Sunday, May 4, 2014

Oriole on Flowering Red Hot Poker


Creating the Image after a long wait!



Having patience is a needed virtue with nature photography. However having to wait for over a year is a long time, as this was the case when I tried to catch my resident male Bullock's oriole on my Red Hot Poker flower.  

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The Kniphofia hirsuta Fire Dance has a short flowering period that is contingent on the heat, dryness and wind at Walker Lake.  So last year the flower was in bloom for a short period. Furthermore, the birds made a quick feast of the blossoms, leaving only the stalks.

The afternoon of May 3, 2014, I happened to notice a male on the flower.  I rushed inside to get my Nikon 500mm 4.0 lens that I had left attached to the camera just for this opportunity.  As I walked outside with camera, lens and tripod, the bird flew off.  I waited with finger on the shutter release button, hoping that he might come back.  Sure enough my tenacity paid off because he did fly right back. Since I was at least 30 feet away, the oriole was unaware of my presence and began to eat away on the flower.


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Upon eating his fill, the oriole then flew over to the pond for a nice afternoon bath. 


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 I continued to click away as the bird submerged his head and then the rest of his body in the cool water. 


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 After each submersion, he would shake off and then go back for another dunking.  


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Finally after about fifteen minutes, he shook off and flew over to a flowering mallow for some insect that he saw. 



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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

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Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.


 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 




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