Grackle springtime turf wars - Dive!

Since this is urban "wildlife" photography, do you find backgrounds

like this a distraction?

From my point of view, the background is blurred enough as to make it only a very minor distraction. In an urban setting, the best we can do at times is to blur the background as much as possible. I've seen photos (and I'm guilty of this myself) where the background is as much in focus as the subject. Now that's distracting.

You've got to shoot 'em where the action is. My only suggestion would be to have you instruct the birds to move it to a better location.

 

Please note that some of the background is not perfectly perpendicular.

Great action and timing in this one, Lex. Very good job

Lex, last week I went to a seminar on shooting wildlife. A suggestion was made: shoot aperture priority at max aperture. That way you'll get maximum bokeh with maximum shutter speed. Just a thought.

This is testosterone in full flight. No wonder the world is going mad. We don't have grackles here in the UK but there are plenty of competitive birds. What was the outcome of this aerobatic display? Is there blood and guts, or does it all just fizzle out. Best regards, Hugh Price.

Lex, with all the problems of shooting that sequence, the result is interesting. This I think is my favorite as the intention is very clear, as well as the technically result( shallow BG, good detail of the birds very good timingof action). Don't you see a similarity in the birds realm to my last images of human ones...? ;-))

Well, personally I find such celebrations of violence to be offensive. I can't believe that you would be photographing this when you COULD be out there offering to peacefully mediate a constructive, justice-for-all resolution that could serve as an example to local teenagers. These grackles obviously need good peer role models, and you just need to put down the camera, mister, and do the right thing. This sort of exploitation just perpetuates the myth that grackles aren't any better than picking fights with other grackles to impress females. It's no wonder all we see on MTV are portrayals of angry, posturing grackles boasting about the last grackle from another backyard that he pecked.

 

Actually, Lex, this stuff is great. I'm also a student of suburban wildlife, predation, turf wars, and the ways in which those things echo up and down the food chain in that compressed habitat. Love this shot.

That is nice!!!!!!!!!! You just captured fantastic moment with those birds!!!!!! Kudos, erik!!!!!!!!

There was this guy fishing all day and he didn�t caught anything all day. Later in the afternoon came new fishermen and as soon as he put his line in the water he had a bite and caught a fish. The first guy said:

What are you using for a bait? The second fisherman said: Oooouuuggggaaaaalllll mumbling something.

The first guy asked again: second fisherman said: Oooouuuggggaaaaalllll mumbling something again.

Frustrated first fisherman asked last time. The other guy spit something into his hand and said:

You have to keep your worms warm!!!!!!!!!!

 

I've seen the same behavior among humans in a country-western bar!

I find this image amazing with an incredible moment and great composition. Warm regards.

Arrgghhh... yet another photo from which my comments vanished in 2010.  Sorry for the lack of context.  Thanks, all, for the feedback, much appreciated.