by Mark Seaver
Dennis's Savannah Sparrow singing feels like it needs a companion, so here's a look at a special treat during our spring stay in Montana earlier this month. For the first time, a Western Meadowlark decided to use the young trees (now about 8 - 10 feet tall) near our house to sing from. We were treated multiple times a day to this bird singing loudly (and Meadowlarks are very loud), including having it start the day about 5:30 AM from these trees that are about 30 feet from the house. Over our 3 week stay, I worked at getting it to come and sing as I sat with my camera on the deck and gradually moved closer. I'd managed to cut about 10 feet off the distance, but our stay ran out so I've got this view, which like Dennis's shows the bird singing it's heart out, while being only a modest part of the full frame. In this case, I've cropped a little off the bottom to remove a distracting branch. (5D3, 400mm f4.5 + 1.4 TC, 1/800s, f/10, iso 800, tripod)
Comments
10 commentsHi Mark,
You seem to be enjoying your stay out West. The pose is wonderful and the sharpness is excellent. I also like the lighting which brings out the yellows in the meadowlark's plumage. I would welcome meadowlarks around our property, but the mowers and threshers have kept them away..................................Jim
Sweet, Mark. Great singing pose and you nailed the focus on the Meadowlark. The slight curve to the tree helps a lot. For me, they're a very tough bird. They seem incredibly skittish.
Classic pose for this guy. Love the colors. It really screams SPRING.
Beautiful catch Mark, worth the effort you put into it. Looks like you caught him hitting a high "C" note, ha ha! Doesn't look that big so I'm surprised he's bending the tip like that, or maybe that's due to his vocalizing...
Mark, this one is just super. I really have enjoyed these characters my entire life when out in the field. Although none at J-tree NP per se, there are numerous to be found and heard at Santa Rosa Plateau another favorite outing area of mine.
The fresh tree and cones really add to this atmosphere you experienced this morning. Heck, the light could not be better IMO for overall color and the finer details. Another fine take from the Seaver's Montana backyard.
Hi Mark
The meadowlark singing in this excellent pose... certainly brings the mood of spring to the scene. ... wonderfully composed and crafted
Albert Darmo
Canada
Wonderful angles here, with the tree tilting to the left and the meadowlark singing to the right. I can hear the song just by looking at the photo. Striking image!
Hey Mark,
Simply Beautiful in all Respects !
Well Done . . .
I'm still in last weeks WC mode, so when I saw this well..
"High from the highest tree, woman would you weep for me? Dang me, dang me, they oughta take a rope and hang me"
Excellent image, this meadowlark's singing its heart out Mark. Sure hope he wins her back
Very nice
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Really, really nice. These guys are on my list, but they are a lot harder than you might think. That makes this capture even more enduring, particularly on top of a spruce. Great photo.