{"id":101341,"date":"2022-04-03T05:28:36","date_gmt":"2022-04-03T11:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=101341"},"modified":"2022-04-03T05:28:36","modified_gmt":"2022-04-03T11:28:36","slug":"spring-male-yellow-headed-blackbird-portraits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/04\/03\/spring-male-yellow-headed-blackbird-portraits\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Male Yellow-headed Blackbird Portraits"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AlertAlert male Yellow-headed Blackbird portrait \u2013 Nikon D500, f11, 1\/800, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

When I was up in northern Utah two days ago there was a male Yellow-headed Blackbird that was so close that all I could do was take portraits of him. I had too much glass attached to my camera to get full body images. I am not complaining.<\/p>\n

\"Yellow-headedYellow-headed Blackbird adult male up close \u2013 Nikon D500, f11, 1\/800, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

When it is possible to take portraits of my subjects without causing them discomfort I do not and will not pass up the opportunity. This male Yellow-headed Blackbird was on a fence next to a ranch pond and he didn’t move when the vehicle stopped. He didn’t even flinch.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Yellow-headed Blackbird fluffed up and singing \u2013 Nikon D500, f11, 1\/800, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

He was singing and displaying and seemed to have spring on his mind. It felt like spring to me too. His songs and calls<\/span><\/a> made it feel even more spring-like to me.<\/p>\n

\"SingingSinging Male Yellow-headed Blackbird portrait \u2013 Nikon D500, f11, 1\/800, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I took many photos of this male Yellow-headed Blackbird. So many that I had trouble deciding which of the portraits to share. So I grabbed six and edited them.<\/p>\n

\"UpUp close to a singing male Yellow-headed Blackbird \u2013 Nikon D500, f11, 1\/640, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The yellow in this blackbirds plumage was so bright that it was out of gamut. I decreased the luminance slightly in ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) so the yellow of his feathers wasn’t quite so bright.<\/p>\n

The phrase “out of gamut” refers to a range of colors that cannot be reproduced within the CMYK color space used for printing. A gamut is the range of colors that a color device can display or print.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Yellow-headed Blackbird close to a road \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I had fun taking these portraits of this male Yellow-headed Blackbird and I am very glad that he stuck around so that I could.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Yellow-headed Blackbird photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I was up in northern Utah two days ago there was a male Yellow-headed Blackbird that was so close that all I could do was take portraits of him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":101321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1148,26,427],"tags":[4004,4540,3813,3483,4008,2304,4142,4098,4309,4062,4104,4046,11852,2326,4179,4735,165,30,4178,1386],"class_list":["post-101341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-utah","category-yellow-headed-blackbird","tag-adult","tag-alert","tag-blackbird","tag-blackbirds","tag-box-elder-county","tag-calls","tag-close-up","tag-desert","tag-fluffed-up","tag-male","tag-perched","tag-portrait","tag-ranchlands","tag-road","tag-singing-2","tag-song","tag-spring","tag-utah-2","tag-xanthocephalus-xanthocephalus","tag-yellow-headed-blackbird"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/yellow-headed-blackbird-adult-male-portrait-mia-mcpherson-9775.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-qmx","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":46973,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/05\/29\/male-yellow-headed-blackbird-portraits\/","url_meta":{"origin":101341,"position":0},"title":"Male Yellow-headed Blackbird Portraits","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I was surprised yesterday to be able to take portraits of male Yellow-headed Blackbirds because they normally fly away from me instead of flying towards me.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Yellow-headed Blackbird close up at Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbird-male-portrait-mia-mcpherson-1068.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbird-male-portrait-mia-mcpherson-1068.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbird-male-displaying-mia-mcpherosn-5386.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbird-male-displaying-mia-mcpherosn-5386.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbird-male-displaying-mia-mcpherosn-5386.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbird-male-displaying-mia-mcpherosn-5386.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8145,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/04\/19\/yellow-headed-blackbirds-are-back-in-numbers\/","url_meta":{"origin":101341,"position":3},"title":"Yellow-headed Blackbirds Are Back In Numbers","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Yellow-headed Blackbirds are filling the marshy areas of Utah with their odd mechanical calls once again as the males court the females for their annual spring fling.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Flock of male Yellow-headed Blackbirds on Antelope Island, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbirds-flock-mia-mcpherson-2627.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbirds-flock-mia-mcpherson-2627.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbirds-flock-mia-mcpherson-2627.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbirds-flock-mia-mcpherson-2627.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":37842,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/04\/03\/male-yellow-headed-blackbird-portrait\/","url_meta":{"origin":101341,"position":4},"title":"Male Yellow-headed Blackbird Portrait","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I was able to take this male Yellow-headed Blackbird portrait because the bird seemed more intent on catching midges than being nervous about me.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird 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