Damsel is usually the one to get spectacular photos of scenery, classic objects and wildlife, but once in a while, I get a lucky shot. I took this photo of a cardinal visiting the seed block feeder up on the hill behind the RV drive.
I was in the shadow of the house crouching next to the patio with my Canon Rebel SL1 and the 75-300mm telephoto lens when this handsome fellow showed up. I positioned myself in anticipation that he would eventually approach the feeder after I first spotted him in a mesquite tree some thirty feet up the hill. It was only a matter of tens of seconds before he arrived on the top of the feeder. I took several frames of which this was the best, in my opinion.
This bird is the one that Damsel refers to as the “orange” cardinal because there is another one that comes around which is much brighter red than this guy. I read in Wikipedia that they get the feather colors from things in their diet and, possibly, this one did not get as many “red” food staples as the other one.
The details on the camera settings are as follows: Canon EOS Rebel SL1, F7.0, ISO 100, 1/500 sec shutter speed, focal length 180mm. The image was shot from a crouching position about ten yards from the subject. No tripod or other stabilizing utility used at the time. Click on the image to enlarge.