Photography 101 - Mockingbird exercise

Newcomers to my blog should know that it was originally called "Digital Photography 101" and was meant merely as a practice space as I learned to take photographs. I hesitated to make it public until a workshop instructor pointed out that I would never learn if I didn't risk opening it up for others to comment. Learning photography remains its tenor still, but it has taken on so much more as the blogging community widens my world, taking me to places I could never experience otherwise, developing my appreciation for good photography, and stimulating my reading and thinking. And the very act of taking photographs is leading me into an awareness of my immediate environment that I've never had before.

Northern Mockingbirds commonly frequent our neighbourhood. They enjoy pyracantha and prickly pear, both of which are prevalent where we live. I love to hear them sing. They can imitate the songs of other birds and even amphibians and insects, and older ones may have a repertoire of as many as 200 songs. They are aggressively defensive of their territory. When we had cats, the mockingbirds would take an irreverent pleasure in dive-bombing them, even just outside our front door. Our noble Peter, normally a proud and fearless grey tabby, would cringe and mew pitifully when a mockingbird attacked.

I was outside yesterday practicing with different shutter speeds with the 100 mm. lens when I spotted this mockingbird on our roof. It was a bit far away, but 8 megapixels and heavy cropping helped get some fairly satisfactory shots. I took some still shots and then upped the shutter speed and waited for it to fly. (Click on the photo for enlargement.)