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Thread: Varied Bunting

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    Default Varied Bunting

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    I see that this is only the second posting ever of a Varied Bunting. The other by Alan Murphy from 2007. They are a difficult species to photograph and were near the top of the list of life birds that I wanted to see in Arizona. The only bird I wanted to see more was Spotted Owl which we also got amazing views of. We had spent some time looking for them during the heat of the day as photography was not an option then but did not have any luck. One evening, while photographing Five-striped Sparrows, we found this male Varied Bunting feeding about 75 feet down the canyon from us. Decent binocular views but impossible to take a picture. Shortly before sunset, this male Varied Bunting flew in right in front of us and sang at the edge of the Ocotilo. We were beyond fortunate to get that opportunity. They are one of those bird that when seen the light hits them properly they just come alive with color.

    Canon 1dx mark ii and Canon 600 f4 ii + 1.4x iii. ISO 2000, F6.3, SS 1/1600
    Last edited by Isaac Grant; 11-14-2018 at 12:21 PM.

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    This is an amazing image of an almost impossible to photograph species. Audio? I had something similar happen in Nome with a Siberian Rubythroat (using audio).

    with love, artie
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

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    Thanks Artie. We tried to coax him up the canyon with audio a few times but he did not budge so we went back to shooting the Five-striped Sparrows. As the sun was setting we had to go down the canyon and get around a large hill so we could keep the sun at our backs and not be in deep shade. After we positioned ourselves in a good spot (maybe .25 miles away) which gave us a some more time with the sun this guy just flew in right in front of us and starting singing. This was perhaps 20 minutes later and honestly not even sure it was the same bird we saw up the canyon. I just quietly said SHOOT and then the bird was quickly chased away by a Five-striped Sparrow. It came back one more time to the exact same perch, right in front of us and we got some more photos of it but it never sang again. One of those I can not believe that just happened moments.

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    Congratulations Isaac, this truly is a spectacular image of a spectacular species and you nailed it. Wonderful light that showcased this jewel of a bird and your effort and skills paid off. Terrific image quality and the colors are beautiful, especially against the BG... just Wow!

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    Neat looking bird never heard of one. Love the color and the singing pose. Great background.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Isaac Grant View Post
    Thanks Artie. We tried to coax him up the canyon with audio a few times but he did not budge so we went back to shooting the Five-striped Sparrows. As the sun was setting we had to go down the canyon and get around a large hill so we could keep the sun at our backs and not be in deep shade. After we positioned ourselves in a good spot (maybe .25 miles away) which gave us a some more time with the sun this guy just flew in right in front of us and starting singing. This was perhaps 20 minutes later and honestly not even sure it was the same bird we saw up the canyon. I just quietly said SHOOT and then the bird was quickly chased away by a Five-striped Sparrow. It came back one more time to the exact same perch, right in front of us and we got some more photos of it but it never sang again. One of those I can not believe that just happened moments.
    You had a great chance and killed it. Don't forget that you can be the luckiest bird photographer in the world but if you have not practiced and honed your skills it will not do you a darned bit of good ...

    with love, a
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

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    Stunning image of this spectcular looking bird Isaac,Congrats!

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    Oh Wow! what a beautiful bird. You killed it Isaac, stunning capture, everything is great here and on top of all of that you have him singing to you ???!! Just wonderful! Congrats!! and of course thank you for sharing.

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    Yes, Stunning is the right word. An amazing shot of a species I long to capture. You were extremely fortunate, and your skills had you prepared for the moment. Well done indeed!

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    Isaac this is incredible. I remember you asking me our chances for this species, and I told you they weren’t good. We got lucky with this sighting and you made the most of it. Congratulations, I glad you got your shot, and I’ve never seen better of a Varied Bunting.

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    Thanks Mr. Owl Whisperer. I am sure your version is almost identical. And yes. Fun times when Five striped Sparrow and Varied Bunting are fighting for a perch right in front of us!

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