Brian Peterson Photography . Blog for Brian Peterson, DVM. Bird, nature, wildlife, veterinary news and commentary.

How I got photos of a phainopepla in my backyard

Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” This is an aggressive person’s way of saying, “The best laid plans of mice and men…” 

As I have been sitting outside my office (a.k.a. The Outbuilding, Workshop, The Mancave) in the afternoons reading, I’ve noticed a phainopepla flying to the nearby mesquite tree. Below the mesquite is a birdbath. After a minute or two in the branches, the bird descends to the birdbath for a drink. This routinely happens at 3:30 to 4:00. Given I am reading, I usually don’t have my camera. Also, The Mancave is east of the birdbath. I squint into the sun and shade my eyes to watch the ritual. My chair is 20 yards or so away. A long-shot photo, at best, is problematic. To get photos of this bird, I needed a plan.

I’ve written about the phainopepla before. They’re smart and skittish. A bad combination for bird photography. Although, I’ve seen enough of the backyard phainopepla to feel it is used to my presence, at least a little bit. I need to be in place, and ready, when he or she arrives at the birdbath to drink.* 

The camera lens is a Sigma 150-500mm telephoto, which is new to me. After some research, here are the settings I chose: 500mm focal length, MO focus (manual or auto focus), 2.8-10m autofocus, OS-2 (Optical Stabilization). The lens is attached to a Nikon D850 camera body, for which I selected these settings: shutter speed 1/1000, f/11, ISO-250. I considered a tripod, but decided this would be more of a circus than necessary. About 20 feet west of the birdbath and sort of under the mesquite tree are a table and chairs. The plan is to set up at about 3:00, sit here and read, and wait, camera at my side. I prefocused on the birdbath.

Not too long after setting up I heard the flutter of wings and a cardinal-like chirp.** I saw the bird in the upper branches and watched. After a while, dropping bit by bit lower in the tree, the phainopepla alighted on the birdbath rim and began to drink. 

The moral of  this story is: Sometimes plans do not go awry.

*The literature says that the phainopepla’s preferred food is mistletoe berries and that they rarely drink water, relying on the berries for hydration. I have also observed flycatching behavior. Evidence that they are likely omnivores, same as other birds. And, they like their water.

A dove sitting on mistletoe and near a large tuft of mistletoe. Mistletoe is a parasite of mesquite.

**Cardinals use a high-pitched chirp seemingly for inter-cardinal communication. The phainopepla’s chirp is lower-pitched than the cardinal’s.