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AND THEY FLY! A PHOTO A WEEK CHALLENGE – Marilyn Armstrong

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A Photo a Week Challenge: Things with Wings

I have a bird feeder on the back deck. Mostly, I see birds eating, but every now and again, one of them flies. I don’t get a lot of birds in flight, but I have some herons, seagulls, and the occasional little bird when my camera gets lucky and grabs a picture … often quite unexpectedly.

Shooting wildlife. Not merely birds, but any wildlife is difficult. It requires patience. I have a friend who shoots pictures of wildcats and mountain lions. I asked him how he did it.

He said: “Lots and lots of patience and a high-quality long lens.”

Luck helps too. Sometimes, there you are and the birds just take off. You just happen to have a camera ready. You can’t plan it, but it’s great when it happens. Makes you look like a genius and all you really did was point and shoot.

Chickadee in flight

Eat, then fly!

Taking wing

Two Chickadees, one flying

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Categories: #Birds, #Photography, flying, Photo A Week Challenge, Wildlife

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26 replies

  1. nancy merrill
    12/07/2018 • 00:32

    I have so many pictures like the first few, where I’m just a hair late on the shutter. 🙂 But yours look really cool. Thanks for joining the challenge!

    Like

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      12/07/2018 • 00:38

      I also have lighting issues. Shooting through glass is tricky — and it hasn’t been very bright. Mostly, it has been raining. For the last two days, it has been pretty nice, and I think maybe we have a couple of good ones coming up. Cold, but bright. Shooting through glass presents a bunch of issues, from dirt to focus to reflection and flashback … but at least there’s something to shoot these days 🙂 I’m also shooting through very small areas of glass, so if I twitch wrong, I lose the picture because my lens is so extended, it doesn’t take much to lose the place. But I’m having a really good time trying 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  2. DailyMusings
    12/01/2018 • 17:21

    Now those are wings!

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    • Marilyn Armstrong
      12/01/2018 • 22:49

      Feathery and everything. It’s also so interesting that the movements are not even, but apparently, they find the air, so parts are up and others are down. Lots more flexibility than I expected. I’m learning a lot about birds.

      Like

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      12/01/2018 • 22:51

      This morning, the first thing I did this morning when it was light was see how many birds were out. This morning was a chickadee day 🙂 They are almost pets.

      Like

      • Covert Novelist
        12/01/2018 • 22:59

        Isn’t that adorable! We have a few birds but with the cats and now dog, they stay higher up in the tree which is about 100 ft. so it’s difficult to see them, impossible for me, but I hear them! lol

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  4. Melanie B Cee
    12/01/2018 • 16:44

    Now I KNOW you don’t ‘do’ nominations and tags and all that fluffery…but you’ve been picked by me anyway for two. No pressure to do either of them mind you, but they might give you a laugh…particularly that first one.

    http://sparksfromacombustiblemind.com/2018/12/01/twec-weird-color/
    http://sparksfromacombustiblemind.com/2018/12/01/familia/

    Like

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      12/01/2018 • 22:52

      We were out all day, so I’m only getting to this now, but I’ll take a look. Today was the “first day” of Christmas in Uxbridge and the parade was being put together. At some point, we had to move our car and there wasn’t anywhere else to put it. But we’ve seen the parade many times. The preparation was really fun.

      Like

  5. swo8
    12/01/2018 • 13:30

    Now that’s really neat how you caught them in flight.
    Leslie

    Like

  6. Lwbut
    12/01/2018 • 04:01

    This time of year i guess you’re not going to get strong enough light for faster shutter speeds at zoom ranges. 😦

    I may just hafta get me a boidfeeder! 🙂

    Like

  7. angloswiss
    12/01/2018 • 02:34

    Some very good action shots. With an amateur like myself it is more luck than judgement to get a bird at the right moment.

    Like

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      12/01/2018 • 12:44

      You have to be insanely patient — or very lucky. I’ve been lucky a few times. The rest of the time, I stand still with the camera cocked in my hands and hope something flies by. I can’t do that forever, so either the birds show up, or I give up. With the feeder on the deck, though, it IS easier. More birds.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Sadje
    12/01/2018 • 00:31

    Motion in picture!

    Liked by 1 person