To grab a once-in-a-lifetime photo it takes more than talent, very performant cameras or lot of patience. It is all about timing and that means tons of luck. This amateur photographer has definitely had the odd in her favour, when she spotted a tiny bird in a very unique situation.
Bird enthusiast and photographer Kathrin Swoboda was visiting the Huntley Meadows Park in Virginia – a place known as wildlife-friendly – when a red-winged blackbird male caught her eye. It was early in the morning and the temperatures were still low, when Kathrin snapped the cute bird singing. Fortuitously, she captured the tiny creature “forming smoke rings with his spring song.”
As the red-winged blackbird was unimpeded singing while hanging on a branch, his breath came out as smoke rings. “I wanted to photograph their breath, which when expelled would condense in the cold air,” she later explained.
The moment was a sight to behold for Kathrin and it will definitely remain in her memory for ever, not only for its beauty but for its importance as well. Her stunning photos of the red-winged blackbird brought her the big prize at the Audubon Photography Awards.
The red-winged blackbird or Agelaius phoeniceus, is native to North and Central America, and it is one of the most abundant living land bird in the are. They feed with seeds and small insects. The males are black with red feathers on the shoulders and a yellow bar, while females are dark-brown.
h.t: Kathrin Swoboda