Mostly Bluebirds

Dave....breathtaking shots as always. Thank you SO much for posting!!!

Where did you get that meal worm feeder? I am having a problem with bigger birds and need to do something!!

Stopped by the river yesterday and the tree swallows were there big time! Swooping just above the water and darting this way and that. Must have been several hundred. They never landed so I tried to catch them in filght. It wasn't easy to hold focus, but I did get a few. Here is one.

That a great shot Dave! They are so incredibly fast!

You're right, Pelle. I deleted a lot of them.

Here's Papa from late this afternoon.

Wow I love seeing each and every feather. Beautiful!

Wow that last shot is a great capture Dave! The wings fully extended and perfectly in focus! Ive also been trying to get Swallow flight shots for the last month...the one's that I did get in focus were to dark to even fix.

Not much of a picture but maybe you can tell how the babies are developing by day 12. I just opened the door and shot. You can see it is going to be very crowded in there as six of them reach full size. These two were practically falling out of the nest.

How adorable Dave!!
Thanks so much for showing us the chicks! Wow, 6 of them!

Here is Papa this morning, before I came out. In his mouth he has a tiny spider. Can you imagine how he'd feed those six without my help.

This message was edited Apr 30, 2010 2:07 PM

Mama waiting to get into the feeder.

Sometimes she flies. Sometimes she hops.

A frequent visitor. They are nesting nearby and I wish I could offer them some meal worms but whenever I put some out, the robins move in and grab them all.

Thank goodness you are helping so much Dave!!
Great shots. These are such a good looking pair of Blues!

Wonderful shot of the male Cardinal!

Have Titmouse been around?

No, I haven't seen the titmice for a few weeks. They ususally show up after their nestlings fledge and they can't find food for them fast enough. I do have a Carolina wren with a fledgling that comes to the feeder regularly. Here is Mama and Papa taking a break on the sparrow spooker.

Another. Same sitting.

Wow, Dave! I just now found your thread. How beautiful! I find it hard to pick one favorite. I love them all. Thank you for sharing such wonderful pictures/setting.

More beautiful pictures. What a shame you can't be feeding them the meal worms. Maybe later? The babies are just adorable and the adults are such a pretty bird.

Here's something a little different. It is four shots laid one on top another, to show Papa's path as he swoops to the nest box with a beakful of mealworms. It didn't turn out exactly as I imagined, but I submit it anyway.

I know this is way off topic but our peonies are starting to bloom and I can't resist showing this one. Problem is, I can't be sure if it is sorbet, bowl of beauty or raspberry sundae. We have all three and when we moved them here, they sorta got mixed up. I think it is sorbet.

I have a beautiful yellow peony that will be blooming tomorrow.

This message was edited May 1, 2010 12:20 AM

Nice editing Dave! Id say that's pretty good to me!
Ive been wondering what a combined shot would look like if you had a bird in focus on one shot and the next shot with no bird and the background in focus and then do like you've done and combine the two. I'm thinking it would be 3D but haven't had the time to try it out yet.

Hi Burd. You have to create two or more different layers and remove the background on the one(s) you would put on top. Otherwise the background would block out anything below. I often get two birds in the same shot and with the short depth of field I get with the lenses I use, one of the birds is usually out of focus. Knowing this is likely to happen, I will switch focus from one bird to the other so I wind up with nearly identical shots, but with a different bird in focus in each one. Then I wipe out the background on one and combine them and magically, both are in focus. I do this a lot.

For a long time I have tried to catch a male cardinal in a nice pose on a dogwood tree but never have. I think I will take a picture of a dogwood branch and create a layer, setting the bird on my branch. Some would say it is cheating but if an artist can paint it the way they want it, why can't we create it with Photoshop?

Here is a brown thrasher that must be nesting nearby. I see him (or her) in the flower beds almost every day.

Beautiful peony Dave! Love the Papa shot. Good one of the Brown Thrasher!

Great job with the four shots together. Gosh, it sounds like a lot of work, but well worth it for this picture.

Your peony is beautiful. Love this color. I'm still waiting for my white one to open.

Great job with the Thrasher too!

Here is a shot of one of the nestlings taken this afternoon:. Day 13. I probably won't peek in on them again for fear they may fledge prematurely. It was 90 degrees here today and is going to be 90 again tomorrow. I know it must be hot and crowded for the six of them in that nest box.

Fantastic pictures Dave. This weather is something else! Hot and cold recipe for turbulence weather to come. Best wishes with those babies Blues. It must be hot for them.

Very sweet nestlings!

All your bird photos are terrific, and the swallows were a rare treat!

Carolina wrens are adorable in their movement.

Beautiful photos and the babies are so sweet! I wanted to thank you for all I have learned from your postings about Bluebirds!!

You're very welcome, Rose. How are your blues doing this season? Seems for some reason the nesting season comes earlier in the midwest than here. Is that the case this year too?

Boston, I just went back and looked at my pictures of the swallows and I now see there were barn swallows flying among the tree swallows. Here is a shot with both.

Another shot of a barn swallow.

And lastly, a great blue heron, with a few of the swallows in the background.

A few shots from yesterday.

Papa

I have inflight shot envy!!

Dave, our first clutch of 5 fledged 10 days ago and the female has already built a new nest and laid 4 eggs!! She had 4 nests last year and I think she may be going for a record this year. The baby Blues have started to come to the worm feeder which is now right outside my kitchen window. DH thinks I will have them in the house before too long!! LOL!

I am looking for to your fledge day...best of luck getting all the shots!

Wonderful shots Dave! You did such a great job getting those Swallows! Love the Great Blue Heron and of course your Bluebirds!

Great shots of the swallows, bbs and heron. I watch my swallows every day and it's rare that I can get them in flight with this camera.

All very nice Dave.

I have a young Sorbet peony. Not blooming yet, but I'll send a picture for comparison if you want. Of course there's plant files…

Wonderful to see your birds photography Dave. I wonder how six can survive in such small enclosure!!!

Raining here today so photo opportunities are limited.

The following three pictures are of the type some people call "Blue Angels," I guess because with the wings extended they somewhat resemble an angel you see atop a Christmas tree. Actually, he was wing-waving as his mate approached.