{"id":72647,"date":"2020-08-12T05:27:31","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T11:27:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=72647"},"modified":"2023-10-17T19:47:42","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T01:47:42","slug":"pine-siskin-in-the-wasatch-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/08\/12\/pine-siskin-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"Pine Siskin In The Wasatch Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PinePine Siskin clinging to a small branch \u2013 <\/em>Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Pine Siskins are nomadic and irruptive birds that I am always thrilled to have in my viewfinder. This is a species I often hear before I see them and their calls<\/span><\/a> help me to locate them when I am out in the field. Because Pine Siskins are nomadic by nature as a bird photographer that means when I see them I photograph them because I don’t know when I might come across them again.<\/p>\n

Two days ago I was sitting in my Jeep using it as a mobile blind in the Wasatch Mountains enjoying the cooler temps of the high country. The bird activity picked up just after the sun rose over the mountains peaks and as I scanned the area for birds I spotted this Pine Siskin almost directly in front of me clinging to a small branch.<\/p>\n

As soon as I could I locked focus on the siskin and took a burst of photos.<\/p>\n

\"PinePine Siskin high in the Wasatch Mountains \u2013 <\/em>Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, <\/span><\/p>\n

The Pine Siskin didn’t stay on this perch long, I believe it used the perch to scan the area to see if it was safe before it landed on a nearby thistle and proceeded to tear into the seeds. I photographed the siskin eating the thistle seeds but there were some weird looking shadows on the rump and tail of the bird which meant that I didn’t find those photos as aesthetically pleasing as these two images.<\/p>\n

The first time I photographed Pine Siskins in Utah I was camping in the high Uinta Mountains and came across a flock of 100 or more of these birds feeding on the seeds of Mule’s Ears. I had trouble that day because I wasn’t sure which of the siskins to focus on and they were constantly on the move from one flower to another. Two days ago with a single bird in my view I didn’t have a problem figuring out which bird to focus on at all.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Pine Siskin photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The bird activity picked up just after the sun rose over the mountains peaks and as I scanned the area for birds I spotted this Pine Siskin almost directly in front of me clinging to a small branch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,4594,1210,26,773],"tags":[4897,4935,3940,4299,6486,3495,3494,4069,9682,10296,4104,3493,6103,6104,2315],"class_list":["post-72647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-morgan-county","category-pine-siskins","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-branch","tag-call","tag-canyon","tag-carduelis-pinus","tag-clinging","tag-finches","tag-irruptive","tag-mountains","tag-nomadic","tag-nomads","tag-perched","tag-pine-siskin","tag-siskin","tag-siskins","tag-summer-3"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t