Jeff said it was chasing doves through the common area behind the house. I don't think that shot turned out very bad, considering that it was through glass with my 135 wide open (f3.5).
With the recent snow here, I'll probably spread some bird seed tomorrow and wait with my camera. I haven't decided whether the screen will be enough of a problem to sit outside.
My experience with my mom's birds last winter was that they don't care if you sit outside as long as you're not moving. The only exception to that was the brown thrasher... if I got any closer than pressed against the wall of the house to it, it would flip out and leave.
If nothing else, you should be able to get good chickadee pictures... they'll come find you the fastest.
No birds today, too windy. I did take a few seconds to take a few moon shots. I am actually surprised that they look anything like the moon, considering the shots were taken handheld. Turns out that at ISO-1600, the exposure for the moon was around 1/2500 @ f5.6.
This shot was taken at ISO 800, and is a full crop of a 300(480)mm image.
I put out some bird seed last night, and a ton more this morning, and I attracted a bunch of new friends. Very fearless friends.
The first to arrive were the Chickadees. They came in numbers, and were the only bird that let me near them, and by near them, I mean that I had to zoom OUT.
They really like the sunflower seeds. http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6751362
My second visitor appears to have been a red-bellied woodpecker. He didn't want the seeds, he wanted to know who all these new visitors to HIS trees were. He is a regular here. All the ugly looking shots are because I shot through a screen and a dirty window.
You have two different birds in that last section - tufted titmouse (a relative of the chickadees, I believe) and a white breasted nuthatch. Good pictures of the titmouse and nuthatch... shame about how skittish the woodpeckers can be. The chickadees, in my experience, do not care if you're near them while they eat. I got some really good pictures (save for the ISO 1600 film) of a chickadee a couple years ago because it was just hanging out and unconcerned about my movements. Not quite as brave as the scrub jays, but hey... when you're tiny, it takes more time to get used to a giant thing with one huge eye pointed at you.
I've seen pictures of Chickadees eating out of people's hands, so they really don't care who or what is watching them while they eat. The actually came closer when they saw me filling the bird feeder, which hasn't been refilled in weeks.
Red-bellied Woodpeckers do seem much more skittish than most fairly common birds. That Downy Woodpecker in Alabama was mostly unafraid of me, but it was about one-third the size of the one I saw today.
I was disappointed not to attract any Bluejays. I've been seeing them around, and I've never taken a picture of one. In Maryland the Cardinals stayed around for winter, but I don't see any of them around here, either.
Now I have to keep an eye out for the squirrels and deer. The deer herd around here is getting out of control, with around 20-30 deer travelling around together. They don't have much to eat, either, considering the snow is currently hard enough to support my weight.
I think I really should pick up some sunflower seeds tomorrow. They seem to have been very popular. There is a nuthatch eating the regular seeds, but everybody else seemed happier with the sunflower seeds. This one looks pretty small, so I'm guessing it has no intention of passing up free food.
For the record, sunflower seeds are not appetizing for house sparrows... they're a good food no matter what.
Your uh... hold on.
Oh, yeah.
Bluejays love peanuts. Give whole unroasted (i.e. the kind you buy at a bird food store, not at costco) peanuts (in the shell) a try, and you might get some jays in to cache (if they don't eat them right away) (because sometimes a sentence needs more parentheteicals)(sp?).
I got a bag of sunflower and safflower seeds, and will see what the extra fat in that attracts. Currently the birds sound like they are eating about a 1/4mi from here, but hopefully they will discover the seeds soon. I'm trying to locate some peanuts.
One nice thing about being a little further north is that around here, in winter, the light never really gets too harsh.
I've had a few visitors today, although nobody has been feeding from the refilled feeder. I think the deer made enough of a mess that the birds might stay away for a while.
However, today's visitors have been... The woodpecker from the other day. It clearly lives here. Titmice and Nuthatches were all over behind the house, but mostly stayed away from the feeder side. A handful of Chicadees returned, but again, have not been seen feeding. I also had a few new visitors.
I think the first was a pair of Bluebirds. It is hard to tell with the light being so poor, and the window and screen's harmful effect. http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6754949
I have no clue on the second. http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6754953
Oh, and this guy was walking upside down most of the time I saw him. Birds... http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6754958
Sure looks like a bluebird... the second one is a dark eyed junco. I didn't know they went that far wherever, but they're a winter bird. Ours didn't show up until the week after Thanksgiving. I like them.
The deer making a mess will probably bring mourning doves in for you, at least.
Apparently the Dark-Eyed Junco is a year-round inhabitant of this area, according to at least one map I saw.
It only stuck around for seconds, so I didn't get a chance to watch it in any detail.
The Bluebirds, however, have been hanging around a lot today. Still nobody interested in the food. I may consider moving the feeder if they haven't returned tomorrow. The only other thing I can think of is that they have been working on the new house next door all day, so that may be keeping the birds away from the side of the house where the feeder is located. The woodpecker seems undeterred, but any attempt to approach it on foot results in an angry woodpecker fleeing the area.
Juncos were year-round birds on the Oregon coast, too - they're a bit more vibrantly colored over there, but I'm fascinated by seeing them in snow. They're more timid than the chickadees, but just as fun to watch. You just need to be a bit further out from them.
I wouldn't expect much activity from the bluebirds until they stop doing stuff for the weekend. When I went to buzzard rocks this summer, the bluebirds were the first to flee from way out; wood thrushes were about half that distance.
Our juncos on campus are probably good for about 10-15 feet before they spook and flee. They're fine in the trees, if a bit too hyper to get pictures in overcast weather properly. They do prefer the ground, though, and I think that's the only place they look for food.
Nat,
ReplyDeleteWith the recent snow here, I'll probably spread some bird seed tomorrow and wait with my camera. I haven't decided whether the screen will be enough of a problem to sit outside.
- Josh
My experience with my mom's birds last winter was that they don't care if you sit outside as long as you're not moving. The only exception to that was the brown thrasher... if I got any closer than pressed against the wall of the house to it, it would flip out and leave.
ReplyDeleteIf nothing else, you should be able to get good chickadee pictures... they'll come find you the fastest.
Nat,
ReplyDeleteNo birds today, too windy. I did take a few seconds to take a few moon shots. I am actually surprised that they look anything like the moon, considering the shots were taken handheld. Turns out that at ISO-1600, the exposure for the moon was around 1/2500 @ f5.6.
This shot was taken at ISO 800, and is a full crop of a 300(480)mm image.
http://imageduck.com/v/img6542a.jpg
Nat,
ReplyDeleteI put out some bird seed last night, and a ton more this morning, and I attracted a bunch of new friends. Very fearless friends.
The first to arrive were the Chickadees. They came in numbers, and were the only bird that let me near them, and by near them, I mean that I had to zoom OUT.
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6751360
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6751359
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6751353
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6751352
They really like the sunflower seeds.
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6751362
My second visitor appears to have been a red-bellied woodpecker. He didn't want the seeds, he wanted to know who all these new visitors to HIS trees were. He is a regular here. All the ugly looking shots are because I shot through a screen and a dirty window.
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6751351
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6751350
I'm not sure on this one. No bird book, so nowhere to start. This one also liked the sunflower seeds.
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6751350
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6751356
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6751355
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6751354
- Josh
You have two different birds in that last section - tufted titmouse (a relative of the chickadees, I believe) and a white breasted nuthatch. Good pictures of the titmouse and nuthatch... shame about how skittish the woodpeckers can be. The chickadees, in my experience, do not care if you're near them while they eat. I got some really good pictures (save for the ISO 1600 film) of a chickadee a couple years ago because it was just hanging out and unconcerned about my movements. Not quite as brave as the scrub jays, but hey... when you're tiny, it takes more time to get used to a giant thing with one huge eye pointed at you.
ReplyDeleteNat,
ReplyDeleteI've seen pictures of Chickadees eating out of people's hands, so they really don't care who or what is watching them while they eat. The actually came closer when they saw me filling the bird feeder, which hasn't been refilled in weeks.
Red-bellied Woodpeckers do seem much more skittish than most fairly common birds. That Downy Woodpecker in Alabama was mostly unafraid of me, but it was about one-third the size of the one I saw today.
I was disappointed not to attract any Bluejays. I've been seeing them around, and I've never taken a picture of one. In Maryland the Cardinals stayed around for winter, but I don't see any of them around here, either.
Now I have to keep an eye out for the squirrels and deer. The deer herd around here is getting out of control, with around 20-30 deer travelling around together. They don't have much to eat, either, considering the snow is currently hard enough to support my weight.
- Josh
Nat,
ReplyDeleteI think I really should pick up some sunflower seeds tomorrow. They seem to have been very popular. There is a nuthatch eating the regular seeds, but everybody else seemed happier with the sunflower seeds. This one looks pretty small, so I'm guessing it has no intention of passing up free food.
- Josh
For the record, sunflower seeds are not appetizing for house sparrows... they're a good food no matter what.
ReplyDeleteYour uh... hold on.
Oh, yeah.
Bluejays love peanuts. Give whole unroasted (i.e. the kind you buy at a bird food store, not at costco) peanuts (in the shell) a try, and you might get some jays in to cache (if they don't eat them right away) (because sometimes a sentence needs more parentheteicals)(sp?).
Nat,
ReplyDeleteI got a bag of sunflower and safflower seeds, and will see what the extra fat in that attracts. Currently the birds sound like they are eating about a 1/4mi from here, but hopefully they will discover the seeds soon. I'm trying to locate some peanuts.
One nice thing about being a little further north is that around here, in winter, the light never really gets too harsh.
- Josh
Nat,
ReplyDeleteI've had a few visitors today, although nobody has been feeding from the refilled feeder. I think the deer made enough of a mess that the birds might stay away for a while.
However, today's visitors have been... The woodpecker from the other day. It clearly lives here. Titmice and Nuthatches were all over behind the house, but mostly stayed away from the feeder side. A handful of Chicadees returned, but again, have not been seen feeding. I also had a few new visitors.
I think the first was a pair of Bluebirds. It is hard to tell with the light being so poor, and the window and screen's harmful effect.
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6754949
I have no clue on the second.
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6754953
Oh, and this guy was walking upside down most of the time I saw him. Birds...
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6754958
- Josh
Sure looks like a bluebird... the second one is a dark eyed junco. I didn't know they went that far wherever, but they're a winter bird. Ours didn't show up until the week after Thanksgiving. I like them.
ReplyDeleteThe deer making a mess will probably bring mourning doves in for you, at least.
Nat,
ReplyDeleteApparently the Dark-Eyed Junco is a year-round inhabitant of this area, according to at least one map I saw.
It only stuck around for seconds, so I didn't get a chance to watch it in any detail.
The Bluebirds, however, have been hanging around a lot today. Still nobody interested in the food. I may consider moving the feeder if they haven't returned tomorrow. The only other thing I can think of is that they have been working on the new house next door all day, so that may be keeping the birds away from the side of the house where the feeder is located. The woodpecker seems undeterred, but any attempt to approach it on foot results in an angry woodpecker fleeing the area.
- Josh
Juncos were year-round birds on the Oregon coast, too - they're a bit more vibrantly colored over there, but I'm fascinated by seeing them in snow. They're more timid than the chickadees, but just as fun to watch. You just need to be a bit further out from them.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't expect much activity from the bluebirds until they stop doing stuff for the weekend. When I went to buzzard rocks this summer, the bluebirds were the first to flee from way out; wood thrushes were about half that distance.
Our juncos on campus are probably good for about 10-15 feet before they spook and flee. They're fine in the trees, if a bit too hyper to get pictures in overcast weather properly. They do prefer the ground, though, and I think that's the only place they look for food.
Nat,
ReplyDeleteWell, today I got a visit from a Bluejay and a small group of Robins. They didn't eat anything, but they were in the area.
All the other previous visitors returned, and there was much eating of sunflower seeds. The deer take whatever they don't finish.
There is a hawk that lives in the area that I am hoping will turn up, as I'd be interested in seeing what kind it is.
- Josh