Birds of the Garden

I finally figured out how to take good bird pics.  

I have the perfect setup to take amazing bird pics. We have a huge window that overlooks the kitchen garden balcony that's right up against a huge oak tree. The birds (and squirrel) feel right at home among my plants and feeders.

There's just one problem -- the previous owner tinted all the windows in the house so we can see out, but nobody can see in. This makes it perfect for spying on the critters, but almost impossible to take a decent pic. Here's what I mean:


Here's the target in all that.


I've been trying for weeks to figure out how to setup a photo station that would capture all the action out there. I put a box over my head. I shrouded the area in black fabric. I even sent for a non-glare filter to hold in front of my camera. Nothing worked.

This morning I got a brainstorm -- put the camera lens right up against the window. With no room to reflect, how could there be any glare?

IT WORKED LIKE A DREAM! I brought in a box to prop the camera on, moved the feeder into camera range. moved a plant out of the way, set up the zoom, and waited. voila! Here are my first 2 customers: a Mourning Dove and and unknown little bird. (Time to dust off my field guides and ID all my new friends.  



I'm on a roll, now. WATCH THIS SPACE!

And they just keep coming.

  I'm having way too much fun!

My last post didn't make it for some reason so I'll try again.

Every night, I fall asleep to a beautiful birdsong. I have no idea what the bird is, but here is a small sample: (audio only)


Can anyone identify my melodious night visitor?

countrynaturals wrote:My last post didn't make it for some reason so I'll try again.

Every night, I fall asleep to a beautiful birdsong. I have no idea what the bird is, but here is a small sample: (audio only)

Can anyone identify my melodious night visitor?

Sounds like a mockingbird, to me.    Mockingbirds were prolific were I grew up, but I've only heard them twice since moving to New Hampshire, and have yet to actually see one here.  This will be our first full year on our new property and I'm hoping they will be regular summer visitors to our yard.

Ginger Blue wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:My last post didn't make it for some reason so I'll try again.

Every night, I fall asleep to a beautiful birdsong. I have no idea what the bird is, but here is a small sample: (audio only)

Can anyone identify my melodious night visitor?

Sounds like a mockingbird, to me.    Mockingbirds were prolific were I grew up, but I've only heard them twice since moving to New Hampshire, and have yet to actually see one here.  This will be our first full year on our new property and I'm hoping they will be regular summer visitors to our yard.

That's what I thought, too, but I looked it up and we don't have them, here. I found this, however:

Warblers. The yellow-breasted chat (left) is the largest of the many warblers found in this area. It is heard more often than actually seen, often carrying on a conversation with itself in a nearby brush thicket. The chat is one of the few birds who sometimes sings while in flight. Its loud, sharp voice sounds amplified, and it repeats an amazing repertoire of caws, whistles, grunts and rattles all day long and often into the night.

That description fits it perfectly. It's out there singing to me right now, as I dig for my bird book to see what it really looks like (the pic that went with the above description was just a sketch).

It's after midnight and there is a bird singing outside that sounds like the video!!

sanderson wrote:It's after midnight and there is a bird singing outside that sounds like the video!!

Maybe your bird is singing to our bird.

He's loud but not that loud!

I don't know who this one is, either, but he sure is cute!

countrynaturals wrote:I don't know who this one is, either, but he sure is cute!

He is adorable!  I cannot id him, even with Merlin!

Scorpio Rising wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:I don't know who this one is, either, but he sure is cute!

He is adorable!  I cannot id him, even with Merlin!

He isn't listed on my "Birds of Shasta County" page, either, but we have a lot of them.

OhioGardener wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:

Scorpio Rising wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:I don't know who this one is, either, but he sure is cute!

He is adorable!  I cannot id him, even with Merlin!

He isn't listed on my "Birds of Shasta County" page, either, but we have a lot of them.

Beautiful picture!  Looks a lot like a Oak Titmouse or Tufted Titmouse, but don't know what it is.

I think you're right. It looks most like the Oak Titmouse pics I see online. Thanks, OG.

There is a great app, Merlin, curated by the Cornell Institute.  Very good...free.

Scorpio Rising wrote:There is a great app, Merlin, curated by the Cornell Institute.  Very good...free.

I don't have a smart phone. Will it work on a laptop?

We put out a new squirrel resistant bird feeder. So far I have seen a bluebird, cardinals, bluejays, nuthatches, goldfinches, red winged blackbitds and chickadees on it.

countrynaturals wrote:

Scorpio Rising wrote:There is a great app, Merlin, curated by the Cornell Institute.  Very good...free.

I don't have a smart phone. Will it work on a laptop?

I don’t think so, at least that I could find...

Scorpio Rising wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:

Scorpio Rising wrote:There is a great app, Merlin, curated by the Cornell Institute.  Very good...free.

I don't have a smart phone. Will it work on a laptop?

I don’t think so, at least that I could find...

I feel like a dinosaur because I still use a computer.

countrynaturals wrote:

Scorpio Rising wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:

Scorpio Rising wrote:There is a great app, Merlin, curated by the Cornell Institute.  Very good...free.

I don't have a smart phone. Will it work on a laptop?

I don’t think so, at least that I could find...

I feel like a dinosaur because I still use a computer.

On the contrary:  computers do the best job.  THe only one I have access to other than my iPad is my work computer, which is AWESOME!  But I don’t post here from there...

Could it be an albino version of a familiar bird?

I finally got a good shot of one of our woodpeckers. I also figured out how to get rid of that hanger that's always in the way, so the rest of my pics won't have that distraction.

countrynaturals wrote:I finally got a good shot of one of our woodpeckers. I also figured out how to get rid of that hanger that's always in the way, so the rest of my pics won't have that distraction.

Here's a closeup, without the hanger in the way.

countrynaturals wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:I finally got a good shot of one of our woodpeckers. I also figured out how to get rid of that hanger that's always in the way, so the rest of my pics won't have that distraction.

Here's a closeup, without the hanger in the way.

Great photos CN.

That pic and BIRD is really awesome!!!!