A Funny Thing Happened this morning

I was sitting on the floor in the den matching socks when I heard a small thump! I looked over toward the patio door and there was this crazy male cardinal literally hovering in space and I guess I'll describe it as "screeching?" at me! When I got up and walked over to see what was the matter, he promptly landed on my patio chair and continued "screeching!" Well, guess why I was getting the "screeching out?" THE FEEDERS WERE EMPTY! Guess I better pay closer attention to my feeders! Crazy spoiled little bird! That's okay, I'll just got out and shoot him! :wink: :biggrin:

 

Oh I always have birds in the backyard, but here lately we've been having a lot of afternoon storms. In fact, it's raining right now and Josh and I just finished filling up the last feeder - but I'm out of squirrel food! :Shocked: Guess I'll have to make a run to Walmart in the morning!

 

I wish I had snapped a pic of the crazy little fellow! BUT because of the lousy shooting I did through the door back in the winter, I just didn't want a lousy photo and didn't want to scare him away. Well, the feeders are full now! And just for fun, here's what's in them.....

The big feeder - patio mix (no waste- just kernels of seeds and nuts)
little feeder - safflower seeds
chapel feeder - safflower seeds
peanut feeder - raw peanuts
suet feeder - woodpecker nuts and fruit

My squirrel feeder, however is empty, so a trip to Walmart is in order in the morning!

**The big feeder is something that another cafe member told me about but a different model - it's adjustable for weight - now I have limited problems with the doves, grackles, and starlings

 

Well, if they're inside dogs, no. IF they stay outside, then it's debatable. I'd say put the feeders in a place where the dogs don't go to. My problem is my neighbor's dog gets out of their yard, comes into mine and terrorizes anything that's back there - IT MAKES ME MAD TOO!   I think their dog killed of 3 of 4 baby rabbits too! 2 of my feeders are hung on a pole, 1 on the patio and 2 in the tree. THe squirrel feeder is nailed to the fence. Feeding critters is really a lot of fun and educational too! Since I don't have the time to drive 1 1/2 hours every day to a Wildlife Refuge, the critters that come to my yard give me great practice!

 

Well, since they're inside dogs, I say get a feeder or 2 and put them where you can sit comfortably and photograph the birds as they come to the feeder. The ideal thing would be have the feeders near a tree so you can get them on natural perches. I'm stuck with my fence or some parts of the tree. I have 3 cats and something funny, they'll often sit and watch the birds. SOme of the birds and rabbits know the cats can't get out and will come right up to the patio door. SOmetimes the cats forget and end up bopping their noggins on the door! The kids really enjoy watching the birds and rabbits. Not too long ago we watched a mother rabbit nurse her babies right on our patio! Now that was a cute alert! I think Jimmy got some photos but haven't checked his camera yet.

 

Well, if you provide food and water, they'll come! Most birds like black oil sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, or the patio mix to name a few. Of course if you can manage a shallow dish with water, that will be nice too! You can take a saucer that usually comes with clay pots and turn it into a bird bath. It's shallow and they'll drink from it and even take a bath in it! As for feeders, I have droll yankee brand. They're all squirrel proof, and have a life time warrenty. If you don't use the clothesline, you can hang a feeder from that too. It may not be as pretty, but hey, they'll come and you can at least practice! I shoot birds on the feeder, the fence, on the ground, in the tree, anywhere I can get em!

 

now that's something I haven't heard of! I'm not sure, but this bird does have a mate. And he quit screeching at me once I got the feeder filled. I haven't been able to tell if I have more than 1 pair of cardinals coming to the feeders. If you keep having the same problem with your crazy bird, I'd call someone who may be able to offer some kind of help? Or film it if you have a video camera and then show it to a bird expert? Guess we both have some odd things going on with our feathered friends!

 

LOL, I can't help but laugh over this issue with the birds thumping windows and such! And your squirrels are aggressive?   WOW! My feeders for birds are all droll yankees and are guaranteed! Our wild bird center has proven squirrel proof feeders but they can get really expensive! So far, my critters have all been happy with their feeders and what I put in them. My only feeder that seems to attract too many visitors of the "wrong kind" is the peanut feeder. Maybe I'll get brave and post some shots of the feeders that I have. If you're serious about feeding birds and trying to keep squirrels at bay, then I'd suggest finding a good bird center in your area, or contact droll yankee. If you like, I'll try to find some info for ya!

 

HEHE, Lisa! I've been posting birdies a long time now and since eng45ine taught me how not to blow my highlights, I've been tryin to shoot more! BUT, we're having storms almost every day, so shootin time is limited! I'll try harder! :redface: :biggrin:

 

Why certainly!!!!!!!!! eng45ine (Frank) has coached me and due to him, Ottrot's human, Frits, and others, I've learned a ton! I'm grateful that I belong to the best forum in town and have made so many wonderful friends! I hope I haven't forgotten anything on this!!!! :redface: :biggrin:

Depending on your camera and lens that you use!

When I shoot birdies and such - I have my D50 w/300mm afs f4 and sometimes one of my TC's attached.

1. ISO - I set mine around 200
2. WB - depends on lighting condition - cloudy, direct sun, etc..
3. Shooting mode - I use aperture priority
4. shutter speed - depends on what I"m shooting
5. F stop - depending on WB ( the bigger the # less light gets in the smaller # more light gets in) and the "sweet spot" for your particular lens.
6. Take a pic, then check your highlights and histogram. If you get "blinkies" mine usually blink black, then adjust your EV settings up or down depending on what you got. If you have blinkies, most of the time, you'll want to go down or negative. If your histogram is too dark, then you want to go up or positive. Keep taking shots until you get it just right and then start blasting away!