Birders' Nest

[owlice]

This morning I looked out of the bedroom window and there was Mrs Pheasant with a half dozen of her brood, looking not entirely unlike a group of grazing sauropods. Where was the camera? Downstairs, of course.

Swoosh down, grab camera, swoosh up (not so much of the swooshing coming up, actually), and ... all mini-pheasants gone but one. But I clicked. Clicked again to get a slightly better shot of Madame. And here they are. The poor quality is quite embarrassing actually, but when it comes to choosing acoustic guitars versus cameras, acoustic guitars tend to win, so I think I'm stuck with it.

Pheasantosaur!!! So beautiful, and a fluffosaur, too!

The photos are fine; seriously! In my book, so long as you can ID the bird, the picture is good.

[owlice]

Hope you get your hands on a 'better camera' some day, if such is your desire, but I must say you're doing a pretty sensational job with the one you already have!

Thanks! It really is the camera; all I do is point the thing and press a button. A better camera would be 10x what I spent on the P900; the photos would be better, but 10x better? In my hands?? Unlikely!!

If someone comes out with a good bridge camera that has bird detection/eye tracking and a great zoom that isn't multiple thousands, though, I might be tempted.

when it comes to choosing acoustic guitars versus cameras, acoustic guitars tend to win

The camera was not nearly as much as the acoustic guitar...    (Just sayin')

[owlice]

As I was leaving my previous lair, I heard a Yellow-billed Cuckoo calling from the woods behind my cabin. When I reached the end of the driveway, I was surprised (and delighted!) to see a Yellow-breasted Chat bathing in a puddle from the previous night's tremendous storms.


I stopped at one of the little parking spots along the road to check some ponds for waterfowl. Across the street, a gentleman seated at his tripod, coffee in hand, waved me over; he pointed out an immature Least Bittern that I surely would have missed on my own. (Looking for bitterns is usually a bitter experience; such secretive birds!)


An hour's walk (of only a half-mile) started with American Goldfinches feeding in the prairie brush.
Male

Female


The walk had plenty of Dickcissals and sparrows, Indigo Buntings and blackbirds, Mourning Doves on roofs and even a couple of Bobwhites in trees, but yellow was splashed all over the morning.

Orchard Oriole


Common Yellowthroat
Male

Female

[Elgarian Redux]

...

I stopped at one of the little parking spots along the road to check some ponds for waterfowl. Across the street, a gentleman seated at his tripod, coffee in hand, waved me over; he pointed out an immature Least Bittern that I surely would have missed on my own. (Looking for bitterns is usually a bitter experience; such secretive birds!)

Amazing. I've heard bitterns quite a few times, but only ever saw one once. And he was bloomin' hard to spot!
'There he is, through the reeds ... - just there. Bill pointing upwards.'
'Where? Where?'
'There!'
'But where?'
....

[Elgarian Redux]

Thanks! It really is the camera; all I do is point the thing and press a button. A better camera would be 10x what I spent on the P900; the photos would be better, but 10x better? In my hands?? Unlikely!!
...
The camera was not nearly as much as the acoustic guitar...    (Just sayin')

I am thinking about this. The camera will cost me less in replacement strings, won't it?

But seriously, I am thinking, albeit hesitantly, about it. I may come back to you shortly with a few thousand questions.

[Elgarian Redux]

Pheasantosaur!!! So beautiful, and a fluffosaur, too!

The photos are fine; seriously! In my book, so long as you can ID the bird, the picture is good.

Fluffosaur! Yes!  Perfect! I'm good at photographing fluff!

[owlice]

Amazing. I've heard bitterns quite a few times, but only ever saw one once. And he was bloomin' hard to spot!
'There he is, through the reeds ... - just there. Bill pointing upwards.'
'Where? Where?'
'There!'
'But where?'
....

Exactly!!

Bitterns be bitterns where'er they be
No matter what kind, they're difficult to see

I have photos of three (other) bitterns (two American, one Least), and they are all in the "bill pointing upwards" pose.

The other pose I've seen (two Least Bitterns [neither the one from yesterday] on two different continents) is this one; this bittern was quite far away:

[owlice]

I am thinking about this. The camera will cost me less in replacement strings, won't it?

But seriously, I am thinking, albeit hesitantly, about it. I may come back to you shortly with a few thousand questions.

I'm happy to answer questions I can answer. I know very little about photography and cameras, however, which is why I use the camera I use... !

But your camera seems to do just fine, seriously! If you were going on safari, maybe then, yeah, you'd want something with a bigger zoom, but are you going on safari? Or really wanting to photograph a lot of wildlife?

My prompt for getting the P900 was a safari, a much-anticipated long-time-in-coming safari I'd been thinking about since I was high school. I was spending what for me was a lot o' dough to go on it.... and I knew that the little camera I had was not going to work for it and I also knew that I'd want photos of what I was going to see, because doggone it, safaris don't happen in my life every day! So I spent what to me was a lot o' dough ($600) on the most expensive camera I'd ever bought. (Now superseded in expense by the P950, but that was a special circumstance and couldn't be helped.)

That you could photograph Mrs. Pheasantosaur so well from a window... well, you might have the best camera for your needs and wants in your hands already!

[Iota]

...I stopped at one of the little parking spots along the road to check some ponds for waterfowl. Across the street, a gentleman seated at his tripod, coffee in hand, waved me over; he pointed out an immature Least Bittern that I surely would have missed on my own. (Looking for bitterns is usually a bitter experience; such secretive birds!)



Common Yellowthroat
Female

More great photos, @owlice (even though I've only singled these two out). The claws on that Least Bittern are pretty fearsome looking things, and I really like the almost pastel colours on the female Yellowthroat, what a lovely little bird it is!

(Should I dare say that perhaps it's not so surprising that Bitterns are so secretive, they do say, 'Once bittern, twice shy' after all ...    I'll get me coat ..)

[Elgarian Redux]

I'm happy to answer questions I can answer. I know very little about photography and cameras, however, which is why I use the camera I use... !

But your camera seems to do just fine, seriously! If you were going on safari, maybe then, yeah, you'd want something with a bigger zoom, but are you going on safari? Or really wanting to photograph a lot of wildlife?

My prompt for getting the P900 was a safari, a much-anticipated long-time-in-coming safari I'd been thinking about since I was high school. I was spending what for me was a lot o' dough to go on it.... and I knew that the little camera I had was not going to work for it and I also knew that I'd want photos of what I was going to see, because doggone it, safaris don't happen in my life every day! So I spent what to me was a lot o' dough ($600) on the most expensive camera I'd ever bought. (Now superseded in expense by the P950, but that was a special circumstance and couldn't be helped.)

That you could photograph Mrs. Pheasantosaur so well from a window... well, you might have the best camera for your needs and wants in your hands already!

This is all eminent good sense -thank you very much for thinking so thoroughly about it - and in fact you've answered some of my questions already. What I should say, quite honestly, is that your photographs of birds make for a superb recommendation for the camera you're using. I won't mention your skill (art, even) because you say it's all in the camera, and that's what we're talking about for the moment.

Many years ago in the days of film, I had a smashing single lens reflex camera, which I abandoned very reluctantly when the digital compact automatic devices started to get so good. I never looked back after that. It was always the image I was interested in, rather than the photography, and the little Panasonics did the job with a lot less intervention from me. The portability (when I remember to pick it up) is another bonus.

I'll never go on a safari, and when I see an interesting bird, my first impulse is to get the best sighting I can. Photographing it is my second thought, rather than my first.

So I think between us, we've persuaded me to stick with my little TZ70. But it was a nice temporary dream, entirely inspired by the wonderful images you've been showing us. When I'm looking, day after day, at such fabulous bird images, it's a fairly natural impulse to start wondering.

[owlice]

More great photos, @owlice (even though I've only singled these two out). The claws on that Least Bittern are pretty fearsome looking things, and I really like the almost pastel colours on the female Yellowthroat, what a lovely little bird it is!

Male birds get a lot of excitement for their bright showy colors, with good reason, but I find that female birds are often more beautiful for the amazing subtleties and shades of and sometimes patterns on their feathers. The male American Redstart is an "oooo, what's that?!" bird; the female is not, but I am always thrilled to see her soft beauty.
Male

Another and another and another, with spider webs 

Female

Another and another and another, at nest

(Should I dare say that perhaps it's not so surprising that Bitterns are so secretive, they do say, 'Once bittern, twice shy' after all ...    I'll get me coat ..)

hahahaha!!

[owlice]

This is all eminent good sense -thank you very much for thinking so thoroughly about it - and in fact you've answered some of my questions already. What I should say, quite honestly, is that your photographs of birds make for a superb recommendation for the camera you're using. I won't mention your skill (art, even) because you say it's all in the camera, and that's what we're talking about for the moment.

You're welcome, and it's easy to prove that it's all in the camera. I know some others get much better photos than I do with the same equipment, because they have an artistic sense and better knowledge of the camera.

I know that you, within just a few hours -- or less -- with one of my cameras would easily match (or surpass) my photos. I have lent my cameras to many others (other people on the same tour I'm on, tour guides, one of the tour drivers, random students and university visitors...), and I've seen the images they've taken. More importantly, so have they... I've had a couple of people offer to buy the camera I've lent them, even one guy who said he'd pay whatever price I wanted!

I am reasonably sure you could borrow or rent a P950 and try it out. I wouldn't go to the P1100 or whatever it is, because that sucker is heavy and is IMO better suited to tripod use. Heck, if you're within a reasonable distance from London, you can try one of mine when I'm next there. (My son lives in London.)

So I think between us, we've persuaded me to stick with my little TZ70. But it was a nice temporary dream, entirely inspired by the wonderful images you've been showing us. When I'm looking, day after day, at such fabulous bird images, it's a fairly natural impulse to start wondering.

I'm sure you must have heard that the best camera is the one you have with you. It is ever so! 

[Elgarian Redux]

I'm sure you must have heard that the best camera is the one you have with you.

In my case it's the one I didn't have with me....

More tomorrow.

[Elgarian Redux]

You're welcome, and it's easy to prove that it's all in the camera. I know some others get much better photos than I do with the same equipment, because they have an artistic sense and better knowledge of the camera.

I know that you, within just a few hours -- or less -- with one of my cameras would easily match (or surpass) my photos. I have lent my cameras to many others (other people on the same tour I'm on, tour guides, one of the tour drivers, random students and university visitors...), and I've seen the images they've taken. More importantly, so have they... I've had a couple of people offer to buy the camera I've lent them, even one guy who said he'd pay whatever price I wanted!

I get it, I really do. But may I still say that the best of your photographs are not merely clear and colourful - they're exquisitely composed, with a sense of 'rightness' and a tautness of balance. This, for example is a magnificent image, worthy of a frame on anyone's wall:

I am reasonably sure you could borrow or rent a P950 and try it out.

Next time I'm near a camera shop, I will.

Heck, if you're within a reasonable distance from London, you can try one of mine when I'm next there. (My son lives in London.)

I live almost as far from London as it's possible to be while still being in England (though the people in Cumbria, yet further north, would scoff at that statement). 10 years ago I'd be in London a couple of times a year, haunting the galleries. And although I have no intention of going gentle into that good night, these days a journey to London is a more daunting prospect than it used to be. Still - will you let me know next time you're coming over here?

[Elgarian Redux]

There's a bunch of pigeons on the street. They've been around for years, causing trouble like  a Mohock gang in 18th Century London. Or they think they do. Really they just make a lot of fuss and wing-flapping. The truth is they're a bit vacuous. They barge into the garden now and then - all the nice birds fly away - and then they waddle about saying, 'Look at us, we scared 'em off'. Then they don't know what to do, and disappear in a noisy flutter of feathers, and the little birds come back.

Yesterday evening one of these daftosaurs came on his own, and sat on the vacant bird feeder looking silly. Here he is:

[Iota]

But may I still say that the best of your photographs are not merely clear and colourful - they're exquisitely composed, with a sense of 'rightness' and a tautness of balance. This, for example is a magnificent image, worthy of a frame on anyone's wall:

Well said!

You are very modest, @owlice, but whatever other people's virtues may or may not be, your photos are vivid and full of life, and although I'm no photographer myself you seem to me to have a very natural ability and indeed an empathy with the subject that communicates itself very captivatingly.

[Elgarian Redux]

It was never supposed to be a walk when we went out this morning, but we ended up high in the hills, listening to Elgar's 1st symphony in the car, and decided to do a favourite walk after all.

I did not have my camera with me.

The place was almost devoid of birds. No sign of the barn owl that sometimes hangs around. No stonechats, even. A few meadow pipits.
 
Good job I didn't have the camera, really.

But oh we saw butterflies galore. Whites, lots of meadow browns, a painted lady, a few small coppers, glowing brighter than anyone could sensibly expect , and a couple of ringlets  (which I don't recall ever seeing before).

Some people would have had a camera with them, and would now be offering photographs of these creatures. Not me.

But I can show you where we were, using photos from a previous walk:

[owlice]

I get it, I really do. But may I still say that the best of your photographs are not merely clear and colourful - they're exquisitely composed, with a sense of 'rightness' and a tautness of balance. This, for example is a magnificent image, worthy of a frame on anyone's wall:

Well said!

You are very modest, @owlice, but whatever other people's virtues may or may not be, your photos are vivid and full of life, and although I'm no photographer myself you seem to me to have a very natural ability and indeed an empathy with the subject that communicates itself very captivatingly.

Thank you both, so very much; you are very very kind.

[owlice]

I live almost as far from London as it's possible to be while still being in England (though the people in Cumbria, yet further north, would scoff at that statement). 10 years ago I'd be in London a couple of times a year, haunting the galleries. And although I have no intention of going gentle into that good night, these days a journey to London is a more daunting prospect than it used to be. Still - will you let me know next time you're coming over here?

Yes, indeed I will!

[owlice]

It was never supposed to be a walk when we went out this morning, but we ended up high in the hills, listening to Elgar's 1st symphony in the car, and decided to do a favourite walk after all.

I did not have my camera with me.

The place was almost devoid of birds. No sign of the barn owl that sometimes hangs around. No stonechats, even. A few meadow pipits.
 
Good job I didn't have the camera, really.

But oh we saw butterflies galore. Whites, lots of meadow browns, a painted lady, a few small coppers, glowing brighter than anyone could sensibly expect , and a couple of ringlets  (which I don't recall ever seeing before).

Some people would have had a camera with them, and would now be offering photographs of these creatures. Not me.

But I can show you where we were, using photos from a previous walk:

What a glorious walk, and what scenery!! How lovely the land is.

I did not have my camera with me.

You made the most of the walk, and that is what matters!

Some people would have had a camera with them, and would now be offering photographs of these creatures. Not me.

I might have photographs of some of those creatures (you're shocked, I'm certain), but they would not improve your wonderful walk and the sights you beheld.

All that, and Elgar, too; what an excellent day!