Backyard birding: Cedar Waxwing

"Sometimes, the best photos come when you stop chasing the shot and let nature come to you."

I have been looking to shoot Cedar Waxwings for a while now, but never had the right timing or opportunity. Last sunday after a long hike I was winding down in my backyard when a flock of Cedar Waxwings swooped into feed on the firethorn berries in my backyard. I quickly ran out to the garage to grab by photo gear. I slipped on the 100-400 lens and moved closer to shoot. However as soon as I got close, the birds would take off. As soon as I backed off they would come back.

After doing this exercise a couple of times, I realized they would not let me get close. I sat down on my couch about 20 ft away and started to shoot them handheld. The whole flock relaxed and they made multiple trips - I sat there shooting for an about an hour. What a treat!

Ten years ago this shot would not have been possible, handheld at 8000 ISO and still deliver astounding clarity? Thanks to my R5 50MP image I can crop generously, Topaz AI does a great job with noise cleanup and here we are with a crisp and beautiful image. Thank you technology!