Parking Lot Perch and a Black Cat

I'm always on the lookout for interesting perches to use in my bird photography. While walking across the shopping center parking lot at the end of last week I spotted a small downed branch covered in lichen. I noted where it was located and reminded myself to pick it up on the return trip to my pick up. Sure enough I forgot to grab it. Monday afternoon I was back shopping at the same shopping center when it hit me. Where was that cool perch? I turned from where I was headed and walked back to where I was parked previously. After a bit of looking I was surprised to find it. I tossed it into the bed of the pick up did my shopping and headed home. This morning I clamped the branch beside the bird feeder. Then I put up a new neutral background behind it. I gathered up my photography gear and climbed into the photography blind to wait. Being winter there only a few species that come into the bird feeder. I photographed Chestnut Backed Chickadees, Steller's Jays and Red-Breasted Nuthatches. I was interrupted by the yowling of a cat after about twenty minutes. All of the birds left and a stray black cat that has been hanging around for about a week approached the blind. I called to it and it cautiously came closer. I held out my hand and it sniffed it. Then big shock to me it came into the blind and climbed up into my lap! I petted it for awhile and then walked with it to the house where I gave it a bowl of cat food. It ate all the food and then wandered back into the forest. What a wonderful morning. Merry Christmas to one and all, chris all images were created with a Canon EOS 7D MKII camera and a Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens. Fill flash was provided by a Canon 550 EX speedlight set to minus one and one third stops.Camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 400, Exposures varied. #teamcanon, #withmytamron

Digging Into the Past

I spent the day looking through old images and working on editing my forth coming book. Looking back on some of my older images from Death Valley from 2004 I was transported in my mind to another rainy day. It really poured in Death Valley. They had to sand bag around our hotel in Furnace Creek to keep the water from coming in. There were people kayaking on the river and canoeing at Badwater. Oh, if I had only known to photograph them! The light in the breaks in between storms were incredible! It was a challenging time for me as well. I had just gotten my new Canon 10D a digital DSLR and it was a learning experience of trying to use it after shooting film for so many years.( I think I did O.K.) Here is one from the files for my rainy day. Badwater at sunrise looking west. God's blessings to you, chris

Camera Equipment Used- Canon 10D,Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens at 115mm, Bogen 3021 Tripod with a 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 100,F stop F5.6,Shutter speed 1/60th of a sec.