I saw a few goldfinches feeding high in this small birch tree, but hoped for at least one of them to come down to the more eye-level catkins. I put on the audio, and then about 20 goldfinches sprung out immediately out of nowhere and began to creep down into place. I turned off the audio, and they continued to feed right at eye-level for at least another five minutes before spooking away. There were three or four other goldfinches spaced out along this thin branch, making it bounce and difficult to properly place an individual into good placement...what fun!
Canon 7DII + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC III, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/800s., f/8, ISO 800, natural light, handheld, cropped to help the comp (but still originally a vertical).
Lighting, perch, and composition are killer! Love the underside view and eye contact. The BG is perfect for fall (or what's left of it). One of your most memorable canvases....