Head Shots

Blue Jay

 

A head shot captured the blue jay's intense stare,

Female Red-bellied Woodpecker

 

And the inquisitive stare of the female Red-belly.

Male Red-bellied Woodpecker

 

While only a close-up shot could show the extended tongue of the male Red-belly.

 

 

Wild Turkey Gobbler

 

Only a head shot would do justice to the bright red of the backlight illuminating a gobblers dewlap.

 

 

Sometimes when shooting with prime glass the subject becomes closer than you had anticipated.  With no zoom capability the only options are either don't shoot or go for a head shot.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

A fresh white snowfall brings with it new photographic opportunities.

While I have maintained a bird feeder mounted on my deck for a number of years I had never utilized it for bird photography.  Since I always strive to photograph wildlife against natural backgrounds I set a pop-up blind on the deck in a position which allows me to exploit the evergreen tree only a few feet farther away.  Not only does the evergreen tree create a variety of natural perches but it also provides the birds protection from the occasional hawk attack.

Having erected the blind a few day ahead of the Christmas Eve snow the birds were fully acclimated to it when conditions were right for shooting.  While the Blue Jays are very wary at our naturalized bird feeders; the ones visiting the deck feeder were the most accommodating species.

 This male Northern Cardinal seemed more concerned about my presence than did any of the jays.

While a female Cardinal shows off her food caked bill. 

And later poses on a snow covered bough with a cone directly overhead.

 

Winter is a good time for photographing birds attracted to the feeders and during or just after a snow storm is the very best time of all!

Blue Jays & The 600

The minimum focus distance of the 600mm lens required me to move the blind farther away from the feeders.  The wary blue jays, difficult to photograph with the 400mm, seem to appreciate the extra personal space.

The 600 presents its own set of challenges.  Quarters are cramped enough inside the small blind and adding the big lens makes it even more so, but the biggest problem by far is locating the birds through the lens.  At the close distances necessary for frame filling shots the field of view through the finder only covers a few inches and for the most part that is blurred because of the shallow depth of field. 

I have also found that to capture the very sharpest images that I must shoot hands free with a cabled remote.  The tiny vibrations induced by simply touching any part of the rig; camera, lens, or tripod will soften the image perceptibly.  However, when it all comes together the resulting images are just what I was hoping for.  Now I can hardly wait until the spring waterfowl migrations begin!

Merry Christmas

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas

Reindeer

 Cardinal

Blue Jay

Let Heaven and Nature Sing

For more Christmas Critters of all Kinds

visit Camera Critters

Too Much Depth of Field

400mm f5.6, 5.5m distance

Try as I might I haven't been able to capture a satisfactory shot of a blue jay yet this year.  It's not that there is a lack of bird for at times more than a dozen jays will swarm the feeding area.  Rather the problem is their wariness.  Seldom will they perch for more than a split second unless they are in or near cover when I am positioned close enough to the feeding area to capture an acceptable image.  When I snapped this image the bird was close enough to the camera but too close to cover. 

It is a good sharp image of the bird but the busy background is too distracting.  While reviewing my shots from the day I thought for a moment about hitting the delete button and then decided to post about those times when having too much DOF ruins the shot.

 

Blue Jay: Rapid Fire

As noted in the previous post I usually shoot high-speed continuous when photographing wildlife.  Poses and expressions change far to quickly for me to successfully capture just the right moment otherwise; thank God for digital!

In this series a Blue Jay landed between the natural feeders striking different poses as it checked me out trying to decide if it was safe to put its head into the woodpecker hole to retrieve some food.

This particular perch is a favorite of mine because of the beautiful brown tones imparted by the dead poke and the more muted browns and grays found on the tree parts.  Heavily clouded skies provided very even lighting for this series. 

I'm happy with all of these images so please tell me which raucous Blue Jay shot you like most.

Blue Jays up Close

After watching the Blue Jays visit the feeders from a distance only to have them stop coming to the feeders when I set up within suitable range for my 400mm lens I decided to try a different approach today.  After erecting my old Ameristep Outhouse blind in a suitable location and opening the front window just enough to shoot through the Jays quickly accepted the blind and returned to feeding.  They were a little apprehensive about the camera & lens movement but still comfortable enough to allow me to photograph them extensively.

My goal when photographing any wildlife is to capture it in as natural a stetting as possible.  Our feeders for the most part are made of hollow logs with natural knot and woodpecker holes.  However the most natural shots come when the birds perch on surrounding brush and weeds. 

This Blue Jay chose to perch on the weathered and broken poke stems that grow beside one feeder. 

I am extremely pleased with the results obtained in these two images which may be my very best Blue Jay shots ever.

Blue Jays were not the only birds who responded well to the use of the blind and I will be sharing some of those images in the coming days.

For more Critters of all Kinds

Visit Misty's

CAMERA CRITTERS

Blue Jays Through the Window

Blue Jays are common enough in my area and their raucous calling can be heard frequently about the woodlands. Being quite the birdfeeder bullies most other species flee the feeders upon their arrival.

As boisterous and aggressive as they are they are also the species among the regular feeder visitors least tolerant of human presence. In my attempts to get close-up photographs of them this winter I have been thwarted by them at every turn.

With this weekend’s heavy snow covering their natural feed a few of the Jays seemed to be less cautious than normal and began visiting our deck feeder with me and my camera set up just inside our kitchen window. Most feeder visits consisted of the Jay landing directly in the feeder, grabbing a beak full of sunflower seeds and departing to an of sight perch with out giving me the opportunity to photograph it against an attractive background

Finally this bird landed where I was able to utilize the shadows cast by trees across the snowy hillside beyond to create a pleasing out of focus background.

Birdfeeder Bully: Blue Jay

The bright and colorful Blue Jays keep things interesting around my winter bird feeder. Whereas many other birds are content to share, when the Blue Jays arrive all the other birds flee.

I have never observed the Blue Jays attacking another bird but then again the other birds don’t allow the Blue Jays much chance either.

Winter is beginning to relax its grasp here in southern Pennsylvania. A week ago I observed my first red-winged blackbird sitting in some cattails along a frozen pond. This morning a number of them were present around the wetlands although none afforded a good photo-op.

For more Critters visit our friend Misty’s Camera Critters Blog

Impatient Blue Jay

Ready to drop like a missile onto the birdfeeder below this Blue Jay waits its chance to find a spot among his brethren.

I was a split second too late to capture the perfect frame

He’s a Little Piggy!

“He’s a little piggy” my wife exclaimed when she first saw this image

This Blue Jay packed his beak full of corn kernels before flying up to a comfortable branch were he could break them apart one at a time. This was the first blue jay I have seen using this energy saving tactic.

I have taken classes at work that focus on eliminating non value added work. If this little fellow were to attend he would pass with “Flying Colors”