Turkey
Okay! Now for something completely different. There was a magical Thanksgiving dinner when I was working in Maine. We had just sat down to dinner when a group of wild turkeys strolled past our window in plain view. Ummm, that would be a fitting argument to become vegetarian. However, I have only seen male turkeys rarely and never fanning their tails. Wow! Do you believe this? … in the back yard. … just for me!
Motion
At the birdfeeder the photo ops are limited. A few species enjoy feeding. They are eating not posing for me. I don’t get much action. I do get an occasional action shot. Can you say abstract art?
Cat count
Feather is one smart cat. She learned very early how to depress a door handle and spring the door open. Lately the door to our deck has been her project. Unless I lock the door, she is likely to have a go. I forget sometimes. Today I was photographing the cardinals at my bird-feeder. Suddenly the birds took off. I glanced to the deck and saw the reason. Feather was there beneath the feeder hoping to catch a bird. Loose! She was loose! Darn! Make that worse. Three other cats were out as well. And two had made a jailbreak down the stairs to the yard below. Willow, pictured in the photo of the deck, likes to jump to the rail. I have a gate; it was down because of the wind. And, Patch and Ray were on the loose. Ray, at least knows the drill. He trotted up the stairs. Patch was out in the yard. Not good! We got them all back. Can you count to seven? We did it twice. Everyone is safe and sound. I am working on my penance for leaving the door unlocked. And there is no photo to commemorate the action. I was too busy herding cats at that moment.
Blue Jay
There was a blue jay that posed for me for the longest time. No tricks. It turned this way and that. I took the pictures. Thank you.
Cardinal at our feeder
This bright feathered feeder was posing for me. I got the requisite catalog shots. Then the action started. He flitted to and fro. I got my shots. Action is hard. I have told you that a motor drive will not ensure a good action shot. It’ timing and luck. Mostly luck. Have I mentioned that I am a lucky guy.
Cardinal
All in one day and at the same time, it was unusual to see. Both were there. And I was able to get a shot of them. Birds, fish, cats, oh my! It was nice to capture the images. Action. It’s fortuitous. Patience. The skill is there. The circumstance is a bit of luck.
Congregate
After the first cold spell, there has been a lot of activity around the feeder. The birds did not find its location for about a week after we installed it. Now it’s a regular stop for food. A woodpecker! The seed supply dwindles steadily now. My goal is to get better pics. So far the caged feeder has hindered my ability to get the bird without distraction. And, they tend to stay to the far side of the feeder away from the house. Perhaps I should use a remote camera set up? I guess I’m already nuts. I have a dedicated camera on a tripod pre-focused on the feeder. I just didn’t go all the way ‘round the bend.
Cat TV
By the time I get this post out, it will be winter into spring. Ha ha! We got a bird feeder. And now my cats gather to watch. They are mesmerized. They stare, sometimes in pairs, sometimes singly. The birds don’t mind. They are hungry and protected by the glass panes. No squirrels allowed! One finally found the feeder, made an attempt to eat, and then bounded away never to be seen again. The anti-squirrel cage works… for now. Why not feed the squirrels? We do it at the park. They are rodents in the rat and mouse family. At the house no! In the park, maybe?
Birdfeeder
It’s been quite some time that I photographed a bird feeder. We got one as a gift for Xmas. The first week there was nary a bird. They had not found it. Somehow, they do, but it took a long time. I’m not too patient. Ha! And now the hard part, decent pictures. It’s a work in progress. I got one doing a chin-up, and another in flight, and finally a perched bird ready to fly. There was a woodpecker. Alas no decent picture. Eventually…
Feeding Time
Newly hatched – barn swallows. They made a nest of mud and straw and sticks against the eve over my garage door. Daily I would check upon them. They hatched. Of course they did. I continued to photograph the nest and the babies. Finally, I got a shot. Well, I got more than one. There were four hungry mouths. It’s awesome. I got a shot. I’d have liked a shot in flight. I got that done – sort of. The lighting was not great, hence the noise in the image. But hey! I got the open mouth view. It’s as good as you can do and still not be OCD. Happy! That’s me.
Flying? My best shot was with the iPhone. Not intentionally, but, I intended to message the image. And? Then I (nearly) couldn’t the image again because I don’t usually look to the phone for “keeper” images.
