Japanese Waxwing

[Craig Brelsford]

I saved this Japanese waxwing's life. I was at Binjiang Forest Park in Shanghai photographing bohemian and Japanese waxwings. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a waxwing fly into a window of the park's information center. I picked the bird up and held him in my hand. It was a juvenile Japanese. His eyes were closed, his mouth was open, and he was breathing. I had him in my hand for 10 minutes, admiring the exquisite details of his plumage and hoping that he'd come to. He opened his eyes and looked around. I put him on a branch, the one you see here, but I kept my hands under him, because he was falling asleep and drooping downward. After a while he could stand up straight; I took this shot around that time. I went over to adjust him one last time and was rewarded with a soft bite. A minute or two later he flew off, to my great pleasure. Because the trees with berries are concentrated in a small area of the park, I was able to monitor him throughout the day. He was sluggish but was feeding. Many berries remain, so it's likely that the waxwings will linger, allowing this little fellow to get his full strength back. Japanese waxwings are one of the just three species of bombycillid in the world, they are an East Asian endemic, and they are classified as "near threatened" by BirdLife International. I know my bird was a juvenile because his underparts are still white, not yellow like an adult's. Sex determinable only by an expert. Note the red tip to the tail, distinguished from the yellow tip of the bohemian and the cedar. Binjiang means "riverside," an apt name for this park, located at the dramatic point where the Yangtze River flows into the East China Sea. I got dozens of excellent shots of the waxwings and look forward to posting many more.

Device: Nikon D3S
Lens: VR 600mm F/4G
Focal length: 600mm
VR: ON
Aperture: F/22
Shutter Speed: 1/20
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: +1.0EV
Metering: Center-Weighted
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 1000

Note: Shot in mirror-up mode. Used shutter-release cable.

[Sid Garige]

Craig,

Like the comp, two tone background and pose. Very well done.

Shooting an image at 1/20 sec is kind of risky in my opinion. I would have traded F22 for little more shutter speed.:)

[Craig Brelsford]

Thanks, Sid. Sure, f/22 can be risky, but not with an immobile bird and a shutter speed of 1/20s. My inexperience comes through not in the use of f/22 but in the vain hope that f/22 would bring the red tip of the tail into sharper focus. But at least it's visible. At wider apertures I can't tell the story of the red tip at all.

[Randy Stout]

Craig:

I always enjoy your stories that accompany your images. Glad you were able to nurse him back to health.
I don't know if birds can get concussions, but it sure sounds like that from his behaviour.


Soft light, sharp, esp. for that shutter speed, nice BG.

Cheers

Randy

[Danny J Brown]

Craig,

I enjoy your narratives as well as they make the image more interesting. Cedar waxwings are common in Missouri and one of my favorite birds so I was happy to see this little guy which is very similar. I like the way he is puffed in a little ball. Nice shot.

DB

[Bhushan Dalvi]

Craig, this is a beautiful bird you captured very well. Glad you were able to nurse him back to health.

[Pieter de Waal]

Well done Craig and you were rewarded with a beautiful image of a delicate little bird. Love the subtle light and pastel colours of this image. Thanks for the explanation on the apperture.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Awesome story, thanks for that! I like the image too, very good soft colours and the soft light is appealing. Risky techs, but you've managed very well...at least you knew you had a stationary subject.

Funny you post this at this time as there is a big flock of Bohemians that have been reported feasting on berries in the same local area for the past week or so...I'm heading off there tomorrow a.m. Wish me luck!:)

[Craig Brelsford]

Daniel, good luck with your bohemians! Thanks to everyone for your comments. I'm going to post another shot of my injured juvenile, this time showing him barely hanging on. You'll also notice that in this one the background is complex. I heavily Photoshopped the first shot displayed above.

[Craig Brelsford]

In my specs above, I had VR as bring on, but it was off in this case. I always turn vibration reduction off when I use mirror-up mode.