The Lesser of Two Equals
One of these days I will see the Yellow-headed blackbird that lives in small colonies here in the Saginaw Bay area of Michigan. I imagine the difficulties in managing a good picture will be equally frustrating and therefore just as desirable.
I visited Crow island on a bright Easter Sunday and found an active pond behind a concrete fabricating facility. How come these hot spots seem to be juxtaposed to the most unlikely neighbors? Tree swallows spun through the air in abundance!
Even the Blue herons didn't seem to mind the cement dust. The fishing must have been great.
And so it went this week...
This is the home of World Bird Wednesday. A place for bird photographers from around the world to gather and share their photographs and experiences as they pursue Natures most beautiful treasurers, the birds.
You don't have to be a Bird Watcher or expert photographer to join in, just enjoy sharing what you bring back from your explorations and adventures into nature!
#1Simply copy the above picture onto your W.B.W. blog entry, it contains a link for your readers to share in the fun. Or, you can copy this link on to your blog page to share WBW. http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com/
#2Come to The Pine River Review on Tuesday Noon EST North America through Wednesday midnight and submit your blog entry with InLinkz.
#3Check back in during the course of the next day and explore these excellent photoblogs!
The idea of a meme is that you will visit each others blogs and perhaps leave a comment to encourage your compatriots!
Come on it's your turn!
Those barn-swallows are just exquisite. I got some welcome-swallows a few days ago but ours are in non-mating plumage.
ReplyDeleteThose black birds are just having you on, you'll come good when you least expect it. Love the sparrow coloured one doing the splits.
I'm on a mission to get a photo of the red-winged blackbird - yours is truly awesome!
ReplyDeleteI just love those Barn Swallows! Good luck in your search for a Yellow-headed Blackbird.
ReplyDeleteGreat images and the Grey Heron in flight is amazing!
ReplyDeleteShantana
your shots are beautiful, as always. the heron soaring over those grasses... wow! and your sweet female blackbird is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos! I really like the female in your first shot...a balancing act! The swallows have great color and your heron in flight is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! I stalk the RW Blackbird at our neighbourhood pond, but I have yet to get a good photo!
ReplyDeleteYes, the black coloured birds are indeed a challenge to photograph. Wonderful photos!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos of all the different birds! Love the first one, great balance there! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat great photos! That red-winged black bird is perfect! As are the swallows...well, all of them. I don't know that nattily dressed striped bird.
ReplyDeleteThe barn swallows are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I have a terrible time with black in my pictures ... especially black eyes and black feathers. I guess there must be a certain amount of luck in the picture taking hobby. All of your birds are beautiful this week. And yes, they are common early arrivers, but non-the-less beautiful.
ReplyDeleteah yes the dark depths of the blackbird or the over-exposed whites of the Gull.. I have trouble with both extremes.
ReplyDeleteLove the finishing image at sunset, wonderful shot Springman
nice set of birds again. Love those barn swallows. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah ... I have the same problem with colour balance ... must try and read the instructions again.. but it may not help!
ReplyDeleteCracking set of images this week Springman. Our trophies are often the brightly coloured males but I still believe the intricate camouflage patterns of their partners are worth capturing. Good luck with your quest.
I love this challenge...it's my first time linking up. It was recommended by a blogging friend and now I can sure see why! Birds, birds, and more birds...yay!
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are wonderful! :)
wonderful pics! :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful series of shots! The red-winged blackbird is my favourite. What a shot!
ReplyDeleteIt is refreshing to read that even the best have a difficult time with birds of black. Now let's see, yellows and reds with flowers, black with birds... my list will soon cover all the colors of the spectrum. Very nicely done with your red-winged black bird and the barn swallows simply glow. Wonderful Springman!
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to get the eye right in these black birds. Unless I can catch a highlight the black eye gets lost.
ReplyDeleteYou are almost there, Dave, with the jet black of the RWBB and his colorful epaulettes. (How much easier the female of the species!) I find it almost impossible to arrive at the perfect color balance and saturation without some post-production work on Photoshop. The Barn Swallows seem tell a story, just perfect.
ReplyDeleteHello Springman, great post and I enjoyed your RW blackbird photos. The swallows are gorgeous with shiny feathers. And I love your header shot, just fantastic. Wonderful photos, have a great week!
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see Dave... It looks to me as if you are starting to enjoy your new found leisure time..
ReplyDeleteIt's very interesting that those dark colored birds are the ones you see first in spring. I like the photos - you have even managed to catch the glint in the eyes!
ReplyDeleteWonderful series of beautiful birds.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos as always.
Beautiful shots, love those red wings.
ReplyDeleteThat red winged black bird shot is breath taking!
ReplyDeleteOh you had a wonderful week! I love red-wings (we see them when we're in Oregon) but have never been able to get even a bad shot. It is funny (and somehow sort-of hopeful) the funny places birds choose sometimes.
ReplyDeleteGreat Job Springman...I love the swallows, one of my very favorite birds to watch.
ReplyDeleteGreat detail on the female, and the male is certainly a keeper!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots, Springman!! That Redwinged Blackbird is quite a sight and you captured it beautifully. I love the first shot of the female... nice splits & a great balancing act there!
ReplyDeleteThe barn swallows are a sweet bird with their shiny bluish wings. And the last bird shot... what remarkable stripes... what is it??
LOVE your header this week... but your headers are always brilliant. A wonderful week of birds.
Thanks for hosting!
Beautiful, beautiful. I know just what you mean about those black assorted birds...many times once I upload my images, they look navy blue and those red shoulder patches look fake, but there they are;) The females are quite lovely and your capture...splendid! The Barn Swallow images look more like our Tree Swallows. I always have a difficult time with species ID. Swallows are some of my top favorite birds and you got a glorious share there~
ReplyDeleteHi there - great set of pictures - black birds can be really tricky, but that’s more than half their charm I think!
ReplyDeleteWe had loads of Welcome Swallows around the house we were in last week - then the all headed north to warmer climes - the southern hemisphere tips things on their head!
Stewart M - Australia
Love the image of the first guy hanging on like he is; beautiful crisp photograph! The red/yellow shoulders on the blackbird is certainly eye-catching! To capture these barn swallows perched on a branch would have to be a one- in- -a million chance snap surely? How beautiful they are with the light play just in thee right play there. Talk about getting lucky! Is this what retirement does for you Springman?
ReplyDeleteThe Red-winged Blackbird shots are gorgeous! I have one around here that teases me every day, staying just out of range or hiding behind the leaves. I love the iridescent feathers of the Barn Swallows.
ReplyDeleteWoW-zers....i thought i had a favorite but it changed 5 times!! awesome capture of that red winged and those barn swallows sure do shimmer in the sun!!
ReplyDeleteI miss Barn swallows so much, but still will have to wait a few weeks more to see them! Lovely post, as usually:)
ReplyDeleteI love your capture of the female RW. Those females are very shy so this is very impressive.
ReplyDeleteHey...aren't those Tree Swallows???:)
Very nice detail on the female RWBB and the killdeer is very cute. Just want to give it a cuddle.
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased I followed Jeans advice to come and visit you here. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteSpringman, well your lighting in all of these photos is magnificent. You have made the female red-wing look positively fabulous! If she could speak she would thank you! I love the tree swallow photo. I have only seen a couple of tree swallows here so far but look forward to seeing more in the days ahead. Good luck birding! I have been messing with the settings on my camera lately trying to figure out this digital world. I have made some improvements and learned some lessons. You seem like an expert to me!
ReplyDeleteOh my, each week your pictures continue to get better. Awesome header...
ReplyDeleteI see your Tigers are doing well. Yeah for them beating up on the BoSox!
Have a great week.
There is some interesting bird behaviour I would like to share with you but cannot find an email address.
ReplyDeleteYour photos just keep getting better & better,it is so hard to capture the red winged blackbird,your chose of birds,beautiful,thanks for sharing,phyllis
ReplyDeleteGreetings!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to wbwlxxiii and Thank you for your encouraging remarks!
Yes, your right...those lovely blue birds are Tree swallows not Barn swallows. So sorry, that's what I get for trusting my memory.
I cannot believe how many folks have submitted blog posts this week, a new record for sure. With so many blogs to visit I think I better get going.
Cheers!
The redwings come to my feeders very regularly but I have yet to get the quintessential shot. Yours is gorgeous! Same goes for all your shots!
ReplyDeleteThat last shot is striking! A beautiful, beautiful sky shot and silhouette!
Some great photos there. Absolutely love the female RW Blackbird - superb. A close second is the Tree Sparrows shot capturing the blue sheen of the body feathers.
ReplyDeletePerfectly exposed and dramatically posed-- you certainly nailed it with those shots! Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots, both dramatic and normal!
ReplyDeleteYour 2nd photo is close to perfect!
Happy WBW to you. Looking forward to a new week/Wednesday!
Hello, great photos. I was wondering whether you could get in touch with me (boa10gkh @ sheffield.ac.uk) regarding a permission to use one of your images of the red winged blackbird. I am working on a project on modern ornithology, the book will be published next year and we would be very happy to use this beautiful photograph. We are a bit pushed for time, so we would be very grateful for a quick response. Thank you for your time! I will be happy to tell you more about the project/authors and answer any questions you might have too of course.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Gabriela