Backyard Birding... Sometimes, You Just Get Lucky
If you're a frequent reader of this blog, you already know that I ain't no Ansel Adams when it comes to cameras. And given the high winds today, I assumed that my pictures would take on an even more-than-usual blurriness. Still, I was intent to get some good closeups of our new bluebird guests using the remote, motion-activated NovaBird camera.
So, out came the NovaBird gear, including the 6' mounting board I clamp to the deck railing to jut the rig into the native 15" - 18" focal length to the feeder. So far, so good. But as always, I struggled to get power to the 'Bird - nothing that a multimeter, half an hour, and a spare extension cord couldn't fix... And there it was... both camera and feeder swaying in the breeze. (Keep in mind that the gadget's automatic shutter snaps every ten seconds if there's any movement.)
At this point, if you sense a tinge of skepticism, you're right. There was no doubt that there would be hundreds of shots; and fate being fate, virtually all of them would be blurry images of an empty feeder. As day turned to dusk, it was time to break down the assembly. And as if the whole project hadn't been "iffy" enough, I discovered that a squirrel had discovered that the mounting board made for a dandy trampoline onto the feeder. Oh goody...
And this is where the luck comes in... We caught almost 400 pics, and of those, at least a dozen were quite good. (I've already uploaded them into our free Flickr library in the "Favorite Bird Photos" area.) That was near miraculous. On a good day, just 2 or 3 keepers is considered a win.
So enjoy the bluebirds, the downy, and even the squirrel... (The squirrel shots alone hold yet another post!)
See you by those serendipitous feeders,
CapeCodAlan
eBirdseed.com photo library
Comments
Gorgeous shots, and I simply can't wait to get your story on the squirrel (so there's a downside to that feeder design after all...). Cheers!
{CCA replies: Thanks concerning the photos... It's been a while since I mentioned it, but many of the pics in our library are of high enough resolution that they make for excellent Windows Desktop images... I use one of the grackle photos on our kitchen computer, and the wife has a fantastic heron pic she took when she was out in her kayak as her Desktop on her machine.
Yeah, my next post will probably be about the squirrel... Funny stuff.
As for the feeder design... Actually, the design is fine... The problem is that in order for me to get the remote camera within 15" of the feeder, I have to use the board that holds the camera within 15" of the feeder, and that's easy jumping distance for the squirrels when they climb out on the board. So after I get my pictures, I have to remove the board. When I do write the post about this, I'll include photos so that you can see the contraption. Like I said, funny stuff.
Best wishes,
CCA}
Posted by: Melissa | January 9, 2009 10:58 PM