At this time of the year early nesting birds have young leaving the nest, and just seeing a Bullock's Oriole baby is something of a treat.  They are easy to hear as they squawk to get the attention of the parent, but not always easy to see with your own eyes.  I've got pictures of a male Oriole showing his young daughter how to feed, from a Hummingbird feeder, in the Wind River Canyon; nothing more extraordinary.  We all know that any baby needs a protein source and the canyon is filled with lots of protein....bugs. 

     Good hearing, and lots of time in the field, paid dividends last Wednesday evening when I heard a familiar bird cackling.  I was printing photos of my nephew and his fiance, shot in the canyon, when I was stopped in my tracks.  I knew that this constant noise was an immature Oriole and, it was very close to my open studio door!  I slid the screen aside, and there she was in a juniper not twenty feet away.  I literally dropped what I was printing and ran to get a camera, which should always be easy to get to when you live in a wilderness area.

     It was seven-thirty and the light was not great.  I abhor the use of flash-units on wild animals and those that promote this extra stress on wildlife (I went and finally said it).  It seems to me that life is difficult enough without firing a big flash into the sensitive eyes of a wild bird, or one of my Bighorn Sheep----please don't do it!

     My 300mm f/4L Canon lens was opened all the way, and the shutter speed was crazy slow at 1/125.  Propping the lens up against the door frame gave me some stability; I fired away.  The chick was a female Oriole and she was making a racket!  The male Bullock's Oriole was the parent feeding this fat, little lady.  He came and went several times without either of them knowing I was present; her clucking for attention never stopped.  

     It was a beautiful scene that thrilled me down to my soul, but the f-stop was low and the light was fading.  I wondered if the RAW files were going to be a lot of work, or worthless at this slow a shutter speed.  But with today's technology just about any shot can be managed with software.  I finished my printing job and couldn't wait to see this orange Oriole feeding his youngster.

     The depth-of-field was shallow but the sharpness was good, and the color was great.  Out of fifty or so frames I couldn't decide which of these two was worthy to post on my website - HogbatsPhotography.com.  Both of them were cute and I couldn't decide which was sponge worthy.  I've since had two other shoots with this father and daughter Orioles, and none of the pictures were this adorable....or rare. Bullock's Oriole male feeding daughter - Wind River CanyonBullock's Oriole male feeding daughter in the Wind River Canyon, Wyoming. Bullock's Oriole (m) feeding daughter - Wind River CanyonBullock's Oriole male feeding daughter in the Wind River Canyon, Wyoming.      Good hearing, quick reactions, steady hands, knowledgeable and decades of learning means nothing.  Wildlife and nature photography comes down to one thing, and one thing only----"You get what they give you."  Mother Nature will plop down a moment in time and it's your responsibility to get the shot right:  "Please don't let me #*!@ this up!"  The first time I can remember thinking this was many years ago when I first saw "Snowflake."  It's always a good thing to remind myself when an epic starts to happen.

     *I'm going to buy myself a selfie stick, so the next time I see someone taking a selfie....I can wack them with the damn thing!

Have a safe and happy Independence Day weekend, and keep your camera ready.

Thank you for reading my dribble....err, blog.

Michael John Balog - Wind River Canyon - Hogbats Photography