Some people keep asking me why I don’t post more pictures of birds. First off, I have to say that I think I have had several bird posts. I can assure you that there’s no lack of birds at Blue Jay Barrens, but to post pictures of birds you first have to get the pictures and my camera is just not very bird friendly. Sometimes I get lucky, like with this Pileated Woodpecker. The bird was just sitting when I pushed the shutter button, but by the time the camera took the picture, the woodpecker was taking to the air.
I also have pretty good luck with yard birds. They’re out in the open and stay around long enough for me to take multiple shots.
When I’m in the woods, I specialize in two types of shots. The first is the silhouette. The birds always seem to be backlit, so I usually get little more than outlines. This shot of the Titmouse is much better than my average effort.
The second type of shot is the blur. I have quite a collection of blur shots.
I’m much better at getting shots of those creatures that stay still and don’t run at my approach. This is a Black-sided Pygmy Grasshopper, probably the cutest grasshopper around. They are common, but their habit of staying close to the ground makes them hard to notice. They are often found along small creeks and will escape threats by jumping into the water and swimming.
I’m also fairly good at capturing shots of large, slow moving mammals such as this member of the lawn maintenance crew. I’m not even enough of a threat for her to stop eating and look up at me.
My camera most likes the inanimate objects. It doesn’t look like I’ll be setting any balloon finding records this year. This is only number 2 for 2010. Maybe this is an economic indicator showing a decline in the number of birthday parties being held.
Some people keep asking me why I don’t post more pictures of birds. First off, I have to say that I think I have had several bird posts. I can assure you that there’s no lack of birds at Blue Jay Barrens, but to post pictures of birds you first have to get the pictures and my camera is just not very bird friendly. Sometimes I get lucky, like with this Pileated Woodpecker. The bird was just sitting when I pushed the shutter button, but by the time the camera took the picture, the woodpecker was taking to the air.
I also have pretty good luck with yard birds. They’re out in the open and stay around long enough for me to take multiple shots.
When I’m in the woods, I specialize in two types of shots. The first is the silhouette. The birds always seem to be backlit, so I usually get little more than outlines. This shot of the Titmouse is much better than my average effort.
The second type of shot is the blur. I have quite a collection of blur shots.
I’m much better at getting shots of those creatures that stay still and don’t run at my approach. This is a Black-sided Pygmy Grasshopper, probably the cutest grasshopper around. They are common, but their habit of staying close to the ground makes them hard to notice. They are often found along small creeks and will escape threats by jumping into the water and swimming.
I’m also fairly good at capturing shots of large, slow moving mammals such as this member of the lawn maintenance crew. I’m not even enough of a threat for her to stop eating and look up at me.
My camera most likes the inanimate objects. It doesn’t look like I’ll be setting any balloon finding records this year. This is only number 2 for 2010. Maybe this is an economic indicator showing a decline in the number of birthday parties being held.
Delightful pictures, esp. of the Pileated Woodpecker!
ReplyDelete...funny post...I just love it when I find the "silouhette" and "blur" photos when I download my day's work. The capture of the woodpecker is really cool...the wings are fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kelly. It was a fluke, but I really like the shot of the woodpecker. I rarely even see the tops of the Pileated's wings, so it's rather special to have a picture of them.
Great post! I agree the pileated woodpecker is cool, but the "yard birds" made me laugh. They all look like you were looking at them through a rifle scope. Maybe turkeys always look like that.
ReplyDeleteHi, Mel. The pictures I took before the turkeys noticed me, showed much calmer birds. These guys were just hurrying to get out of my way.
ReplyDeleteSteve, this post just cracked me up! Thanks for a great laugh! I especially liked the jarringly blue balloon shot at the end. I always wondered where those wandering balloons, up in the sky, ended up.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of grasshoppers as being cute, but you are right about this one!
ReplyDeleteHi, Debbie. I find balloons all the time. I suppose a lot more fall than I actualy find.
ReplyDeleteHi, Anne. I think a lot of odd things are cute. I hope this doesn't offend anyone when I say they have a cute baby.
I can appreciate the honesty of this post, Steve. Thanks. Your pics and commentary are quite good.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Katie.
ReplyDelete