Bear-be-Gone

Bluebird Glance

Downy Woodpecker

We are avid winter bird feeders, blowing through pounds of Black Oil Sunflower seeds every winter and being rewarded with a wide variety of feathered visitors throughout the snowy months.   We love helping our birds survive the sparse winters and it is always with reluctance that we decide to pull in our feeders as the weather warms and the snow melts away.  

Hungry Visitor (Summer 2020)

We would gladly keep the feeders up
all year round, but too often over the years our feeders and shepard’s hooks have been demolished by the spring arrival of ravenous bears.  We try to delay the inevitable for as long as possible, but with the halting arrival of April’s warmth, we had to accept that we needed to protect our feeders for next season, trusting that our friends will be able to forage the newly exposed ground.  

Titmouse at the Feeder

Over the years I have taken advantage of the visitors to our feeders to grab some nice and easily obtained bird photographs.  I am far from a dedicated bird photographer, but when I can grab images from a chair in my comfortably warm sunroom, even I can’t resist.  This year, as I prepared to remove the feeders, it suddenly occurred to me that I had neglected to capture any images of our glutinous visitors. Before the removal, I grabbed my chair and settled in behind a newly cleaned window overlooking the feeders.  I rested my camera with its 400mm lens on my lap and waited for the action.   

Black Capped Chickadee

House Finch

The birds are frequent attackers of the seeds coming from my feeder as well as the suet hanging from its cage, but I prefer to capture the birds in a more natural environment.  For this I attach random branches near the feeder and find a location with an uncluttered view of the birds as they perch, awaiting their turn to settle on the feeder.  I have discussed this approach in a couple of more detailed previous blogs.

• Bird Feeder Photography
• Backyard Birding
  
  

Bluebird Perch

The trouble with zip tying branches to my deck railing is that in the course of a harsh New England winter the twigs got progressively pruned, to the point that my marvelous cluster of perches were reduced to a single blunt stick pointing skyward.  

Fresh Perch

Fortunately, the spring melt yielded an abundance of sticks cluttering the lawn and I was able to graft an fresh set of branches to the old structure. 

Gold Finch (Early Color)

In a short time, I was able to capture many of my feeders ”greatest hits”, including the Tufted Titmouse, House Sparrows, Nuthatch, Black Capped Chickadees, Gold Finch, and Downy Woodpecker.  I only missed the brilliant Cardinals and the fluffy Juncos.  

Of course, I couldn’t avoid our ubiquitous intruders, but hell, they didn’t ask to be Squirrels and Squirrels deserve to eat as well.  Besides who else can my dog fruitlessly chase up the trees.  

Nuthatch Hanging On

I was very pleased with the performance of my relatively new Canon R5 mirrorless camera.  With the adapter, I was able to shoot, handheld, using my old 400mm lens. Even with significant cropping, I was able to capture clear and sharp images at ISO 1600.

Gold Finch Takes Wing

Sadly, the feeders are now stored away awaiting another “birding” season.  It is amazing how quickly all my fickled feathered friends have deserted me. About all I have left are the barn swallows nesting above my car and pooping on my hood.  It’s time to enjoy the gathering warmth and await the bursting glories of spring.  Benji and I can’t wait.

Benjamin, Always Patient

Jeff Newcomer
www.partridgebrookreflections.com