Birders' Nest

owlice · November 13, 2025, 10:42:42 PM

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on November 12, 2025, 01:20:45 PMI've been trying to get a decent shot of a ~~bird shark~~, sorry, starling - and maybe this is the best I've got so far, though not quite so crisp as I'd like.

Shows off his colors nicely, clear shot of head, whole bird captured. You get a bazillion points! Don't spend 'em all in one place.

AND it means that you had your camera!

owlice · November 13, 2025, 10:51:12 PM

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on November 12, 2025, 04:54:51 AMWe had a pheasantosaur invasion this morning, and I was able to get some good shots of one of them because she hung around for a while:

What a beauty!!

Quote from: Elgarian Redux

Ooo, nice capture! They are always nice -- and often difficult -- to see, and to photograph. They blend in so well and sit still so badly!

owlice · November 13, 2025, 11:06:24 PM

Quote from: Iota on November 13, 2025, 11:16:41 AMYour opening sentence sounds like the beginning of a blues song .. hope things aren't too tough. Good luck out there in the wicked world.

hahahahahaha!! Oh, thanks for that; made me laugh!! It's not quite that pitiful; just work and duty doing battle and sleep taking the rumble seat for a bit.

Quote from: Iota on November 13, 2025, 11:16:41 AMThat baby White Rhinoceros is an almost impossibly cute sight to behold! And the Heron in flight a brilliant shot! (You had been talking about how, good as your camera is, you struggle to get satisfactory shots of BIF with it, so perhaps that's what prompted the posting of that one?) Both photos that are pretty life-enhancing too!

Rhinoceroses are so bulky but move so daintily, and that baby... oh, my heart!! Yes, almost impossibly cute!!

And yes! You are right about the heron photo; thanks for reminding me!

owlice · November 13, 2025, 11:15:18 PM

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on November 13, 2025, 01:15:56 PMSo boring were the things I've done.
And all the tedious things I've seen.
Turgid places I have been,
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.
Ohhh yeah.

hahahahahaha!!!

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on November 13, 2025, 01:15:56 PMYou brought him home with you, right?

Alas, (his) Mom said no, and honestly, I didn't have room in my luggage anyway.

Elgarian Redux · November 15, 2025, 10:44:47 AM

As a result of the scare (not a fact but a possibility) that the borbosity of the goldfinch we saw the other day might be a sign of illness, we've been reviewing our bird feeders. The problematic ones are those where the bottom of the feeder tube is fixed, and can't be removed for thorough cleaning. Those feeder tubes can only be cleaned from the top, and it's not easy to clean the bottom in that way.

Happily most of our feeders have removable bottoms, and we've just added two more, replacing two of those with fixed-bottoms, with a pair of removable-bottoms.

This post is starting to read like a 1950s saucy seaside postcard, so I'll stop at this point.

Iota · November 16, 2025, 03:17:20 AM

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on November 15, 2025, 10:44:47 AMAs a result of the scare (not a fact but a possibility) that the borbosity of the goldfinch we saw the other day might be a sign of illness, we've been reviewing our bird feeders. The problematic ones are those where the bottom of the feeder tube is fixed, and can't be removed for thorough cleaning. Those feeder tubes can only be cleaned from the top, and it's not easy to clean the bottom in that way.

Happily most of our feeder have removable bottoms, and we've just added two more, replacing two of those with fixed-bottoms, with a pair of removable-bottoms.

This post is starting to read like a 1950s saucy seaside postcard, so I'll stop at this point.

Hahaha, have to admit the expression 'removable bottoms' did launch a wave of unstoppable smiles here. But am really here to say it's great the goldfinch has such a good friend in you, all power to you!

Elgarian Redux · November 17, 2025, 10:29:15 AM

I could easily become a pheasantosaur bore (perhaps have already), but there's something so delightful when a whole bunch of them come into the garden, and I can't resist trying to get some sort of definitive photograph of the event. So here's another attempt - not definitive by any means, but it marks today, when they were here.

Iota · November 17, 2025, 12:46:22 PM

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on November 17, 2025, 10:29:15 AMI could easily become a pheasantosaur bore (perhaps have already), but there's something so delightful when a whole bunch of them come into the garden, and I can't resist trying to get some sort of definitive photograph of the event. So here's another attempt - not definitive by any means, but it marks today, when they were here.

Not boring at all!

When we're cut off from wild creatures most of the time (certainly as city dwellers like me are anyway) when they choose to march into our lives for a moment or two, it can feel very special. I don't know how common it is for pheasants to appear in gardens round your way, but they've clearly deemed yours a good place to be! A lovely little parade of them, and an excellent pic!

Elgarian Redux · November 17, 2025, 01:18:45 PM

Quote from: Iota on November 17, 2025, 12:46:22 PMNot boring at all!

When we're cut off from wild creatures most of the time (certainly as city dwellers like me are anyway) when they choose to march into our lives for a moment or two, it can feel very special. I don't know how common it is for pheasants to appear in gardens round your way, but they've clearly deemed yours a good place to be! A lovely little parade of them, and an excellent pic!

I'm relieved. Thank you.

The wondrous thing about these guys is that as well as being honoured visitors in their own right, they are perfect natural vacuum cleaners. They wander around underneath the feeders, keenly gobbling up anything that the little birds have allowed to fall the ground. So after a pheasantosaur group visit there's nothing left to attract rats.