Back To Frozen Birds
A personal triumph for me:
Digiscoping an almost completely in focus ruby-crowned kinglet. How the heck did I manage that? Perhaps I am finally becoming one with my digiscoping equipment.
Holy cow! I think this is the most media that I have ever done in one day! I woke this morning just after 6am to a call from Darci, the producer of the Ian and Maregery show asking if I had a few minutes to go on air, after that at 6:45am, I got a call from the producer of Showcase MN, asking if I could fill in as guest host and this afternoon after 4:30pm, I have an interview on WLTE to promote the book--I'm all over the place.
I got a kick out of the crew at Showcase calling me the new diva because the show was just pretty much all about me. I was originally scheduled as a guest this morning and they decided to keep that segment, so I had to film teases for my segment and host--I didn't end up interviewing myself but I was all over--it was fun. They are so nice on that station and Corbin (one of the other hosts) was really sweet to tell me where to stand, making suggestions on what do--it's a real team effort which makes it fun. And what was the best part of my morning--my first interview was for Surdyk's--a local liquor store Non Birding Bill and I frequent! Their chef cracked open a bottle of champagne in the middle of the segment. Champagne at 10am! My goodness I have a glamorous lifestyle for a birder.
Okay, back to the original intent of this entry: frozen birds--and I don't mean frozen as in cold, I mean frozen as in just plain not moving.
This titmouse photo was taken a couple of weeks ago. The bird had been flitting around Mr. Neil's feeders and then just stopped here for several minutes and I got all sorts of fun photos of it. When birds stop moving, that is a pretty good sign that a predator is nearby. When bird's aren't moving, they know something is near that could eat them. I started to scan around the yard and noticed other birds not moving.
SIDE NOTE: I just looked out the window while typing this entry and noticed that it's snowing. Sigh.
You can almost hear this female downy woodpecker saying through pursed bill, "If I don't move, you can't see me at all." Now This strategy might work well if she were against a tree trunk, however, up against a finch feeder filled with Nyjer thistle and sunflower chips--she kind of sticks out like a sore thumb.
I mentioned earlier that the idea of a chickadee souped up on sugary donuts is a scary thought--a chickadee frozen in place is just as unnerving. Above this black-capped chickadee and white-breasted nuthatch doing their best statue impersonations. Some further scanning around the woods did reveal a small sharp-shinned hawk lurking in the trees. The hawk eventually moved on, but I'm sure if one of frozen songbirds had moved, it would have stimulated an attack from the hawk.
After the sharpie moved on, normal bird activity resumed and birds began flitting around like crazy. So keep an eye on those feeders. If you ever see a house finch stock still on a feeder, scan the trees, chances are that there is a hawk nearby.
Digiscoping an almost completely in focus ruby-crowned kinglet. How the heck did I manage that? Perhaps I am finally becoming one with my digiscoping equipment.Holy cow! I think this is the most media that I have ever done in one day! I woke this morning just after 6am to a call from Darci, the producer of the Ian and Maregery show asking if I had a few minutes to go on air, after that at 6:45am, I got a call from the producer of Showcase MN, asking if I could fill in as guest host and this afternoon after 4:30pm, I have an interview on WLTE to promote the book--I'm all over the place.
I got a kick out of the crew at Showcase calling me the new diva because the show was just pretty much all about me. I was originally scheduled as a guest this morning and they decided to keep that segment, so I had to film teases for my segment and host--I didn't end up interviewing myself but I was all over--it was fun. They are so nice on that station and Corbin (one of the other hosts) was really sweet to tell me where to stand, making suggestions on what do--it's a real team effort which makes it fun. And what was the best part of my morning--my first interview was for Surdyk's--a local liquor store Non Birding Bill and I frequent! Their chef cracked open a bottle of champagne in the middle of the segment. Champagne at 10am! My goodness I have a glamorous lifestyle for a birder.
Okay, back to the original intent of this entry: frozen birds--and I don't mean frozen as in cold, I mean frozen as in just plain not moving.
This titmouse photo was taken a couple of weeks ago. The bird had been flitting around Mr. Neil's feeders and then just stopped here for several minutes and I got all sorts of fun photos of it. When birds stop moving, that is a pretty good sign that a predator is nearby. When bird's aren't moving, they know something is near that could eat them. I started to scan around the yard and noticed other birds not moving.SIDE NOTE: I just looked out the window while typing this entry and noticed that it's snowing. Sigh.
You can almost hear this female downy woodpecker saying through pursed bill, "If I don't move, you can't see me at all." Now This strategy might work well if she were against a tree trunk, however, up against a finch feeder filled with Nyjer thistle and sunflower chips--she kind of sticks out like a sore thumb.
I mentioned earlier that the idea of a chickadee souped up on sugary donuts is a scary thought--a chickadee frozen in place is just as unnerving. Above this black-capped chickadee and white-breasted nuthatch doing their best statue impersonations. Some further scanning around the woods did reveal a small sharp-shinned hawk lurking in the trees. The hawk eventually moved on, but I'm sure if one of frozen songbirds had moved, it would have stimulated an attack from the hawk.
After the sharpie moved on, normal bird activity resumed and birds began flitting around like crazy. So keep an eye on those feeders. If you ever see a house finch stock still on a feeder, scan the trees, chances are that there is a hawk nearby.Labels: Bird Feeding, digiscoping
posted by birdchick at 11:47 AM
11 Comments:
It is unnerving to see frozen still chickadees, they are always fidgeting.
Ahhh...the 10:30a champagne. Doesnt' every birder live like that?
Congratulations - I do believe you are the first rockstar birder! :-) Champagne in the morning, indeed.
Snow? Snow?? I got my orange fiberglass tail out of there just in the nick of time, didn't I?
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I keep hearing that I stumble into good photography situations. A recent one was the Ruby-Crowned Kinglet who was hopping around the bushes feeding alongside the entry drive to my local Nature preserve drive. As a birding novice, I thought he was yet another warbler, although I knew he wasn't any of the three or four I'd previously photographed. The kind folks at birdforum.net identified him as a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, and I keep hearing how it's tough to get a photo of them?!?
Shooting from the driver-side window of my car, 300mm lens, about 15 feet away, he let me shoot for four minutes before flying away.
A few of the photos are at: http://www.k8nd.com/LocalCritters.htm
(Click on the Kinglet).
Champagne at 10:30 am? You *are* a rockstar! :)
And if you're ever doing your Surdyk's shopping early in the day (and it's worth it for the breakfast sandwiches in their deli!) hop on next door to West to say hi to me. I'm almost always there until about 1:00.
~other Sharon
Yesterday, driving north to Rosedale, I looked out the car window just as a hawk of some kind landed on a utility box. I thought of you, since of course I have no clue as to what kind it was! Must have been a lot of frozen birds around at that moment.
That titmouse looks totally freaked out! But, well, I would be if I was potential hawk food.
Feeder question, where's the best place to put a suet feeder? I just got one and aren't sure whether to put it near the house under the eaves, out in the open, or hang it from a tree branch that overhangs the back fence. I haven't had much luck with suet feeders in the past but love the birds that frequent them and want to encourage those guys to visit the backyard. Any advice?
Also, I think the entire MLPS junco population was at our feeder tonight. I lost count at about 40 but I'm sure there were more.
it's snowing!?
i think i hear something falling around here, but on sunday it was still 80ยบ for a moment! maple tree is almost through dropping.
congrats on the photo.
i love the downy, looking all post-modern.
anne,
I would try putting the suet feeder near one of your other feeders. Birds are attracted by other birds activity--that's one of the reasons you'll see a warbler show up at a seed feeder. They see all the activity and they wonder if there's something good for them to eat too.
Also, woodpeckers seem to have a flavor preference. They love plain unrendered suet from the grocery store and they REALLY love nut flavored suets. It seems that fruit flavored or ones with a generic seed mix are not as well received.
Your thought bubble for the woodpecker is priceless...it makes me remember when my daughters were very young and a blanket thrown over the head was a great hiding place as you became automatically invisible!
I also love the little titmouse talons tightly tied to the wire.
Jacci in S. P. ME
Cool photos, La Diva Birdchick!
Snow! No!!!! We might get some snow showers tonight too. Ugh.
Thanks for the suet tips. Do you get the unrendered suet just at the grocery store meat dept or what? I tried some cheap nutty suets from Target but the woodies turned up their noses. So I just got some with whole unhulled black-oils in it and I'm hoping the woodies like that better (I get downies and red-bellieds). The chickadees do like the Target stuff, so I smeared a bunch on the tree right above where each branch meets; they then sit on the branch and eat in peace. Makes great photo setting too!
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