David's Images of the Day Photoblog
Small birds at and on the ground below the bird feeder. A number of seeds had been dumped on the ground during the wind storm the other night. Some birds only feed at the feeder, others only on the ground, and some work both locations. In today’s set, House Finch, Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Junco, and Mourning Pigeon. As it started getting dark, the deer came through so I had to up the ISO for the images.
Several small birds working the bird feeder greeted me in the morning. I switched to a Nikon D4 camera and 600 mm f/4 lens on a Wembly tripod just inside the patio door. The camera is just past the minimum focus distance for this camera/lens combination. Birds captured include: Tufted Titmouse, Black Eyed Junco, Chipping Sparrow, House Finch, American Robin, and Black Crow. Later, in the afternoon I attended a monthly “Sunday Walk in the Park” events. This month the subject was the geology in central New Jersey and took place at Rock Mill Preserve, located within walking distance from my house.
Individual images from the slide shows can be viewed here.
House Finch trying to hide in the shrubs behind my deck. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera, FT1 adapter, and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 160, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/160 sec). Hand-held and manual focus.
Late afternoon/early evening walkabout. Wildflowers, bumblebees, house finch, and a deer trying to be invisible.
A late-winter walkabout in my backyard. Fresh snow on the ground. Tracks from a neighbor’s cat in the front yard, and tracks from many deer in the backyard. Based on the droppings, there was not much for the deer to eat. There were birds out. A turkey vulture soaring, a white-throated sparrow, a male house finch. I am not sure if the one with the crossed bill is a female house finch or something else.
Cat tracks in my front yard. Late winter snow in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 80 mm, f/11, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
