Author Topic: Backyard Bird Watching & Photography (Read 8496 times)

drholly · « **Reply #44 on:** May 16, 2013, 12:55:00 AM »

There are some excellent shots there. You have an excellent sense of timing - great feel for the subject. I enjoy looking at your pictures!

FastCat Studio · « **Reply #45 on:** June 24, 2013, 08:37:39 AM »

Lovely images, Don. You have a great eye.

I had an opportunity to take a couple of bird/nature photography seminars given by Lou Nettelhorst http://www.lounettelhorst.com/about.php and Roy Toft http://www.toftphoto.com/about.php and learned a lot. If you get a chance to take their classes, jump on it, if only for the stories about how they were able to get certain images.

Smokin Don · « **Reply #46 on:** August 19, 2013, 10:37:49 AM »

I have not taken the time much this summer to enjoy the birds. The past week or so the traffic at my hummingbird feeders has picked up. They are starting their migration south. Yesterday I had three in a group go through the yard fussing and dueling. Home alone I decided to sit for some photos. I didn't do very well. I got one of a male Ruby Throat that is just average. Shown below his throat does not show up red, you have to be almost head on to see the bright red. Lighting was poor, the best is if I and the sun are lined up with the bird, I was at a different angle. The one of the Goldfinch on my upside down feeder you can see the seed hull just to the right and below the beak. Those little guys can hull out and eat the Niger thistle seed at more than one a second!

Male Ruby Throat

Goldfinch

Smokin Don

africanmeat · « **Reply #47 on:** August 19, 2013, 01:24:58 PM »

Don you are a great artist.

TMB · « **Reply #48 on:** August 19, 2013, 05:51:16 PM »

Man I need your camera! This was about as good as I can do with my cheap point and shoot

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pz · « **Reply #49 on:** August 19, 2013, 06:58:14 PM »

Great photos!

Smokin Don · « **Reply #50 on:** August 24, 2013, 10:04:20 AM »

I haven't really enjoyed the birds and flowers like I should so don't have many photos this summer.

Here are three flower shots I liked.
Old and New

Two shots of a female ruby throat hummer

Out of 35 shots that day these were the only keepers. Not the best background but good detail on the hummer. So you can see getting good shots of hummers is about 5% skill, knowing what your camera will do, and 95% luck! Smokin Don

Smokin Don · « **Reply #51 on:** August 31, 2013, 10:06:48 AM »

Aug 30 2013

In about 20 years photographing humming birds I finally got some decent photos of two doing a little aerial combat. Usually the battles are so quick and the two are gone before I can ever get a shot. These two today seemed to not be that aggressive and they were staying close to the one feeder. I sat in a chair about 10 feet away and shot 80 photos.

The hardest part is getting the birds in focus; the birds are too small for me and the camera to get a good focus on the birds. I have to focus on the feeder and hope the birds will be in focus. After looking at the photos I could see the reason they were not that aggressive is it was two young birds and on the one I could see it was a young male just starting to get his red throat. They were probably born around here and not transients.

This time of year they are starting their migration south. I think my place is marked on their built in maps as a place to stop and tank up a day or two. For the past two weeks I have seen them a lot every day.

They seem to be looking at the bird on the feeder

The one on the feeder has two dark spots on it's throat
The start of a red throat

Smokin Don

drholly · « **Reply #52 on:** August 31, 2013, 12:10:00 PM »

Don,

Great shots, again! They do seem a bit more interested in the picture than each other..

Your zone focus seems to be working.

Smokin Don · « **Reply #53 on:** September 17, 2013, 10:34:20 AM »

For at least two weeks I have had 3 hummers chasing each other all day. I am sure they are juveniles born around here and are reluctant to head south. Here are six shots I took yesterday. The one in the tree is a rare shot for me, the sun just happened to be on the bird. If you don't see them fly into the tree they are very hard to spot.

Smokin Don

pz · « **Reply #54 on:** September 17, 2013, 12:19:09 PM »

Beautiful photos, Don! Our hummers are all gone now, the last one left a few days ago.

Smokin Don · « **Reply #55 on:** October 06, 2013, 11:39:26 AM »

Not a bird but a bird sized insect. This male Praying Mantis was on my outdoor light. A male from the brown color, the females are green. A beneficial insect that eats a lot of other insects.

Smokin Don

Keymaster · « **Reply #56 on:** October 06, 2013, 03:14:15 PM »

That's a strange insect, we don't have those over here

Awesome Picture!!!

drholly · « **Reply #57 on:** October 06, 2013, 03:17:43 PM »

Great shots, Don. You have excellent patience and a great eye.

pz · « **Reply #58 on:** October 07, 2013, 12:06:30 AM »

Good shot, Don!