Adding a water feature

Like many birders, I enjoy feeding birds at home.  It's a nice way to enjoy birds without traveling out.  For quite a few years I have wanted to add a water feature to the yard.  This year I finally got a bird bath.  While my grandiose plans had always envisioned streams and ponds and moving water, this simple little bird bath gets quite the attention.  The first guy (or Gal as the case may be impossible to tell) to come visit were the resident Robins.  They really loved it, but as odd as it may seem, I have not seen a Robin for a while now.

Within a day I had regular visitors coming!

Next the Sparrows and Doves came.  It’s interesting to note that the doves never (at least I haven’t them) dive in 

for a bath.  They perch on the edge and take a drink.

 

One of the benefits of having all these guys in my yard is to give me something to photography when I can’t get out to the park.  It’s also a great place to practice, long lens techniques and different settings on my camera.  I had some slate, so I tried to position it so I could get a picture of the birds coming in without it being too obvious that they are in my yard.

 
Thanks for looking.
Bruce

More Nesting birds from Southern Ohio!

I went with a friend to his 75 acre property in Hocking County.  It's a great piece of land with hardwoods, pine stands, fields of scruffy mixed stuff and a couple ponds.  As you could image, it was bird haven!  We just show up, and we hear a Pine Warbler singing, oh and a Black-and-White Warbler.  The Pine was so wonderful, and not the slightest bit shy.

Click on any photo to see a bigger copy.

Pine Warbler

Black-and-White Warbler

Next we went to a little ravine like area with a flowing  creek through it.  I heard Bee Buzz Buzz.  My heart stops and I get really excited.  Unfortunately it was not what I so hoped for.  This area was loaded with birds.  A Hooded and a Kentucky were to be found here, but these guys do not like their photo taken.  They are on the top of my target list because of this.  Here are two photos that I really shouldn't have even bothered processing, but I do love them so...

Kentucky

Hooded

Took a break to eat lunch.  Thanks to my wife who made up some awesome home-made barbeque sauce and chicken!  After lunch we tried again at those two but gave up.  Off to the ponds!  This is just a awesome area.  I wish I had taken a few environment photos, but did not.  I'll have to do that next time down.  After seeing a Spotted Sandpiper at the pond we searched out more song birds.  We found them!  Seeking a b-list target bird, Yellow-breasted Chat we stopped and were surrounded by White-eyed Vireo, Blue-wing Warbler, Common Yellothroat, and Indigo Bunting.  I didn't get photos of the Vireo or Blue-wing, but I got the others.

Yellow-breasted Chat

Common Yellowthroat

Indigo Bunting

One of the treats of the day was to see this Female Indigo Bunting.  I can't remember seeing one before.  I'm sure I have, but it is a rare sighting.  She is a beauty!

By now it was getting late.  What a wonderful time shooting birds.  I was really thursty and my water supply had run out, so back to the truck we went.  We took the long way around. As we got back to the truck we heard and then saw (wonderful looks) 2 Great crested Flycatchers.  I so wanted a picture of them, but it was not meant to be.

Onward  home.  Over all I didn't get a lot of photos, but some of the ones I did get, turned out pretty nice.  Thanks Greg for sharing this awesome place with me.  I can't wait to go again.

Thanks for looking!

Bruce

Warblers and Friends from Shawnee State Forest

One of my favorite trips (if not my favorite trip) of the year is going to Shawnee State Forest in southern Ohio. Warblers are the prize and it is just so much fun. I went down two days that had marked different weather. Friday was spectacular. The kind of days where even if I wasn’t seeing anything, I’d be happy just to be outside. Lighting was awesome! Amazing what the sun does. Unfortunately in Ohio, we’re lucky to get one or two days like this a week. Saturday it was the overcast with a couple showers that we had to sit through. But I have been trying to learn how to use flash more effectively for days like this. I ended up only needing it for the last two birds (Black-and-White, and Cerulean) we saw and I got nice results!

Friday:
The first place we stopped was really the best place of all. It was still pretty early and I screwed up the flash on this try. Messed up some of the best bird poses, but I got lucky that a couple shots did come out.

Click on any photo to bring up a bigger picture.

1
Pine Warbler (This was a “A-List” target bird for the trip.)




2

3
Blue-grey Gnatcatcher (Common, but still a very cool bird)

4

Eastern Towhee (I love Towhees, even if they are a dime a dozen)

The next stop was to photo one of my favorite Warblers. These guys always put on quite the show, and they are so pretty. Even though I already have great shots of them, I can’t resist getting more. The light could not have gotten better!


5
Prairie Warbler




6





Lastly we were hoping to find a Blue Grosbeak, but none was the luck. However, we did find this beauty! These guys are known skulkers. But he was so cooperative. Light was fading at this point and I turned up the ISO in lieu of flash. A little skittish from the morning…


7
Common Yellowthroat




8





9





Saturday:
The Saturday pictures just don’t have the same pop because the lighting was simply not as good. These first ones were close call, either crank up the ISO or use flash. These were higher ISO. Good or bad, here they are…


10
White-eyed Vireo (This was a “B-List” target bird for the trip.)






11




12




13
Blue-wing Warbler




14





It poured down rain for a while. We used this opportunity to move from one end of the forest to the other. As you can see in the second picture, he was soaking wet! I did use flash on these.

15
Black-and-white Warbler





16




17





Lastly another a “A-List” target bird for the trip! By this time is was really bad light. I used flash and was very happy with the results. It really was either flash or put the camera away.

18
Cerulean Warbler




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That's it!

Thanks for looking!

Backyard using a flash

I wanted to play around with using flash as primary light. I feel natural light is way better, but if there is not enough of it, what do you do. So, yesterday afternoon, I put up my chair blind in front of my feeders. In order to get a decent shutter speed (without the flash) I needed at least 800 or maybe even 1000 ISO. With the 40D, this can work at times, but often comes out a little too noisy for birds. A lot of times if the light is as bad as it was last night, I would not have even tried to shoot. But, living in Ohio, I need to work on a solution for the more than not ideal lighting. Interestingly enough as I look though the photos, I did get some good results with no flash and ISO 800, but I also set the F-stop at 5.6. This barely got me 1/200 to 1/250. I usually consider 1/200 as the minimum for decent shots. Anything less does not normally come out, even on a tripod. I also noticed I must have turned on the flash without turning down the ISO, so I have a couple at ISO 800 with flash. I also took a few with few at ISO 400 and 200.
The bright yellow on the Goldfinches really looks plastered to me. I actually got better results than I expected…

The females actually came out better.  They're color is a little darker and the flash didn't was them out as much.

Finally a chickadee to land on my perch.  They are so quick.  Usually they come in straight to the feeder, grab a seed and leave.  This stopped on the perch, just for a second.

If you put up feeders you are going to get House Sparrows.  They are better looking than I like to give them credit for!

Thanks for looking.

err...Correction, there are TWO owlets!

This past Wednesday, with blue skies and low wind I headed to the metro park.  After finding the baby owls on the previous Friday, I wanted to get some better photos of it. This time I was after that blue sky background.  I also want to find in a little better light. 

As I approached the area, I spied them pretty Quick.  Instead of just finding one, as I expected, there were 2 on the branch.  Side by side, they sat. 

I did have in the back of my mind that there might be a second one.  As I was going past the spot it was sitting the previous time, I was thinking I wish I had spent a little more time looking.  Then looking back at the pictures from Friday, I realized that I did see both of them!  Because the area was so thick, I had to back out.  I also backed out so I would not have to walk right under the Owlet.  Trying to not get to close.

I then walked around to what I thought was the other side of the tree.  It was getting pretty late and dark, so I took a couple photos knowing that they would not be that good.  When I got home, I barely looked that them.  That is until I started thinking that maybe I had taken pictures of 2 different Owlets.  Upon further inspection, I do believe they are different ones!

Here is a re-post of the first picture from the other side.

First Warbler photo of the year.

As I was taking pictures of the owls, I could hear two warblers singing.  A Louisiana Waterthrush, which is usually there, so I almost always take a moment to get a visual on him.  But there was another familiar song being sung that evening.  A Northern Parula.  A very small guy.  They are quite the singers, but they are hard to get photos of.  Small, like only 3-4 inches and quick!  I had wonderful looks at him, but only one decent photo!  I'll take it.

As to be expected whenever you prowl the woods, you will see, hear and sometimes just feel their presences.  Somehow you know they are probably what is making all the noise and rustling in the leaves.  I am talking about the White-throated Sparrow of course!

Surprisingly, I have very few pictures of them.  So, I stopped for a second to see what all the rustling was about and out popped this guy. 

When all was said and done, it was time to get out of the woods, but I know to sneak out.  At this time of the evening there just might be some deer coming into the field.  I got to the edge and popped my head around the corner.  Bushes, trees and high grass conceal me pretty well.  There is only a little opening to shoot through, but somehow those deer saw me.  Or did they?  They knew something was there.  The littlest of them, a Button Buck, seemed the most determined to get me to reveal myself.  A stomping he did do! 

After taking quite a few pictures in the ever fading light, I decided to go.  Again, with respect for the animal, I wanted to leave without sending them running with their tails up.  So I backed out, and walked around.  Passing them by from a greater distance.  This time they just watched me as I walked by.  I looked out of the corner of my eye and never stopped walking.  My efforts were successful as the deer stayed in the field and grazed.  Probably not a huge deal as they would have just ran back in the woods, and then come right back out after a short while. 

Lastly, I got a flyby Turkey Buzzard as I was shooting the deer.  These guys are so graceful in flight.  I love watching them fly. 

Thanks for looking!