A Few Birds

This morning before I went to work out at the gym I decided to do some bird photography out at the Burris Ranch. I figured enough days had passed since I restocked the feeders to make it active again.There were a few birds there when I arrived but after I refilled the feeders there wasn't a bird to be seen for almost half an hour, Finally little by little they began returning. This time of year the birds have lost those breeding colors and are going into plumages that are a lot less flashy and less likely to get them eaten or attract a mate.They are still cool just not as beautiful as they are in the spring.I photographed some House Finches,Gold Finches,Oak Titmouse, Juncos and some Nuthatches. A good time was had by all. Birds love free food.

God'as love and blessings,

chris

Present on the Forest Floor

This morning after a minor dog incident I assigned myself the task of fence patrol to try and find out how our dog Badger is escaping from the yard. I found one hole that he has been using to squeeze out and I found a small dead Madrone tree had fallen on the back side of the fence reducing it's height down to three feet. Easy for Badger to jump over and for deer to come in.


In walking back up to the house I found this beautiful Steller's Jay feather lying amongst the leaf litter. Perfect photo fodder for my new macro lens.What a wonderful present to start out the day.

God's precious love to all,

chris

A Day at Home or a Pine White

Today I took my son Jay down to Department of Motor Vehicles in the big city of Ukiah for his learners permit test (Actually a nice experience). He passed with flying colors and now it will be onto the grand driving experience. Woot ! Woot! I spent the rest of the day at home. Some of the time chasing Pine White Butterflies. They were coming to my mint plants which are blooming profusely in the backyard right now. I just plonked my self down beside the flower bed and chased butterflies to my hearts content. This was my favorite image from the images I made.

God's love and light to all,

chris

Me and the Little Junk Yard Dog

Lenore and I spent the last two days over on the coast celebrating our anniversary so when I woke up this morning I was pretty tired. It was misting outside. Perfect day for some bird photography! But I knew that would have to wait because I had other plans. First I wanted to set up a portable blind in an unused pasture on the north side of the Burris Ranch to see if I could get an image of the Gray Fox I have been seeing in a more natural setting. I set the blind up next to the pond and I was shocked to see that the pond was already dry. So much for my thoughts of photographing animals when they came for a drink. Oh well. I left the blind there and walked over to snake heaven in the junkyard where my photoblind was set up.I was excited to see a flock of Goldfinches at the feeders when I arrived. I never saw them again! I did the mundane task of restocking the bird feeders and then climbed into the blind.A few House Finches came and went and then an Acorn Woodpecker arrived of which I got a great photograph. Then I heard the fox barking in the creek not far from my blind. It got closer and then stopped. About ten minutes went by and then I heard the high pitched screams of some animal being killed up the hill. The hair on the back of my neck went up.It got quiet again and then the fox started barking on the other side of the fence from me. I finally decided to get out of the blind and take a look. The fox was sitting on it's haunches in the grass looking at me.The big problem was that there was a fence post between us.I took a couple of images and then it ran up the hill into the forest above the ranch. That little dog and I have a photo date in the near future.I'm going to keep trying.I never did find out what got killed up the hill from me.

God's love and blessings to all,

chris

Chasing Deer or "The Look"

I got up to hazy skies this morning from the fires to the east of us. The lighting was soft and good so I decided to go look for two bucks that I spotted yesterday near my house. Blacktail Deer are territorial so if you find them in an area chances are that the following day you can find them somewhere nearby the following day.This was indeed the case as I found them less than a hundred yards from where I spotted them yesterday.There were two three pointers. For eastern United States readers that would be a six point buck.



Sadly the area I found them was in the shade with no great lighting or other features to really make them stand out. That meant I would have to wait for "the look". In photographing deer you really need a few things to make them look good. It's typically best to have them uphill from you as this makes them look bigger. Secondly there needs to be good eye contact or the look where they are staring at you. It also helps if they are standing broadside to you with there head turned towards you or their body is facing away from you and they are looking back at you over their shoulder. Obviously these are just some general rules and many times they should probably be broken if you have a really nice image of a deer is staring at you through the viewfinder of the camera.

I photographed them for about a half an hour before I was about to pack it in.I had some good images but I wanted something better. Suddenly the larger three pointer stood stock still and looked down the hill at me.Not only that but he had some feed in his mouth I had the image I was "looking" for.

God's precious love and blessings to all,

chris

Blessed

I have been sick for over two weeks with the flu. During that time I had a lot of time to think about how God has truly blessed me. Here I was sick flat on my back in a warm bed in a nice house with plenty of food to eat. I admit being sick wasn't any fun but it could have been far worse situation had I been homeless or had a more severe form of the flu.

Today was the first day I have attempted doing any serious photography other than taking my camera out and taking a few snap shots. I went out to the Burris Ranch in the Little Lake Valley and it was fantastic. I had a wide range of birds coming into the feeders including one Bullock's Oriole and some woodpeckers. I think they like the hen scratch I mixed into the bird seed I have been using. It was amazing to see such a variety of birds today. Now it's time for some severe editing! Can't get better than that.

God's blessings to all,
chris




Acorn Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker,Bullock's Oriole