Waiting at the Old Waterhole

This last week I set up my large water feature. It's not really that large, it's a sheet of four by eight plywood with tapered three and a half inch sides. I fill the inside of it with visqueen plastic and then water. Next I add gravel, sand and river rock to make it into a small pond. The local wildlife love it and use it as a place to drink and bathe. This morning I went out and sat in the photoblind next to it waited. After a wait of about twenty minutes I could hear the scratching on bark of the nearby tree trunks and the calls of Douglas Tree Squirrels around me. Several squirrels even climbed up onto the roof of the photoblind itself. It's pretty cool to hear them scampering around on top of the blind! Not long after that I managed to capture some images of the squirrels stopping by for a drink. These three images were my favorites.What a great experience. God's blessings to all, chris All of these images were created with a Canon EOS 7D MkII camera and a TAMRON | SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens. A Canon 550EX speedlight was used as a fill flash. #TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron

Watching and Waiting for the Long Distance Voyager

I have been watching and waiting for the Rufous Hummingbirds to appear. I always have a few resident Anna's Hummingbirds that hang around all winter. But the Rufous Hummingbirds are special because they travel so far. Rufous hummingbirds are known for having the longest migration, as measured by body length, of any bird in the world! They travel close to four thousand miles making the one way trip from Mexico to Alaska. That is pretty amazing for a three inch long hummer that weighs about the same as a copper penny. The Rufous breeds farther north than any other hummingbird in North America, traveling all the way up to Alaska in the summer breeding season. Truly an amazing migration. This afternoon I watched them for about five minutes before I grabbed my tripod camera and flash. I watched them to figure out the best possible perches they were using before I photographed them. I was looking for perches that were clutter free and had a pleasing background behind them. I photographed them for about half an hour. They were happy and so was I. Here are three of my favorite images. God's love and blessings to all, chris #TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron

Jack Frost Nipping at Your Nose

When we awoke this morning and looked out across the Little Lake Valley the frost in the valley was so thick that we could see it. I had a quick breakfast and I threw my cameras in the pick up and headed down the driveway. The digital thermometer in my pickup read 53 degrees Fahrenheit. Our house sits at an elevation of just above 2,500 feet above sea level depending upon what topo map you are using. As I drove down the mountain the thermometer was dropping down as well. By the time I reached the valley floor at 1,377 feet the thermometer read 28 degrees F. I decided to do a drive around the valley to find some frosty leaves to photograph. As I got nearer to the far side of the valley it got even colder. At its coldest it was 24 degrees Fahrenheit. What a huge difference in Temperature! Stay warm and God bless, chrisThe valley view was created with a Canon EOS Rebel T1i camera and a TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens #WithMyTamron, All of the macro images of the leaves were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EFS-60mm macro lens.#TeamCanon

Lichen and a Splash of Color

Yesterday morning I wanted to create a simple image with a splash of color. I thought about it a little bit and grabbed a lichen covered branch and clamped it up beside the bird feeder to use as a perch for the birds to land on. For a splash of color I added a fall covered backdrop about eight feet back behind the perch. Next I went back and forth between our back bedroom and the set up adjusting things so that they looked just right when I was looking through the camera's view finder. For the camera settings I put the camera in AV mode so I could choose the F stop. I used an F stop of 8.0 so the background would be out of focus. For my ISO I set it at 800 a it was fairly cloudy out. I waited for a bit until the birds found the feeder and started using it and i could start photographing them. Three or four times I had to yell at the squirrels to chase them away as I didn't give them their own feeder. After creating over a hundred images. I went upstairs to my computer to edit them. It didn't take very long to eliminate the ones with chopped off tails and heads. After that I got rid of the ones that were way too soft or out of focus. Fairly quickly I was down to just one image. Here is my favorite from the morning a Red Breasted Nuthatch. I love how the bird's plumage matches up with the background colors. God's blessings upon your week, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens at 600mm. The camera was placed on a ground pod on our back bedroom window ledge with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead. #TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron

Waiting for the Birds

This morning I was waiting for the birds to fly into the frame to add some interest to the foggy redwood composition I was creating. When I checked my Facebook account this morning I was reminded in my memories that I was photographing the same exact subject two years ago. Either I'm still being creative or I'm stuck in a rut. Time to go on a trip! God's precious love to all, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F8.0 at 1/500th of a sec.#TeamCanon, #withmytamron

Over the Shoulder

Yesterday was a perfect day for photographing birds. It was heavily overcast and threatening to rain. In fact it was starting do drizzle when the last images were taken. I love overcast light for the saturated colors it brings out in the birds plumage. I set up my tripod and camera as close as I could possibly get to the hummingbirds favorite perch in my backyard. No photoblind I just stood not moving with my eye to the camera waiting. I was primarily focused on capturing that over the shoulder look that shows off the back of the hummingbirds. It was fun with the hummingbirds zipping around me back and forth to the nectar feeders. Sometimes the buzzed me pretty close. Thank you Lord that it is Friday. If you can please take some time out to pray for the people of Texas,Mexico,Florida and the Caribbean. With the hurricanes and earthquake they are going through a lot. God bless, chris All images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a TAMRON | SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens on a Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro tripod with a Bogen heavy duty ballhead.#TeamCanon, #withmytamron

Fine Day for Portraits

Yesterday the lighting was perfect as it was early morning and there was a light cloud cover overhead. I was all set up for photographing small birds. A Steller's Jay and a Western Gray Squirrel came into feed. I couldn't very easily back off my zoom lens without scaring them away. So I settled for some portraits. It's pretty cool that you can see our house in their eyes. Both images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a TAMRON | SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens. On a tripod in AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 #TeamCanon, #withmytamron God's love and blessings upon your day, chris

Da Claw!

Have you ever wondered how squirrels can run straight down tree trunks as well as run straight up them. First off it has to to with the fact that tree squirrels have sharp claws that are perfect for digging into bark to climb. Second of all and probably the coolest thing is that its ankle joints that are adapted to be super flexible. They can rotate 180 degrees. Try that with your ankle! When a squirrel wants to climb down it rotates its ankle and feet, digs its claws into the trunk and hang from its back legs as it is coming down.I hope that you are having a great week. God bless, chris #TeamCanon, #withmytamron

Memories

Today on a trip downtown a Sooty Grouse ran across the road in front of me and the flew up to a low hanging branch of a fir tree. My mind was flooded with the memory of the first grouse I ever saw as a kid. I was about ten years old and early one fall morning we were hiking into the upper Colorado River to fish for Brook Trout. We used to bring a cast iron frying pan and some canned white potatoes. We would catch a bunch of fish and fry them up for lunch on a fire right next to the river. Along the trail on the hike in a Dusky Grouse ran ahead of us and flew up onto an overhanging branch that was about six feet off of the ground. It stayed in place while we all walked under it down the trail. That memory has stuck with me all of these years. It was really nice to see the Grouse this morning as I have been seeing less and less of them over the past few years. God's blessings upon your week, chris #TeamCanon, #withmytamron

One Little Chickadee

I started off my day slowly with a leisurely breakfast. Then I went out into the backyard and created a new bird photography set up. I used a lichen covered broken off oak branch I picked up from a fallen tree when Lenore and I were out shopping. After finishing the set up I climbed into my photoblind and waited. There was the thrum of the hummingbirds going back and forth to the nectar feeders and the occasional thunk of an acorn hitting the forest floor. At first there was very little activity. Then the birds found the spot of where the bird feeder had been moved to. After that the action was non stop with one bird after another coming into feed. I photographed birds for about n hour before the light started to get too bright. Here is my favorite Chestnut Backed Chickadee image from the morning. God's precious love to all, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens at 500mm. The camera was supported with a Manfrotto 055 XPROB Pro tripod with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F8.0 at 1/100th of a sec.#TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron, Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography

Wilson's Warbler

Saturday afternoon while I was photographing hummingbirds I had a surprise visitor drop into the same tree where I was photographing hummingbirds. A Wilson's Warbler dropped by to get a drink from our pond. I was set up for photographing the hummingbirds with the dark redwoods as a background so when the warbler landed in a different part of the tree the background behind it was a bald, bright sky. I just went with it and decided to create a high key image out of it. I like how the pictures have sort of an illustrated Audubon feel to it. Almost like they were printed on white paper. God's love and blessings upon your day. Lay your troubles at his feet, chris All images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Tamron 1590-600mm G2 lens.Fill flash was provided by a Canon 550 EX flash set to -2 stops. Thecamera was supported with a Manfrotto 055 XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead. #TeamCanon

House Finch Friday

Friday morning I went out to the Little Lake Valley and made a very simple set up in the Burris Ranch garden for some bird photography. I used a Hawthorne branch in bloom for the perch and for a background I had a sheet of hand painted masonite. Considering that I only just put up the bird feeder earlier this week I was very impressed with how many birds were coming into the feeder. The majority of birds were House finches though a couple of White Breasted Nuthatches stopped by as well as some Lesser Goldfinches and one Scrub Jay. When I got home I edited them pretty thoroughly and this was my stand out favorite. God's love and blessings upon your week, chris #teamcanon, #tamron This image was created with a canon 7D MkII and a TAMRON | SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2lens at 450mm. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 at 1/200th of a sec. Fill flash was provided by a Canon 500 EX flash st to -2 stops.

All in a Mornings Work

The little Lake Valley was full of light fog yesterday morning as I got ready to head out to do some bird photography at the Burris Ranch. On Tuesday I went out to the ranch and did some weed eating and setting up of bird feeders and perches. On the drive out I a saw one lone cow elk all by herself beside highway 101. Further on in the North end of the valley I spotted a small herd of tule elk up on a hillside. Two of the bulls got into a morning tiff. When i arrived at the ranch my photo blind was literally dripping with condensation. Luckily I had a towel with me and I wiped it down before bringing my camera gear into it. Bird activity was low, mainly because I just set up the bird feeders the day before. I photographed one really nice male House Finch. God's precious love to all, chris all images were created with a Canon 7D MkII with a Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens in AV mode at a variety of settings. #TeamCanon,#withmytamron

Mellow Yellow With a Splash of Blue

Bird feeders full? Check. Separate feeder for the squirrels set up? Check. Perches all set up and in place? Check. Is the "Blasted Cat" locked away in the house? Check. That was the start to a great morning of photographing the Steller's Jays today. I photographed them until the sun got too bright. Yes, that's right. We have a beautiful day full of sunshine today! Thank you Lord! I hope that everyone is having a nice weekend. God bless, chris Both images were created with a Canon 7D MkII and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800, F 8.0 and f 5.6 at 1/200th of a sec. A Canon 550 EX fill flash was used set to -1 and 2/3rds stops.The camera was supported with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead on aground pod. #teamcanon, #withmytamron

Jays and Squirrels

Here are a few more Steller's jays and Western Gray Squirrels form my backyard in Mendocino County, Northern California. They love to pose for the free seed! You can see that there is a lot less moss on the perch once the squirrels got into it. Their sharp claws just peel off the moss and lichens from the perch. We all had a great time. All images were created with a Canon 7D MkII and a Tamron 150-600 G2 lens. Camera was set in AV mode, ISO 800 at F 8.0 shutter speeds varied. I was using a ground pod with a Bogen 3055 ballhead to support the camera on our back bedroom window sill. #teamcanon, #tamron

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.

Cool Foggy Day

We awoke to a gorgeous day with very light clouds and the sun was shining. In a blink of an eye the fog rolled in and turned everything gray. It's not bad for photography as the fog is like a giant light diffuser bringing out nice bold colors. Yesterday I put up a new perch using a really beautiful oak branch covered in lichens and moss. This morning I put it to use photographing the Western Gray Squirrels and Steller's Jays as they came to feed. My favorite image was of this Gray Squirrel. It was perfectly posed. God's blessings upon your days, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a TAMRON | SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens at 150mm. Fill flash was provided by Canon 550 EX flash set to high speed synch and -2 stops exposure. the camera settings used were, AV mode, ISO 4000, F 5.0 at 1/250th of a sec.#teamcanon, #tamron

Rollin' on a River

One of the best kept secrets of Mendocino County is the Eel River. It's one of the most beautiful river systems in California. It has some concerns but I won't go into those today as it has some great rafting and kayaking as well. Sunday Lenore and I drove up looking for kayakers but we got up on the river too late and we missed them. This morning I went up a little earlier and managed to catch them on a short run from Legal Bridge down to about half way to Dos Rios. It was a game of photograph and chase. I would find and photograph them and then race ahead of them to the next rapid, park and then do it all over again. It was a lot of fun. The conditions were pretty hard to photograph in as believe it or not it was too nice a day. It was bright, sunny and hot! If you are interested in learning more about white water kayaking either in the surf or on the river a great resource is Liquid Fusion Kayaking. They have great qualified instructors and can be reached by phone or through their website. https://liquidfusionkayak.com/ The also offer some much tamer trips if you are interested. I hope you are having a great week. God bless, chris All images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and either a Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens or a Tamron 18-200 mm lens. #teamcanon, #tamron

Snowy Day Grays

We have gone from snowy day jays to grays. Western Gray Squirrels that is. I had a blast photographing the squirrels in the snow on Sunday as they came the bird feeder for a snack. Often times I will give them their own feeder to keep them occupied. But not this time while it was snowing. I loved the way the snow clung to their fur and whiskers. What a visual treat! After having so much fun there were a lot of images to edit. In fact I'm still not done and I really need to take a break. Here are four images that I have really liked so far. I hope that your week is going well. God's precious love and blessings to all, chris These images were all created with a Canon 7D MkII and a TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens with a Canon 550EX fill flash set to -2 stops. Camera settings varied. #teamcanon, #tamron,#takenwithmytamron, #canon

Snowy Day Jays

One of the things things that I love about living in the coastal range of Northern California is that we live high enough up in elevation that it snows. It doesn't snow too often and it rarely stays long enough that I ever need to shovel it. The county road crews do a great job of plowing and if I ever really do need to get out I can with four wheel drive. Just drive slow and easy and I rarely have a problem and I've never gotten stuck. Thank you Lord. Saturday night it started snowing pretty heavily. I went out in the dark and put up a mossy perch next to the bird feeder. In the morning the Steller's Jays were coming into it and loving all of that free bird seed. It snowed off and on all day. I really enjoyed getting the chance to photograph birds in the snow. By Monday morning all of the snow was melting away and today there are just scattered patches. I ended up with a lot of really nice images. After some editing I narrowed today's offering down to three images.Tomorrow I'll edit the squirrels. God bless, chris These images were all created with a Canon 7D MkII and a TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens with a Canon 550EX fill flash set to -2 stops. Camera settings varied. #teamcanon, #tamron,#takenwithmytamron, #canon