Birding – Page 16 – Circadianreflections Blog

The Poser

January 4, 2015Posted in Bird Photography, birding, Birds in the Wild, Goldfinch Male, Santa Clara CountyTagged Bird Photography, Birding, Birds, Birds in the Wild, Goldfinch, Santa Clara County5 Comments

Last Friday, while sweeping the patio, and doing some general tidying up in the backyard I switched the seeds in the bird feeder because the mix I had in it wasn’t attracting any birds. I refilled the feeder with black sunflower seeds, and yesterday quite a few House Finches returned, and there was one Goldfinch Male that landed on the perch, but was quickly chased away by the male House Finches. I grabbed my camera hoping he’d make another appearance, but sadly he did not. That visit prompted me to revisit some images I took in early May 2014 of several Goldfinches.

This one pictured above looked at me then puffed himself all up, and gave me the best pose of the morning. I think he’s as handsome as he does. 🙂

I sure hope that Goldfinch comes back and brings some friends with him.

Nikon D300s| AF-S Nikkor 300mm f4| AF-S Nikkor 14eII TC| Tripod

More to come…

Snowy Plover

October 28, 2014Posted in Bird Photography, birding, Birds in the Wild, Coastal Birds, Nature Photography, ShorebirdsTagged Bird Photography, Birding, Brids in the Wild, Sanderlings, Shorebirds, Snowy Plover7 Comments

This image I took a month ago while birding in Carmel, CA. They’re so little and cute!

Here’s one more. A Snowy Plover watching two Sanderlings foraging in the sand, and I’m sure it has an eye on me too.

Nikon D700| AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4 w/ AF-S Nikkor 14eII Teleconverter= 420mm

More to come…

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”~ Henry David Thoreau

October 5, 2014October 5, 2014Posted in birding, Birds in the Wild, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Golden Gate Park, LensBaby Composer Pro II, San Francisco, WarblersTagged Birding, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Cactus, Flowers, LensBaby Composer Pro II, San Francisco Golden Gate Park10 Comments

I thought of this quote of Thoreau’s while out birding yesterday. “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”

A friend and I had gone up to San Francisco Golden Gate Park hoping to see a Porthonotary Warbler. We knew it was being seen in the mornings, and late afternoons, but we both had obligations in the morning and couldn’t get up there, so we left late hoping for an afternoon sighting.

While we were in the area where the Porthonotary Warbler was sighted I spied some movement in the foliage of a huge Cypress tree. I thought it might be a Nuthatch, but it turned out to be a Black-throated Gray Warbler! A first sighting for me!

It was in the foliage so I kicked up the ISO. I used my Nik Plug-in Dfine to help some with the noise. I wish there was a highlight in its eye. This is the best of the images I took of it. It’s such a busy, flittly little bird that most of my images were soft or blurry. One day I hope I get another crack at one.

While hanging around the area where the Porthonotary Warbler was most likely to show up I was noticing the flowers,

and plants around me so I switched my 300mm f4 Nikkor lens for the LensBaby Composer Pro II with the Soft Focus Optic and made quite a few images. Most of which I don’t have names for. Here are several images,

We didn’t see the Porthonotary Warbler, but it was a good day out filled with a lot of beautiful flowers, plants,

nice weather, and good company.

Nikon D300s| AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4 w/ AF-S Nikkor 14eII, and LensBaby Composer Pro II w/soft focus optic

More to come…

Life in the Garden-Chestnut-backed Chickadee

September 21, 2014Posted in Backyard Birding, birding, Birds, Life in the GardenTagged Backyard Birding, Birding, Birds, Birds in the Wild, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Life in the Garden, Nature Photography2 Comments

Shortly after the mornings began getting chillier here in No. California a pair of Chestnut-backed Chickadees showed up at my feeder. They make sorties for about 30 minutes or so in the mornings then I don’t see them again until the following morning. Since their arrival I’ve been trying to get a good image of them from my window, but I’ve not liked anything I’ve taken as they were too soft, or blurry, too noisey, or something so, I ended up deleting them all. I was quite frustrated I can tell you!

Thursday afternoon I was in the backyard with #1 Grandson who was busy getting into everything he shouldn’t…not being content with his climbing fort, toys, or sandbox as some toddlers are wont to be when a Chestnut-backed Chickadee perched itself on a tippy top branch of my Camellia bush!
Fortunately, I took my camera out with me just in case the Hummingbirds were brave enough to continue feeding with us in the yard. This is the best image of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee I’ve been able to make to date! I hope I’m ready the next time it makes an appearance.

Nikon D700| AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4| Nikkor 14eII Teleconverter| Lexar Professional Digital Film

UPDATE on the RUFF- A post by a birder on the birding forum reported seeing the Ruff in its favorite corner of the salt pond today. It had been flushed by the Harrier a couple of times. The Ruff is wounded on the wing, but it can fly without any apparent problems, and is eating. Happy news indeed!

More to come…

Sanderlings

September 17, 2014Posted in birding, Birds of Northern America, Carmel CA, Nature Photography, ShorebirdsTagged Birding, Carmel by the Sea, Nature, San Jose California Nature Photographer, Sanderlings, Shorebirds, Wildlife2 Comments

Taken last Saturday morning in Carmel by the Sea, CA. It was still overcast, and a bit cloudy which provided a lovely soft light on these two Sanderlings that were foraging up a little higher on the beach.

Nikon D700| AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4 w/Nikkor 14eII Teleconverter

More to come…

Black Turnstone

September 14, 2014September 14, 2014Posted in birding, Birds of Northern America, Carmel CA, Nature Photography, ShorebirdsTagged Birding, Black Turnstone, Carmel CA, Oyster Catchers, San Jose California Nature Photographer, Shorebirds6 Comments

This little bird is a first sighting for me. I think it’s a Black Turnstone which is in the Sandpiper family.
This one and several others were feeding on the rocks near the shore while some Oyster Catchers were preening or trying to nap.

I always try to focus in on a small detail here and there while out shooting and yesterday the fallen feathers laying on the sand caught my eye~

It was a great morning to be on the coast birding.

More to come…

Taken September 13, 2014 in Carmel, CA- Nikon D700| AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4 + Nikkor 14eII Teleconverter

Catch of the Day!

September 13, 2014September 13, 2014Posted in Birds, California, San Jose California Nature Photographer, Shorebirds, WildlifeTagged Birding, Birds, Birds in the Wild, California, Carmel by the Sea, Seagulls6 Comments

The fish this Seagull caught was so big it kept slipping out of the Gull’s mouth onto the sand. It was still alive and flopping about too. Several times the waves came up threatening to pull the fish back to sea, but that Gull would grab a fin and pull it back to the dry sand and try to eat it over and over. Finally he managed to swallow it.

Carmel by the Sea- Nikon D700| AF-S Nikkor 300mm f4| AF-S Nikkor 14eII Teleconverter

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