The Mad Bluebird

The Mad Bluebird is a famous picture of a bluebird taken by professional photographer Michael L. Smith in 1979.

Smith, an electrician by trade, is an avid birdwatcher who had spent many years worth of summer nights camping in outdoor conditions suitable for photographing birds. One day in February or March - sources differ - he set up a camera on a tripod in his backyard, about fifteen feet away from his fence, and waited inside with a remote-controlled trigger. He waited until he saw the bird facing the camera and then shot the famous picture. To date he has sold at least 128,000 signed copies of his photograph, and the picture has been reproduced on untold thousands more various pieces of merchandise, including throws, coffee mugs, and t-shirts. Smith has said he does not consider the picture to be one of his best.

External links

* [http://www.windstar.org/view_emagazine.php?id=41 WindStar Wildlife Garden Weekly e-Magazine (story is about halfway down)]
* [http://www.watsonswildlife.com/catcher.html Baltimore Sun article reproduced at www.watsonswildlife.com (story at the bottom of page)]