In Search of Snowbirds | Dark-eyed Junco Close-up

Feb 26, 2021 | AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Daily Image 2021, In Search of Snowbirds, Junco, Nikon 1 V3

In Search of Snowbirds | Dark-eyed Junco Close-up

Northern Illinois | 2/10/2021 11:56 am CST | Light Snow 11°F Light Winds

In Search of Snowbirds | Dark-eyed Junco Close-up    This Dark-eyed Junco was all puffed out weathering the cold after eating some seeds from a nearby feeder.  They are not flashy like the cardinals or blue jays, but their hold a certain quiet beauty.

The Back Story    Again, keeping a camera handy helps improve chances of capturing a quick simple click.   This simple click was easy while eating lunch.

Quick Facts…

Dark-eyed Junco … Slate gray with with belly.
HabitatConifer & mixed woods. Open woods, undergrowth, brush, woodland edges, thickets, etc.
RangeCommon in Winter in Northern Illinois
NestAlmost always on ground & well hidden under overhanging grass, under log, rock, etc.
DietMostly seeds in the winter and insects in the summer.  Frequents bird feeders in winter.
BehaviorForages mostly on the ground. Comes to bird feeders, but forages on the ground under feeder.
SizeLength: 5.5-6.3 in   |  Weight: 0.6-1.1 oz |  Wingspan: 7.1-9.8 in

Last Snow Birds | a 7 Image Story

Mar 15, 2020 | 7 Image Stories, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Cardinal, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch, Junco, Last Snow Birds, Nature, Nikon 1 V3, Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Last Snow Birds | Male CardinalLast 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.

Winter Birds by Feeder | a 7 Image Story

Jan 28, 2018 | 7 Image Stories, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Birds, Blue Jay, Cardinal, Faces, Junco, Mourning Dove, Nature, Nikon 1 V1, Nikon 1 V3, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Wildlife, Winter Birds by Feeder

Winter Birds by Feeder | Red-bellied WoodpeckerWinter Birds by Feeder | a 7 Image Story  Colorful winter birds cheer us up during the long, cold winter months.  My bird feeder gets used heavily in the winter; particularly when show covers the ground.  In fact, sometimes there’s so many birds, it seems like they need a control tower to direct air traffic.  They do have their own version of “see and avoid.”  The smaller birds give way to the larger ones on the feeder.  Many just fly down to the ground beneath the feeder to get leftovers.  When a Blue Jay arrives, all birds clear out or given it wide birth.  Of course, many more than seven bird species visit the feeder during winter months.  For this post, I’ve chosen some of the more colorful birds as well as the more frequent visitors.  Perhaps, another post will be needed later.

First things first, why not call the red-bellied woodpecker, a red-headed woodpecker instead?  You might not have noticed the rose coloring on a red-bellied woodpecker’s breast.  Whoever first named this bird must have had a strange sense of humor.  I’m not a birder so I don’t get it.  Still, it’s call a red-bellied woodpecker.  And, why are Blue Jays mean?  Because they are.  For that matter, why do some birds stick around for the winter while others leave to warmer climates?  Experts tell us that birds can and do survive extremely harsh winters. The primary reason for migration is food.  Some birds can forage for insects in the bark of trees and find enough other food to make it through the cold winter months.  In fact, in some areas even a few American robins stay through the winter months.

Winter can be a difficult time to capture wildlife images particularly small birds.  Sure fewer leaves on the trees make it a bit easier to capture an image of the species remaining.  Getting close enough to the bird with a long lens still remains the biggest obstacle.  Placing a bird feeder close to windows and doors make a big difference.  Even then, shooting images through windows takes skill and post processing software.  These seven images were captured with a 70-300mm lens, equivalent to 189-810mm using a 2.7 crop factor on the V1 & V3, at a distance between 5 and 15 feet.  Little birds tend to have big lenses pointed at them.

Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Winter Birds by Feeder.

Click any image below for a slide show!