Early Winter Birds

jroovers - Thanks for sharing! I figured you were shooting from a fixed location. Some of my closest shots have come from my backyard as well. I have a portable blind that I use when I go into the forest and it is a big help. A variety of food is the best approach as well...lol. My wife is like our back yard does not need 3 different feeders...then I show her my pictures and that's the end of that discussion :). Keep sharing...I got a new camera recently so you are inspiring me to get out and shoot some birds.

Thanks everyone for the comments :)





These birds are all essentially in the back of my yard which backs onto a small forest with a stream. I have feeders set up in the back that includes mixed seed, nyger, and suet, so it attracts a variety of birds including the nuthatches and woodpeckers. The shots are all from a blind that I set up, knowing in advance where the birds are likely to be. Then it is just a simple waiting game to have them hopefully land where I want. The feeders draw in a high concentration of birds, especially the cardinals. I use a 400 5.6, not quite a super tele, but getting there. Would love a 500 f4 but just too much money. Without the blind I don't think I would get close enough to get these shots. I get bored sitting in the blind and much prefer to move around, but for short periods it is actually quite relaxing and it has resulted in much better opportunities IMO for better images when the birds are cooperating.

The woodpecker shots are "staged" in the sense that I give them an incentive to land where I want them to :) I put a bit of "bark butter" (basically a peanut butter infused suet) on the perch of my choosing for a few days and then they are eager to land where I'm set up in my blind looking for the treat. So I guess they are being rewarded or compensated for their services and are staged. It is fun and rewarding to pick a spot, set up the shot conceptually, and then have the birds cooperate. Takes some patience, which I'm not the best at having, but definitely enjoyable. It doesn't always work out, but it is nice when it does.
 
Very very nice Jordan! I can relate to the boredom of sitting in wait. But the results can be dynamite! Especially, as you discovered, when a nice specimen perches exactly where you want him.
You may also wanna try the bird call app for your phone. Some birds come more readily to a call than to food. Pileated Woodpeckers respond VERY well to a call...
 
As JaYbIrD1969 mentioned the I bird app makes it a ton of fun. Plus certain bird calls will make other birds come in closer. I usually set up some speakers and control it from my hide.


Very very nice Jordan! I can relate to the boredom of sitting in wait. But the results can be dynamite! Especially, as you discovered, when a nice specimen perches exactly where you want him.
You may also wanna try the bird call app for your phone. Some birds come more readily to a call than to food. Pileated Woodpeckers respond VERY well to a call...
 
jroovers - Thanks for sharing! I figured you were shooting from a fixed location. Some of my closest shots have come from my backyard as well. I have a portable blind that I use when I go into the forest and it is a big help. A variety of food is the best approach as well...lol. My wife is like our back yard does not need 3 different feeders...then I show her my pictures and that's the end of that discussion :). Keep sharing...I got a new camera recently so you are inspiring me to get out and shoot some birds.

Nice, looking forward to seeing your results! Please share when you get a chance.

Very very nice Jordan! I can relate to the boredom of sitting in wait. But the results can be dynamite! Especially, as you discovered, when a nice specimen perches exactly where you want him.
You may also wanna try the bird call app for your phone. Some birds come more readily to a call than to food. Pileated Woodpeckers respond VERY well to a call...

I have iBird pro on my wife's iPad, but haven't used the calls very much on it. I'm trying to pick up a used iPhone so I don't have to buy the app again, and use the phone simply as a media player for music and a few select apps. I haven't seen any pileated woodpeckers at my place yet, if I do I will know how to get them in closer!

As JaYbIrD1969 mentioned the I bird app makes it a ton of fun. Plus certain bird calls will make other birds come in closer. I usually set up some speakers and control it from my hide.

I find it is very good for identifying birds, especially from sound. Takes some trial and error, but usually when hearing a bird you can sort of work backwards and sideways and eventually come up with the culprit :)
 
Forgot to ask, what lens did you use you use for these? I love watching birds but the longest lens I have is a 135L on my 5D.
 
Thanks!

Forgot to ask, what lens did you use you use for these? I love watching birds but the longest lens I have is a 135L on my 5D.

These were all taken with the Canon 400 mm 5.6L. 135 is indeed very short for birds, the 400 leaves me wanting more reach most of the time, and that's on a crop body.
 
Common sparrow. We keep food on the balcony. When it's cold, suet is pretty sticky!!! :lol:
 
Thanks, I just moved to my new place at the end of September, so not really sure yet what birds will be around in the spring and summer. Given that we back onto woods, I'm assuming we'll have a ton of warbler species, orioles, and maybe blue birds too. I've looked into houses and meal worms, so I may give it a go to attract them. Any tips?

when the summer birds start coming back, try putting some grape jelly out. i have dozens of baltimore and orchard orioles every summer. i go through a jar every 3 or 4 days. they are amazing birds and with your mad photography skillz, you could get some awesome shots.

as for attracting bluebirds, they like their nest boxes out in the open. nest boxes should be mounted on a metal pole with some sort of baffle to keep cats, squirrels, snakes and raccoons out (all of which will kill/eat nestlings). i'm kinda infamous in the 'lounge' here for my proactive approach to keeping house sparrows out of my nest boxes. that's all i'm gonna say about that. ;)

i used to feed live mealworms but they have gotten terribly expensive. during nesting season, i went through 10,000 every month. i now feed the freeze dried ones, lots cheaper and the bluebirds eat them fine.
 
when the summer birds start coming back, try putting some grape jelly out. i have dozens of baltimore and orchard orioles every summer. i go through a jar every 3 or 4 days. they are amazing birds and with your mad photography skillz, you could get some awesome shots.

as for attracting bluebirds, they like their nest boxes out in the open. nest boxes should be mounted on a metal pole with some sort of baffle to keep cats, squirrels, snakes and raccoons out (all of which will kill/eat nestlings). i'm kinda infamous in the 'lounge' here for my proactive approach to keeping house sparrows out of my nest boxes. that's all i'm gonna say about that. ;)

i used to feed live mealworms but they have gotten terribly expensive. during nesting season, i went through 10,000 every month. i now feed the freeze dried ones, lots cheaper and the bluebirds eat them fine.


Great advise! The other suggestion for the orioles as oranges. Buy a bag of cuteys (or whatever they call them in your area) Cut em in half and put them out. Orioles respond to calls better than almost any other. The combination of the call and the fruit.... Youll be fighting them off LOL





 
Common sparrow. We keep food on the balcony. When it's cold, suet is pretty sticky!!! :lol:

Lol, it can get pretty sticky. At least when its frozen it lasts a bit longer in my experience. Currently, I'm going through food like crazy with the cold temps and snow we've been having.

when the summer birds start coming back, try putting some grape jelly out. i have dozens of baltimore and orchard orioles every summer. i go through a jar every 3 or 4 days. they are amazing birds and with your mad photography skillz, you could get some awesome shots.

That was actually on my to-do list already :) I tried putting out orange halves at my old place on the rare occasion when I spotted an oriole, but they never stuck around. Having a woodland and creek I'm guessing will drastically increase my odds of having them around. I will certainly be doing this in the spring... haven't tried the jelly, but I'll add that to the list.

as for attracting bluebirds, they like their nest boxes out in the open. nest boxes should be mounted on a metal pole with some sort of baffle to keep cats, squirrels, snakes and raccoons out (all of which will kill/eat nestlings). i'm kinda infamous in the 'lounge' here for my proactive approach to keeping house sparrows out of my nest boxes. that's all i'm gonna say about that. ;)

Awesome, I'll be sending you PMs in the spring for sure. I had planned on putting up owl roosting/nest boxes, but I'll add a bluebird box to the list. We have a very wide open yard for the most part, there are two large trees that tower over the yard, but other than that the rest of the tress are sort of around the perimeter, and the brush behind our fence is mostly scrub before the tall trees take over.

i used to feed live mealworms but they have gotten terribly expensive. during nesting season, i went through 10,000 every month. i now feed the freeze dried ones, lots cheaper and the bluebirds eat them fine

I put out some freeze dried meal worms in the fall, but no takers. Do you just put them out as is? I put them on a dish and added a tiny bit of water to let them reconstitute, but no takers. I can get live meal worms from a pet store near my place, but 10,000, that is just insane!

Great advise! The other suggestion for the orioles as oranges. Buy a bag of cuteys (or whatever they call them in your area) Cut em in half and put them out. Orioles respond to calls better than almost any other. The combination of the call and the fruit.... Youll be fighting them off LOL






As if I wasn't longing for spring enough already... this is akin to torture! Nice photos :)... only a few more months to go before spring migrants return!
 
Great advise! The other suggestion for the orioles as oranges. Buy a bag of cuteys (or whatever they call them in your area) Cut em in half and put them out. Orioles respond to calls better than almost any other. The combination of the call and the fruit.... Youll be fighting them off LOL

lovely pics!!! i never had any luck with oranges but that's prolly 'cause the woodpeckers ravaged them before the orioles ever had a chance.

i had a little bell i used to ring to bring the bluebirds in when i put mealworms out. i tried doing this with the orioles/grape jelly. it didn't take them long before they figured it out.

quick, funny story...had a couple of little old bird watcher ladies get lost and end up at my place. turned out they were part of a "bird count" and told me they had spotted every bird on their list except a male orchard oriole. i invited them to come up, sit on my deck, and i would call the orioles in. of course, they looked at me like i was green cheese. they sat on the glider, i put some grape jelly in the feeders and rang the bell. instantly, i had 4 or 5 male orchards swoop in. their reaction was priceless. even though they didn't need them because the birds were only 20' away, i don't think their bins left their eyes for 30 minutes.

Awesome, I'll be sending you PMs in the spring for sure.

I put out some freeze dried meal worms in the fall, but no takers. Do you just put them out as is? I put them on a dish and added a tiny bit of water to let them reconstitute, but no takers. I can get live meal worms from a pet store near my place, but 10,000, that is just insane!

sure thing! pm me any time and i'll get you started. it's pretty easy to attract bluebirds, the hard part is keeping predators out of nest boxes.

i just use this little plastic window feeder for mealworms. the blues took to it right away. when it's empty, they let me know by sitting on top and pecking at the window. they can be downright demanding!
<a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/user/Ninapearl/media/Maleatwindowfeeder2_zpsb5f20fa2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/Ninapearl/Maleatwindowfeeder2_zpsb5f20fa2.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Maleatwindowfeeder2_zpsb5f20fa2.jpg"/></a>

i used to have a trail of 7 or 8 nest boxes all around the farm but it got to be too much work after back surgery so now i just have 3. i usually get 3-4 nestings out of each one and they bring all of their fledglings to the back yard for mealworms so it isn't unusual for me to see a dozen baby bluebirds perched in various places at the same time. this little guy sat on a wrought iron cart for the longest time being fed. they aren't a bit shy!
<a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/user/Ninapearl/media/babycloseup_zps2b52f149.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/Ninapearl/babycloseup_zps2b52f149.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo babycloseup_zps2b52f149.jpg"/></a>
 
lovely pics!!! i never had any luck with oranges but that's prolly 'cause the woodpeckers ravaged them before the orioles ever had a chance.

i had a little bell i used to ring to bring the bluebirds in when i put mealworms out. i tried doing this with the orioles/grape jelly. it didn't take them long before they figured it out.

quick, funny story...had a couple of little old bird watcher ladies get lost and end up at my place. turned out they were part of a "bird count" and told me they had spotted every bird on their list except a male orchard oriole. i invited them to come up, sit on my deck, and i would call the orioles in. of course, they looked at me like i was green cheese. they sat on the glider, i put some grape jelly in the feeders and rang the bell. instantly, i had 4 or 5 male orchards swoop in. their reaction was priceless. even though they didn't need them because the birds were only 20' away, i don't think their bins left their eyes for 30 minutes.

That is too funny. What type of feeder do you use for the Jelly? Assuming it needs to be cleaned out frequently or else becomes a mess?

sure thing! pm me any time and i'll get you started. it's pretty easy to attract bluebirds, the hard part is keeping predators out of nest boxes.

i just use this little plastic window feeder for mealworms. the blues took to it right away. when it's empty, they let me know by sitting on top and pecking at the window. they can be downright demanding!
<a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/user/Ninapearl/media/Maleatwindowfeeder2_zpsb5f20fa2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/Ninapearl/Maleatwindowfeeder2_zpsb5f20fa2.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Maleatwindowfeeder2_zpsb5f20fa2.jpg"/></a>

i used to have a trail of 7 or 8 nest boxes all around the farm but it got to be too much work after back surgery so now i just have 3. i usually get 3-4 nestings out of each one and they bring all of their fledglings to the back yard for mealworms so it isn't unusual for me to see a dozen baby bluebirds perched in various places at the same time. this little guy sat on a wrought iron cart for the longest time being fed. they aren't a bit shy!
<a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/user/Ninapearl/media/babycloseup_zps2b52f149.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/Ninapearl/babycloseup_zps2b52f149.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo babycloseup_zps2b52f149.jpg"/></a>

I'll definitely PM you when I'm ready to put some boxes up. I have looked into them, they are not cheap to buy, so maybe I'll try and build some myself. I have a plastic window feeder that I use for black sunflower that primarily is visited by chickadees. I'll get another for mealworms and put it up in late winter or early spring.
 
if you have any farm supply stores near you, you can get a bluebird nest box pretty cheaply. here is the best website out there for bluebirding info...
http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/nestboxes/nestboxplans.htm

this is my fancy oriole jail. it has a little plastic bowl inside that holds about 1/4 cup of jelly. oh and, believe it or not, welch's jelly is the bomb! i tried the generic stuff because it was getting expensive buying a jar of welch's every couple of days. the orioles turned their beaks up at it. i couldn't believe it! spoiled much? <a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/user/Ninapearl/media/smilies/roflmao.gif.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/Ninapearl/smilies/roflmao.gif" border="0" alt=" photo roflmao.gif"/></a>
<a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/user/Ninapearl/media/oriolejail_zps927c251f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/Ninapearl/oriolejail_zps927c251f.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo oriolejail_zps927c251f.jpg"/></a>

the rest of my jelly feeders (i put 4 or 5 out) are just those plastic saucers that go under flower pots. i drill holes in them to let rainwater through and just hang them here and there with twine. as for the jelly getting icky, that just doesn't happen here because the birds make quick work of it. especially during nesting season, they are constantly back and forth from the feeders to the nest. i have seen them fly away with beaks full of jelly to take back to the nest. i fill all of the feeders at least 2 times/day. there are a few other birds that will eat the jelly, too...catbirds, mockingbirds, and i have even seen hummingbirds eating it. :) it's mostly orioles, though. i have seen as many as 9 baltimores at the various feeders at the same time.
 
Back
Top