NATURE CLICKS #394 - AMERICAN TREE SPARROW

The photo is already two days old. Life stood in the way for posting here in the blog. That is not a big deal because it was three years ago when I had the last time an American Tree Sparrow in front of the lens. Wednesday night along the waters of the Deere Marsh at the Mississippi River I found a “grove” of them. When I walk on top of the dyke towards the river with our little dog Cooper I usually take the camera with me. This location is always good for some discoveries.

The American Tree Sparrow is here only during the winter time. Their breeding range is in northern Canada and Alaska. Speaking of winter, we have some snow in the forecast for tomorrow. When the ground is covered with snow, the tree sparrows will beat tall weeds with their wings and feed on the seeds that may have fallen down. I thought this is an interesting fact, I just learned from my favorite bird identification app on the phone, iBird PRO. Enjoy your weekend!

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens, @ 600 mm, 1/400 s, f/6.3, ISO 400

 

2017 RETROSPECT / 8

Ruby-throated Hummingbird ------  

August is always the month when the bird activities in our woods slow dow. Some of them have raised their offspring already and are on their way south again. Not so much the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. There is a lot going on around the flower beds in the yard and of course the hummingbird feeders are visited frequently by old and young birds.

With hummingbirds I don’t try to freeze the wings of the tiny birds by using a very short exposure time. I think the story of their humming, buzzing, hovering, and erratic moves is much better told when the wings appear blurred. This is how we see it. However, the eye has to be still sharp even if the Ruby-throated Hummingbird’s wings flap with a frequency of about 55 beats per second. The photo above was made in the early evening. The ambient light dictates my exposure time. A hint of flash is only used to boost the colors slightly but not to freeze the action.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, MAGMOD MagBeam flash extender, @ 600m, 1/125s, F/6.3, ISO200