It’s hard to go anywhere in Utah’s desert and deserted areas and not hear the beautiful songs of a Western Meadowlark.
This little 9″ bird is not a member of the lark family. It’s actually belongs to the Blackbird family. Known for it’s song it is quite common in areas near my home. Stop just a few miles from home, turn off the engine and the radio and I am serenaded by these cuties. They are very shy. Most approaches even in a car are met with the fast fly away of the Meadowlark. With the advantage of a very long lens, a 1.7 teleconverter and some tricky driving I captured this beauty in flight.
Don’t try this at home. Should only be performed by experienced foolish photoraphers desperate for a new shot of a common bird!
A little trial and error. I drove by the bird at the posted speed and he didn’t fly away. In fact he only flew when I cam to a full stop in my car. Simple solution. Shoot while driving. I know there is a law passed about texting and driving or at least being distracted while driving. I think driving and photographing are OK. Here is the deal. I was antelope island. I have a Wimberley head on a window mount for my car. I mounted the camera and lens on the Wimberley and drove very slow by the Meadowlark. Probably 2 MPH. Drove with my knee while I shot the bird. No cars in sight in either direction. Hey I got the shot!!!!!
