It’s a real dry spring in the Eastern Sierra, nesting birds are well into it with most feeding newly hatched young. Jake & I started to work our favorite area this past week with a couple Red-shafted Flicker, Pygmy Nuthatch, Western Wood Pewee, Tree & Violet-green Swallow and Red-breasted Sapsucker (RBS) nests to photograph. This particular RBS nest was great fun with the male perching on a trunk just inches from my head whenever there was a nest exchange (the Nuthatches Jake was photographing, one of his birds perched on my 600mm). Neither of us are in a blind, the birds are quite use to our presence so we get to see all the action. While I had a flash on a Wimberley Flash Arm, there were times the sun would come through the canopy so I could turn off the flash and work the great light.
I always keep a log when working a nest of times the parents are in & out & the basic biology. By comparing this info to previous nests I’ve photographed over the years, I was able to determine these RBS have 36hr old chicks. I remember when I was younger thinking I would always remember everything. Mistake of youth. The one thing I did write down was this basic biology stuff. Thank goodness I did and still do because I now know, I don’t remember everything.
Photo captured by D2Xs, 600f4AFSII on Lexar digital film