An Extra Jay for Saturday

I spent half an hour this morning attempting to photograph Chestnut Backed Chickadees out the back bedroom window this morning. Only one chickadee showed up and it ended up being blurred in the image because it was moving way too fast for the shutter speeds I was using. Later some Steller's Jays showed up and this was the best of the lot. Enjoy your weekend and God bless, chris This image was created with my Canon 7D MkII and a Tamron 150-600 mm G2 lens. AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/60th of a sec. The camera was supported on a ground pod with a Bogen 3055 Heavy Duty Ballhead. Fill flash was provided by a Canon 550 EX flash set at -2 stops.

Thanksgiving for the Squirrels

Thanksgiving morning I went out and set up a feeder just for the squirrels. The squirrels were happy and the birds were happy because now they both had some thing to eat. Later in the morning I set up my camera and photographed a few western Gray Squirrels from our back window using my window hide/blind. May you have a great weekend and God bless, chris These images were created with a Canon 7D mkII and a Canon 100-400 IS v.1 lens. The camera was supported on our back bedroom window sill with a ground pod and a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead.

Rainy Day Squirrel

The rain and hail have been pounding down interspersed with rays of sunshine breaking through the gray leaden skies. During one of those breaks I moved my bird feeder and a mossy perch to a spot outside of one of our bedroom windows. From there I was able to capture some images of a Douglas Tree Squirrel taking advantage of the free bird seed. I'm not so sure the squirrel likes the rain but I sure do. God's love and blessings to all, chris Both images created with a Canon 7D and a Tamron 150-600mm lens. AV mode, ISO 800 F 8.0 shutter speeds were 1/125th and 1/100th of a sec. Camera was supported with a ground pod and a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead on our bedroom window sill.

Want a Cookie?

Most people just love a great chocolate chip cookie. I must say that I'm no exception to that! Last night I whipped a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies and I piled them high up on the rack to cool. This morning I went out into the backyard and worked on a new bird photography set up. As I was working it dawned on me that it was going to take awhile for the birds to find and start using the new feeder location and I wondered what I should photograph instead. Immediately that pile of cookies came to mind. When I came in to the house I grabbed the rack of cookies and placed them on a white sweep. Next I grabbed four lights, two for the background and two for the cookies. After a bit of maneuvering of the lights and changing the camera position a few times I had exactly what I wanted and they looked delish. God's tender love and blessings to all, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 28-105 lens at 65mm. Camera settings used. AV mode, ISO 200, F 16.0 at 1/30th of a sec. The camera was supported by a Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod with a Bogen ballhead.

The Big Prize

This morning I was up before sunrise creating a new set up to photograph the birds. I moved the knothole feeder off to the side to lure the squirrels away from my bird feeder. I threw a walnut into the knothole feeder as further enticement for the squirrels. I'm always amazed at their ability to sniff things out! After completing the set up I climbed into the photoblind for my usual wait. A short time later a Douglas Tree Squirrel came by and checked out the bird feeder and then quickly moved on to the knothole feeder because it is much easier pickings than trying to hang upside down to get into the bird feeder. I got a great portrait of it sitting on top of the knotholefeeder and later got a really nice one of it getting ready to carry off the prize walnut. I had a great time doing photography and hope that you have a great weekend as well. God bless, chris Both images were created with a Canon 7D anda Canon 100-400 IS lens. AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 The camera was supported by a Manfrotto 190 XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 Heavy Duty ballhead.

Time for a Cool One

This morning I was up and around and in my backyard photoblind even before the sun rose. I have been noticing that with so much more light that the birds were coming to my bird feeder earlier and earlier. So in order to catch the birds in the best light I needed to be in the blind before the birds came. My decision payed off as I was able to get some really nice Steller's Jay and Band-tailed Pigeon images. My favorite image of the morning though was of a Western Gray Squirrel that came to get a drink from my water set up. I could really tell that it wanted a drink. It kept looking longingly at the water and then it would scamper away as soon as it heard the sound of the camera's shutter clicking. I eventually got smart and prefocused on the water where I thought it as heading for a drink. I didn't click the shutter until it was actively drinking. I came away with two images that I really like and this one was the best. May you have a blessed weekend, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 Is lens on a Manfrotto 190 XPROB tripod with a Bogen Ballhead. Camera settings used were AV mode,ISO 800, F 5.6 at 1/125th of a sec. #TeamCanon

Species in Decline

I had a great time photographing Band-tailed Pigeons (P.f. monilis) in my backyard this morning. I have nowhere near the numbers of them that I used to have visiting my bird feeders. Five or six years ago I would have flocks of twenty or more. Now flocks are typically less than a dozen. In fact this morning there were only six or so. At present the population is still considered to be a species of "Least Concern" even though they have been steadily dropping in population since 1945. Recently a new pathogen (Trichomonas stableri) has been found by scientists from UC Davis looking into major die-offs of pigeons native to North America. The pathogen creates nasty lesions that can block the esophagus. This prevents the birds from eating or drinking often leading to suffocation. Hopefully a way can be found to stop this disease so that future generations of people can enjoy seeing this bird in the wild. God bless, chris All images created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens. Camera settings used were. AV mode, ISO 800 at F 5.6. Shutter speeds varied. Camera and lens were supported with a Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 ballhead. If you are interested in learning how to photograph birds in your backyard please check out my book, "Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography". It is available in both hardbound and as an Ebook on most online book sellers. Please copy the following link into your browser. http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Backyard-Photography-Chris-Hansen/dp/1937538559

Back to Juncos and Jays

I was waiting for a phone call this morning so I had to stick close to the house. I decided to do some bird photography in the yard with some orchids for a perch. As I was setting up I could hear the squirrels down the ridge from our house giving an alarm call. This was a premonition of things to come. There was some kind of predator in the area and they were letting everyone know. Sure enough once I was set up in the photoblind it was quiet except for the squirrels giving out their staccato warnings. I sat and sat. Eventually a Steller's Jay made its way down to the feeder only to fly off screeching as a hawk swooped in to try and grab it. It was way too fast for me to follow but the Jay escaped. That was pretty cool! After that it stayed slow and and I waited patiently with Badger asleep at my feet. Suddenly the bottom of the blind shook and there was Papaya the blasted cat wanting to be petted. Now it was quite cozy in the blind with the dog at my feet and the cat in my lap! After a little bit more of a wait I managed to photograph a Steller's Jay and a Dark Eyed Junco. It was a great morning to be out. God's love and blessings to all, chris All images created with a Canon 7D and a Tamron 150-600 lens. Camera was supported with a Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod and a Bogen 3055 ballhead. Camera settings used AV mode, ISO 800 shutter speeds and F stops varied.

Rhymes With Orange

Small storms have been arriving off of the ocean now for almost a week with a few breaks like yesterday afternoon when the sky partially cleared for about an hour. This made for some great "Angels Breath" (crepuscular rays) coming through the trees. Today it is pretty dreary out with the rain forecast at 100 percent. I have plenty of indoor work to do so it's not a problem. There is always images to sort and file along with the general domestic chores to keep the house functioning. Here is some angels breath and an image of some orange slices and an orange from yesterday afternoon. I guess now it's not true that there isn't anything to that rumor that "orange" rhymes with no other word. Orange rhymes with Mount Blorenge in Wales. It also rhymes with sporange. Sporange is the sac which hold the spores on the underside of plants like ferns. "Silver" has the same rumor going for it, but it rhymes with chilver the name for a ewe lamb.God's blessings upon your day. Orange image created with a Canon 7D set on manual with a Canon 28-105 lens @ 75mm. Exposure was ISO 400, F20.0 at 1/160th of a sec. Four Canon 540EZ flashes set to 1/64th power were used to light the image. The angels breath images were created with a Canon EFS 10-22mm lens. The camera was in AV mode, ISO 400, F16.0 at 1/200th of a sec. The camera was supported on a Manfrotto 055PROBX Tripod with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead.

Clearlake Part 3: Old Coots and Other Things

This is the final installment of my trip to Clearlake in Northern California last Thursday. I just love photographing from my kayak. It's a great way to get some exercise and a wonderful way to see the lake and get very close to wildlife. I did get to see a family of river otters but they just swam on by me never offering a good photographic opportunity. Dark heads in the water don't make for a very photogenic subject. An old sunken boat lying half buried in the mud gave me pause. You really wondered what stories it could tell if it could talk. I did get to see quite a few American Coots, Killdeer and some Greater Yellowlegs. The fall colors around the lake were magnificent. All in all I had a most beautiful paddle on the lake. God's creation is just awesome. chris All images created with an EOS Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400 IS lens from a Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 Kayak using a custom made camera support and a Bogen 3055 ballhead. The scenic images were created with a Canon 10-22 wide angle lens.