F.R.O.G.

Today was a "Fully Rely On God" kind of day. Shouldn't every day be that? I ended up in emergency with a full blown anxiety attack thinking I was having a heart attack. No heart problems though they do want to do a follow up. I'm OK just need to see my GP to get my blood sugars looked at and do a stress ekg test. I had planned on doing some bird photography out in the Little Lake Valley this morning. Obviously that was out. When I got home from the hospital I found a Pacific Tree Frog in front of our garage. So here he is. Thank you Lord for this day, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, 100 mm Macro Lens, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Manfrotto/Bogen 3055 ballhead. Camera Settings- AV Mode,ISO 400,F 5.0 at 1/20th of a sec.

We Have Launch

Thank you Mendocino County Road Crews! This winter they really worked hard at keeping the roads open during the snows. They also left some nice firewood when they cleared the sides of the roads in fall. I found a nice small fir trunk covered in moss and lichen. They hadn't bucked it up into shorter lengths as most people won't burn fir. It has too much pitch and it burns way too fast. It was the perfect length to use for photography once I cut it in half. This morning I set up one of the pieces close to the bird feeder. I had a great time trying to capture the squirrels leaping from the trunk to the feeder. Gods blessings to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop F5.6 and a shutter speed varied.

Love Those Woodpeckers

This morning we went down to Mendocino Junior College for Annika's high school tennis tournament. There was plenty of time to do some photography before her game time. The college is home to a nice population of Acorn Woodpeckers. I parked myself beside an oak tree and waited. It didn't take long before a few of them began visiting the tree. I created a few images and then it was off to the tennis match.It was exciting to watch she and her doubles partner compete. The were holding the lead at three sets to none before the pair they were playing against rallied. Annika and her partner played well but they lost.It was an exciting morning of tennis and birds. God's light and love to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens at 400mm, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop F5.6 and a shutter speed varied.

Beauty is in the Details

One of the joys of using a photoblind is in getting to see wildlife close up. Typically my blind is less than fifteen feet away from the feeders and often for small birds as close as six feet. Combining that short distance with using a telephoto lens I'm incredibly close to what I'm photographing. It's so cool to be practically eye to eye with the creatures I'm photographing. Being so close you really have to work slowly and carefully as any noise or movement can spook them. Yesterday I was just about to click the shutter when I ever so slightly moved my foot causing a scraping sound and the bird was gone in the blink of an eye. It takes a lot of patience and work but it is a lot of fun. Here are some portraits from yesterday in the photoblind. Two Band-tailed Pigeons, chimpunk and a western Grey Squirrel. God's love and blessings to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens at 400mm, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop F5.6 and a shutter speed varied.

Springtime Nuthatch

Yesterday afternoon I was working on a set up that I felt would be really spring like. This morning I was up and about early so I could put it to use. I had a quick breakfast and I headed out to my backyard photoblind. Right after I climbed into the photoblind a Band-Tailed Pigeon Pigeon with a loud flapping of wings settled down onto the feeder. Which is pretty unusual for a Bandtail. They usually wait for a really long time to use the feeders by first allowing other birds to use the feeder just to be sure it is safe. Because I was set up for small birds the pigeon was way to close for a full body image. Later a chipmunk and a Western Gray Squirrel stopped in for a snack.I was about to call it quits when a pair of red Breasted Nuthatches started using the feeder. I waited and waited for one to land in the right place. Finally one landed exactly where I wanted. With a click I had the image I had visualized.

May you have a wonderful day, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens at 400mm, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop F5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/200th of a sec.

Loving That Free Food

I spent the morning working on some images for my upcoming book on backyard bird photography. This afternoon found me working on a new set up for some bird photography and this Douglas Tree Squirrel came by to check it out and to grab some free bird seed. God's love to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens at 400mm, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop F5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/500th of a sec.

All Wet

This morning was all messed up when we didn't notice that our kitchen clock was off by close to half an hour. It's one of those atomic clocks that automatically resets itself daily with a radio signal sent out from National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado.That's a mouthful! Normally it works great but today something was off. Probably time for a new battery. I was late to a new bible study our church is starting. After the study I headed out to my photoblind in the valley for some photography. There was another very minor problem in store for me. Last night we got a good soaking from a small front that passed through. Because of this I had a nice wet walk through the pasture to my blind. By he time I reached the blind I was soaked from the knees down and my shoes were starting to make that squish, squish sound I'm sure that you are all familiar with. After settling into the photoblind for a bit I was delighted to see a Lazuli Bunting working its way down the fence line eating grass seeds. That alone was worth the wet jeans and shoes. May you have a blessed day, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop and shutter speed varied.

Birdless Monday

This morning I watched part of an online photoshop class before I got restless and I wanted to do some hummingbird photography. After gathering up all of my gear I went out into the backyard and set up for some hummer photography. I had a great blue green background and some beautiful flowers. I sat in the blind and guess what? After over an hour and a half not a single hummingbird showed up. There were very few birds that came into my regular bird feeders as well. One of those mysteries of nature that won't be solved. Here are images of a couple of gorgeous Douglas Tree Squirrels from last week. God's light and love to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop and shutter speed varied.

Sitting on the Bank

This afternoon we made a quick trip to Clearlake in Northern California about an hour from where we live. I really wanted to capture some images of Yellow Headed Blackbirds from my kayak. We also wanted to try out Lenore's new kayak. It has been sitting unused far too long. Her little blue kayak worked out great and she loved it. When we got there the main part of the lake where the Blackbirds nests were way too windy for photography. I made the decision to just sit kayaking out and let everyone else go. The slough off of the lake was pretty calm and Annika and her friend saw turtles, Wood Ducks and some Mallards. Sitting on the bank with Badger dog I still managed to photograph a Western Pond Turtle as well as a friendly hen Mallard and an Osprey that did a fly by. Blessings to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop and shutter speed varied.

More Mangle

This morning dawned bright and beautiful with high clouds in the sky. The Little Lake Valley below was gorgeous. It was covered in a light fog. A great morning for photography. I needed to photograph some images for my upcoming book and the lighting was perfect. I had just finished my work when I heard a Wild Turkey gobbling down the ridge from us. I threw my tripod over my shoulder, grabbed a handful of bird seed and I ran out front. I threw the bird seed behind a log and went into my photoblind and waited. I had a only short wait before a turkey ambled out from behind a fir tree and found the seed. It was "Mangle" the Wild Turkey. Below is a close up image of his mangled tail. You can probably see why I nick named him Mangle. It's pretty distinctive. He must have had a bad run in with something big and luckily he survived. He stayed around for quite a while eating the seed before he trotted off down the ridge. God's love to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop and shutter speed varied. #SecretsofBackyardBirdPhotography

Morning Mix

Yesterday morning I was in the backyard photoblind looking to photograph the Band-tailed Pigeons. While I was waiting for them to come down from the trees I had plenty of opportunities to photograph some of the other creatures that came to visit my feeders. First to come visit were the Steller's Jays. They make their presence known with a lot of calling and boisterous behavior around the feeders. The chipmunks were next. They are furtive and make only carefully planned moves as if expecting to be attacked at any moment. Which the probably are! They jump off and run at the slightest of sounds or movements. Following the chipmunks came a Douglas Tree squirrel. They are cute and feisty. They are quite sure of themselves as well though not to the point of being careless. They still stay on the alert. Finally after there is a lot of activity showing that it is safe at the feeders the Band-tails came flapping down. They stayed for quite awhile this morning until something spooked them off. I got some great images that I'm really happy with and the critters got some free food. God's precious love to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop and shutter speed varied. #SecretsofBackyardBirdPhotography

Outsmarting the Raven

Yesterday afternoon I spent some time in the backyard photoblind. My goal was to try and get images of some of the Band-tailed Pigeons that have started stopping by. I photographed some Juncos and then the Band-tails started dropping in. I wasn't in the blind much longer when I heard a Raven calling from the trees overhead. The Ravens where I live are extremely camera shy. I'm not sure why? A fellow photographer a couple miles down the ridge from me is on a friendly basis with them. Even my next door neighbor has a Raven that visits her regularly. With me they flee on sight. As soon as I heard it calling I didn't move. I just froze myself against the view finder on my camera. With a large flapping of wings the Raven came down. It touched the perch next to the feeder and flew off again. I remained motionless for what seemed an eternity before it came down again and landed on the perch. Just my luck my camera was out of position to photograph it. I had to very, very slowly move my lens over to the Raven and compose an image. At the very first click of the shutter it made a jerk and looked my way. Once again I froze in place until it started feeding again. I started clicking again. Eventually it leapt off the perch and went over to feed on a suet block. It flew away when it was satisfied with its meal. What a cool experience. God's light and love to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop F5.6,Shutter speed varied. #SecretsofBackyardBirdPhotography

Beauty of the Heavens

Here is a compilation of images from last nights lunar eclipse. The glory of God revealed in the heavens!

chris

OUCH!

This morning Lenore and I had a beautiful walk on one of the country roads on the edge of Willits. It has very little traffic and it is fairly level. Just perfect for walking. While we were walking I spotted a perfect bird perch in a drainage ditch beside the road. It was a broken off branch all covered in moss, lichens and fungi. It was too big to carry around so I came back for it with my pick up after our walk. This afternoon when I was putting it up I jammed a screw driver sized hole in the side of my thumb. Ouch! man did that hurt! I propped up the perch while I went to wash off the blood and get a bandage. While I was walking back I heard a crash. The branch fell and broke into three pieces. Now I have three shorter perches. Here is a Dark Eyed Junco on the end of one of the sections from my backyard photoblind this evening. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens at 330 mm, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop F5.6,Shutter speed 1/125th of a sec.

Lilac in the Air

Yesterday afternoon found me in my backyard photoblind with the fragrance of Lilac in the air. It was heavenly. I was photographing the Red Breasted Nuthatches coming to my bird feeder with our Lilac bush in the background. What a beautiful setting for photographing birds. This was my favorite image from the set. God's precious love to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens at 400 mm, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop F5.6,Shutter speed 1/500th of a sec.

Mangle

I spent a good part of yesterday spring cleaning our back patio. I needed to clean off scattered seed, perches, backgrounds and some assorted junk. While I was working I heard two Wild Turkeys calling back and forth over the ridge. When one of them got closer it dawned on me that a good opportunity was at hand. I grabbed my camera and ran out to my permanent photoblind in the front yard. Before I could climb in I noticed one of the jakes was right across the driveway from me. Catching my motion it scurried off into the trees. I climbed into the blind and started giving soft hen turkey clucks. (Hard to imagine me as a hen turkey isn't it!) The other jake answered with a couple of gobbles and came running up the ridge less than a minute later. This caused the other jake to come back which pleased me to no end because it was quite a bit bigger. It was looking for that jenny it had heard. It hung around for quite awhile giving me plenty of opportunities to photograph it. The lighting was a bit iffy but I still had a great time. The poor jake never did find his girl. I decided to call him "Mangles" because half of his tail feather were mangled, torn up and missing. God's light and love to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens Camera braced to blind frame hand held. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop F5.6,Shutter speed varied

Beautiful Birds

Yesterday afternoon I had a second session in the photoblind photographing the birds. I was lucky to have a female Goldfinch come by several times. There were a lot of House Finches and Dark Eyed Juncos that came by as well. Surprising that no other kinds of birds stopped by. God bless, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop F5.6,Shutter speed varied

Build Up

This morning I placed a perchless feeder next to a Lilac blossom. The only way the birds could use the feeder was to perch on the blossom. After setting it up I climbed into the photoblind and then there was the long wait. Whenever I restock the bird feeders or put up a new feeder there is almost always a disruption of the natural flow of birds to the feeders. There is a long lull until things slowly start building back up to normal. It's interesting that when you are in a photoblind that your sense of hearing becomes much more acute. You can hear the birds slowly working there way inward from the trees. The loudest were a pair of Red Breasted Nuthatches. I could hear them getting closer and closer. I was getting ready with my finger on the shutter release looking for them. One of them finally landed on a perch close enough to my blind for me to photograph it. Then the unplanned happened. One of the pair landed on the blossom and crash landed. It was rather interesting as the blossom could barely support their weight. They would launch themselves from the blossom at the feeder to grab a seed and fly off. I had a great time photographing them and they in turn loved the free food. God's precious love to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop F5.6,Shutter speed varied