Hummingbirds

I thought the hummingbirds would never arrive.  They finally showed up on June 27th.  I wan't sure what kind as the female was the first to arrive.  All I could really see was her green back.  Heck that could have been any thing.

Finally on June 29 the male rested in the tree outside the front door and I was able to tell it was a Rufous Hummingbird.  Took a picture, but I didn't have enough lens to get much more than a figure in a tree.

Ah, now I'm on a mission . . . get a close up of a hummingbird.  LOL, not so easy.  Little buggers are fast and small.  Put camera on tripod, give up ability to quickly get the bird in the frame.  Don't put camera on tripod and risk shake and blur.  Then there's the problem of the camera wanting to think for you.  If you don't set it up just right, it will focus on some thing you really don't want it to, like the tree behind the hummingbird.  For this shot I made the mistake of using the "action" setting.  It is suppose to "anticipate" motion and set a high enough speed.  What I didn't realize was that the focus shifts as you move.  So, I tried to set the focus on the feeder, then move to the bird.  The hummer was too small for the sensor, so the camera shifted the focus to the trees.  Yikes, NOT what I wanted.

Hmm, I know there is a setting that will give me decent speed and allow me to set the focus before moving and snapping.  Let's try "P".  Automatic exposure, adjustable settings.  Ah, sounds good.  Try it, then move on if that doesn't work.  Hey, I'm 60 plus years old, you don't expect me to actually understand this stuff do you?  I did that 40 years ago with film and dark rooms.  Yeah, really.

So, I sit and sit and wait and wait.  Miss a couple shots.  Hmm, there's this thing called "burst" shooting.  Lets try that.  Ah, ha!  Got him.  Now I'm happy, really happy!

The next day, I'm sitting inside and notice that they are checking out the flowers.  How cool would that be, a picture with a flower instead of the feeder?  So, I get the camera, find a place that isn't too conspicuous and wait.  And wait.  I'm ready for the flower, he goes for the feeder and continues to go to the feeder.  Apparently the flower just didn't taste as good.  Glad the stuff in the feeders has vitamins and minerals cause they are scarfing it down.

Shift focus to feeder.  The female has been very wary about my being out there.  I would really like to get her so people can see the difference.  I'm trying to hide, but she knows I'm there.  Finally, she makes an approach.  I'm ready, she sees me, she's gone.  BUT, I got a piece of her, well actually all of her except her tail.  Not bad.

Oh, yeah, you know I'm gonna get her.  I shift to the other feeder where I can hide better.  I wait and wait and my legs go to sleep.  Ah, one of them flew by.  I'm ready.



Yeah, I got her!

Okay, I'm content and happy.  I can die now.  But, if I don't, my new mission is the Quail family.  There has been a Coopers Hawk taking out Doves and probably the Quail too.  So, they are REALLY skittish.  I watched them pass through and they must have 20 babies with them.  Hardly worth the Hawks time, though mom and dad might be.  Gonna try to catch the family.  In some ways that may be harder than the hummers because they are on the ground and quick as all get out.  We'll see!

Oh, in case any one is interested, I did all this with my Sony HX100V.  I love this camera.  I almost never have to adjust exposure or anything.  It has a Carl Zeis lens and it takes fabulous pictures.  May not be professional quality but pretty darn good amateur photos.

Later . . .

Moving on to Summer

Well summer is here.  It's been a rather unsettled spring.  Mostly cold with a few days, here and there that have been warm and comfortable.  Have to admit that I've gotten just a bit tired of being cold, I'm ready for warmth, but, around here, summer means HOT.  Ah, well.

So, the most exciting news of the last month is that I've finally found the Osprey nest on the upper Deschutes.  This pair had a nest right on the bank 3 years ago, but it fell to the ground during the following winter.  I've searched for their new nest for 2 years now with out success.  I knew they were still there because I saw them regularly.

I was riding my Arabian mare fixing a geocache that I own on the river when I first spotted an Osprey nest near the cache.  I watched for a while but saw no activity.  Still, I'll keep an eye on it.  Then a mile down the road after letting my mare get a drink, I saw a second nest and this one was active with an Osprey making a lot of noise concerning my proximity.

I must have walked with in 100 feet of that nest 2 dozen times in the last two years searching for it.  The new perspective from on top of the horse combined with an awful lot of noise from the Osprey made it impossible to NOT find.  Not sure if the horse was bothering her or she just was feeling like making a lot of noise on this particular evening.

I got a couple camera shots of her.  I was a second late on both.  The first she was flying off and away from the nest.  One second earlier and I would have had a great shot.  Still, it's a good picture.  The second, she's landing on the nest.  One second earlier and I would have had her in the air, reaching for the nest.  Instead, you see the nest and have to look hard to see her wing still in the air as she is folding it after landing.  Ah, the fun of photographing wildlife!  Every once in a while your timing is perfect and you do get the perfect shot though.  Just not on this day.  LOL.

At any rate, she had either just laid or was about to lay eggs.  I saw two young Osprey playing on the river not far from the nest.  Suspect they were last years young.  I also saw one other adult, probably dad.  Still not sure about that other nest, will have to continue checking on it.

Well, I'd better get to work.  Later.

May Snow Storm

Well, it's been an interesting May 25th.  It snowed all morning.  No biggie, it is central Oregon at 4300 foot elevation, so, not all that unusual.  Still, it's been mostly a cool spring and I'm ready for some heat.

May 25, 2012 Snow storm

Because of the snow, the birds were slow to come out to feed.  Don't blame them.  they started to come out around noon.

There's been quite a procession of birds since then.  Started with Chipping Sparrows, then Mt. Chickadees, Mourning Dove, Calif. Quail, Robins, Junco's and so forth.

Then around 4pm, the bird I've been waiting for all spring stopped for a quick look.  The male Western Tanager in full regalia.  Oh, he was sooo bright. Didn't get a photo of him today, but I will soon.

Yellow-pine Chipmunk

Then two of the reasons I really should not be putting food out during the spring and summer showed why.   I had put a few sunflower seeds out for the Junco's and Chickadees.  I've removed the suet and only put out a little at a time to keep the squirrels and chipmunks at bey.  Yeah, like that works!

The first to stop by was a female Yellow-pine Chipmunk.  She filled those cheek sacks to overflowing.  When I sent the dog out to chase her off, she went under the car.  Oh, great, I just got the damage from last year fixed.

Yellow-pin Chipmunk

Yes, they are cute, but they dig burrows every where and do a LOT of damage.  Never had problems when the cats were around, but with them gone, there is an explosion, and that's even if I don't feed the birds.  The horses drop grain, hay seed . . . they think they have found heaven.  With the dogs, I can't put poison out and while Jack the Jack Russell Terrier is persistent, he's not really all that good at hunting them.  Sigh.

So, next to show up was a Western Grey Squirrel.  I don't mind them all that much, except that they will eat you out of house and home given half a chance.  I've managed to set up most of my bird feeders so they can't get to the seed.  But the one where the winter suet goes is easy pickin's for them.  That's where I'll put a handful of seed now and again.

Western Grey Squirrel

They do have a pretty awesome tail.  I think this one is a female.  They had stopped coming in to this feeder because I had removed the suet.  But two days ago, I started putting a few peanuts out for the Jays and sunflower seeds for the little guys.  Two days.  Yeah, doesn't take long for word to get out.

Western Grey Squirrel

In two photos she is standing up and you can see her neck.  It looks like she has an injury.  In the one photo, it's clearly red.  A few minutes after taking this photo, another Grey came in and appeared to chase her off.  I say appeared because they could have been playing.  I've seen them come in and play before, but this time wasn't clear which.  Any way, one of them came back a half hour later.

Well, darn, I'm going to have to stop feeding in close at any rate.  I do so enjoy the birds.

Western Grey Squirrel

After posting this, after the sun set, I went out to find clear skies and a waxing crescent moon.  Wasn't sure if my camera would take a decent photo, but decided to try.  It's okay, worth ending the post with any way.

Goldeneye, Second Color and Sunshine

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted.  Well, winter is dead time.  Hunker down and survive the ice.  The last few years the winters have been warm.  It snows, the temperature goes up, the snow melts, freezing nights and ice, lots of ice.  I went down and knocked myself out a couple years ago.  Woke up with the dogs all sitting there looking at me.  It's the only thing I don't like about living here.


So, spring is early this year.  First good hot weekend.  Cleaning the horse paddocks, raking the needles.  Any one tells you that evergreen trees are no work, you tell them they don't know nuthin!  Twice a year you have to rake those buggers up.


Spring bird migration is in full swing.  Twenty four birds on this years list so far.  Most colorful were a flock of Evening Grosbeak.  They're still here.  The Yellow Rumped Warbler was here only one day and moved on.  They were here several days last year.  Cowbird showed up today.  They're pretty but have to feel sorry for the family that they switch eggs with.  Well, not switch, they dump their eggs and lay their own.  The last two years a pair of Oregon Junco's raised the Cowbird baby.  Felt so bad for the Junco, being harassed by a chick half again as big as it.  Ah, well, that's nature.

Added a new bird to my list, a Barrow's Goldeneye.  I've seen the Common Goldeneye from time to time but thought this one couple looked different.  They wouldn't come in close enough for me to be sure, but when I got the picture on the computer, I was sure, a pair of Barrow's Goldeneye.

   
The flowers have been slow to come up.  A single yellow crocus  came up a month ago and is long gone. Found "second" color a couple days ago.  Not sure what it is, but it's pretty.

Third color just came up, hasn't opened up yet.  It looks like a really small red tulip. 

I have several Peony plants.  They seem to really like the hot dry climate.  One comes up about 3 weeks before the others.  It's red and produces seeds which friends have been successful in planting and growing.  The others are all pink and don't produce seeds.  The red one has broken ground and is growing so fast.  Will have flowers before you know it.


So glad it's warm and the snow is mostly gone.  Start hiking, riding, geocaching and spending time outside.  Maybe I'll lose some of these winter pounds now.  Sigh.  


Evening Grosbeak

First color