This is my contribution to the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Negative Space prompt.
The prompt started me thinking about some of the photos of plants and flowers I have taken using various fast portrait lenses this summer.
That started me thinking about my use of negative space in some of my bird photography.
My idea for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Sense of Hearing quickly came to mind. Waking up in the spring to various birds singing and calling to proclaim their territories made it an obvious choice.
In the spring the males of lots of bird species are proclaiming their territories by singing and calling. As much as humans may enjoy hearing some of these songs they’re doing it to let rival males know they’re claiming the area as their territory and to attract a female.
A European Robin proclaims the area as his territory, Faddiley, Cheshire.
A male Yellow-headed Blackbird proclaiming his territory in Saskatchewan.
A Tree Pipit singing from the top of a tree on Bickerton Hill in southern Cheshire.
A male Red-winged Blackbird proclaiming his territory in Saskatchewan.
This is my contribution to the One Word Sunday prompt Inspiration.
Having started digitising my slide archives last winter I found quite a few “birds in their habitat” shots. A type of image I like but never seem to shoot nowadays.
However, having rediscovered these old film shots I’m inspired to start looking for these type of images again.
A male Red-winged Blackbird singing to proclaim his territory in Saskatchewan, Canada.
A female Red-winged Blackbird in its habitat in Saskatchewan, Canada.
This is my contribution to the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: On Display.
I decided to take a sideways look at the challenge and go with a selection of birds on display to attract a mate or displaying to a potential mate.
A pair of Great Crested Grebes performing the weed waving part of their courtship display.
A displaying male Yellow-headedBlackbird.
A male Ruddy Duck displays to a female. The bubbles in the water in front of the male are from him forcing the air out of his chest feathers by striking his chest with his bill which is part of the courtship display.
A displaying male Red-winged Blackbird.
A selection of bird species with Black in their common English names for the Weekly Prompts Photo Challenge: Black.
A Black Tern feeding over a roadside marsh in Saskatchewan, Canada.
A female Blackcap feeding on a windfall apple in the winter in Cheshire, England. Female Blackcaps have brown caps.
A male Yellow-headed Blackbird displaying in Saskatchewan, Canada.
A male Common Blackbird eating a windfall apple in the winter in Cheshire, England.
A male Black-throated Blue Warbler pretending it’s an Oriole by eating the grape jelly in an Oriole feeder. Ontario, Canada.
A male Red-winged Blackbird proclaiming its territory in Saskatchewan, Canada.
This is my contribution to the Cosmic Photo Challenge: An Anime-Ted Life!
My first thought was animated wildlife, that is wildlife doing something. The first couple of photos I picked for the challenge were bird species from Saskatchewan so I decided to restrict my selection to birds photographed in Saskatchewan.
A male Ruddy Duck displays to a female.
A preening Marbled Godwit.
A Killdeer having a good stretch.
A singing male Red-winged Blackbird.
A Black Tern feeding over a roadside marsh.
Throwback Thursday travels back to Saskatchewan in the 1990s. With no sign of spring arriving in Ontario I thought a spring photo of a species that arrives in Canada for the summer would be nicer than another photo of snow and ice.
This male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) has recently arrived in Saskatchewan to spend the summer and is singing to establish a breeding territory. I’ve always liked the backlighting on the bird that’s illuminating the red epaulettes that give the male birds their name.
