Last Snow Birds | Female Cardinal The female and male Cardinals tend to stay close together. Still, getting a good image of both of them in the same frame is quite difficult. In this image, the male is just off camera, stage right. The Female Cardinal might not be as brilliant red as the male, she still stands out in a snow storm. For the whole story with all images, see Last Snow Birds | a 7 Image Story.
Last Snow Birds | a 7 Image Story The snow storm this week will likely be the last of the season. Spring is only a few days away. The snow on the trees melted by the afternoon. These images are of common, local birds. Still, capturing the falling snow in the photos make them a bit different.
Male Cardinal Cardinals seem to like winter. A Male Cardinal’s brilliant red body can cheer us up, particularly when viewed against the falling snow. Cardinals don’t migrate and don’t molt into a dull plumage. They stay breathtakingly beautiful against winter’s snow.
Dark-eyed Junco The snowfall makes a nice background for a Dark-eyed Junco. The Juncos are common around here and stay around all winter. They seem to like the nearby woodland areas, but also hang around the bird feeder, particularly in the winter when it snows.
Bird Branch Where is the bird? Well, there is no bird. It flew away. Still, I just like this image. It’s about the budding tree and snow showers.
Sparrow Sparrows are very common and plentiful in northern Illinois. Many folks don’t pay much attention to them. They can still make a nice photo.
House Finch House Finch love small, black oil sunflower seed. My backyard feeder is a general outdoor bird feed which contains some sunflower seed. They show up by the dozen in the winter
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Last Snow Birds.
Click any image below for a slide show.
Backyard Winter Birds | Male Cardinal Male Cardinals cheer us up during the winter months with their brilliant red body. Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a dull plumage, so they stay breathtakingly beautiful against winter’s snow. Northern Cardinals tend to sit low in shrubs and trees or forage on or near the ground, often in pairs. For the whole story with all images, see Backyard Winter Birds | a 7 Image Story.
Backyard Winter Birds | a 7 Image Story Each winter the snow provides contrast and background for backyard birds. Even though the same bird species tend to feed at the backyard bird feeder each winter, it’s still a challenge to get nice images. The Nikon 1 V3 with the AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR lens attached via the FT-1 Adapter really helps get close-ups with it’s 2.7 crop factor. My Nikon 1 V3 for Birds | a 7 Image Story post goes into some depth on using the Nikon 1 V3 for bird photography.
Robin Enjoying Snowfall Some Robins are hardy birds. They were my mom’s favorite bird. She called them Little Robin Red Breasts. She always thought spring would soon be upon us, if she saw a Robin in late winter. In those days, we did not see Robins stay all winter like we do now.
Male Red-bellied Woodpecker Seems like the red-bellied woodpecker should be called a red-headed woodpecker. Notice the rose coloring on a red-bellied woodpecker’s breast. When this species was first named, the red-headed woodpecker name was already used to name a different bird. The flighty Red-bellied Woodpecker brings bright colors and exciting action to bird feeders. Around here, only one bird, the Blue Jay, will chase the it from the feeder. They are attracted to bird feeders, near wooded areas, containing a bird mix including suet or sunflower seeds.
European Starling Eating Snow The Common Starling’s winter coat displays many colors as the winter light shines through it. Their feathers make a winter day more colorful. They are loud, boisterous, loud birds that travel large flocks.
Female Downy Woodpecker The Downy Woodpecker is really cute as they rapidly move up and down a tree. Capturing a close up becomes really difficult even with a long lens. Like many species of woodpecker, they have a rise and fall flight style. In the warmer months, they are really noisy with their shrill call and tree pecking.
Male Dark-eyed Junco Dark Eyed Juncos are common around here. They seem to like the nearby woodland areas as well as the bird feeder. Mostly, they feed on the ground under the bird feeder, then make their ticking calls as they fly up into the woods or bushes.
Blue Jay Profile The Blue Jay, a common songbird, is familiar to many in northern Illinois. Native to North America, at least some Blue Jays stay around all winter. They are very aggressive and sometime attack other birds. Still, they are beautiful against the snow. They mainly feed on nuts and seeds so they show up every day to the bird feeder; particularly, when snow covers the ground. Blue Jays are well known for their intelligence and tight family bonds. Thousands of Blue Jays migrate in flocks along the Great Lakes each year, but little is known about their migration. Young jays are more likely to migrate than adults, but adults also migrate. No one has determined why they migrate, when they migrate, or why some migrate while others do not.
Backyard Winter Birds | Male Cardinal Male Cardinals cheer us up during the winter months with their brilliant red body. Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a dull plumage, so they stay breathtakingly beautiful against winter’s snow. Northern Cardinals tend to sit low in shrubs and trees or forage on or near the ground, often in pairs.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Backyard Winter Birds.
Click any image below for a slide show.
Reflections on 2019 | Cardinal Cardinals cheer us up during the cold winter months with their brilliant colors. Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a dull plumage, so they stay breathtakingly beautiful against winter’s snow. For the whole story with all images, see Reflections on 2019 | a 7 Image Story.
Nikon 1 V3 for Birds | Female Cardinal Against the snow Female Cardinals stand out. Birds like this Female Cardinal can be challenging to capture even with a long, fast lens. Their feathers make subtle changes in color. The Nikon 1 V3 with the 70-300mm lens allows for a 810mm effective focal length. It’s a long, not so fast lens at f5.6, but a very sharp lens. For the whole story with all images, see Nikon 1 V3 for Birds | a 7 Image Story.
Nikon 1 V3 for Birds | Male Northern Cardinal Small birds like this Cardinal can be challenging to capture even with a long, fast lens. The Nikon 1 V3 with the 70-300mm lens allows for a 810mm effective focal length. It’s a long, not so fast lens at f5.6, but a very sharp lens. Still, it takes some practice to get a tack sharp image shooting handheld. Male Cardinals cheer us up during the winter months with their brilliant red body. Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a dull plumage, so they stay breathtakingly beautiful against winter’s snow. Northern Cardinals tend to sit low in shrubs and trees or forage on or near the ground, often in pairs. For the whole story with all images, see Nikon 1 V3 for Birds | a 7 Image Story.
Reflections on 2018 | Cardinal Cardinals don’t seem to mind winter. The female and male Cardinals stay fairly close together most of the time. Still, getting a good image of both of them in the same frame is more than a little difficult. Although the female is not as brilliant red as the male, she still stands out against the snow. For the whole story with all images, see Reflections on 2018 | a 7 Image Story.
