I photographed this Red-winged Blackbird at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. I photographed it doing a territorial display. Males display their red wing patches by hunching their shoulders forward. They will also lower and spread their tail.

How I Got The Shot – Red-winged Blackbird Territorial Display

These birds are on the west side of the auto tour road before you get to the Tuff boat ramp. You can also see them near the water after you make the first turn. When I see one of these birds perched near the road, I park and begin photographing.

I was using a Canon EOS 7D Mark II camera with a Canon EF 500 mm f/4L IS USM lens. I had this setup resting on a bean bag draped over the open window of my pickup. On the second photo I used a Canon 1.4x III extender.

Camera Settings First Photo

• AV Mode
• Back-button focus
• Aperture f8.0
• ISO 800
• Shutter speed – 1/1600 sec.
• Auto White Balance
• Single Point, Continuous Auto Focus
• Exposure Bias – +1/2 EV
• Multi Metering
• Focal Length – 500 mm

Camera Settings Second Photo

• AV Mode
• Back-button focus
• Aperture: [Read More…]

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