Holding On.

On By Mike and Christy

Female_RWBB_March

When the wind blows hard it’s all about holding on.

March tends to be a windy month and this day was no exception. A female Red Winged Blackbird holding on to a somewhat smallish cattail as the March wind blows. Looking forward to those April showers.

52 thoughts on “Holding On.”

    1. Hi Liz, well today is rain/snow mix and like you just above freezing although the wind seems fairly calm right now. I am sure the birds are hunkered down for a bit today. Forecast is for warm the rest of the week so it does seem spring is here. Hope your day is going well.

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    1. Hi Eliza, and it is a fine snowy spring morning those females awoke to today. I think those birds sure know something about weather given their late arrival to your region. I wonder if late arrival alters breeding activities at all?

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      1. Since most birds depend on insects, It is brilliant that they don’t show up until the snow melts and the insects emerge. I’ve read that the worse scenario is early snowmelt and hatch, as the birds arrive too late to take advantage of the peak of insect emergence timed for when their broods hatch.

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  11. Girl Gone Expat

    I had no idea this is hoe the female red-winged Blackbirds look like, I must only have noticed the males before. Very nice picture, the background is perfect it:)

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    1. Hi and thanks, the females are very good looking don’t you think. That splash of reddish-orange on the wing and near her head is quite beautiful. The females seem to stay put in the reed once nesting and raising the kids start so like you in the past spent more time seeing the males. Hope your day is going well.

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  13. I too had not knowingly seen a female red-winged blackbird. Mind you. they aren’t seen where I live but still, I am glad you enlightened me with such a superb shot in difficult conditions.

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    1. Thanks, the female is somewhat elusive, at least once nesting and raising the kids begins as they seem to spend most of their time in the reeds. They are quite good looking in my opinion. Thanks for the feedback it is much appreciated and we wish you a wonderful day.

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    1. Hi and thanks for stopping by and leaving some feedback as we really appreciate it. We were lucky enough to be out of the wind a bit while whe was holding on. A fast shutter speed and shallow depth of field did the trick for this shot. Wishing you a wonderufl day and a great week end.

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  15. “When the wind blows hard it’s all about holding on…”
    …very true. I just realized in a similar situation that it’s equally important though to “let go” again and relax when the wind doesn’t blow so hard anymore. But this takes some time. When you hold on too hard, your grip gets very tight…

    Anyway, very beautiful bird, composition and colors. And your shots are always so sharp… I’m always fascinated that one can see all those little feathers so clearly. 🙂
    I just finished my research on tripods and will order it soon I guess (a heavy wooden Behrlebach-tripod).

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    1. I agree wholly that sometimes you need to let go and flow like water down the river especially if you are in a place you do not wish to be.

      Getting a new tripod is exciting and a heavy wooden one will sure make for a stable base to take photos from and make you stronger from carrying it around.

      We really like being able to take photos and be able to see all those tiny feathers and the multitude of colors in the various form of life out there.

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      1. Well, I won’t carry that tripod around, it’s far too heavy for me and my back (except I might take it when going by car).
        I’m currently trying to set up a little home studio for product and portrait photos, which is quite a task for itself, doing all the research and finding out which equipment you really need and which not. Slowly progressing. So the tripod is mainly meant for this. 🙂

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        1. Wow, a home studio sounds like a big endeavor and I know what you mean about researching products to buy…no so much fun at all. More fun being out and about and taking photos.

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          1. Ha, indeed. Maybe studio is too big a word for it, I just plan to have a background system, a few LED-lights on cheap tripods and some diffusers.
            But that’s by far enough to research. It took me weeks to decide for LED panels instead of flash – mainly after I discovered the (excellent) course on “Studio portrait lighting” by Kirk Tuck on Craftsy. And I ordered + read his book on LED-Lighting which gives numerous tips on the right equipment and brands. As I have no one to ask I have to rely on gathering knowledge myself, so it takes time.
            Main challenge is to find all those US brands here (or similar) ones, but I already narrowed down most of them. And I tinkered a little light box from foam core boards so… let’s see how I will manage with all the lighting stuff! 🙂

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          2. HI Suzan, still sounds like a ton of work but also fun once you get things going. I have never used much of the studio lighting since most of my photography occurs in natural light so to me that would be a big project.

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          3. Same here – it’s a big project (and endeavor) for me as well, mostly because of the lack of time. I never saw the need to have a “studio” as taking photos is just a hobby. Or wanted to have a studio or go through all this research. But I got kind of an unpleasant “wake-up call” last year, and since then I have the feeling I wasted my life so far. With just studying and – since 10 years – driving to work every day, working, driving back, sleeping, week after week, month after month, year after year. With no kids, no family, single, no big travels done, no working or studying abroad etc.
            So I need to change something. Now. And I hope this will be one of the first steps. When I want to sell something for example, I need good photos. And I’m not willing (or able) to pay a photographer for it. So I will have to do it on my own. And that’s the story behind it – in a nutshell. And sorry for bothering you with personal stuff. 🙂

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          5. I know. 🙂 Told you I’m having a midlife crisis (and a round birthday this year which doesn’t start with a “3”)… so wasting time is over… but anyway… *shrug* Back to your photos. 🙂

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          7. Thank you, that’s beautifully said. 🙂 I agree completely and that’s what I’m trying for years now – to live each day on its own, trying not to worry too much over things and just living the here and now. But there are some topics in life (f.e. kids) which evade that approach and don’t go without planning. And if you miss that planning, one day (after almost 10 years now in my case) you realize that you wasted too much time with being bothered and tormented too much by work and life problems. Which kept you from taking more action, because you were too exhausted. And then you condemn yourself for it. And some day in the future it will be too late.

            In my Haiku book was a very fitting haiku today: Like the morning glory – How fleeting is my life. Today… and then…? (by Moritake)
            🙂

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          11. That’s the problem. Every today might just be a today, but what if you experience a today (or moment) you wish for nothing more than it might end soon as it’s too awful to bear?

            Same goes for the even rarer happy moments… when I just want to keep a particular moment, but at the same time it’s over again and everything that stays is just a memory?

            And when those memories keep you going on above mentioned bad days, it’s really hard to just live the “today” – at least for me.. :/

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    1. Thanks Katrina, She was a marvelous bird and the shallow depth of field turned those old cat-tails into such a nice background.ope your day is going well and wishing you a great week.

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