We spent lots of time on the back patio during May 2020 as we complied with the "Stay at Home" orders. Every situation has a "Silver Lining" and in this case, we took the time to enjoy the wildlife that has always been available to us if we only took the time to observe it.
Photography is a hobby for me but I had never seriously tried to take photos of birds other than what I ran into as we traveled. I found that it isn't really easy to take the kind of photos that I wanted. The colors and textures of the bird's bodies have to be shot at close range to get sharp images but the birds don't like to pose.
My 400 mm lens isn't enough to get the detail I want from the 50-60 feet I have to be from the birds. The shutter noise on the camera also scares them away if the camera is too close. I ended up buying a wireless remote shutter release that attaches to my camera. The camera is on a tripod far enough away from the birds that it doesn't frighten them but close enough to get sharp images.
Checking out the seeds
He selected a sunflower seed
Our Oriole feeder has spikes for attaching sliced fruit, bowls for meal worms and grape jelly, and then a reservoir for sugar water. They love it all.
The wild turkey has some of the prettiest plumage but its head and neck are straight out of a horror show.
A diverse feeder. The birds generally share well.
