The rain must have gotten to a goldfinch sitting in a dogwood outside our
door. I was photographing him when he suddenly puffed up his feathers. I
pressed the shutter and let the camera hum, taking 6.3 frames per second.
In 5/6ths of 1 second the bird had completed the shake and returned to an
alert position on the branch. During the shake, the head was turned 180
degrees. A drop of water is flying off the tip of the beak. I know this is
not very important, but I still found it interesting to see what takes place
when he shakes, and how fast it happens.
If you wish to, you may see the photos at
http://www.naturefriendmagazine.com/photos/ under "Finch, Gold." The first
photo was taken about two seconds before the shake began.
Kevin Shank
Dayton, VA
