Bird Weekly – Photo Challenge – Birds In Flight

Welcome to Week #45 of the Bird Weekly Photo Challenge. Week #45 challenge is birds in Flight.

The feature image is a Wood Stork coming in for a landing with a large branch for nest maintenance.

Birds are hard to capture in flight. At least they are for me. I’m sharing some not so great photos this week to prove my point. Smaller, song birds are especially hard to photograph in the air and they usually happen when I’m taking one or more photos while the bird is perched. Perched will be next week.

Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouse taking off in flight from one of our feeders.

Above, this Tufted Titmouse took off right when I got my camera up. Just missed it! The bottom photo is not photoshopped. The bird was taking a small flight from the blue feeder to the house feeder and I caught it in midair as he tucked his wings to land. Weird, right?

Tufted Titmouse flying a short distance from a blue feeder to the house feeder. The action was taken in midair.

Pine Warbler

Pine Warbler is flying towards a feeder, preparing to land.

This Pine Warbler was a frequent visitor to the feeders this spring. The birds were crazy about Frank’s newly built feeders. 2021 is the first year that we have had this species in our yard even though they are quite common in Florida year round.

Goldfinch

Goldfinch is flying from one of the high perches towards the feeders with gray skies behind him.

This male Goldfinch was really beginning to get his colors in. Against a gray, raining sky, those colors really popped.

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal takes off with a peanut in his beak.

With a peanut in his beak, this male Northern Cardinal was sharing some grub with a Red-bellied Woodpecker (bottom right). The female Cardinal was nearby.

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk got spooked and took off from his perch on a branch.

There is a notable difference between these two photos. The top images was taken with my old Nikon 70-300mm kit lens and the bottom photo is taken with my Sony mirrorless with a full frame 200mm lens. Technology has come a long way and quality really is in the lenses and not so much the camera body. Plus, I practice a lot and I think I’ve gotten better over the years.

Red-shouldered Hawk got irrigated at me even though I was that close. This photo is zoomed in and cropped but he was courting a female nearby.

Swallow-tailed Kite

Swallow-tailed Kite flying high overhead looking for baby birds to prey on.

Swallow-tailed Kites are back for the summer. I saw one fly over my house last week. It is a little early but the temperatures are rising and the birds hanging out at our feeder are no more. There is plenty of food around and we won’t offer up all the finches, cardinals, titmice and other songbirds to these beautiful birds of prey. Why can’t they just prey on the squirrels or snakes. Leave the baby birds alone!

Swallow-tailed Kite flying high overhead looking for baby birds to eat for their next meal.

Great Egret

Great Egret was preparing to land near a nesting spot.

This Great Egret was coming in for a landing near a nesting spot.

Pelicans

In the U.S., we have two Pelican species. The Brown Pelican on the right and the American White Pelican on the left. As most of you know, Pelicans are my favorite bird. As if I can choose only one…but I have. Brown Pelicans dive bomb from high in the air to retrieve their next meal. American White Pelicans work as a team to corral schools of fish beneath the water’s surface.

Next time…Week #46 – Birds perched on anything. (5/7/21)

Bird Weekly Challenge Badge.

Lisa Coleman

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64 responses to “Bird Weekly – Photo Challenge – Birds In Flight”

  1. Great examples, Lisa! You’re so right about how difficult it is to capture flight without killing yourself in the process. Thanks for the inspiration, too, I have some old swallow shots that can fit your theme and my water theme!

    • Yay! That works great! I’m a perfectionist if you haven’t figured that out, but I’ve also come to learn that you have to show the not so perfect to get there and let others know it is okay. Water theme is right up my ally! 🙂

    • Thanks Brian! 🙂 Yeah and I had more, but ran out of time. I’m miserable without my SD card that I lost. I had my photos lined up for weeks and now every week is difficult for me. I’ve started taking new photos, but we haven’t been out because of my bum foot. 🙂

    • You certainly have a way with words. Thank you! I irritated the hawk in the lower photo. He was busy trying to impress a lady. LOL! 🙂

  12. These are amazing. I’m in awe at what can be achieved with some cameras. Not something I can do with my phone or Canon powershot.

    • Thank you so much! I can’t take any bird photos with my phone. Not an option for me. I have a great lens that works so well! 🙂

  18. Love your birds and love that you actually get pictures of hawks. I SEE the hawks, but I never seem to have a camera in my hands when it happens. My favorite birds in flight not-a-photo are swans and loons trying to take off. They are such heavy-bodied birds that they have to run a long way, huffing and puffing and flapping madly. Something they finally get airborne. Other times, they flap back into the water and start all over again.

    Oddly, the geese — who around here are almost as big as swans — don’t seem to have any problem taking off, nor do the much bigger herons. It must have something to do with weight versus wing size.

    • buoyancy, maybe? I might have to learn about that. I get it though. Pelicans have a hard time taking off too. They have to paddle them little legs until they get themselves airborne. Juveniles are fun to watch because they are so clumsy! 🙂

      • I’m doing good. Missed everyone on Tuesday. I had to take my daughter to her appointment. She is doing okay. Crazy busy trying to get ready for our trip to Tampa this weekend. I’m so excited about seeing my 2 older kids and all the grandkids. How are you doing?

  25. These are cool photos and what a variety of birds. I wish I had a big yard where I could put up feeders. As it is, I have one small one on my balcony. They are so fun to watch.

    • They are very cool to watch. Their personalities come out and the behavior is not always the same among the same species. 🙂

    • Thanks Jez. It was just a matter of camera and lens a quality and only a few years of experience vs. 15 years of experience and a killer lens now. LOL! I totally agree with you on your assessment though. 🙂

    • I love it when you play along and I haven’t mastered it either so there is that. You know we don’t judge and we love to see what you see. It’s the best part! 🙂

  35. It is definitely difficult to get photographs of birds in flight although I have managed a few, bt you have one so well Lisa 🙂

    • It is all good. To be part of the roundup, you need to have your post in by Thursday night, 11pm Eastern time. I would love to see your birds anytime though. 🙂

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