The Little Wingman
We have been having some crazy weather the last few days here in Western Ontario - what the weatherman would probably call "a mix of sun and clouds with a strong chance of showers". With the interesting light and crazy sky I felt obligated to go for a drive with my camera after work last night. I stopped by a small stream on a country road a few miles from the house to photograph red-winged blackbirds and swallows picking insects out the air as they hatched off the water. I found a comfortable position to shoot hand-held, sitting on the top of a culvert (where the stream passed under the road), dangling my feet and enjoying the sun on my back. As I was tracking one blackbird making his way back to a cattail perch, something big startled me, coming straight at me in the viewfinder. Best I can figure is that the heron had been fishing around the next bend of the stream and when he decided to relocate, came flying around the corner below the level of the cattails just above the water. After the heron came into view, the red-winged blackbird was on him right away. As the heron gained a bit of elevation to clear the road, he banked nicely toward the sun and I was able to get a half-dozen frames off. I got a few sharper frames than this, but I like the composition of this one best.
The Little Wingman
We have been having some crazy weather the last few days here in Western Ontario - what the weatherman would probably call "a mix of sun and clouds with a strong chance of showers". With the interesting light and crazy sky I felt obligated to go for a drive with my camera after work last night. I stopped by a small stream on a country road a few miles from the house to photograph red-winged blackbirds and swallows picking insects out the air as they hatched off the water. I found a comfortable position to shoot hand-held, sitting on the top of a culvert (where the stream passed under the road), dangling my feet and enjoying the sun on my back. As I was tracking one blackbird making his way back to a cattail perch, something big startled me, coming straight at me in the viewfinder. Best I can figure is that the heron had been fishing around the next bend of the stream and when he decided to relocate, came flying around the corner below the level of the cattails just above the water. After the heron came into view, the red-winged blackbird was on him right away. As the heron gained a bit of elevation to clear the road, he banked nicely toward the sun and I was able to get a half-dozen frames off. I got a few sharper frames than this, but I like the composition of this one best.