Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 42mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO800 “Carolina Chickadee” Cedar Park, 2020
Our antique-store mason jar bird feeder that we’ve been using in our backyard fell this afternoon and shattered on the deck. I think the screw-eye that was drilled through the base of the jar just came unscrewed due to the twisting of the feeder during bird activity. It’s all my fault because I didn’t keep an eye on it. Oh well. Luckily we have a few jars that fit onto the base, but I am unable to drill thru the base to re-attach the screw-eye. After a bit of thought, I used some wire to make a little harness which seems to be pretty strong. I really like this little bird feeder, and don’t want to get rid of it.
Truth be told, I ordered another bird feeder before I fixed the old one. I suppose I could still cancel it, but it is inexpensive, and I’m curious to see how it performs. I’m not sure if we have room for both feeders, but I’m sure I can figure something out. 😃
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 135mm, f/1, 1/110 sec, ISO400 “Blue Jay” Cedar Park, 2020
Here’s a photo of the most frequent visitor to our backyard bird feeder. This blue jay loves to eat the black-oil sunflower seeds, and while I thought it might bully the other birds, it seems that everyone has a chance to get some food in peace. Even some mourning doves and grackles have been finding their way to the feeder! 😀
We have a second feeder in the front of the house too. It’s actually a clear plastic shelf-type feeder that is suction cupped to the office window. It took a while for the birds to find it, but every once in a while, the blue jay, black-crested titmouse, or cardinals will visit for a snack and a peek into the office while I work. I’ll try to get a picture next time, but there is some serious back-light, so it probably won’t look so nice. We’ll see!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 135mm, f/1, 1/320 sec, ISO3200 “Black-crested Titmouse” Cedar Park, 2020
I’ve been keeping our bird feeder stocked with food and it’s been getting a lot of use these past few days! The main visitors have been the Blue Jay, the Northern Cardinal, and the bird in today’s photo: a Black-crested Titmouse. It’s so cute! There are a few other types that have come by for a meal, but I haven’t had my camera ready, which I need to make a good identification. One other bird that I’ve seen around, which I was able to note the features of using my binoculars is the Carolina Wren. It’s also a really cute bird!
Anyways, I’ve been really enjoying keeping an eye out for birds at our feeder. It’s so fun! ❤️🐦
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 135mm, f/1, 1/600 sec, ISO400 “Female Northern Cardinal” Cedar Park, 2020
Today we got a visit from a pair of Northern Cardinals. We’ve seen them a few times before, but they are always nice to see. I particularly like the coloring of the female, because it’s so subtle as compared to the bright red coloring of the male. I’ve been using some bird seed that I bought from the supermarket, but I am going to give some black oil sunflower seeds next and see what birds the feed attracts. Fun stuff!
Also, I have been looking at buying a new Fujifilm 50-230 mm lens for birding, but cannot quite justify the cost, even though it is relatively inexpensive. For now, I am using the manual-focus Minolta 135 mm lens and adapter with Mariko’s Fujifilm X-T10. Wasn’t able to nail the focus on the first photo, but the others came out okay.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 135mm, f/1, 1/320 sec, ISO400 “Female Northern Cardinal” Cedar Park, 2020Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 135mm, f/1, 1/1000 sec, ISO400 “Northern Cardinals” Cedar Park, 2020
I hope you had a great day, considering the turmoil that COVID-19 is causing.
Today a friend and I attended a bird-watching event that was hosted by City of Austin Park Rangers and the Leave No Trace Foundation. It was advertised as a beginner-friendly introduction to birding, which seemed perfect for me since I consider myself a newbie. We met at 9 am at a trail-head to the Barton Creek Greenbelt, and after introductions and learning about Leave No Trace principles, we hit the trail for some birding!
The park rangers were friendly and knowledgeable about the flora and fauna on the trail, and not only did we learn about the native and migrating birds, but also about some invasive plant species, trail etiquette, geological details, and seasonal changes along the greenbelt. In addition to the rangers, a volunteer from the Austin chapter of the Audubon society joined us to offer her birding expertise. It was such a valuable experience for a beginner like me. When a bird was spotted, there was plenty of information shared about the bird and how to identify it, the bird song, and the habitat. It was fascinating!
The excursion was fun and informative, but it was also a nice motivator to actually experience the passion that birders have for their hobby. Just sharing that with others is encouraging, especially to an introvert like myself. I admit that part of my interest in birding is that I never really understood why people got into it, and wanted to know. Now I am beginning to understand the allure and fun that can be had participating in birding.
After the session, my friend and I headed over to the Taco Deli across the street for lunch, and then we had to check out the Leave No Trace Subaru, which was nicely outfitted. That crew is doing some important work spreading awareness about how we can enjoy the outdoors more responsibly. Good stuff!
It was so nice to be out on the greenbelt for a hike/walk and also get some education on birding. And I even grew my life list with six new bird species!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/6.4, 1/280 sec, ISO200 “Brushy Creek Lake” Cedar Park, 2019
こんばんは。How’s it going?
I mentioned in a previous post that I started bird-watching recently, which has gotten me a fair amount of good-natured ribbing from my wife and kids, but I’ve been enjoying it. Like photography, bird-watching is something that makes me a little more observant of the world which can only be a good thing. What’s kind of cool is that you don’t have to actively go out and make an effort to bird-watch. Even backyard bird-watching is fun! Of course, making an outing of it is excellent, even a short one.
Today I stopped by the nearby park for a bit to see if I could spot anything to add to my “Life list” (Pokédex). I did spot some ducks and a dove, but nothing more interesting that I could identify with any certainty. There’s always next time! 😊
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My camera & photos
I use a Fujifilm X-series camera for most of the photos on this site and my Instagram. Why not pick one up for yourself?
