Copyright ©2016 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I don’t see these birds too often, and seeing two together last Saturday was very exciting!
It was a challenging image to make. I was in the backseat, the birds were in front of us; we were on an auto-route only in a National Wildlife Refuge, we had to stop a good distance from them to keep them from dashing off too soon, the driver’s mirror was in the way, and the back windows only rolled down halfway or a tad less. Why are manufacturer’s doing that? GRRR!! There should be a way to roll them down completely!
I had removed my shoes earlier to be able to sit with my legs tucked under me to get more height to shoot down on birds that were near the shore edges, or grassy levies and it helped to get me over the challenges of shooting this pair from the car.
The sound of my shutter clicking spooked the pair and off they flew!
I can’t tell you how pleased I am to have one keeper image of the pair together!
Nikon D300s| Nikkor 200-500mm VR| Lexar Professional Digital Film| hand-held from a car| rental lens- san jose camera & video
Circadianreflections Blog 
We love the challenge of getting the shot, but oh my, it sometimes really is such a challenge! lol I hate the back seat window for not going down all the way too. 🙂 I’m so glad you were successful with this gorgeous photo, their colors are so vibrant.
Thank you so much Donna! Some challenges I can do without…like the back window not rolling down. What’s that all about anyway?
oh they are gorgeous!
Thank you so much Cybele. They are among the prettiest birds I think.
Great colours! And I love the pose (they look a bit like conjoined twins). Sounds like it was quite a challenge to get the shot. Way to go on your car-contortion skills :-)!
I thought of the Push Me- Pull You animal in Dr. Doolittle when I saw them back to back like that. They were so pretty, and I’d never seen two together like that before. I was sure they would scatter before I got the shot. Thank you so much for the comment and compliment! It means a lot to me. You’re a much better birder than I’ll ever be.
Oh, I don’t know Dr. Doolittle… but I can sort of imagine how such an animal could awkwardly get about :-D. I’ve seen one male before. A glimpse before he ran into the tall grass. Another time, I briefly saw three females before they flew across a narrow river. Glimpses are sweet but it is soooo nice to be able to look at a good photograph! Plus you get to share it! Hmm, I don’t know if I’m a good birder. I just watch and photograph because I find them so interesting and beautiful, and the spaces they live in inspire joy. Thanks for sharing your super cool experience!!!
And a keeper it is!
Thank you so much Melissa! This scene and image is so rare for me that I’m going to print it. Then it will be a keeper in print and in my mind. 🙂
I’m not painting at all at the moment. I hope you’re working on something wonderful!
You create with your camera~so wonderfully, although it is neat to see what you paint, as well. I’m busy on a commission and a pen and ink drawing. I’ll try to share a drawing tomorrow 🙂
Thank you Melissa for that lovely comment!
Pen and Ink! That’s very challenging. I can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on.
🙂
I have always wanted to get a picture of these! I am not a photographer and wish you could see ours!! Down in our field I heard a honking and so I wandered out and there he was! He then stood on our fence! Gorgeous! The ones near our home are a little different than the ones pictured and they are found in people’s yards and all over but they are very quick and run off when you try to get a photo. I have a horrible photo that I clicked on a walk so I will post it and you can see it. I wish I could get a picture of them even close to this!! Amazing
I’d love to see your image and see what type of Pheasant you have there!
They are so skittish! I can’t tell you how many butt shots, and blurry shots I’ve deleted trying to get a decent image of them. I only have a handful of keepers in my whole photographic library!
To have one sitting on my fence would be amazing!
Yes I was shocked, as soon as I got my camera out and opened the door it was gone, back to the field! It seemed like a dream it looked so big sitting on our fence! I am always trying to get a picture. When I was walking a few weeks back I saw two in someone’s yard and tried to get a shot. I will post it!
If they return to your fence you might want to keep the camera near the door or window with a view to the fence and with luck you can get an image made shooting the window or door. It’s surprising how used to people behind windows and doors the birds get used to.
I’m looking forward to seeing the image of the Pheasant you took!
I found my image and it is horrible! I will post it and let’s see if you can find it! It is hidden in the bushes!thanks for the tips! I will try to post it now!
I found it…took a second to find it though! 🙂
I cropped it so you could see it!
🙂
There were two of them and they just ran! All we did was stop on the sidewalk, wish you could take the photo!!
I wish I could see them too! Well, with luck you’ll see them again and get another photo that you can share.
I will try!
What a lot of work you went through to get this photo ! They are beautiful animals. We had them nesting in the woods behind our house when I was a kid.
Thank you so much Dan! Suffering for my hobby! 🙂
How I wish I had them nesting in my neighborhood now! That must have been pretty cool to see them as a kid though.
It was, especially when they would have chicks and the mom and dad would walk them through are yard. I haven’t seen one up close in years.
Seeing the chicks would be awesome! Do they look plainer-duller? Coot chicks are actually more colorful than the adults. TMI?
I recall them as being a bit on the bland side. Of course, walking behind the ringneck…
Right! Especially if the sun hits them just right then all that lovely iridescence, and color pops!