bird photography : red-winged blackbird

The female Red-winged Blackbirds aren't quite so ready to clamber to the top of every cattail stem and shout out at the top of their lungs, but this one did stop to pose for a moment and release a call quite different than that of the distinctly-plumed males all about.

Equipment: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT Canon EF 300mm f4L IS with 1.4x Teleconverter Settings: f8; 1/1000 sec.; focal length at 420 mm; ISO 400 Date: April 7, 2006 8:31 am Location: Huntley Meadows Park / Fairfax County, VA Photography Notes: This photo took third place in the 2006 Huntley Meadows Nature Photography Contest.