Bronzed Cowbird

One of my favorite birds from my last trip to Santa Clara Ranch was the Bronzed Cowbird.   They have a bronzed iridescence and their eyes turn red during breeding season.  When trying to impress a potential mate, the male will vibrate his wings and hover in the air a few feet off of the ground.  Got lucky on the last day and caught that behavior with the last two photos.

Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II on Wimberley II gimbal head mounted on a tripod

Aperture priority, 1/640 sec @ F8, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 500mm

Aperture priority, 1/800 sec @ F8, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 500mm

Aperture priority, 1/640 sec @ F5.6, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 500mm

Aperture priority, 1/800 sec @ F5.6, ISO 1600, evaluative metering, 500mm

August 28, 2016 | Categories: Birds | Tags: Bronzed Cowbird, Canon 1DX, Canon 500mm F4 IS II, Santa Clara Ranch, Texas, Wimberley II | 4 Comments