Adult Sage Thrasher portrait – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I had an obnoxiously long and tedious Windows update yesterday which limited my access to my image files and stifled my productivity so this morning I am keeping things short and sweet. I had hoped to share a series of images of Sage Thrashers I had photographed in Box Elder County in northern Utah but for now I will share just one.
I noticed that there were about 6 to 8 Sage Thrashers in the area and hopefully that means they had a successful breeding season. These Sage Thrashers will be leaving on migration soon and I’m very happy that I was able to photograph them because earlier in the year the Covid-19 messed up my plans to photograph them displaying on Antelope Island State Park since the governor ordered that park closed to people outside of Davis County for several weeks and I live in Salt Lake County. It was disappointing to not be able to photograph these thrashers displaying and by the time the governor lifted the closure they had stopped their breeding displays and the biting gnats had appeared.
I was busy photographing six species of sparrows when I noticed this adult Sage Thrasher pop up in a sumac bush that was close enough for me to take portraits of it. I don’t mind the out of focus sumac leaves that surround the thrasher, in fact I quite like how they softly frame this bird.
I don’t have many Sage Thrasher portraits in my portfolio and I’m thrilled to add one more.
Life is good. Stay safe.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Sage Thrasher photos plus facts and information about this species.
Striking portrait! Almost didn’t recognize it without the tail in view.
Fantastic!
WONDERFUL!!!🤟👍
What an enchanting portrait.
Many, many thanks – and sigh at the update malarkey.
They are a striking bird with the yellow eye. Nice portrait.
Cool shot Mia
Nice portrait of the Sage Thrasher! I like it when out-of focus foliage surrounds the subject like a vignette. They were fairly easy to find in sagebrush and rabbitbrush habitats when I lived in New Mexico but that was before I had taken up photography. I only have seen it once since moving to Florida and luckily got two photos during a visit to the Texas Panhandle.
Beautiful shot!