Category: backyard visitors

'scene' along the way, adventure, backyard visitors, birds, family, life goes on, memories, moments, nature, perseverance, photography, road trip, sky, sunset, travel

Leaving places behind…

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When my daughter moved out of New York I remember thinking that I’d be sad not to drive there from MD in August and see the sugar maples beginning to turn color in anticipation of fall.  And I would miss the ride on 81 N through Hazleton, PA where I would see spectacular early morning color in the valley as I drove on the road above, skirting a mountain which meant that the scene just kept revealing itself as I drove.  That was amazing.

And now it’s my son’s house in NY that I won’t be visiting again after this, except for a quick high school graduation trip soon.  Then they’ll be moving back to FL, so it’s good news really.  But I was aware of this and came here wondering if the deer would visit, and if I would I see some pretty farmland to photograph.  So far so good…6_08_10NYbirdie1birdie2I saw a deer out back almost as soon as I got here on Friday night.  I was able to sneak out the sliding glass door onto the screened porch, and then out the screen door and onto the steep back steps for these shots.  The back yard is a steep slope, too steep to mow, so the birds, winter wrens according to Merlin’s best guess, were enjoying the weeds and singing up a storm out there.  The deer stood still, watching me, and then disappeared into the woods.  She was back again this morning and maybe I was sneakier because she went about her business.  As soon as I got a few shots I went back inside and left her to munch away on those white flowers.6_08_10NYdeer26_08_10NYdeer1

On the way to dinner last night I stopped for a quick iPhone shot of this farm.  I can’t wait to get out there today and see what else I see out there…afternoonfarm

backyard visitors, birds, friends, moments, nature, perseverance, photography, road trip

Helping hands…

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This little hummingbird was flinging herself against the window in my friend’s barn yesterday afternoon, in a frantic attempt to escape what he thought was captivity.  In reality I’d seen the two hummingbirds zoom through the barn and out the other side earlier in the day.  When she told me she was going to have to catch her I imagined a butterfly net and all out pandemonium, and hoped they’d both survive.  The reality was that she was able to catch her bare-handed in the  corner of the window.  She said that even as she fluttered with all her might she still felt so delicate and she was afraid she’d hurt her.  This wasn’t the first time she had had to perform that same task, and this whole episode took just a minute.  The bird stayed still for a few seconds when she opened her hands, long enough for me to get this picture.  Actually a whole lot of this same picture, and then my friend took a few more steps to the big open doorway of the barn and off she flew, none the worse for the whole experience.

And, as usual, there were a few more creatures on hand for the excitement…05-30-19bee05-30-19bee205-30-19birdie105-30-19birdie205-30-19blackcappedfeature05-30-19hummer1I asked Merlin to be sure, but of course the male Ruby-breasted Hummingbird seemed pretty obvious, and I had made assumptions that the other was the female, and I was correct.  And our other visitor yesterday was a White-breasted Nuthatch.

 

a second look, backyard visitors, birds, friends, nature, on closer examination, perseverance, photography, road trip, technology

“Up your ISO”

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This phrase has become a joke within my camera club, FCCP, Florida Center for Creative Photography.  It’s a favorite saying of our fearless leader, Jeff, and I took it to heart yesterday.  It was cold and overcast and I wanted to wrap up in a blanket and read, but every time I went into the kitchen to get a cup of tea I would see not one, but two, hummingbirds buzzing around the feeder.  So eventually I put the biggest lens onto the new camera, plus I used the extender, and I upped my ISO to 12800 and attempted to get pictures of them in flight.  The extender requires you to use manual focus though, and I probably would have done better without it.  I suppose that’s why we practice.  And the ISO could have gone higher even, so I’ll probably be out there later today.  It might even hit 70 today.  That would make this Floridian happy!05-29-2019flying205-29-2019flying305-29-2019flying34

'scene' along the way, adventure, backyard visitors, birds, fun, gardens, nature, perseverance, photography, road trip, sunset

It’s my blog-iversary, again!

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WordPress congratulated me this morning because I signed on two years ago today.  I remember looking forward to my one year anniversary last year, but this year I don’t know when it was going to cross my mind.  Of course I have been a little distracted for a while now.  And who could concentrate around here?  If you stand at the kitchen window you see this…05-27-19grosbeak05-28-19almostflyingPlay cribbage on the porch and you not only see the lovely azaleas, but this buzzy little fellow makes you chase him around for a photo.  Or is it a her?05-28-19bee2

If you are lucky as you turn a corner you might spot a bear or two.05-24-19babybear05-24-19bears

Or you might be driving home towards the end of the day and spot some sunset color, and then find that it didn’t add up to much in your photos.05-25sunset205-25sunsetBut that’s okay because Naughty Nellie’s is on the way home, or worth a stop even if it isn’t exactly on the way home.05-25-19naughtynellie'sI don’t care what flavor you may choose, if you have it served up to you in a homemade waffle cone it will be delicious!

backyard visitors, birds, gardens, moments, perseverance, photography, road trip, travel

Sometimes…

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…the stars align and you are able to have an absolutely perfect day.  A lazy day to sit on the porch and perfect your cribbage skills, and listen to the cardinals calling to each other.  And enjoy the view of the flowers in the sunshine, and the buzz of the bumble bees.  And perhaps you might get out the tripod you’ve been lugging around for a month, and put your biggest lens on the camera in an attempt to get a photo of a hummingbird, and they show up.  First the chipmunks helpfully pose so you can get your camera ready, and then right on cue those little hummingbirds appear.  It didn’t take an hour for them to find the feeder after it went out for the first time this year.  Could we have done without the mosquitos and black flies?  Well, yes.  But that’s a small price to pay for such a nice day…05-26-19chippie05-26-19hummer105-26-19hummer305-26-19chipmunkfeature05-26-19sparrow05-26-19hummer4

backyard visitors, birds, family, nature, perseverance, photography, road trip

Touchdown in York…

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It was a trade off, the drive yesterday I mean.  Yes, I avoided the DC/Baltimore areas, which I would have had to negotiate when I was nearly at the end of my rope after 10+ hours of driving.  But driving through   GA, SC, NC, and even VA, on 95 are the easiest parts of the drive.  I usually feel as if I have a chunk of highway to myself and I’m content to drive and sing along with the radio.  For the most part an easy drive, though far from scenic, until you hit DC of course..  Route 77, the Blue Ridge Parkway, on the other hand was scenic enough to be distracting.  And frustrating since all that gorgeous scenery was just available as you glanced for a second and zoomed past at 70 mph.  Even if I’d had a chauffeur getting a photo would have been a challenge.  Though a chauffeur would have been nice, and a keeper would help too for that matter.  Just saying.  So I passed up all the state parks and wildlife refuge areas, the national historic sites, and simply amazing views of rolling green hills dotted with red barns.  Even the cows seemed especially scenic.  12 hours of driving to reach my goal, and at the 9th hour, when I was considering calling it a day, I vowed that I wouldn’t ever do this again.  I’ll travel with the camper, I told myself.  I’ll plan ahead enough to know which potentially scenic area I wanted to see before hand.  A few hours of driving and lots of hours to relax and enjoy the areas instead of driving past them on the highway.  If I had stopped at every potential place to visit yesterday it probably would have taken a month to get here.  Here, by the way, is my daughter’s house in York, PA, where I’m on her deck being teased by a flock of cardinals.  Or maybe it’s just one persistent cardinal.  It’s overcast, misting a little, so I’m content to sit here and listen to the cardinals, and they’re little friends too, and, of course, the traffic noises.  Life is just one big photo op, or so it seems to me…05-08-19femalecardinal05-08-19goldfinch05-08-19robin05-08-19robin205-08-19threebirds05-08-19twobirds05-08-cardinalonthewireAnd Lucy!05-08-19Lucy2