Another Day at Work
Apis Workers' Party
Predator
Some of Your Beeswax
Sedum Bumbler
Look of Defiance
Chicory Bee
Bumbling Bees
Garden Cafe
Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond
Pick Your Poison
Blind Side Attack
On a Mission
Honey Bee on Sedum
Covering the Cosmos
Center of the Cosmos
Three's a Crowd
Popular Spot
On A Pedestal
Big Harry Fireworks Display
To Impress the Girl
Different Perspective
Sweet Ride
Perfect Little Piggies B&W
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Festival of Flights
To the Crowd's Delight
Amish Go Round
Wondersome One
The Stars In Her Eyes
Tuesday's Child
Sleeper Hold
Considering the Next Move
Sugar and Spice
Front Porch Portrait
Caged Competitor
Early Adoration
Child In the Ligtht
Stroll Through the Weeds
Attention Grabbing
Eye Contact
On the Line
Eyes of Wonder
Rounding the Curve
Troubadours of Basin Spring Park
Down by the Creek
Sun Day
Catching Some Light
EAA Fireworks
Hear Me Roar
Bird
Just the Two of Us
This handsome pair of love birds – or…ummm…bluebirds – showed up early this spring. We have several bluebird houses around our yard and expect these (and more, hopefully) to raise a brood, as they have the last couple of years.
They are sitting on the edge of a stoneware bowl that I stock with a treat of mealworms for them each morning. It’s set on a post about three feet off the ground. As you can see from the lilac bush behind them, the leaves are just starting to sprout in our neck of the woods.
I took this photo remotely. I had my camera on a tripod about 20 feet away from the birds…while I watched from the window in our pantry (probably 40 feet in the opposite direction) and pressed my wireless remote shutter button when I saw the birds at the bowl.
Watch for more of this pair in coming days…and through the summer; now that I’ve got them trained to pose for me.
To see a larger view, click on the image.
Bluebird Dawn
Just before sunrise I noticed a bluebird checking out the bluebird houses in our yard. I grabbed the camera and headed out the back door. I got a picture but not the one I was after. Here’s the story…
My goal was to snap a picture of the bluebird posed on the bluebird house, framed by a big, bright sun behind him. While I was trying to line up the shot, the bluebird flew off the house, into a nearby tree. I was able to click off a quick photo of the bird in the tree before he flew off for good. Then I turned my camera to the sunrise and snapped a couple of frames.
The image above is a combination of two different photos (shown on the right). I started with a shot of the sunrise and overlaid the silhouette of the tree branches with the bluebird. As you can see, the original photo of the bird and branches had a background of just light gray sky. Not very interesting or appealing. The sunrise was pretty on it’s own, but the branches and bird adds interest .
Both photos were taken within a minute of each other. Not quite the image I was shooting for, but I think the final result turned out well.
To see a larger version of the above image, simply click the photo.
In His Element
One of my greatest joys (and challenges) is catching a hummingbird in focus. This male Ruby-Throated hummingbird seems to be in his element.
There are no hummers hanging around this time of year. I’m looking forward to their return. I caught this one zipping by my window with the early morning sunlight on his back last July.
It’s worth seeing this one enlarged. Just click on the image.
Sailing Past the Sun
Here’s an artsy, surreal, minimalist kind of image for you.
One morning last fall I visited the beach in Kewaunee to capture the morning’s sunrise. There was a good deal of low fog muting the sun. I happened to snap just as a sea gull flew by.
Click the photo to see a larger version.
Almost Angry Birds
The unusual angle of the subject and the very limited focal depth makes this image interesting – at least to me.
This is a House Finch was hanging off the side of a cage-like feeder. You can see he’s munching on something. I took this out the window of our home using a 300mm lens.
I’ve never played the Angry Birds game, but the head of this bird reminded me of it.
You can see a larger version of this image just by clicking on it.
Keeper of the Lighthouse
This view of the Algoma, WI lighthouse was taken early in the morning. I believe the bird is a cormorant.
This was taken a good distance from the subject. To make the cormorant the focus of the shot required a pretty aggressive crop. There’s quite a bit of digital noise in the image. I decided I liked it and did nothing to diminish it.
Pretty Profile
It has been at least a couple of weeks since we’ve seen a hummingbird at our feeders. They’ve headed south for the winter…already.
This is one of the regulars that we will miss – a female ruby-throated hummingbird.
I like this photo because of the clear view of her pretty face and the blurred effect of her right wing. Also note the tiny strand of spider web dangling off the back of her head. Find out why there might be a spider web attached to a hummingbird. I detail it in a previous post – Click Here.
To see a larger version of this image, click the photo above.
Bowing at the Altar of Sweet
This pretty little gal is coming in for a little nectar refreshment. This is a female, Ruby-Throated Hummingbird.
We have half a dozen hummingbirds that hang around our home through the summer. We provide four different feeders for them. You would think that would be enough to go around, but they always seem to be sparing for position at the feeders. Each feeder has plenty of room with multiple feeding positions, but they don’t seem to be interested in sharing.
When they perch on a feeder, they can never just relax and enjoy a meal. They’re always, nervously, looking around. It’s rare for them to get more than a few moments of slurping before another one comes along to chase them away.
You feel sorry for the poor little things, but I guess that’s life in the hummingbird community.
To see a larger version of the above photo, simply click on it.
Tiny Feet
Even though hummingbirds are very tiny birds, their very tiny feet seem to be too small for their size. When you have the opportunity to actually look at a hummingbirds feet (not an easy feat, in itself) they look like tiny strands of wire.
According to worldofhummingbirds.com…
Hummingbird’s feet are not for walking. Hummingbirds do not use their feet for launching upward in flight, They let their wings do all of this work. Hummingbirds use their feet for scratching and perching. They will perch for most of their lives. Hummingbirds have four (4) toes. Three (3) toes in the front and one (1) toe, also called the hallux in the back of the foot. The hallux works much the same way a human’s thumb does and allows the hummingbird to hang on to a branch or wire.
Hummingbird legs are extremely small, short, and stubby to reduce weight. They are also quite weak. Because of this, hummingbirds do not hop.
To take a closer look at those tiny feet, click on the photo.
A Little Privacy, Please
Ooops! How embarrassing! With all the hundreds of hummingbird photos I’ve been taking, it was bound to happen. This male, ruby-throated hummingbird, in all his glory, decided to take a potty break just as the shutter snapped.
I can only imagine the bathroom jokes and juvenile laughter circulating out there right now. Come on now, it’s a natural part of life. Everyone does it, right? (Although, hopefully, not in broad daylight in front of photographer.)
For those who are curious as to how the excretory system works in hummingbirds. Here’s some info from Operation Ruby Throat at www.rubythroat.org…
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird’s excretory system is typical of other birds, with paired kidneys. Liquid waste separates from digestible items in the gastrointestinal tract and goes to the kidneys, where liquid waste and ammonia (converted to uric acid before reaching the kidneys) are filtered out. Urine travels from each kidney through the ureter to the cloaca, where it mixes with solid wastes. There is no urinary bladder–yet another weight-reduction mechanism that makes flight easier–and wastes are expelled as they are produced.
(If you’re not too embarrassed and would like to see a larger version, just click on the photo.)