Sparrow.....

This little Sparrow was one of many at the feeders today, and while the Woodpeckers, Cardinals, Wrens and Chickadees etc., seem to be more noticeable, it got close enough for me to grab a shot before it flitted off again. It is a very enjoyable pass time to sit and watch them all vie for their turn at the feeder, and they very often turn on each other. So far, we have had very few Blue Jays join the banquet. Maybe I need to change the feed a bit, but from what I could tell, they appear to be very aggressive, and want to take over. So maybe I will leave things as they are. There are so many types of Sparrows, and I tried looking this little one up, but couldn't find anything to match its markings.....If I should happen to be able to identify it, I will update this post....Cheers! 
 

Carolina Wren.....

Earlier today, we got a couple of inches of snow, and until then, the ground had been green, since the last snowfall had melted off a couple of weeks ago. So it was very enjoyable to be able to get outside and spend an hour or so, clearing the snow away, and enjoying the sunshine, and -2C temperatures. Then to add a little bit more enjoyment, this little Carolina Wren (I think) showed up at the feeder, and hung around long enough for me to grab a couple of shots of it. I looked up the Wren category in the Peterson Field Guide to The Birds, and as far as I can tell, this little one is at the most Northern end of its range. It winter's over within its range, and it seems that Windsor is included in that. So I am quite delighted that it stopped by for a while today. Hope you enjoy also.....Cheers!
 

Male Downy Abstract.....

This little Male Downy Woodpecker made quite a few visits to our feeder today, and I chose this image to make into an abstract of sorts, because I liked the pose and composition. It gives me a lot of enjoyment to spend a couple of hours concentrating on this image, and tuning out the world, and all of the current noise that makes TV viewing unbearable. The more I think on it, the more I realize how very fortunate I am that at a time when the world seems to be coming unglued on so many levels, I have something much more enjoyable to "focus" on....pardon the pun. Sometimes, when photographing birds, they jump about without warning, and as a result, the captured image is not as sharp as you would like it to be, but just sharp enough to not delete from the files. So what to do.....well, it is sharp enough to turn it into something that looks a bit abstract, and a departure from the norm...for me it is a happy recovery and use of an otherwise discarded image.....Hope you enjoy. Cheers!
 

Female Downy Woodpecker "Sketch".....

Yet another picture, or "sketch" dare I say, of this little female Downy Woodpecker that has found the suet block much to her liking, as she stops by on a regular basis to feed. This image was taken today, and instead of posting as a regular photo, I decided that it might be interesting to see how it would look as a sketch or something resembling a drawing of sorts. If I had the talent that my granddaughter has, I would be able to sit down with a pencil and pad, and in a matter of minutes, come up with something far superior to this software rendering. But, alas, I am no artist, and must rely on my photo toys to make my pictures. Her pencil drawings look every bit as real as if it were done with a camera, and that totally baffles me no end. She can copy something from a photograph, or conjure up a fantasy piece from her head, that just blows me away. Hope you get a little enjoyment from my software fumbling....Cheers!

Redpoll at Breakfast.....

The first thing I do when I stumble out of bed in the morning, is check the feeders outside the kitchen window. This day, I was happy to find this little Redpoll enjoying what I had set out for it. So, I grabbed the camera and fired off this shot of it, and while it is not considered by some to be a true or pure "nature" shot, because it shows the "hand of man", that is of little concern to me. What does it matter if it is perched on a twig, or on this perch, it is still a beautiful bird, and no less enjoyable to my eye. It is wonderful when "nature" comes to you, when you are not able due to circumstances, to go to it.... Hope you enjoy it a little also.... Cheers!
 

Female Cardinal Abstract.....

This image was originally a little more grainy than I am usually used to, and there was a fair bit of "clutter" in the background as well. So, what to do....I decided that since I liked the pose, I would replace the background with clutter of my own design, which I have quite a few samples of now. Then I added a poster edges filter, and it took on a somewhat abstract look which I sort of enjoy....It is what it is, and it is time to go to bed.....Cheers!
 

Male Downy Woodpecker.....

 Today, I decided to try a little enhancement to the bird feeder, by attaching a couple of branches from a couple of bushes in our back yard, to the pole the feeders were hanging from. The idea was to maybe exclude the metal cages etc. from the pictures that I would like to take. This is my first try, and I think it almost did the trick. There is a fair bit of building "clutter" in the background, and the bokeh of the lens I use for these shots almost eliminates things that are distracting. However, I have to pick and choose what angles to shoot from, to keep it down to a dull roar, so to speak. Anyway, for a first effort, I will be happy with this one, admitting of course, that I am about the laziest of all nature photographers that you might find....but it is nice to shoot bird pictures while having my afternoon coffee, I must admit....Cheers! 

Oak Leaves & Geometrics Illustration.....

This image was taken through our front window while I was enjoying my morning "cuppa". Lately, I have been trying to make something out of apparent nothingness, just to give myself a little challenge of sorts. It keeps the mind off of things, and too occupied to be bothered with all the blather on the various news outlets....I no longer have time for all the gloom and doom narrative, and subliminal social engineering, they constantly spew out. For me, it is more important to be occupied with the simple beauty of very ordinary things, and to sometimes grab a shot or two just to try to make something that I can enjoy....hope you do also. Cheers!
 

Happy New Year!

Well, here we go again....another year ahead of us, to hopefully see an improvement in the general situation of the country, and the world in general. Anyway, I thought I would kick things off with this little image of a Female Downy woodpecker at the suet block....at least that is what I think it is. I am no birder, but when I looked it up online, it looked very much like the pictures that appeared. The Downy and the Hairy are very similar in appearance, and I think the Hairy has a little longer bill. This was taken just outside our kitchen window, and I have been keeping my camera with a 70 - 300 mm zoom lens, on the kitchen table for when the birds show up. Today, we were visited by a Redpoll , and it stayed only for a few seconds, and was gone again before I could grab a shot. Maybe one day I will be able to get out into the country side and try my luck in the real world.....Cheers, and Happy New Year everyone....

P.S. Camera: SONY a77Mk2

       Lens: SONY 70-300mm SSM-G

                                                                       Exposure: ISO 3200, f5.6 for 1/640 second, handheld,                                                                                                    through kitchen window @ 300 mm. (450 mm)