{"id":15209,"date":"2014-06-14T06:05:03","date_gmt":"2014-06-14T12:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=15209"},"modified":"2025-11-08T05:04:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T11:04:37","slug":"western-kingbird-up-close-almost-too-close","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/06\/14\/western-kingbird-up-close-almost-too-close\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Kingbird Up Close – Almost Too Close!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WesternWestern Kingbird up close – Nikon D7100, f9, 1\/800, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 314mm, natural light, not called, baited or set up<\/span><\/p>\n

Three days ago I was caught off guard when this Western Kingbird flew in\u00a0and hovered up close to me, almost too close actually.<\/p>\n

I clipped the tail and both wing tips even though I had backed up my zoom when I saw the kingbird flying my direction.\u00a0Some of the shots in the series of images I took of it were\u00a0blurry nightmares but with this one my focus locked on the bird’s face.<\/p>\n

I wish the entire bird were in focus but even at f9 I didn’t have enough depth of field to obtain that focus and sharpness. My minimum focusing distance with my lens is around 7 feet and\u00a0if this kingbird had been any closer it would have all been a blur.<\/p>\n

The Western Kingbirds<\/span><\/a> I\u2019ve been photographing don\u2019t seem to be predictable in their actions. While there are a few behaviors I can anticipate, most of the time I\u2019m not sure which way they\u2019ll fly, whether they\u2019ll hover, or if they\u2019ll face me when they take off or land.<\/p>\n

The more I watch and photograph them, the more I realize unpredictability is part of their charm.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

Three days ago I was caught off guard when this Western Kingbird flew in and hovered up close to me, almost too close actually.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":163105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,1022,26,534],"tags":[4004,4142,4098,4052,3808,4884,4122,4174,9070,3791,3772,4183,4411],"class_list":["post-15209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-utah","category-western-kingbirds","tag-adult","tag-close-up","tag-desert","tag-flight","tag-flycatcher","tag-flycatchers","tag-flying","tag-hovering-2","tag-island","tag-kingbird","tag-kingbirds","tag-tyrannus-verticalis","tag-western-kingbird"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/western-kingbird-close-up-mia-mcpherson-2917.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-3Xj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":129402,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/06\/12\/sick-western-kingbird-or-is-it-two-kingbirds\/","url_meta":{"origin":15209,"position":0},"title":"Sick Western Kingbird Or Is It Two Kingbirds","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Not every trip I make into the field is filled with joy, butterflies, and rainbows. Sometimes, I come across injured or sick birds, like this Western Kingbird.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Unhealthy adult Western Kingbird, Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Johnston County, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/western-kingbird-sick-mia-mcpherson-9550.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/western-kingbird-sick-mia-mcpherson-9550.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/western-kingbird-sick-mia-mcpherson-9550.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/western-kingbird-sick-mia-mcpherson-9550.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":128683,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/05\/23\/spring-eastern-kingbird-photos-from-tishomingo-nwr\/","url_meta":{"origin":15209,"position":1},"title":"Spring Eastern Kingbird Photos From Tishomingo NWR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 23, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Since my arrival in Oklahoma, I've had fun taking Eastern Kingbird photos at the Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge. I've seen dozens of these kingbirds there.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eastern Kingbird perched in a mulberry, Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/eastern-kingbird-tishomingo-nwr-mia-mcpherson-0547.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/eastern-kingbird-tishomingo-nwr-mia-mcpherson-0547.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/eastern-kingbird-tishomingo-nwr-mia-mcpherson-0547.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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