Brewer's Blackbird
by Mia McPherson
Euphagus cyanocephalus
Male displaying
Image taken May 13, 2010 in northern Utah. For a "blackbird" this species sure is colorful. I like how the green of the new sagebrush is echoed in the iridescence of the blackbird's chest.
D200, lens resting on vehicle window, f7.1, 1/350, ISO 400, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, 80% of the original frame. The blue in the background is the Great Salt Lake.
As always, I sincerely appreciate your comments and critiques. Thank you for looking.
Comments
12 commentsWhat grabs me aside from the overall picture is the detail in the black! Excellent exposure!
cheers
Rob
Mia:
Looks like a really tough bird to photograph (I've never seen one) and I don't see how you could have improved on this one without a flash to fill in the dark areas that obscure the demarcation of wing and body, the visibility of upper legs, and feather pattern of the tail. The things I like most about this post are the excellent capture of the iridescence, the gradations of the lovely color of the BG, the dramatic white eye, and Sharon's comment that it looks as if the bird swallowed a softball.
I like the iridescence of the chest, the clear eye, the pose with the splayed tail and the subtle color of background. Great work!