Yesterday while I was at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, I found a very cooperative Eastern Phoebe perched first in some bushes and then on an old metal post.
Fall Eastern Phoebe in Oklahoma – Canon R7, handheld, f11, 1/2000, ISO 1600, +1.0 EV, Canon RF 800mm, natural light
While I like the pose of the phoebe in this photo, it won’t make it into my galleries because the background is messy and distracting to me.
Maybe if the background had been plain blue, or had just out-of-focus grasses and/or just out-of-focus sumac branches, this image would have worked for me. It just doesn’t as is, and I don’t like to do much post-processing to my photos. At all.
Autumn Eastern Phoebe portrait – Canon R7, beanbag, f11, 1/1600, ISO 1600, Canon RF 800mm, natural light
The Eastern Phoebe left the sumacs and flew in closer to me, so close that I opted to take close-ups and portraits of this beautiful little bird.
With an 800mm lens, I really didn’t have many options: stay put and get portraits, or move my Jeep farther away and risk the phoebe flying off.
I like how the phoebe looks curious in this image, and how she or he appeared to have their eye on me.
Eastern Phoebe close up at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge – Canon R7, beanbag, f11, 1/1600, ISO 1600, -0.3 EV, Canon RF 800mm, natural light
The phoebe was looking for prey while perched on the old, rusty metal post, and I took a nice long series of close-ups of this bird.
When the phoebe moved to the metal gate across the road behind me, I thanked them and headed up the road.
Eastern Phoebes can be found at the refuge and in this area of Oklahoma year-round.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Eastern Phoebe photos plus facts and information about this species.
Thank you for introducing me to the Eastern Phoebe! Great close-up shots full of the little bird’s expressions.
Beautiful series, Mia! I really like how you explained what didn’t work for you about that first image, that kind of honest self-critique is something most folks don’t share, and it’s what makes your posts so valuable. The close-up portraits are fantastic. That curious look from the phoebe really stands out, and the light on the feathers is perfect.