Daily Pictures Vol. 443

Chillybean, yes, baby birds went with me everywhere! Older birds recovering from injuries could eat on their own. I only dealt with a few mammals, mostly birds, due to my space limitations.

It's great that most of the baby Barn Swallows made it. I remember you told the story of the one that kept falling out of the nest in another thread...poor little thing, but you guys sure tried everything you could to keep it safe.

We did get some rain and based on an empty flower pot tray that is now full, I would say it was probably about a half-inch. I guess it really stormed southwest of us (hail, too). We didn't get as much as I hoped for, but enough to help since we're on water restrictions. Our rainbarrel is now overflowing, but it was nearly full before the rain...I've been using it sparingly. Had I known with certainty we'd get rain, I would have used more of it up.

Just stopping by to say, "Hello". I haven't been taking very many photos recently. Too busy and too hot. Bird activity is at a minimum. I did get my Nikon D800 but haven't spent a lot of time getting familiar with it. I immediately ran into a problem in that my Photoshop Elements 8 and Lightroom 3 software would not open a RAW image. I thought a RAW image was a RAW image but such is not the case. So, I need to buy upgraded versions.

I did play around a little with Hummingbirds. These photos were taken at 1/8000's of a second with a 500mm lens. Lighting was not too good for that speed so I had to lighten the photos quite a bit. I was told that to get good action photos of Hummingbirds one needs additional lighting like that provided with a "Better Beamer". A colorful male or two would also help the image but it seems most of them are young and/or females.

Great pics of the hummingbird. I'd guess the files were downsized a bit for uploading, if taken with a D800!
No more osprey pictures yet but if I get any I'll post them.

Hi Linth,

Wow, great hummer shots. Even got a shot of the ants. LOL

Love the Hummer shots Linth!

This is about the time the males begin to migrate south so you might not see too many other than those migrating down from Canada and immature males. We're still seeing some local males, but we haven't had as many Hummers this year, male or female. The weather has been so unusually hot...maybe some of them just continued north? It's possible we will all start seeing more Hummers as the weather cools a bit. One can only hope...

Sorry, hard to get on with the girls here all the time!! lol

Yes, the bath is the top of a pedestal type. I just do that because I had one before and the raccoons broke it by pulling it over. I found someplace that had extra tops and I got it for $20.

Linth, those hummer pics are SUPER! Congrats on the new camera, if those hummer shots are any indication, then I'd say the D800 does a fantastic job.

Hack

Haid the camera out this weekend.

1. Cardinal in flight, but my shutter speed wasn't set fast enough to really freeze the action.

2, Male Ruby-throated hummer

3. Female Ruby-throated hummer

4. I moved a few of my feeders to another place in my yard - moved the feeders to make room for a new one. A chickadee has already found them.

5. Here's the new feeder. It holds a "ton" of Black Oil Sunflower seed. This Brown-headed Nuthatch is the first bird I've seen on it.

Hack

This message was edited Aug 6, 2012 1:03 PM

Nice photos Hack. By the way, I'm not worried about the D800 ..... I'm worried about me !

DMersh, the original photo is 7360 x 4912. The uploaded files are approximately 1000 x 600.

Our Osprey will soon be heading toward South America so I thought I might as well photograph a few before they leave. When we are babysitting our grandchildren at their house, I am in walking distance to an Osprey nest. Here are a few photos from Friday. I have to work somewhat on the ISO. I shot these using shutter priority at 1/2500 sec. and an ISO of 1800 but that combination gave me an aperture reading of f/22. I should have been using a much lower ISO.

Oh, man, linth - that last photo defies description - WOW!

Hack

Hack - Love the pics...especially the two Hummer shots! Is your new feeder one of those that collapses flat when you're not using it? Nice. I guess you got your order. How do you like the other items?

Chillybean - Have you gotten your order yet from FF?

Linth - Those Osprey pics are absolutely AMAZING!!

I saw a baby Goldfinch this morning just outside my bedroom window. It was eating seed from some Monarda flowers that I had planned to deadhead (guess I'll leave them). I most often see the Goldfinches on my Echinacea (coneflowers), one of their favorites. I leave lots of dried flowers of all types at the end of the season for the birds, but while plants are still blooming I try to deadhead so they'll make more blooms. It's a tradeoff that I try to balance. Anyway, I wasn't able to get a good shot through both the window and the screen.

Nutsaboutnature,
Yes! I did. It arrived Saturday. The nesting material looks the same as what you posted. Our rain barrels are filled up again. We were empty. My husband is looking to get some that are on clearance at Menards- something to put by the backdoor where we don't have any yet.
I planted coneflowers, cardinal flowers and black-eyed susans. The coneflowers didn't make it, but the others are doing well. Are there any birds who eat black-eyed susans?

Linth, your photos are amazing!

Hack, do you feed Jays? Have you ever seen them go to a feeder like your new one? Our woodpeckers and nuthatch will go to the mesh type feeders, but the Jays (and Thrashers) only go to the platform. It's been nuts (haha) with the grackles and starlings showing up again, but I don't know what to do to keep them away.

This is an older picture taken by my little photographer. It's not great, but he's always thought this one hysterical. The Dove comes in for a landing and the Goldfinch pops off.

Chillybean - Goldfinches will eat the seed from Black-eyed Susans. We have some right next to Coneflowers. They're particularly fond of the Coneflowers, but will eat the BE Susans as well and, in fact, I just saw a female eating the seeds a little while ago.

We have lots of Blue Jays. They spend much of the time eating whole corn and sunflower seeds off the ground, but they do come to most types of our feeders, including the mesh ones. They also come to drink from the birdbaths.

Our Red-winged and other Blackbirds and Starlings are mostly gone, now except for an occasional visit. They'll start coming back again as it gets closer to Autumn. During Spring and Summer we always have one feeder with Safflower seed which the Blackbirds don't eat (the shell is too hard). It's always either a tray-type feeder or a tube or mesh-type with a tray so the Cardinals and Doves can use it as well as the smaller birds.

nutsaboutnature. Yes on both questions. The new feeder does in fact fold up flat, I guess about an inch thick. My little feeders keep me going - they run out pretty fast. The new feeder should last for a while, before I have to refill it. AND I did get the bedding material, w/ hanger cage, I just haven't out it out yet. Did you say it could be put out now, or should I wait for spring.

Chillybean, except the platform feeder, it's rare that I see a Jay on my other types of feeders. When I put out a few shelled peanuts (or even unshelled peanuts) on the platform feeder a jay will land for a moment, get it's morsel and take off for a tree branch. Most of the time my jays fly from tree to ground and back up to the tree. It is not unusual to see them getting the spillage that is on the ground under my feeders. Now, the Brown Thrashers, hop around on the ground, kicking up leaves left and right. They usually stay near the shrubbery's edge, but now and then one will venture out into the yard, and get some spillage, too.

Hack

Hack - Yes, definitely put at least a little out now. Goldfinches are late nesters...late Summer to early Autumn (they're nesting now). I see the Goldfinches using the nesting fluff every day...it's so cute to watch the way they pull it out and fly off with a beak-full!

If it were me, I'd put some of it in a suet cage near where they eat and save the large holder till next Spring so it's nice and fresh when there are lots of birds using it. Then next year you can determine if you want to leave the large holder up longer.

Thanks, nutsaboutnature, I'll take your advice - makes sense to me.

Hack

1- I caught this Mockingbird as it was about to fly away. Never did get another shot of it.

2 and 3 are of a Downy Wp. I leave the suet in the container and then put it in the holder. I do that so the wp will not stay on the backside, where I can't see it. In #2 this poor wp, pecked, and pecked and pecked at the plastic case before (#3) finally moving around to the front.

Hack

Well, it's rainy and overcast here in Dixie. Took a few pics, thought I post 'em.

1- Here's a female House Finch, looks like she's been in a wind storm.

2 and 3- I changed the sugar water in the hummer feeder and I guess this male Ruby-throated Hummer enjoyed the cool drink. He stayed a lot longer than usual. Wish the sun had been out to see the red throat.

4- Now, here's something I don't see very often - Tufted Titmice on the plateform feeder. I guess they haven't found, or gotten used, to the new feeder, yet. In fact, the only bird I've seen on the new feeder, so far, is a Brown-headed Nuthatch. I'm looking forward to the return on the Goldfinches.

Hack - Looks like you're getting more comfortable with the new camera. I like all the pics, but the two of the Hummer with his wings flapping are special!

Don't be too surprised if it takes a while for the birds to get used to the new feeder. Birds are creatures of habit and sometimes even a slight change can throw them off for a bit. The Nuthatches and Chicadees tend to be more daring (and also more tame). It's not uncommon for them to be the first birds you'll see at a new feeder.

Our Goldfinches are everywhere right now so here are a couple more pics. The 2nd one isn't very good, but I liked their poses. The Hummer female was taken through a double pane window. Unfortunately the sun kind of blew out the highlights.

I have been lurking on and off. You have all posted some nice assortment of birds and some great tips, and great pics.

Soon we will be seeing more migrating birds, and I am looking forward for some unusual ones. Last year I got the Northern Parula Warbler and the Eastern Towhee as lifer, In spring it was the Indigo Bunting. I wonder which one I'll be getting this Fall???? :)

One I usually see mostly in Spring, brought its fledge to the yard this week. Only for one day. It's the Evening Grosbeak! It was a nice surprise. Not the best of pic, I was sitting under the tree and leaves got in the way.
Second is one of the fledge
Third is the Black-capped Chickadee
Fourth I have a lot of Purple finches
Song Sparrow for the last one.

Yep, nutsaboutnature, I kind'a figured it would take them a little while to start using the new feeder. Today, I observed a male house finch on the new feeder. Oh, and I really liked the pic of the hummer.

Hi, burn, nice pics. Seeing your shot of the purple finch made me wonder when I'll be seeing some. I need to look back in my folders and see when my last year pics were taken. Your Black-capped dees look just like my Carolina dees.

Hack

It rained nearly all day. The birds turned out, so I got the camera, sat on the porch and enjoyed the show.

1- It may be a mean, but a male House Sparrow is a handsome bird.

2- Lots of robins were out getting worms. Here's what I think is a male.

3- I spied motion up the tree were a suet cage hung. I spotted this male Downy Woodpecker.

4- The Brown Thrash stayed long enough that I could get its picture.

5- Now, this is the first Carolina Wren I've seen this year. I heard it, first. If it's size matched it noise, it would be the size of a turkey.

Hack

Very nice pics, Burn! That is soooo cool about the Evening Grosbeak and its fledge. It's a shame they didn't stay longer. Maybe they're starting to migrate and stopped by for some good food!

Hack - sure wish we'd get more rain. Nice pics! Your birds were probably multi-tasking...eating while they took showers...ha, ha. I'm going to have to check online to find the song of a Carolina Wren.

Here are a few pics I took this morning.

1) Another double-pane window shot of a female Hummer (I have to clean my windows!).

2) and 3) The next two were much too far away for decent shots, but since Chillybean had asked if any birds eat the seeds from Black-eyed susans, I thought I'd go ahead and post these. The Goldfinches almost blend right in with the blooms!



This message was edited Aug 8, 2012 10:48 AM

Hack, our Robins have long not been able to get worms in our dry weather, but they're finding something.

Nutsaboutnature... You don't need to clean your windows.. I've read that's a great way to keep birds from crashing into them, since they cannot see the reflection of what's behind them. I have bird tape up, but appreciate any excuse to not clean my windows. I do need to do the yearly clean on the front window before our turn for church since there's mud and such from when the swallows nested here.

My son's photos are getting shared more than mine. He took a great one yesterday of what we believe an Eastern Phoebe on the clothes line. It looks to have a bit of facial hair. :)

Hi all, haven't been around much, it's so nice to know there are many pics. to enjoy in our thread here. The Duck is too funny sharing the pool there Margaret. Thank you Chillybean for the new thread, and your young son is doing such good job! Awww, I've missed my Goldfinches, please send some my way please. For this past week, I've this female Summer Tanager visiting the suet. There has been days that I didn't hang the suet quick enough. She would come by and pecked at the cage as if saying "Suet please". lol. Duc, love your many variety of birds as always. Hack and Nutaboutnature, I love your discussion and many photos.

I like seeing your Thrasher and Wren, I haven't seen either of them here. I doubt I'd get a Wren, but might someday see a Thrasher in this area.
Thanks Nuts. Love the shot of your Hummer! I think your little goldfinch might have been munching on bugs, cause the flowers are to pretty to be setting seeds right now. But they will eat the seeds of the flowers too. I've seen them on mine. I've also seen them feasting on aphids, on my Ninebark. Great little helpers!!!
Chilly what a superb shot, you son took of the Pheobe.
Congrat on the Summer Tanager, Lily.

This is from a couple of days ago.
An Handsome male Evening Grosbeak, and a juvie Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Nutsaboutnature, I loved the shot of the goldfinch on your Black-eyed Susans. I may try planting me some. Is your Black-eyed Susan plot very large? In full sunlight?

Man, Chillybean, your son is doing a great job. Do we have a budding shutter bug, lol?

Hi, Lily, that Summer Tanager is nice. Makes me wonder if I'll maybe have one visit someday. Anything special in that suet?

burn - that sure is a cute juvie Yellow-bellied Sapsucker you captured.

Hack

Lily, that Summer Tanager is a beauty and I see you got a bonus Red-bellied Woodpecker in the pic!

Ooh, burn, that Evening Grosbeak really is a handsome guy and the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is lovely, as well, especially on that very pretty tree branch!

You're right about the Goldfinches being helpful. We have tons of them right now and I love it. They sing constantly. This year they've also taken a liking to the seed of my Monarda so I've decided to leave the dried blooms standing. We're starting to see more Hummers and it's wonderful. We had much fewer than normal for most of the Summer.

Chillybean, I don't have much problem with birds flying into my windows. We have blinds and open the slats for a nice view, but rarely open the entire blinds. I open them entirely in the kitchen, but it's never caused any problems.

Hack - My Black-eyed Susans are in a long, narrow raised bed that my husband built along our neighbor's fence. They don't cover a very large area. They're now about 3-1/2 ft X 4-1/2 ft, but I only started with two scrawny plants about 5 years ago...they really spread. The first Spring they were planted they didn't get real big, but the next year they really "popped". I will probably divide them this year and find another place for some. I've also been told that you can grab a flower head and "crush" the seeds wherever you want to grow more. The gardener that told me this said the seeds are very "potent" and will grow quickly.

Most of my yard is various degrees of shade. I have one small bed in full-sun at the back of the house. The Black-eyed Susans have always been in a shady area with some occasional sun and it hasn't seemed to make a difference. Last year one of our neighbor's large trees split after a storm (landed on our garden shed, but that's another story). Now that bed has more sun. I picked a variety that only gets about 2 ft tall...it might be 'Goldsturm'.

Thanks, nuts, I'll check out the variety of B-e Susan.

I went to a local pond / picnic area and took some pics.

1- saw lots of female mallards.

2- got a close-up of one of them.

3- spotted this Great Blue Heron.

4- here's one weird looking duck - a Muscovy Duck (thanks, nutsaboutnature for the ID)

5- g ot a close-up of the weird looking duck.

This message was edited Aug 9, 2012 1:53 PM

Hack, those are some great pics...nice close-ups!!
For anybody that's curious, here's my post from this morning in "Critters Big and Small Vol. 12" where I talk about the Muscovy Ducks.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=9235510

I have some more pics to share.

1- I saw this Canada Goose (and bunches of other C Geese) at the local pond / picnic area (called Cooper Creek Park). They are not tame, but they are very tolerant of humans. Because of the leash law, dogs don't harass them - little kids are another matter, lol - but the Geese can take care of themselves.

2- One of my regulars - a Cardinal, a male in this case. Still have a few juvies, with their gray beaks.

3- Another common bird as the house - a male House Finch.

4- I saw this Tufted Titmouse in the back, where I hung some new feeders.

5- I still have Ruby-throated Hummers around. This may be a juvy male, not sure - I think I see some red developing on its throat. It was raining, you can see one of the drops behind the little fellar.

Great shots, Hack!! I can see you're getting more comfortable with your new camera. The Tufted Titmouse is so fluffy & cute. Love the Hummer, but the poor little thing looks drenched!

Yep, nutsaboutnature, I'm enjoying the 7D. And you're right, the little Hummer was soaked to the bone, but it kept returning for the sugar water.

Hack

I'm way behind again, but sure enjoying going back through all these great pictures-great job everyone!

This mourning dove was sitting on the railing and looking at me through the window so I took its photo.
I just have a few lesser goldfinches that are checking out my garden for seeds.
My young black-headed grosbeaks are starting to get more coloring.
The anna's hummingbirds continue to love the fountains.

Great photos everyone! I do enjoy looking at them. Here is one of our baby crows with mom. There are nine crows now, and the babies are beginning to trust my voice and come to the patio to get peanuts.

nutsaboutnature and anyone else interested in Black-eyed Susans.

I saw some Blacked-eyed Susans in the curbside flower bed of a restaurant here in Columbus. Many of them were missing the petals, only had the black centers. The restaurant said I could cut some. I saw the following video on youtube and am going to use her method to get me some seeds out of those black centers. All I need are the centers, not the pretty flowers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtHX3BjKdow


nuts, is this what you see on your Black-eyed Susans?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L6Pn1EbhsI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh5zr55UDjU

Hack

This message was edited Aug 10, 2012 8:49 PM

Like your Crow photo, Countrymom! Crows are very intelligent. I've read some amazing stories of things they've done.

Hack, It's great that you were able to get some seed heads from Black-eyed Susans. Each one has tons of seeds. Thanks for sharing the link to the youtube video. That looks like an easy way to separate the seeds. The gardener that first told me about planting the seeds said all he does it crush the dried ones in his hand to release the seeds so I guess you can see which works better for you.

I loved watching the youtube videos of the Goldfinches...Thank You! Yes, they really do go at the seed heads just like that. It's great fun to watch. They particularly like coneflowers, but they'll eat the seeds from all sorts of flowers so I tend to leave a lot of them standing.

Wonderful photos everyone!

Countrymom, That is so neat that the Crows are starting to trust you. They are such intelligent birds!

Duc, Excellent detail in all your shots and the Hummingbird is just adorable!

Hack, Love the great variety of birds your seeing! Thanks for sharing them with us.

Burn, So nice to see the handsome Evening Grosbeak and Sapsucker!

Chilly, Your son is doing a great job taking the bird shots!

Nuts, I love the shot of the American Goldfinch eating seeds from the black-eyed susans! They are such sweet little birds.

Lily, Good to see the birds are keeping you informed about the feeders.

Linth, As always its a joy to see the Osprey!

Sorry, duc...I was so tired when I got off the computer last night, I completely forgot to mention your last 4 pictures! The detail is astounding and I love all of them. That Black-headed Grosbeak is stunning and the little Anna's Hummer in the fountain is too cute for words!