“F” Tagged: Flicker of a Flicker

Posted on by Fergiemoto
Flicker Flicker
Flicker Flicker, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  Click on photo to enlarge.

>>:::<<
a rare fiery flash
eager for a striking pic
hopefully next time
>>:::<<

The camera is set and ready to capture a bird in flight.
I anticipate its takeoff and start continuous shooting,
hopeful and excited that, finally, I got the shot I wanted!
Darn!  I cut it’s head off!

(Has this ever happened to you?)

This bird is a male Red-shafted Northern Flicker, which resides in western North America.  It is a member of the woodpecker family.  Their outer coloring is mostly neutral, but they are red under their tail and underwings.  The males have a red moustache.  They are stunning when they take off, with their vibrant flashes and flickers of red from their underwings.  Although I have been able to get some good bird flight shots, I’m still working on getting some of the Flicker.  They are quite skittish compared to most of the other birds around here.  Practice, practice, practice!

This image is a combination of two photos taken in sequence using continuous shooting.  I thought that the trees in the background in the original photos were distracting so I used a texture to soften them.

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After a long absence by me, this is for the “Tagged” letter challenge (Tagged “F” Challenge) by Frizztext, to share a short story or reflection, even an aphorism using a word tagged with each letter of the alphabet.
Texture used is Kim Klassen’s “Havana”

 Linking up with:
TEXTURE TUESDAY
WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY
NATURE NOTES

40 responses to ““F” Tagged: Flicker of a Flicker”

  1. LOL, except for a couple of gulls and a few crows, I am never close enough or able to snap a pic of a bird, let alone in flight. Still an interesting capture, and always a lovely haiku.

    Reply

  5. aloha Fergiemoto. of course it’s happened to me. i suspect it’s happened to just about anyone who has clicked the shutter on a camera.

    i like this shot. the doubling of the two photos works great.

    what i’ve learned is that sometimes that shot like this bird in flight is more in-the-moment-life than the perfect placement-moment shot. when we see the bird take off it’s often an incomplete flash image that we see. . . .

    when the bird takes off we dont get to hold it still to look. we just have that flash movement memory.

    i’m exploring that more and more. a slight blur. a subject not entirely in the frame. flash. i actually like those shots. of course i like enough definition that the image/subject is clear enough to recognize, or at least think we recognize. . . . in some ways these shots have a more now presence to me and i find them intriguing.

    that said, i also find setting that kind of shot up is not what works best (for me). so when i spot something now, i often take a hip shot (shooting without looking through the viewfinder by just aiming by feel). of course you can get too good at this, knowing your camera and then i’m back to the shot looking like i looked through the viewfinder.

    tricky.

    but fun to get the right shot. in motion, moment, chance. . . . .a lot like life.

    . . . . which may be why i particularly like these shots for haiku.

    fun. aloha.

    Reply

  6. Continuous shooting is great, but still does not always capture the perfect shot. I once took a Kingbird on a piling. One shot his foot is off the post as he takes off, the next shot he is gone. I have discovered capturing birds in flight is a chance thing.
    Your picture shows the colors nicely.

    Reply

  8. Love your bird in flight, and the one sitting is so crisp and clear! Gorgeous! Love the Havana texture with them too!
    I was getting ready to link up with Kim’s Texture Tuesday and saw your photo on her site! Neat! I’m taking her Beyond Layers class, and posting my assignments on http://dancingwithlightandshadow.wordpress.com ~if you’re interested.
    Looks like you’ve had ALL her classes! Awesome photos, Fergiemoto!

    Reply

  9. Like ‘Jen’ mentions above, I’ve had several instances where there’s not even a bird in the photo at all – only a blank space.

    To be honest, I usually only get a flying bird in focus more by accident (than intent).

    After one of my followers mentioned using the ‘sports’ mode to catch birds in flight about 3 weeks ago, I’ve started using ‘sports’ too. It certainly does help with all the settings (not just focus). I’m too stiff at the base of my spine to be particularly successful with panning the camera to follow a moving bird, but once or twice a year, I give it a try.

    Seagulls slowly coming in to land on the sand are a bit easier to photograph.

    Love your image and Haiku. Nice background also.

    Reply

  11. Beautiful still photo of the red shafted and I can still tell that the “fly-away is a red-shafted simply because I am a birdr and know some birds very well. I used to photograph birds but at this time I don’t have a telephoto other than a 200mm and for the Image to be any good I would need to have it no more than about 6 feet away.The trick to snapping birds is to anticipate their movments and that takes much practice and sometimes even that does not work. The slightest of head or eye movement if you are close enough will give you a clue when the bird is about to fly. I used to use flash a great deal but my canon 60D only captures 1/60.It only works with flash at that shutter speed. I want to get back to bird photos but can not now due to money constraints. I hope I can before I kick the bucket. I like shooting pets but I also like the challenge of birds which is far harder than pets.You might want to set up a blind in your yard and work from the blind with just a peep hole for the camera and one for your viewing. It is much better than trying to sneak up on a bird. Pick the ideal place for the birds where you can put up feeders, etc.

    Reply

  14. I was out it a rather bouncy boat let month trying to photograph dolphins and albatross (it was a very good day!) and I had many shots with nothing in them but sea!!

    Nice image if the flicker.

    Cheers and thanks for linking to WBW.

    Stewart M – Melbourne

    Reply

  22. It happens to me all the time .. but they fly before I even got the camera out. Some beautiful bird .. all the details on it. You can crop the photo .. and just use the “full body” bird. Stunning photo otherwise.

    Reply

  26. I love seeing the flicker as I see them rarely here in the spring and summer. Ah yes..I have so many bird behind photos..too bad there isn’t a market for them. But the motion on yours is wonderful… hope you are feeling better..hugs..Michelle

    Reply

  28. Pingback: tagged F: Is my Feathered Visitor a Flowerpecker? « my sweetpainteddreams

  30. Fergie, we have these Flickers here – they’re so shy and elusive, (hard to get even a partial photo!) They have such a unique “call”, and they also like to come “knocking” around our windows and doors – looking for bugs? (They’ve fooled me more than once – thought someone was at the door. 🙂 ) One of my favorite birds, and of course I love your description!

    Reply

  32. Has this ever happened …. probably about 200 times! It’s always happening to me and I find myself thinking I should do a “Bird Bloopers” post with only half bodies showing 🙂
    Your Flicker is beautiful 🙂

    Reply

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  34. I’ve definitely beheaded many birds (and other wild animals) in my attempt to photograph them. Love this photo – if I hadn’t known, I would have thought these were two birds photographed together. Beautiful!

    Reply

  37. Pingback: Nature Notes (#198)~The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man. ~Author Unknown | Rambling Woods Detour

Thanks so much for your comments!