Cripes, I knew I was forgetting something! That photograpy site was great, Jean! Truly beautiful images he creates from nature.

I know I'm no expert, but I know what I like, and to my eye, your images rival his. I'm so glad to hear that your exploring the nature photog thing a little further, since that might mean our words of praise are hitting home. :) I hope that online course is enjoyable, too! I'll be very interested in seeing if you come up with any differences in your current skills. I just can't imagine your photos being any better! :)

Oh, and I finally got a witness during a black phoebe siting! DH ooh'd and ahh'd with me when "she" showed up on Saturday for a quick bounce around the wires. Still no pic, though. LOL

Brenda

I'm published! Actually twice! I was up last night nursing a cold/sinus and I finally got around to reading the newsletter from our local arboreteum and lo and behold on the back is one of my pictures. A friend had sent it to one of the staff there and she emailed me about using it but it was almost a year ago so I had completely forgotten. It's been laying on my desk for weeks now, with the back cover up and I hadn't even noticed!

TOday I received an email from one of the Birders World editors that they had used my kinglet picture as one of the computer backgrounds that just starting providing on their website. I had given them permission awhile ago but never thought they would actually use it! I am really honored, especially when you see the quality of the other photographs - they are all spectacular (especially the wood ducks!)

Here is a link that might be useful: Birders world background images

Woohoo!!! That's awesome, Jean! Which pic did they choose for the newsletter? It was so cool seeing that kinglet pic on the Birder's World site. I have a feeling that this is only the beginning. :)

I sure hope you're feeling better soon. It seems the cold season is upon us, just in time for Christmas. :(

Brenda

See - you got it babe! Now if only you would start believing it yourself. Congratulations!

Thanks guys! That did boost my confidence :^)

I woke up this Christmas Eve morning to see a male Rufus-sided Towhee. I don't seem them often and the males are so handsome. He was doing the two-step leaf dance. What a pleasant start to my day. CT

Here is a link that might be useful: Rufous-sided Towhee

WOW Jeanner.....absolutely incredible pics!
I'm getting a digital SLR camera for my birthday. I hope I can take the types of pics that you take!
How do you deal with copyright issues with your pics?

Last week, I watched a pileated go from tree to tree in our woods. There was also a downy and a flicker. I'm sort of in bird-withdrawal too. I quit feeding them a few years ago when I got my chickens, so there aren't as many around in the winter.
The only down side of bird photography (or any photography for that matter), is that you can't just take a walk and enjoy it......because you're always looking for that perfect shot!
Again, thanks for sharing those incredible pictures with us!

I love the towhees! Those red eyes are really something. I have them all spring and summer, they disappear in the fall and occassionally show up in the winter for handouts when there is snow on the ground. But no snow this year, so no towhees :^(

But I did get a nice surprise on Christmas, a hermit thrush showed up with the other ground birds! This is really late in the year for them to be here, they are usually gone by October.

{{gwi:173745}}

Catherine, which dslr are you getting? I am ready to step-up but it will be awhile. Cameras are like all other electronics, they are outdated in no time and there is always something bigger and better.

I don't worry about the copyright issues, I would rather share them with the off chance that someone might steal them. Even if you put a copyright on the picture, it is too easy to take it out so I don't bother. If I ever get a shot that I think is an award-winning shot I might be more concerned.

Is there some reason you can't feed the birds and the chickens?

All of my shots are taken from the house - I'm afraid I am not a very good birder because in the field I tend to scare them all away long before I can get close enough for a picture ... it takes great patience or a really long lense to get them in the field!

Hi jeanner,

I quit feeding the birds because it attracted alot of coons.....which love to eat chickens. I'm not sure which camera I'm getting.......it's a "surprise" from my husband! My birthday isn't for about a week. But I think he has a pretty good sense of what's good. It will probably be more than I know what to do with!
Wow.......that thrush is around much later than usual...at least for my zone 5.
I really thought that sharp-shinned hawk that you posted pics of, was a kestral. I didn't realize they were so blue.
I'm afraid once I get that camera.........I'll spend way too much time looking for good shots! I can only hope that some day my pics are as good as your's!

all this conversation made me curious about what exactly an slr is. well, now i know and i want an slr instead. but, there is no way i can spend 800+ on one. are there less expensive ones?

Hi ftm,
SLR stands for single lens reflex camera. It's like the "old fashioned" ones that you have to manuever all the different settings.........F stop, shudder speed, focus, etc. On the digital ones, all that is done for you automatically. Also, you buy different lenses for close up or far away, and they can screw into the camera. I'm afraid a person might have to spend at least $600-800, just to get the simplest one.
I have just a plain digital camera right now, and even though it takes great "regular" pics, I can't do anything near what people with SLRs can do......Like Jeanner. Her pics are just fabulous. And the fact that we can immediately see the pics, and send them to people is also a really cool thing.
I really know very little about cameras, so hopefully others will join in.

My mom is such a love! She got me the National Audubon Society's Field Guide to Birds, Western Region, for Christmas! I'm having such a great time looking up birds, like CT's rufous-sided towhee and Jean's hermit thrush. I guess they are 2 birds I might see where I am here in California...if I'm lucky. :)

Really enjoying the pics and bird info on here, ladies!

Brenda

I just can't imagine living a life without an interest in birds! I'm in Indiana, and I live on about 33 acres of land. Whenever we go to state parks and look for birds, there are alot less than on our own property! So our property is a goldmine for these lovelies.
I could spend waaaaaay too much time looking for them! Like I think I said earlier.....when I try to take a "power walk", it just doesn't work, 'cause I see a bird and just have to stop! They are wonderful little beings that really brighten my life!

Actually there are some digital slr's for less than 500.00. There are still some NEW Canon Rebel's around - Amazon has some for around 450.00 (try here http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-Rebel-Camera-18-55mm/dp/B0000C8VEK). They are an older model but still a great camera. Also check for older Nikon's. And there are many online camera dealers on ebay who might still have some of the new but older models available.

There are some mail order houses that also take used cameras and lenses in trade - there are lots of photographers who upgrade as soon as a new model comes out, so there are lots of two year old cameras around. I bought a defective used lens from Adorama and had to return it and there were no questions asked, they shipped me another one before I even got the other one returned. They also offer a 2 year guarantee for 64.00 - I don't know how extensive it is though. I've orderd from B&H too and had a good experience with them. And of course they are alot of used cameras on ebay.

Quality and price of lenses can vary alot. I started with a 100-300MM lens that cost less than 200.00. I got some really good shots with it. That was the beginning for me, bird photography became a passion, so I have since bought a pro-consumer lens.

It is a time consuming hobby, even the best photographers spend hours and hours in the field. The biggest challenge to bird photography is getting close enough to the bird to get good details. The best photographers are actually the best birders as they know where to go and how to approach the bird without scaring it. The rest of it make up for it by buying 600mm lenses or shooting from a blind (or the house in my case). I have seen some really knock-out photos taken with a 2 megapixel point-and-shoot camera from an expert birder and amateur photographer. (And there are some great point-and-shoot cameras out there, their only downfall is that you have to replace the whole camera to upgrade, where with the slr's you can upgrade the lens.)

I guess what I am saying is you don't have to have the best equipment to get some great pictures and you don't have to get the best pictures to enjoy bird photography.

Catherine, how lucky to have 33 acres! I lived here for 5 years before I really took an interest in the birds. I always fed the birds in winter (cause Mom always did!) but never really paid attention to what all was around. In the fall of 2005 I saw my first warbler and that was really the beginning for me, I was hooked! I have since photographed 95 different birds in my yard (some of those pictures are not much more than a blur in the picture, but I know it's there!). I hate winter days as I don't get to see much of the birds and I find myself in withdrawal by the end of the week.

Brenda, I love reading through my bird guides - and I do read them from front to back, even the birds that I will probably never see. But it has really helped me learn to identify birds.

There is a large nature park in Indianapolis. They have "bird walks" through this park every Sunday morning. They are led by an older man who knows his birds backwards and forwards. I'm sure that if he came to my house and just listened, he would tell me I have tons more birds here than I've noticed! He is quite amazing.
I find the warblers quite challenging to I.D.
Its definitely a hobby that is sooooooo enjoyable, and can last a lifetime.

I took classes many years ago in photography and I cringe to think of all the money that went into cameras, enlargers and all the lenses, special equipment, chemicals and papers. All that is so obsolete now. I have two huge containers of negatives of photos dating to 1906 my sister dumped together and sent to me after our mother died. There is no way I can sort them now. It would probably have been salvageable if it had been digital. Now I have to learn everything all over again and I think my eyes are not good enough to see details for nature photos. Do you have any advice about capturing the image? Are you taking shots through a window? I thought you said something like that. Do you use a tripod or a shutter cord to keep the camera steady? Sandy

If you want to get out in the field and learn birds I suggest you join a local Audubon Society. That is what I did and the number of new birds seen afield grew tremedously. Also, when in these small groups you can try out their scopes and binoculars before deciding if you want to invest. They are also an interesting lot of folks, almost all with a science background (biologists, zoologist, evironmentalist, almost every 'ist' you can imagine. Twice per year we get together and folks that also take photographs of birds will present a slide show for the group.

Bird books are great. I am a huge collector of 'ID' type books in general. Trees, shrubs, wildflowers, insects, butterflies, mushrooms, you name it! Our SMAS group also has a butterfly walk in high summer using low magnification binoculars and butterfly field guides. The guide is a field naturalist named Arlene Ripley who is a member of the local group. A link to her site 'The Nest Box'.

Great Hermit Thrush Jean! I get those occasionally. They are shy.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Nest Box

I have a CD of birdcalls, and that's neat to have. If I hear a new bird, I can come in and listen to my CD. But there are also internet sites that you can listen to for bird calls.

I've gone on a couple of bird walks, but breaking out of my hermit shell is getting harder and harder the older I get. There's a large (3000 acre) county park that is just a mile away and I can't even seem to get over there very often. Although the kestrels there are pretty alluring !

Sandy, there's really no difference in the photography now then years ago. In fact the digitals have a setting that is denoted as ISO and it has the same affect as using different ISO films even though there is no film used. There is still some post-processing that is typically needed but it's done on the computer instead of the darkroom which makes it much more affordable for the average photographer. And even that can be eliminated if you set up the camera to do it for you. I do use a tripod most of the time, although my lens has a feature called image stabilization that really helps with camera shake. And I shoot through the window in winter, which makes real photographers cringe.

CT, that website is fabulous, she's got some outstanding photos and such an extensive collection! I can imagine that a walk with her is very informative.

Okay, here's one of my yard bird anomalies. It is a partial-albino bluejay that showed up this fall - we have nicknamed him Papa Smurf. I have searched the web over and over to find out if the albinism is what makes the feathers so long and fluffy. I have found references to the fact that white feathers are not as strong as feathers with some color but none of the images that I found of albino birds show these strange fluffy feathers so I don't know what causes it. Anyone have any ideas???

{{gwi:173746}}

Heres another anomaly ... this is a junco that I am told is a true oregon junco.
{{gwi:165058}}
There are many "sightings" of oregon juncos in the east but most of them are supposedly "cassiar" variants ( a cross between the slate colored and oregon). Maybe Brenda can help me out here, does this look like one of your west-coast junco?

The variations of juncos are fascinating and if you want to read more about it, try these websites ...
http://www.oceanwanderers.com/JuncoID.html
http://www.oceanwanderers.com/JuncoID2.html

I have been trying to get pictures of all the different variations that I see and I am amazed at how different these birds can be.

Okay, heres a picture for Brenda to look up in her new guide (and maybe you already know this one) but it is fairly common throughout the United States so a bird I think you have a good chance of seeing .... (and FTM, no hints because I KNOW you know what it is :^)

{{gwi:173747}}

Jean - great photos! Now I have to ask permission. Can I borrow that partial albino Jay photo to share with my local Audubon group? I know they would love to see it. I'll give full credit. Please let me know. Thanks. CT

I know what that third bird is but I won't tell. I get them. A hint for Brenda - they start at the bottom of the tree and spiral their way up the trunk. CT

CT, Arlene has a beautiful site! Thanks for sharing it. I'll be glued to my monitor for hours. LOL

I was surprised to find a listing in the back of my book of other I.D. books put out by Audubon, such as Wildflowers (Western Region), Trees (Western Region), Weather (wow!), Butterflies, etc. My collection starts now. :)

I'd love to get a CD of bird calls, simply because it would be so much easier than having to dial up online every time. I'll have to look into that. Thanks, Catherine!

Jean, that blue jay is so beautiful! Even DH said, "Wow! That's another one she could get published." :) Hopefully someone will show it to the right bird expert who can solve the mystery of the fluffy-feathered blue jay. Until then, I'll dream of cuddling him. :D

From the pictures in my Western Edition book, the closest one appears to be the dark-eyed "Oregon" Junco (lumped together in the description with "slate-colored", "white-winged", and "gray-headed"). The pic in my book has the bird in a pretty much full side shot in full sun, so I can't tell if yours has the more reddish-brown back. It doesn't appear that it does, so if I had to pick one (of a whole lot of variations), I'd say the "Oregon". Although, I don't have a listing of the Cassiar in my book. It appears that your bird has a darker head on it than the pics on the 2nd link, though. Hmmm...the dark-eyed pic on that first link looks identical to yours, too. :) Those links are VERY fascinating!

Ok, NOW! LOL I've been holding off on this part throughout many paragraphs. :D CT, you gave me a hint! Too good, I think. LOL The closest one I could find in my book is a brown creeper. Maybe? This is so fun! It would be even more fun if I could see one of those. :)

Brenda

I thought the pond people might enjoy Arlene's website because of the frog photos and the dragonfly - skimmer collection of photos. Also, the birds for those crossover ponders. LOL

Brenda - they like suet so maybe you will get one. I only get them sporadically always at the suet, but they are always a treat to watch because of the spiral climb. They are small birds and move quickly.

Jean - glad you liked the site. Where I live is warbler heaven, well, and shorebird heaven, and hawk heaven..... OK - you can smack me anytime now. LOL Actually, most people have more species of birds near by than they know. It's a matter of attracting them via wildlife planting, flowers with nectar and seeds, water sources (no problem on this forum), berry shrubs, feeders year round, brush piles, log piles, thickets, etc.

Arlene's passions are butterflies and birds, but I'm so glad she added insects. Insects are so beautiful. Did you see that spiderweb in the morning dew! I love when I see one of those. Spiders are a fave of mine and my son has a phobia about them. When I find a neat spider I always call out to him with great passion to come and see it - and he cringes. LOL

Geez - what a world when you don't have a fellow spider lover near by to come racing outside at this new and wonderful discovery! I should seek out and marry an entomolgist. Watch out bug doctors I'm spinning my web. LOL

CT

Isn't that a brown creeper?
I occasionally have them going around my trees.
I can't wait to get my camera! I can set up the tripod on my deck and get some good pics. The best time is spring though in the early morning.
Jeanner.....I've taken some pics through my windows too........but my windows are usually soooooo dirty! hahaha Sometimes though, its the only way to get a pic.
I got a pic of a pileated that way.
I could have gotten a good pic of a coon up a tree this afternoon. My dog, Suzi, was barking, barking, barking. I finally saw a coon run up the tree. I thought they were nocturnal!?

I've gotten a few good spiderwebs with my Canon Power Shot A80. I'm sure I could do alot more with that camera, if I could just read the instructions......or find the time and patience to!

Back to birds......We have some neat ones here, mostly in the spring/summer. I saw a couple male and female scarlet tanagers last year. I also had an orchard oriole nest in a pine tree by my garden. I tried to get pics, but it was just too far away. We have towhees, redstarts, woodcocks, brown thrashers, baltimore orioles, kingbirds, pewees, flycatchers, nuthatches,(a redbreasted one spent the summer here once), thrushes, kinglets, waxwings (a nest of them), carolina wrens, vireos, grosbeaks, and others.

A couple years ago, I kept hearing a noise in the very early spring. I thought it was a nighthawk.....but discovered it was a woodcock! I tried to see it at dusk out in the field, doing its dance, but it was too hard to see. A week or so later, I found one dead on my porch. It was sooooo sad....but I did get to see it up close. A very interesting bird.
Oh....and we have black-billed and yellow-billed cuckoos too.
Are any of you familiar with Robert Bateman? He's a wildlife artist who lives on Vancouver Island. I got to meet him several years ago. I love his bird paintings. I have a couple(reproductions). He's a real vocal environmentalist too. He really captures the essence of the birds.
One curious thing.....in one of his books I have, he painted a picture of a dead oven bird. He said that he finds them occasionally on the floor of the forest.
I went out on my deck one day, and found one dead there!!! It was such a coincidence! Oven birds are rarely seen.
I better stop. I could go on forever about birds!

Cat - I love the cuckoos. They look like they should be in the tropics. Many deep forest birds cannot be enticed with any regularity to backyard feeders.

Can you post your spiderweb photos? Or any others you may have taken? Did you capture the cuckoos?

I've hunted woodcock before behind a trained bird dog. They like wet bottomland forests where they use their long bill to root out worms under the leaves and in the moist soil. The dog would freeze and point when he found one until commanded to flush. They fly like a bat out of hell and I'm happy to say I missed every time. Another bird thats come out of the spruce trees like a freight train are ruffled grouse. They look like bowling balls sitting under the heavy spruce trees, until they are flushed. Another bird with bomber speed is a mourning dove with a good tail wind.

(Note: I no longer hunt - so please, nobody get their panties in a twist) LOL Hunting put one in places where people don't frequent and you get to observe birds and animals in their natural habitat. I went to a Federal Preserve one time that almost never allows hunters or birdwatchers (beyond given paths), and I was way back through the forest and down to a swamp edge, and a flock of yellow warblers came right up to me while I was sitting there. They had no clue what I was and they were curious. They surrounded me within inches and I stayed completely frozen except for my eyes watching them back.

I had the same thing happen at a remote waterfall in the outback of the Appalachian mountains in Virginia when Sulfur yellow butterflies landed all over me. I was covered with them, even on my head. Both of those events happened 20 years or so back. Sadly, no photos taken and for some I guess that makes it a Ripley's believe it or not. LOL

CT

This is something I came across that is supposed to find Digital SLR cameras that might be right for you depending on what features you want and what you photograph. I've not tried it yet, but I'm about to.

Here is a link that might be useful: What Digital SLR is right for you?

Yes, I agree....the cuckoos look and sound like they should be in the tropics. I got a good look at one once, when it hit my window and laid on my porch for awhile. It gave me time to run in the house and get my birdbook to ID it. Fortunately, it eventually flew away. No, I don't have any pics of it.
I have a Canon Power Shot A80. We've had it for several years. It does nice regular shots, but not zoom shots. Here's a couple pics of some spider webs I took with it. I know they're not very good, but the webs are still cool to look at.
The first one was up in a tree. The second one was in a field.
{{gwi:173748}}
{{gwi:173749}}

CT, absolutely you can share it with anyone ... and here's another one of {{gwi:173701}} in all his crowning glory ....

Catherinet, what a coincidence the first time I saw a yellow-billed cuckoo was when it flew into our window. Luckily it survived and gave me plenty of time to id it, of course I thought of taking a picture after it flew away. That was years ago, now I see them a couple times a year. Usually too far away but I got {{gwi:173702}} picture this summer.

I get ovenbirds in the fall, they are one of the few warblers that will eat seed on the ground. Heres a shot of {{gwi:173704}} and another {{gwi:173705}}. I have heard that ovenbirds, kinglets and brown creepers are all birds that are commonly killed by window strikes, makes you wonder whats up with that?

I have yet to see a woodcock but would love to! Would they be a ravine bird?

Raccoons are not just nocturnal, I found that out this summer when I was feeding them suet!

Those spiderweb shots are too cool. I've not started on insects much yet, just a few that I took when I first got my camera. Maybe next summer I will get off my bird kick for a few hours to try :^)

Yup, it's a brown creeper! Heres another one, it too should be in Brenda's book.

{{gwi:173750}}

Jean - thanks for the permission and the extra photo!

Cat- beautiful spider webs!

Too bad the birds hit the windows. Did you try decals? Also, they say to move feeders closer to the window rather than far away so when they take off from the feeder, if they hit the window, they don't hit too hard. I found one dead bird at my front door which has an oval window on it but you can see through it to the back door window. Not sure it even hit the window. Most of my windows have screens on them.

Hey - I worked my way through that SLR link and learned alot about SLR cameras and lenses. It also explained the terminology and the differences between a prime and zoom lens, differing mega-pixels, what type of camera to get for what purpose, comparisons of price and features, etc. I went through each section and hit next (I didn't have to register or sign up for anything). Not a bad link for SLR camera newbies.

CT

A link to American Woodcock. Maryland has them year round. I've found them in moist oak forests where they look for worms. You can't see them until they flush, either by dog or walking up on them, unless you get lucky. They blend in with the brown leaves. MD still has a hunting season for them from late Sept to early Nov. but they should stop it because they are in decline.

Jean - they might frequent your ravine in particular if it is moist, but only at cetain times of the year in Ohio (during breeding) in summer. Not somthing that comes to a feeder. Another similar bird is the snipe.

CT

Here is a link that might be useful: American Woodcock

Geeze Jeanner.......your pictures are just incredible!

{{gwi:173752}}

jeanner you have such recall! thanks for reminding me of a great cold weather experience.

great pics as always and thanks for the camera info. dh is also going to get me a camera for late christmas...though not an slr. anything should still be better than the one i have!

Ahh, look at the hummer - I really miss those little sweathearts in the winter. They are tough little buggers to photograph. And you caught the red throat, my photos the throat always looks black.

CT - I've got decals on all my windows and the feeder is 5 feet from the house and well beneath all of the windows and away from the sliding doors in the basement. I actually get more window strikes from birds that never go to the feeder ... I've had a wood thrush, a yellow-billed cuckoo and two kinglets, the wood thrush and one of the kinglets didn't make it :^( The feeder birds seem to know to avoid the windows. They will run for cover when the sharp-shinned is around and I've seen him chase them out of the cedars and into the windows, he's a pretty smart bird.

I listened to the call of the woodcock and I can't say it sounds familiar, but then again I'm not sure if I would notice over the tree frogs!

I read through most of the website about cameras and it is pretty good although I was surprised when they recommended the Nikon over the Canon for action photography. While the camera is better suited, the canon lenses have been preferred by sports photographers. If you ever watch sporting events, check out the photographers lenses, the ones with white lenses on their cameras are Canons, the black ones are Nikons. The pixel explanation was good too, although most bird photographers will say the more the better since you end up cropping out alot of the photo, especially with the small birds. But the difference between 6 and 8 or 8 and 10 is not a huge difference, I'm waiting for an affordable one with 12!

FTM, we'll be counting on you to supply us with lots of bug photos!

So does anyone know the mystery bird, or do you know and just not saying?

OK, a wild guess on the mystery bird: Lincoln's Sparrow as first guess but I'm still searching!

Lincoln's sparrow Melospiza lincolnii

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Identification Tips:
Length: 4.75 inches (can't tell from photo - looks fluffed up and plumby)
Conical bill (yes)
Brown crown with gray central stripe (yes)
Gray face and supercilium (yes)
Eye ring (yes)
Brown streak extends behind eye (yes)
Thick malar streak bordered by white throat and buff submustachial stripe (yes)
Olive back with darker streaks (iffy)
Brownish-olive wings (iffy)
Buffy breast and flanks with fine streaks (yes)
White belly (yes)
Thin, rounded tail (cannot tell in photo)
Sexes similar
Juvenile (Summer) similar to adult but is buffier
Similar species:
The Song Sparrow can be told from the Lincoln's Sparrow by its larger bill, heavier streaking on the breast and flanks, lack of buffy color on the breast and face, brown back, larger size and longer tail. Juvenile Lincoln's Sparrows are very similar to juvenile Swamp and Song Sparrows. Savannah Sparrow is similar but has a yellowish supercilium and lacks a buffy breast. Swamp Sparrow has a rusty crown, rusty wings and much less streaking on the breast.

A link to Lincoln's Sparrow - your bird sure has many of the features, but looks chunkier in body. Could be because of it's position. If the head was turned more to the right the slimmer profile might be there. Your area is listed as migratory, but with this warm winter it could still be in the area. Is the photo recent (this winter?)

Am I right or is it back to the drawing board? LOL

CT

Here is a link that might be useful: Photo and Stats of Lincoln's Sparrow

I was going to say Lincoln's too..... but that's based totally on the pic in the Peterson's field guide. Warblers and Sparrows are real challenges for me!
What I noticed about your pic the most is that little bit of yellow at the base of the bill. Also, the grey within the brown stripe on the head. No white eye line, but an eye ring, and no real noticeable wing bars.
Verdict is???

The photograph from the link is probably a breeding male and the light is different, but there are many key identifiers present in Jean's photo. The have a pretty song. I agree the sparrows and warblers present identification challenges, especially in the field when you only get a few moments to look for key ID points that are often subtle.

Jean - I forwarded your PapaSmurf photos to Arlene Ripley and posted them on my local Audubon website late last night. Thanks again. CT

CT, I've bookmarked that SLR site for some serious future reference! :)

Catherine, LOVE your web photos! That 2nd one is so beautiful. And your hummer is so handsome. :)

Jean, that 2nd pic of Papa Smurf is so gorgeous...and even a little hilarious. He is a wonderful specimen! And that cuckoo and the ovenbirds are amazing, too. I'd never even heard of an ovenbird before this thread!

I would concur that that's a Lincoln sparrow, except...how did you get a pic of it?? In my book, it doesn't show it near you, Jean! Actually, CT's link shows it migrating in your area. Doh! That's all I've got. LOL

Can't wait to see more pics from you, too, FTM!

Brenda

I am totally awestruck. I don't know which I admire most; the birds or the spider webs.
I have a really nice Nikkon that is only 30 years old. I have lenses for micro photos that I got for shooting flowers up close but I doubt they would do for the birds. I'm sure my little Olympus Stylus Verve doesn't have the capacity to do that kind of long distance focus. Darn it, I thought I was finished with photography and now I have the bug again. I'll have to check out that site. I really need to update my thinking as well as my equipment (I wish I could update my eyes) and check out the local photo shops. Thanks.
How long did it take you to be able to focus on so many details? What bird ID books do you use? Obviously my Audubon fieldguides are not sufficient. Sandy

Yup, it's a lincoln's and yup... it's a fall migrant for me. I've seen them two years in a row for one day only. I ahve to say you ladies are REALLY good, maybe we should skip to the first fall warblers????

Here's a couple I took today, great lighting, but couldn't seem to stay clear of branches ...

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Sandy, I am still learning and having the camera has helped me. I can go back to the picture and look at the guides and read the field marks, usually even with a bad picture you can see alot of the marks. Your audubon guide is fine, in the back is a list of the field marks for each bird. Also try Cornells Bird Guide If you go to the detailed account for a species there is a section that lists similar birds which really helps if you get close to the id but need help deciding between several species.

Years ago I did wildflower photography with a cheap 35mm (a Ricoh) and diopters for macro work. I could never get the clarity that I wanted though. But I still enjoyed the walks through the parks with my son and finding new ones. Years ago I scanned in all the pictures and started a website, here it is if you want to see. Unfortunately I never finished the website so you may find some broken links (don't bother with the next arrows) or some of the click-to-enlarge options don't work. It was my first website so please forgive :^).

I apologize for all the band-width-hogging I've been doing ... I'll post links from now on!

Oops, I did type micro instead of macro didn't I? Thanks for the gentle correction. I seem to be making all sorts of errors like that this week. I hate it when that happens. Sandy

Jean, please don't apologize for posting your pics (rather than links). They are truly worth the wait for me. :) And I LOVED looking at your wildflower pics, too! My favorite one is of the prairie coneflower. The reeds (horsetail?) growing behind it makes it appear as though it's being photographed in a rain shower. Gorgeous!

There's no way I would have guessed the Lincoln's on my own, since my book doesn't show its crown raised like the one in your pic. That threw me off completely. Way to go, CT!

I'm with Sandy in the awestruck department. I can't wait to delve further into CT's link so that I might some day pretend to be a great photographer of flora and fauna. :D

Brenda

"I ahve to say you ladies are REALLY good, maybe we should skip to the first fall warblers???? "

Ladies, we are in trouble. Check your Peterson guide on confusing fall warblers to bone up for the challenge! Actually the guide is pretty good by putting them in sub-sections by field marks and color. You can then proceed by process of elimination until you get down to the correct bird. Then check the Cornell's site for other photographs for further positive ID markers. Local variations and light in the photos make if tougher too but if you find most of key ID points it is probably that bird.

According to my SMAS group the Blue Jay is considered partially leucistic, not albino, and is exhibiting other feather abnormalities related to genetics. In another communication, Arlene Ripley commented that she has seen many albino birds but none have exhibited the fur-like structures of this Jay's feathers. I did some of my own research on fur-like feathers and every site pointed to something called proto-feathers which were exhibited by some early dinosaurs before true feathers emerged. It's exciting to imagine this bird may be exhibiting an ancient genetic throwback to prehistoric times which upholds the common belief that birds evolved from dinosaurs as they first took flight. There has been a call to ask everyone on the local site if there is a scientic name for this feather anomaly and this call comes from a man that works for the Smithsonian Institute and really knows birds. So far, no reponse, so the local bird community here may be stumped.

There was sentiment regarding hope the bird survives. Jean, has this bird been a regular at your feeder for any length of time in which one could make the assumption it has survived nature with this variance? Arlene suggested the photo be posted on websites dedicated to leucistic and albino birds and see if more information could be obtained from readers.

PapaSmurf is a rare Blue Jay indeed. CT

Wow, CT! I just jumped on here to post about a new bird sighting (see below), but your post is much more exciting! The whole concept of prehistoric DNA possibly sneaking back in for an encore performance is fascinating. It would be amazing if the bird could pass on this anomaly to successive generations. They could call them Blue Jeans, in honor of the discoverer. :D WTG, Jean!

I just couldn't help posting about my (first) sighting this afternoon of a song sparrow! He was hanging out with the houses, looking handsome with his white whiskers, dark eye stripes, and chest spot. But what really drew me to him was his overall streaking, especially his head. He stuck around long enough for me to positively ID him, but photographing through the window screen just didn't work. Jean, do you happen to have a personal pic of this little cutie?

Brenda

Gee, I thought he was leucistic too but I was told that he was albino. And I thought I agreed with that because otherwise his crest and bib would show some color wouldn't it? Either way, it's interesting to hear about the proto-feathers, I'll have to google that one. He arrived in October and seems quite healthy, he flys and hops around fine and in all other aspects seems to fit in with all the other screaming meanies :^). I would guess he may never mate though, unless his oddity is only of interest to us. I will look around for a place dedicated to these birds and see if I can get any other information. CT, thanks for posting on your audubon website, let us know if anyone else has any comments.

Brenda, I hope you get to hear the song sparrow, it's a real treat. I'm not sure if they sing out of mating season but be sure to listen for it in the spring. Last year I had one hang around most of the year but haven't seen one this winter. I'm guessing they will show up when (or maybe I should say IF) we get snow. Actually I find them a hard bird to photograph, not sure why, but heres a couple pics from last winter ...

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I'm going to do some leucistic and albino bird site hunting myself and I'll post any good links I find. Perhaps you could post on bird chat or birder's world or have you done so already? If you look closely at the white feathers they actually have a pale blue tint to them IMO. Arlene stated "Only about one half of one percent of birds are true albinos." She didn't know the stats on leucistic or partial albinos. Albinism can be caused by genetics, injury or disease and they have a low survival rate.

Speaking of song sparrows, one of my favorites! There was a nesting pair across the street in my neighbor's pyracantha and when the young fledged they came over to the gardens that surround my porch and also spent time in the butterfly gardens. I tossed the babies chopped worms and crickets from the porch and watched them eat. I just love the song of the male, sitting up on the top most branch singing his little heart out. This same breeding pair are year round for me here. I put a bit of seed out on the front porch (all my regular feeders are out back) and they come up to eat while I sit nearby. Funny their field mark is the heart on their breast.

CT

Thanks so much for the pics, Jean! I sure hope I get to hear him, too. The book describes his voice as consisting "of 3 short notes followed by a varied trill, sometimes interpreted as Madge-Madge-Madge, put-on-your-tea-kettle-ettle-ettle." Does that sound right? :D

I also got to see my resident female ladder-backed woodpecker partaking of the caged nut block (that sounds like something from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest! LOL) that I recently put out! She was meandering up and around the tree, then, "Hmmm, what do we have here....?" LOL That's the first bird I've seen go for the block o' nuts.

Brenda

While sitting in my living room recovering from a sprained knee. I saw an partial albino Blue jay at our bird feeder. It is the first one I have ever seen. I couldnt get to my camera in time to get a picture but will defenitly keep one close now. I Live in west ,MI. Muskegon county.october 20th 2012.