low light day which made for nice balanced morning light and no harsh shadows. Sadly, there was not quite enough light to get the depth of field I needed and still keep the ISO below 1000. The bluebirds were cautiously watchful – but persistent in their duties, so I was able to get quite a few photos of feeding activity.

NOTE: This field of brambles was also the territory of a curious field sparrow who was much bolder and willing to pose for this photographer. Field sparrows are not cavity nesters and did not bother the bluebird parents. He just sang his heart out while they worked.

Photo of Female Bluebirds Feeding Young — Female Bluebird Coming in With Food Supplies.
ISO 1250; f/9.0; 1/2000 second

Photo of Male and Female Bluebirds — Both Male and Female Bluebirds Arriving at the Nest at the Same Time with Insects for Their Young
ISO 1600; f/9.0; 1/2500 Second

Closeup of Male Bluebird Bringing Insects to Young — Close up of Male Bluebird Collecting Insects For His Young.
Notice the Tick Attached Right Below the Neck.
ISO 1250; f/8.0; 1/1250 Second

Photo of Baby Bluebird — Baby Bluebird Getting Up the Courage to Leap and Soar From the Nest.
ISO 2000; f/9.0; 1/2000 Second

Photographing Cavity Nesters

Eastern bluebirds are cavity nesters, which means they build their nests in a chamber or cavity. The Michigan DNR pairs 2 blue bird houses per location in the prairie areas of the Allegan State Game Area. Blue birds are highly territorial. If a second male bluebird is foolish enough to try to establish a nest in the same location, the male of the first house will aggressively chase the second male away. Other cavity nesting species like house wrens or swallows will fight bluebirds over a single nesting box. This strategy will often bring two different cavity nesting species together, minimizing competition and avoiding a possible war over housing. See this link for another post and more photos of Eastern Bluebirds

Attracting Eastern Bluebirds

Over the last few decades, nesting habitat for cavity nesters has been depleted. To support the local population, the DNR sets up and maintains nest boxes in the Allegan SGA. To attract bluebirds, placement of the bluebird houses must be in a habitat and location that is suitable. Predatory controls, proper ventilation and drainage holes must be built into the design. Like most nest boxes, bluebird houses must be regularly monitored and have accessible doorways for opening and cleaning. Information on selecting the right nest box can be found at this link.

Photographing Black Billed Cuckoos in SW Michigan

June 26, 2014Cuckoonmckown

Finding Unusual Birds to Photograph

Whether you’re a birding expert with an extensive life list under your belt or a bird photographer out to capture the beauty of birds and write about her birding experiences, finding uncommon birds is exciting. This is true whether the bird is not common in a geographic location or it is a common but difficult to find bird that is mostly heard but rarely seen by birdwatchers.

Bird ID and Stringers

The birding culture puts lots of importance (and accolades) on those birders who find and document rarely seen birds. Skill, conviction, trustworthiness, and ID skills in a master birder are pretty important. If a birder reports unlikely and unsubstantiated sightings, her integrity may be tarnished with the worst label of all in the birding world: A stringer.

Stringers are birders who are overly zealous with their IDs, perhaps intent on glory, and string people along about their sightings. They intentionally mislead others about seeing a rare bird- and do it often enough (without evidence) that their credibility and good name are jeopardized. Suspect IDs are labeled “stringy”.

Shoot Fast, Check Later

Bird sightings happen so quickly while out in the field. The bird is often gone long before I am able to ID it. Trying to remember what it looked like is also a challenge. It’s better for me to quickly photograph any suspect sighting, no matter the conditions. My camera lens can get a much closer, clearer look than my eyes ever could. Afterwards, the photos give me a moment to reflect on my ID skills and then, if necessary, post the photo for a definitive ID.

Northern Shrike and Black Billed Cuckoo

I’ve had 2 sightings (with photographs) about which the on-line birders and birding associates were excited and asked for more location information. The first one was a northern shrike – verified with a far off, blurry photo that had enough substance to get an ID. The second sighting was the secretive Black billed Cuckoo, shown below. The Cuckoo was photographed in the Wau-Ke-Na Preserve near Glenn in Southwest Michigan. Both of these birds fall into the not often seen in SW Michigan category. A lot of birders have yet to add them to their life lists.

The black billed cuckoo is a forest dweller, often hiding in the thickets and undergrowths. His main diet consists of spiny caterpillars. He has a very distinctive song, and is more likely to be heard rather than seen.

This black billed cuckoo perched on a tree branch for less than a minute. He did not make a sound. When I saw him land, I didn’t take time to think about what he was. I just pointed, focused and held down the shutter button until he was gone. The photo below was the most useful of the short burst of shots taken.

Photo of Black Billed Cuckoo — Black billed Cuckoo- A Rarely Seen Species that Nests in SW Michigan.
Photographed in the Southern Wau-Ke-Na Preserve, Near Ganges, Michigan.
ISO 640; f/11; 1/1000 Second

Photography Has A Lot To Do With Luck

It’s hard to overestimate the impact of luck when you are out birding with your camera. I plan on listening more for the black billed cuckoo’s song. Hopefully, I’ll be lucky enough to get more photographs of this secretive bird.

More Information on Stringing

A most excellent article on this topic (On Stringing… by George Armistead) can be found at this link.

Photographing Hard to ID Flycatchers

June 19, 2014Flycatcher, Vireosnmckown

Bird Photos Are Not Always Enough

Last week, while roaming in the Allegan State Game Area, I photographed what I knew to be some species of flycatcher. To get a more precise ID, I uploaded the photo to WhatBird.com. The responses I got back from the experts at What Bird helped me understand how complex the identification for empidonax flycatchers can be. Clear photographs just aren’t enough for every ID.

Flycatcher Photo — Adler/Willow -aka Traills Flycatcher
ISO 640; f/9.0; 1/800 Second

ID Quandary on This Flycatcher

A little background: Back in the 70’s, the Alder flycatcher and the Willow flycatcher (once considered to be the same species of bird and named the Traills Flycatcher) were determined by researchers to be two separate species. One of the most definitive characteristic that separated them was the width of their eye ring. The Willow shows a less defined eye ring compared with the Alder’s more distinctive eye ring. To complicate matters, other Empid flycatchers, like the Least flycatcher, have similar ID characteristics to the Willow/Adler Flycatcher.

Even with the bird-in-hand, the experts agreed that empidonax flycatchers are very difficult to tell apart. The discussion on the WhatBird site was that this bird I photographed was either a Least Flycatcher or a Willow/Adler or Traills Flycatcher (Traills=the former name before they were pronounced 2 different species.) Eventually, the consensus was that it was not a Least (due to the rather faint eye ring).

Pyle Guide

The bird ID discussion on this little flycatcher included a reference to “Pyle”. A quick web search identified Pyle as a technical birding ID guide, often used when precise reference information about plumage, age, sex, wing, tail, bill measurements, etc. of birds is needed. The Pyle guide (Identification Guide to North American Birds by author Peter Pyle) is the authoritative source on Bird ID for researchers, bird banders, and bird ID experts. So much detail is included in Pyles that it is mostly useful when you have the bird-in-hand.

Not a Birding Field Guide

The purpose of the Pyle guide is to document complete, accurate and uniform ID criteria for ornithologists and other people engaged in bird research. After all, there has to be an authoritative reference guide for bird banders to use. Bird banding based on best guesses of well meaning birders would not have scientific value. This rather intimidating, over-the-top resource is certainly not targeted for bird photographers like me, nor is it a useful guide to take in the field with your binoculars.

Photo of Flycatcher — Adler/Willow aka Traills Flycatcher
ISO 640; f/9.0; 1/800 Second

Final Word on This ID

Birding expert Steve Tucker helped finalize this bird ID for me. He wrote:

“With all the power vested in me by the Global Birder Ranking System, I pronounce your bird to be a Willow or Alder Flycatcher (in other words, Traill’s). Empids can certainly be variable, but I have never seen a Least with such a thin eyering.”

Steve’s excellent blog posting about hard to ID flycatchers, The Truth of Empidonax can be found at this link.

Will I Ever Get Better at Bird ID?

And…. just when I thought I was making progress with my bird ID skills, I discovered that what I thought was a flycatcher (who knows what kind) was, in fact, a Warbling Vireo. See Photo Below. WhatBird experts explained that the eyebrow plumage (known as the supercilium) starting at the beak and ending near the rear of the head is not a characteristic of flycatchers. In addition, the wing bars are different and the bill on the Warbling Vireo is not as broad across the base as the bill of a flycatcher.

It’s all about paying attention to the details.

Warbling Vireo Singing His Heart Out. Most definitely
NOT a Flycatcher. Note the eyebrow plumage (known as the supercilium)
starting at the beak and ending near the rear of the head.
ISO 640; f/11; 1/1000 Second

Note to self: Always check with the bird ID experts before posting a bird photo.

Photographing Rose Breasted Grosbeaks in Our Certified Wildlife Habitat

June 12, 2014Grosbeaknmckown

Gardening for Wildlife

Some days, it’s nice to just stay home to watch and photograph the bird activity in my own back yard. Thanks to my husband’s long term planning, serious study and countless hours of hard work, our home’s landscaping is a beautiful and welcoming refuge for wildlife. Full of many different, shade loving, colorful, indigenous trees, bushes and plants, this inviting outdoor space provides an abundance of water, food, cover and nesting areas to attract a wide variety of wild birds. As our yard has blossomed and grown over the years, it has become a safe habitat for nesting birds and also weary migrating birds just passing through SW Michigan and needing a place to rest.

Photo of Male Rose Breasted Grosbeak — A Young but Colorful Male Rose Breasted Grosbeak. Notice That He
Still Has Some of His Brown Juvenile Feathers.
ISO 1600; f/6.3; 1/4000 Second

Photographing Rose Breasted Grosbeaks

Having this place, this wonderland in which to photograph birds, is a blessing. One of the most beautiful birds in our yard is the Rose Breasted Grosbeak. These large billed, stocky, medium sized birds are forest dwellers, and bold enough to be attracted closer to the house by the seeds in the bird feeders. The males are black and white, with a definitive bright red patch on their breasts. The females and juveniles have very different coloration, streaked brown and white feathers, but the same triangular bill.

Photo of Male Red Breasted Grosbeak — A Young, Male Rose Breasted Grosbeak Taking Flight. Notice the Pink Flash Under the Wings.
ISO 1600; f/6.3; 1/4000 Second

Photo of Female Red Breasted Grosbeak — Female Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Very Different Coloration Compared
With the Male Grosbeak. Sexual Dimorphism in Color is Very Common in Birds. Most Often, the Female is Blandly Colored- All the Better to Be More Concealed on the Nest.
ISO 1600; f/5.6; 1/1600 Second

Design Your Own Back Yard Bird Refuge

You can’t beat the convenience of staying home to photograph birds, whether you are sitting comfortably with your camera and cup of coffee inside your home, or setting up your blind and tripod outside in the yard.

Our property is an official Certified Wildlife Habitat®. The template for designing a wildlife habitat in your own yard is available from the National Wildlife Federation at this link. An essential component of this program is avoiding the use of chemical poisons. The diversity of plant life in our yard attracts many different species of wildlife that, in turn, help keep away damaging pests. Non-chemical, integrated pest management solutions are used when a pest problem is discovered. For a good resource on safe alternatives to the use of chemical pesticides, see this link.

Photographing Indigo Buntings and The Illusion of Seeing Blue

June 5, 2014Buntingsnmckown

Photographing the Blues of the Male Indigo Bunting

I came across this male indigo bunting early in the morning when I pulled my car into a parking lot at the Allegan State Game Area. The camera was already propped atop the bin I keep in the passenger seat. I immediately shut down the car, opened the passenger door window, positioned myself and the lens toward the bunting, and started shooting. It turned out to be an excellent photo shoot with a very cooperative bird.

It lasted maybe 2 minutes. During this short time, the blue, purple, and aqua hues of his feathers glimmered in the sun. Every time this male bunting flew to a different perch and gave me a different angle of his little body to photograph, his colors seemed to change hues.

Photo of Male Indigo Bunting — Different Shades of Blue, Purple and Aqua on this Male Indigo Bunting.
ISO 400; f/9.0; 1/1000 Second

Structural Color is Different From Pigmented Color

It started me thinking about something my Catholic school teacher told me a long time ago. Blue pigment is very rare in the animal world. You may think you are seeing true blue in a bird, but it’s probably an illusion.

Of course she was right. Indigo buntings are actually brown and black. They are not “true blue” because there are no blue pigments in the feathers of indigo buntings, or any other birds who appear to be blue. The different shades of blue that we see in these photos are a trick of light.

Why We See and Photograph Indigo Bunting Blues

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 is reflected back out. (The other colors of visible light are absorbed by the feathers.)

The various shades of blue on the male indigo bunting appear with light, (the more light, the more intense the blues) and disappear at night, when there’s no light reflecting off the bird and back to the viewer’s eyes.

Telling the difference between pigmented color and structural color is not difficult. If the feather color seems even and doesn’t change as you look at it from different angles, it’s probably pigmented. If the feathers seem to dazzle and change hues when you view them from different angles, it’s most likely “structural color” -a consequence of the way the feathers are bouncing and reflecting light.

Photo of Female Indigo Bunting — Female Indigo Bunting- Looking Rather Ragged. Just A Touch of Blue.
ISO 3200; f/8; 1/1000 Second

Photo of Juvenile Indigo Bunting — Juvenile Indigo Bunting
ISO 500; f/8.0; 1/800 Second

For More Information About Structural Colors

If you are interested in reading more about structural colors, I recommend this article: Why Most Animals are Not True Blue by Steven D. Faccio, a conservation biologist at this LINK.

Photographing Northern Cardinals Engaged In Courtship Feeding

May 29, 2014Cardinalsnmckown

Capturing the Moment

I’ve seen courtship feeding among cardinals and other bird species often, but I have never been quick enough to photograph this behavior. Last week, I was finally able to capture this group of images in our wooded yard, near the feeders. It happened so quickly – I was lucky to have the lens focused on the female cardinal when the male flew into range with his offering to her.

Photo of 2 Cardinals Mate Feeding — The Female Cardinal Quivered her Feathers and Called to Her Mate
Right Before He Gave her Food. The Quivering is Not Unlike The Behavior
Displayed by the Chicks Trying To Get Food From The Parents.
ISO 1250; f/7.1; 1/800 Second

Photo of Cardinals - Mate Feeding — Two Mated Cardinals – Male Bringing Food and Feeding Female.
ISO 1250; f/7.1; 1/800 Second

Courtship Feeding in Northern Cardinals

This is another one of those times that I can’t help but make comparisons between the behavior of humans and birds. Courtship feeding in northern cardinals appears to be such a tender, selfless act, delicate and sweet. The beak-to-beak offering looks like they are nuzzling, having a moment– something special.

This food sharing ritual between northern cardinals happens mostly after the courtship behaviors are finished and egg laying has commenced. According to researchers, mate feeding is not what we humans perceive it to be. It is not a consequence of loyalty or affection or even strengthening the pair bond. It’s about making sure the female has a steady supply of nutrition during times of reproduction and chick rearing in order to help ensure the production of larger clutches and healthier chicks.

Healthy Females Make for Strong Breeders

The practice of mate feeding is widespread among birds. This behavior probably evolved as a way for the male bird to hedge his reproductive success by making sure his female is strong and healthy enough to mate, lay many eggs, incubate the eggs on the nest, aggressively defend the nest, and feed the chicks. Cardinals have 2-4 broods of chicks each season, so the females do need intense and regular nutrition to stay strong and up to the task of chick rearing.

A great practice for perpetuating the species. Not so much for finding romance.

Photo of Courtship Feeding - Two Cardinals — Male Feeding Female Cardinal.
ISO 3200; f/7.1; 1/1000 Second