Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Birds at the Deck Feeder

Deck Feeder
 
Photographing the winter birds at the feeders is a pleasurable way to pass time during the cold winter months.  This view of my deck shows my "left-over bird feeder", a feeder that I constructed from odds and ends left over from various other projects from years past including left-over shingles from a shed I built over twenty years ago.
  


To utilize the deck feeder as a outdoor bird studio required a place to hide and my old pop-up Outhouse blind fit perfectly on the opposite end of the deck.  At this distance I could obtain good frame filling shots while still being just a little over the minimum focus distance of the Canon 600 F4 lens.
 
 
 A weathered branch screwed to the deck railing wrapped with a vine still retaining a few leaves provided a good natural looking perch while adding a spot of color to the photographs. 
 

Within just a couple of days the birds were utilizing the new perch as if it had always been there.

Male Cardinal sits on the "natural" perch

The evergreen just beyond the feeder provides numerous scenic perches as well as cover from the occasional hawk attack.
 
Backyard bird feeding is a very popular past-time and with just a little thought and effort nearly any backyard feeder can be converted into an outstanding outdoor bird studio.
 
 
 
 





11 comments:

Ruth Hiebert said...

Great photos.

eileeninmd said...

Great shots of your yard birds! Happy New Year!

Elaine said...

I like your idea of a branch perch. The need for snow removal on our deck is always a problem for me, but our winter birds that come to the feeder are not as skittish. Chickadees and gray jays don't care if you're on the deck with them, and if I sit quietly for a few minutes the redpolls are back in swarms. When it's cold out, though, through the window is still my best option.

Unknown said...

Nice photos and great way to use the blind

troutbirder said...

And so now I know what to do with that old goose blind unused in the rafter of my garage....:)

Montanagirl said...

I have a dead branch tied to our deck as well. The birds love landing in it/on it and checking things out, esp. since the heated bird bath is right close too. Nice photos you captured. The cardinal is beautiful.

Pia said...

WOW to your great bird photos! Now I think about having such a tent:-)

Happy New Year!

Chris said...

Wow the last picture is wonderful in that composition Coy. I see the year starts very well, and btw happy new year.

Anonymous said...

Lovely shots.

Alyssa Johnson said...

Awesome pictures, as usual. I just did a similar posting of bird feeder junkies, but I took my pics from inside the house. I can definitely tell you didn't have a pane of glass between you and them!

Arija said...

What lovely bird shots! What a great little sit in hide you have.