As we walk through one particular area during our morning rambles, Baloo and I almost always encounter a couple of Eastern Kingbirds. I know I shared a few photos of them last year, but this year's crop seems to be more cooperative when it comes to mugging for the camera.
They always seem to land at the tip of a flower or shrub after one of their beautiful flights, so that they can easily spot another tasty morsel to pursue. This stem can barely hold the bird's weight.
It's almost as if they wait for us and enjoy swooping around showing us their acrobatic sky dives and loops as they catch their breakfast on the wing. Now that I think about it, that might actually be the case, since we're probably disturbing bugs and causing them to take to the air as we make our way through the tall grasses.
I just had to include this photo, silly as it is. Baloo kept photo bombing my attempts at capturing a nice image. Sometimes he would just run ahead, causing my subject to fly off before I could get focused. He likes to increase the challenge factor for me.
I really liked this self-possessed pose atop last year's mullein flower stalk. That had to be a great vantage point for bug watching.
And for such an amazingly graceful flyer, the takeoff from its flimsy perch is surprisingly awkward looking. I love the splayed legs - as if it hasn't pulled in its landing gear yet. They're so fast that getting any kind of in-flight photo is a special treat for me. Even an awkward one. Perhaps I will catch a perfect swoop someday. I can always hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment