In my long tradition of writing about things I know little to nothing about, I thought it would be appropriate to briefly recount the fun I have been having photographing the sturdy little birds that have been frequenting the feeders on our deck.
Given the relentless severity of this winter's weather Susan and I
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Goldfinch |
Over the years I have tried to grab occasional shots of the birds visiting our feeders, usually with little success. These little creatures tend to flit in and out spending little time around the
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A Cardinal, Duh |
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Tufted Titmouse |

Still I have much to learn about getting natural appearing images of these fascinating creatures, but I thought I would share a few of my early images. Hopefully, in a future article I will be able to recount more of what I have learned and show better quality images. To date I have seen the Cardinal just once, but frequent visitors have included Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse's (what is the plural of Titmouse?), Juncos, Pine Siskins and American Goldfinch. Or at least that's what I think I've seen. Did I mention that I'm really new at this bird stuff.
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Junco, Fluffed Against the Cold |
For now, I can only list a few early lessons and goals for future work.
Watch the Background

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Chickadee in the Evergreen |
Rapid Shutter

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Goldfinch Perch |
Focus on the Eyes
As with any portrait photography, the key to proper focus is to concentrate on keeping the eyes sharp. With my subjects incessant movement, continuous focus settings such as AI Servo on my Canon, are helpful to follow the action.
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Mine ! |
Foreground Interest

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Titmouse in the Nest |
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Goldfinch on the Branch |
Birds in Motion
I found it especially challenging to catch these swift erratic birds in
flight. I needed a shutter of at least 1/2000th to begin to capture
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Titmouse Flight |
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Chickadee Take-Off, While a Pine Siskin Watches |
The Squirrel Issue
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Please Sir, May I Have Some More? |
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Titmouse on the Bark |
I love the special photographic opportunities that a New England winter provides, but we are reaching the inevitable "Enough is Enough" part of the season. I'm ready for some signs of spring and this year our bird feeders have provided an especially welcome distraction from the record breaking cold and snow. I have a lot to learn, but eventually I may even be able to identify most of our winged friends.
And speaking of avian harbingers of spring, I discovered yesterday that the Eagles are back on the Connecticut River in Chesterfield, NH. They seemed to be focusing on nest renovations, so hopefully we will see some action this year. It is a long reach to the nest on the Connecticut and I've discovered that It is much easier to get sharp images when the birds are only a few feet away.
Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com
I like your blog and photos! I found the descriptions and names helpful to identify the birds that show up at the feeders hanging over my deck in New Hampshire (I was Googling "Birds of New Hampshire and found your page.) Great photos! Thanks.
ReplyDelete-Josh in Rye NH
nice pic!!! great
ReplyDeleteVIBRATING FEEDER MANUFACTURER
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