Some birds - June 23rd, 2011

It started out, driving on the roads east of Calgary it was pretty windy out but I found this Brewer's blackbird. The sun had just dipped behind a cloud and I waited and waited for it to come back out. The bird was kind enough to sit on the post with a mouthful of grubs and pose for me. I like the tiny bit of rim light here that gives definition to his black feathers. He's standing against a field where the plants are young and green. The long lens blurs the background nicely.

I left the shadow of the cloud and drover further north and found a hawk that was guarding a nest.


The hawk swooped at me several times as I cowered next to the car while trying to get a few pictures. Unfortunately the sun soon fell behind the same clouds as before and soon I didn't have enough light to continue shooting so I left him to fend of the little birds that were trying to drive him out of the area. He wasn't going anywhere though.

It's quite a rush to have a hawk see you, pick you out and swoop down at you.. looking at it through the viewfinder as it's happening is kind of scary. I worried that I was bothering the hawk so I didn't stay too long.

Thanks for looking.

Brad