Here are two more photos of the ruby-crowned kinglet which show its ruby crown. The photos get very soft when I crop them too close. The ISO was 10000 with a shutter speed of 1/500 and an aperature setting of f/8.0.
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Wildlife of Edmonds, WA.
- Thread starter Bill Anderson
- Start date
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Here are two more photos of the ruby-crowned kinglet which show its ruby crown. The photos get very soft when I crop them too close. The ISO was 10000 with a shutter speed of 1/500 and an aperature setting of f/8.0.
You once told me it is no surprise that the great bird photographers all live in sunny California and Florida. On a positive note, you and I are [albiet not by choice] becoming experts on lousy light bird photography.
Thursday (2/28) shots of yellow-rumped warblers attempting to add a little cheer to our usual rainy season gloom & doom, which lasts through Junuary 30th.
According to Sibley's they live in our area year around and fly in single species flocks, wandering erratically in search of food, mainly from the cones of pines, spruces, and firs. They pry the seeds out from the cones using their unique cross bill, an interesting adaptation of nature.
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Here are two more photos of the ruby-crowned kinglet which show its ruby crown. The photos get very soft when I crop them too close. The ISO was 10000 with a shutter speed of 1/500 and an aperature setting of f/8.0.
Thursday I "focused" on our smallest local bird, the Anna's hummingbird.
Female sitting on a nest, the location of which I have been sworn to secrecy.
The scene was dark and back-lit. I was shooting at 1/500, which came nowhere close to freezing the wings. With a little post processing through Picasa, I salvaged some "artsy" shots of this hummer feeding on early blooms.
Female sitting on a nest, the location of which I have been sworn to secrecy.
The scene was dark and back-lit. I was shooting at 1/500, which came nowhere close to freezing the wings. With a little post processing through Picasa, I salvaged some "artsy" shots of this hummer feeding on early blooms.
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You once told me it is no surprise that the great bird photographers all live in sunny California and Florida. On a positive note, you and I are [albiet not by choice] becoming experts on lousy light bird photography.
Thursday (2/28) shots of yellow-rumped warblers attempting to add a little cheer to our usual rainy season gloom & doom, which lasts through Junuary 30th.
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Thursday (3/7) a yellow-rumped warbler was looking for bugs over
under
around
and through
the tennis court fence beside the marsh walkway.
A Bewick's wren was doing the same thing on a nearby tree.
under
around
and through
the tennis court fence beside the marsh walkway.
A Bewick's wren was doing the same thing on a nearby tree.
Two years ago marsh wrens ruled the cattails below the #2 viewing platform at the Edmonds marsh. Last year they moved east and the #1 and #2 viewing platforms became the realm of song sparrows.
Friday (3/8) I photographed a marsh wren on a recon mission deep within song sparrow territory near the #1 viewing platform.
There was a lot of activity around the #4 viewing platform.
Male red-shafted northern flicker.
A male red-winged blackbird looking for larvae burrowed inside the back-lit cattail heads set the stage for some dramatic photos. Here are three of the several I took. I'll post more if Saturday and Sunday do not produce any photos worth posting.
Friday (3/8) I photographed a marsh wren on a recon mission deep within song sparrow territory near the #1 viewing platform.
There was a lot of activity around the #4 viewing platform.
Male red-shafted northern flicker.
A male red-winged blackbird looking for larvae burrowed inside the back-lit cattail heads set the stage for some dramatic photos. Here are three of the several I took. I'll post more if Saturday and Sunday do not produce any photos worth posting.
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Monday afternoon (3/11) I noticed two pairs of great blue herons in or near nests in the heron rookery at the far south side of the marsh. As in the past three years, I suspect any nesting activity on their part will be short-lived as the Pt. Edwards bald eagle pair still resides just up the hill on Pine St.
These cropped shots were taken taken at least 400 yards distance from the #2 viewing platform on the north side of the marsh with my 5D MkIII + 100-400L zoom. They remind me of Chinese and Japanese rice paper paintings of cranes. Sometimes life really does imitate art.
These cropped shots were taken taken at least 400 yards distance from the #2 viewing platform on the north side of the marsh with my 5D MkIII + 100-400L zoom. They remind me of Chinese and Japanese rice paper paintings of cranes. Sometimes life really does imitate art.
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Later that day, our mother hummer flashed a little red, but still no signs of hatchlings in her nest.
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Tuesday afternoon (3/12), a flock of red crossbills were picking seeds out of pine cones in one of the pine trees across from the brew pub in the Harbor Square complex by the marsh.
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According to Sibley's they live in our area year around and fly in single species flocks, wandering erratically in search of food, mainly from the cones of pines, spruces, and firs. They pry the seeds out from the cones using their unique cross bill, an interesting adaptation of nature.
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A few more photos of the red crossbills.
Their winter visit to Edmonds has created quite a stir among our local bird watchers.
The crossbills' signature crossed bill is highly adaptive to picking seeds out of pine cones.
Two females (yellow) and a male (red) out of a flock of about a dozen which was on the tree.
Their winter visit to Edmonds has created quite a stir among our local bird watchers.
The crossbills' signature crossed bill is highly adaptive to picking seeds out of pine cones.
Two females (yellow) and a male (red) out of a flock of about a dozen which was on the tree.
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The Hummers Have Hatched!
Friday (3/15) after lunch, Terry and I discovered that two hummers had hatched at the secret Anna's humming bird nest. We spent the rest of the afternoon taking photos, which was not easy. By some weird coincidence the wind would start up at the precise moment the mother hummer returned to the nest and blow branches in front of it.
5D Mk III + 100-400L zoom, handheld
5D Mk III + 2.8/400L + 2x teleconverter, tripod mounted
Friday (3/15) after lunch, Terry and I discovered that two hummers had hatched at the secret Anna's humming bird nest. We spent the rest of the afternoon taking photos, which was not easy. By some weird coincidence the wind would start up at the precise moment the mother hummer returned to the nest and blow branches in front of it.
5D Mk III + 100-400L zoom, handheld
5D Mk III + 2.8/400L + 2x teleconverter, tripod mounted
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Three more from Friday. The mother would arrive at the nest, feed the babies, then depart for 15-30 minutes to look for more food. Like many birds, she would not return directly to the nest but would first perch on a branch to make sure she was not being followed by a predator. I have been told that the female typically lays two eggs and the male plays no part in making the nest or tending to the babies.
5D Mk III + 2.8/400L + 2x teleconverter, tripod mounted
5D Mk III + 2.8/400L + 2x teleconverter, tripod mounted
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The weather was lousy for most of Saturday (3/16). Fortunately I did not have to venture beyond my back deck to be entertained by a Bewick's wren, one of my favorite LBB's (little brown birds).
I think this was a male putting on a display for a female....
as it flew into one of my neighbor's shrubs, from which a second Bewick's wren emerged.
The upper bird was the one on the fence.
I don't know if the female was impressed.
I think this was a male putting on a display for a female....
as it flew into one of my neighbor's shrubs, from which a second Bewick's wren emerged.
The upper bird was the one on the fence.
I don't know if the female was impressed.
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Later I went to Terry's house to show him how to post photos to this forum.
After the tutorial we both went down to the marsh, where we once again saw the flock of red crossbills in the pine tree across from Gallagher's Irish brew pub at Harbor Square. With Sunday being St. Patrick's Day, many people were arriving at the pub. Most of them were curious about what we were photographing.
I took a lot of photos, the following of which show how natural selection has created the perfect bill for the crossbill to pry apart the pine cones in order to dig out the seeds.
Success!
After the tutorial we both went down to the marsh, where we once again saw the flock of red crossbills in the pine tree across from Gallagher's Irish brew pub at Harbor Square. With Sunday being St. Patrick's Day, many people were arriving at the pub. Most of them were curious about what we were photographing.
I took a lot of photos, the following of which show how natural selection has created the perfect bill for the crossbill to pry apart the pine cones in order to dig out the seeds.
Success!
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