Western Meadowlark Take Off – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Working on moving my photos to my new galleries has been exhausting but because of that work I have found images I had forgotten about, some of them are gems, some are not.
Yesterday I found this Western Meadowlark take off photo that I took last year on Antelope Island State Park. Getting images of Western Meadowlarks in take off positions or in flight has been challenging because these birds move so fast. Let me clarify that by saying it is challenging to get sharp images of them taking off, I have taken plenty that are a blurry mess. Even at 1/2500 I still have motion blur in the wings in this photo but I like the pose, the great eye contact and how the background color echos some of the hues in the meadowlark’s plumage.
The meadowlarks here in northern Utah sing most of the year but lately they have begun to sing louder, longer and more exuberantly. They know that spring has arrived, even though it snowed yesterday, and that their mating season has too.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Western Meadowlark photos plus facts and information about this species.
Looks very much like a Native American dancer at a powwow. I like the movement.
Thanks Molly
Gorgeous. Again.
Thank you EC
Another challenge of a good take-off image successfully met. Well done Mia!
Thanks utahbooklover
Beautiful!
Thanks Patty
Don’t see as many meadow larks in Iowa as we did yrs. ago in MN. Lovely to hear them! They nested in the ditches, and when the huge mowers came by, I, as a young bride of 22, used to run out and ask them to PLEEZ cut around the nests! Mostly, the MinDOT guys did!! Then, I raised 3 birdies of my own and watched out for them, too! “We” are not alone!!
Linda, I suspect with climate change the birds we used to see will have to adapt and that may mean moving to new locations. It was wonderful of you to go out and ask the MinDOT guys to leave the nests alone. Good for you for speaking up and for them for listening!
WELL MIA, THIS ONE MAKES ME SMILE, AND IT SHOULD
MAKE YOU GRIN FROM EAR TO EAR… WHAT A GREAT
CAPTURE. SHOTS LIKE THIS ONE ARE WHAT MAKES
GETTING UP EARLY, AND INTO THE FIELD ALL WORTH
WHILE… WELL DONE, AGAIN… ;-)))
Thank you Roger! Being with the birds is so great!
Absolutely beautiful image, Mia. My opinion, wing blur is a good thing. It represents the motion of the bird. Same thing in Aviation photography,
we like prop blur. It demonstrates the motion of the aircraft.
Life is really good.
Thank you Bobby
I don’t find that motion blur in a flying bird’s wingtips detracts from the photo at all. Indeed, in most cases, it enhances it. The bird is moving, after all, and we want to depict that. This is a terrific photo!
Thanks Steven!
your photography is great and so beautiful. Thank you, Love, nia
Thank you Nia!