Time to start bluebirding thread number 4

Nice.

I am just catching up on the blue bird story and I am really enjoying it. Dave you have some kind of patience! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and photos.

The pictures are sensational. The stories informative and interesting. Wonderful. Thanks for posting.

Thanks everyone, for all the nice comments. Mama came out for a few minutes just now to stretch. Here are a few candids.

And, three

And here's Papa.

All of these are soft since it is still quite early.

From the rear

Last one

Thanks for the story and picture updates. I'm personally happy hearing lots of details!

You're very welcome. Here's one more, probably taken from too close a distance.

Beautiful pics! Thank you!!

Love that shot of momma there. I know how she feels!! lol

This is very exciting to follow this BB family along. Great of you to do this Dave, thank you for sharing!

Gray and overcast this afternoon, and I'm stuck on the computer, doing taxes. So here are a few from a few weeks ago.

Another

One last shot, then I'll look for some of the female.

Here's one, also from a few weeks ago.

And another

Great shots! The female is so beautiful!

Thanks. I'm going back to some more shots I took several weeks ago, but haven't looked at until now.

Here's another.

Oh I love that second one!

This one is from last November. The blurred red is from a maple in the distance and the spider web...

One more of Mama.

Beautiful as always...I love the female and think she is beautiful!

Yes, I'm starting to forgive her for being a homewrecker!!

LOL, yes it is hard to stay mad at her isn't it.

Yep!!! I'm a sucker for a cute face. :D

Everytime I check this topic photographer Dave is at it again. Unbelievable pictures! Keep it up, Dave. Your catching them mid-air must be very difficult.

At our place near Columbus, Tx, we built 42 blue bird houses and did increase our numbers, but they must be very particular about the location, so early this year, we moved about 15 of them.

Dave, the photos are magnificent. You've probably discussed your photography in the past, but could you just answer a couple questions? Is the bird box near your home? Are you taking the shots out a window? Or zoom lense? I'm wondering how you get so close without the birds flying away. They just seem to pose for you!

Hi Flowerette. Do you have nesting blue birds now, too? I'm so envious of you southerners enjoying them so early.

Dave, and anyone else with this experience, you took photos last November, do the blue birds stay all winter in your area? My understanding is that they typically migrate into the Connecticut area from wester NY. However, I saw 7 males at a nature preserve in the middle of our urban area on Feb. 9th - pretty chilly, snowy day. They were hanging with the cardinals. I was told if they can find open water they'll stay around. Our last couple of winters have been "mild" and some have stuck around.

Hi OP, I'm sure Dave will be along a little later to answer your questions.

Pelle :-)

Yah, Dave, maybe you can link them to an old thread!!!

OPbirder:
Sorry, I have been up in Northern Virginia all day and just saw your posts.

Yes, our BB's stay with us all year round. I think it is mainly because I feed them and provide them water all year round. I leave the nestbox up all the time and every morning, all winter long, without fail, the two adults come and perch on the nestbox and stay there as long as there are other potiental tenants in the area. If any bird dares land on the nestbox, even in the winter, the blues are there immediately to chase it away.

The nestbox is located about 30 feet from the house and is turned away from the weather and in plain view from our breakfast nook. I shoot through the window in winter and often shoot through the open window when the weather is nice. I have three cameras loaded all the time. One has a 400mm lens, another a 300mm and on the third I use a 500mm or a 70-200 zoom, depending on the action. (The 500mm will not autofocus closer than about 15 feet, and sometimes the action is much closer than that). Usually one camera is mounted on a tripod inside the breakfast nook and another tripod is on the deck or out in the yard, both aimed at a perch or the birdhouse or at some point where the birds often land. I control the one outside with a wireless remote. The third camera I have positioned where I can grab it if a photo op presents itself and I usually shoot that one through the window. If I go out in the yard, to work in the flower beds, for example, I will take it with me.

The mealworms are presented in a wire cage type feeder that is velcro'd to the railing on the deck, about six to eight feet from the window. The wire cage is necessary to keep the starlings and mockingbirds from eating all of them. The birds are very used to coming that close to the window. They are waiting when I get up each morning and sometimes fly to within four or five feet while I am putting out the worms. I buy 10 thousand mealworms every 2 weeks. The blues don't eat that many but I also have titmice, downy woodpeckers,chickadees, carolina wrens, song sparrows, and of course, house sparrows that line up for a treat. The only ones I discourage are the house sparrows.

I am always looking for new props to use so I can catch the birds in a different setting. I bought this pink flower-looking bowl, attached to a small shepherd's hook-like base. I put it out in the yard and put a few mealworms in it. This shot was taken about 2 minutes later. So I guess in a way they do pose for me.

Dave

And this fellow showed up as soon as Papa left.

Another shot Papa before he left.

Nice shots Dave! I love the way the pink flower cup goes w/ the beautiful blue on the Bluebird!

Yes, I was hoping it would. They had it in orange and yellow too.

Here's Papa in a more typical pose.

And another. These were all taken after we got home late this afternoon.