Went up in the mountains this morning for some bird photography. Found some nice birds and found this Swainsons Thrush (I think that is what it is, rather than a Hermit Thrush) enjoying this berry. Swallowed the berry whole. Pretty cool.
Is this a composite: No
Olympus EM1-X
300mm f/4 with 1.4x TC
1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 1000
Processed in DXO Pure RAW, a few LR and PS adjustments
Amazing detail, perch and background, Keith. But what truly caught my attention was how I can see the detail of the inside of her mouth! Just amazing!
Exquisite detail in the bird and perfect timing with the berry.
Wow. The timing is perfect on this as is the set up in general. Great detail and personality on display here. You can even see saliva!
Can you talk a little bit about how you set up for these? Do you use a blind or are you just walking along? If you set up a blind…how are you determining where to set up? Do you sit and observe for a time before doing so? Inquiring minds…
@Kris_Smith Thanks for your comment.
This isn’t a setup at all. This is just understanding birds, bird behavior, place and luck.
This location is one I go to regularly because there is water there. The birds come here to take a bath, get a drink, etc. So knowing the place is extremely important. If there has been rain in the prior couple of days before I plan to go, then I don’t go. The reason… there’s water in many many places in puddles in the mountains and they disperse to those locations, rather than coming to this place.
I don’t use a blind. I get there, sit on my favorite stump and wait quietly. I’m about 20-30 feet from where the birds come in for water. Over the years, I’ve tried a blind and it made absolutely no difference in the birds behavior. It was just far more uncomfortable for me.
Then I observe, pre focus to at least get the lens close to where I hope to take pictures and wait. Then I wait some more. When a bird comes in, I lock focus and start shooting. I’m always in electronic shutter so there is no noise at all. I shoot at 15 frames per second because all the birds there are small warblers, thrushes, kinglets, etc. that move very quickly and don’t stay in any one place very long.
The luck part is just that. This thrush grabbed a berry from a tree, landed and did its’ thing. I was prepared with all the planning and was ready to shoot in a matter of a second or two at the most. I was really happy to get this image and took 30 or 40 of it swallowing the berry.
I think the key to success with any wildlife photography is understanding the subject, planning, and patience.
You just have to know that you are going to take a lot of images and throw most of them away. Yesterday, I took 974 images. I’m down to 69 that I still have in LR. I’m sure by the time I’m done editing for the shoot, I’ll be down to 15 or less. They don’t get any better spinning around on my hard drive!
Pretty cool indeed ! Always fun to see thrushes and the like juggling their berries, you captured the moment spot-on ! Couldn’t agree more on your notes about understanding nature when photographing it. I am co-writing on a new book on bird-photography where I write a lot about ‘knowing your species and their behaviour’ as it is so critical to get nice images ! Cheers, Hans
Hi,
An excellent behavioral shot of a very secretive bird. The lack of buffy feathers around the eye and head and rust color in the wings and tail suggests hermit thrush over Swainson’s thrush. An excellent photo showing the berry ready to be devoured. Awesome…Jim
@Jim_Zablotny Thanks for your comment and your help in identification. This location certainly has far more Hermit’s than Swainson’s Thrushes. You are most likely correct. My ID sources said Swainson’s, but I was skeptical enough to wonder. Thanks again!
Hi Keith
Great photograph and nice background story.
Peter
Very interesting discussion. Yes I know this is not a set up because you are a really great photographer and can catch these events. Yes, luck does play into it a bit. But that applies to all of us.
The pose, diagonals of the perch, interesting background, and the berry itself in the mouth make for an amazing shot .
This would be an excellent image without the berry but the berry puts it over the top! Lighting, exposure and composition are all excellent but the detail and clarity are exceptional! You were very fortunate to be there and ready for the berry action and you certainly made the best of the opportunity! Preparation and anticipation always pays off when you have split seconds to capture special events. Great job, Keith! 
Keith
Great shot. The detail is impressive!
