Saturday, April 23, 2016

Critters

I've managed very few bird shots this spring, but I am hearing a lot of the returning migrants around.  I learned a lot of bird calls a decade or two ago, and it really makes a big difference.  We've even had a Cardinal around, calling its piercing whistle, and once I thought I heard a Bluebird.  But the bird I hear most often is the Song Sparrow.

Every morning the Song Sparrow sits on top of one of the spruce trees out front, and calls its song over and over again.  Today it co-operatively sat there so I could get some pictures.

Both the song and the dark spot on the breast make it easy to recognize.  We have two in the yard, the other more distant at the back of the meadow, but I can count on hearing that call in the morning.

I'm quite pleased with my focus for these.  I've got the camera set for spot focussing now, and it works much better for birds.

I even managed a not-too-terrible shot of a Robin, through the front window no less, shining in the  bright morning sunlight.

But I venture to say that the most common bird I see is the Turkey Vulture.  There is almost always one or more in the sky someplace, often directly overhead.  This one was sitting on a rooftop where we went hiking about 3 weeks ago, holding its wings out to dry them.

I cropped this as much as I felt I could, and got this result.

A friend I was with got this result.  He was carrying a good but small pocket 'point-and-shoot' with a good zoom on it, and I think his result was definitely better than mine.   I'm considering getting one for those times I don't want to carry the big camera.  And I can't bring myself to carry multiple lenses for it anyway.

I saw this cute Shetland Pony colt today, and couldn't resist a shot, even though it was straight into the sun, and with a wire fence in the way.

Although that horse may look big, it's actually tiny itself, only about 4 feet high.  There's quite a herd of them on the farm I drove by, but I only saw the one colt, which was truly tiny - not much over two feet high..

Linking to:

21 comments:

  1. Hello, great variety of birds and I love the sweet pony. Great photos and critter post. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now obviously you are getting more refined and tasteful as you photograph birds! Congratulations on being able to recognize the songs. That's a key part of good birding.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the pony. Bird pictures are hard to take. Love the ones you got.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well done!

    We have a new buzzard that has become quite the problem. Unlike the Turkey Vulture the New World Vulture is very aggressive and attacks living animals. Our Game and Fish Association has told us to eliminate them if given the chance. Several people I know have lost calves to them.

    Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is an absolute myth. None of the New World Vultures capture live prey. Read the literature and get some details on their anatomy for yourself. Their talons are totally unsuited to taking down live prey, and even at a carcass their bills are not strong enough to open it up. They have to wait for an advanced state of putrefaction to occur or have an animal like a coyote or a fox pierce the hide. It is exactly this kind of misinformation that leads to unnecessary persecution of birds of prey. A bird feeding on a calf almost certainly is feeding on a weak and sickly animal that had succumbed before the bird arrived on the scene. As for "eliminating" them, as you out it, it is illegal to do so. These birds are protected by various laws and international conventions.

      Delete
    2. I forgot to point out that the Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura is a member of the family of birds, unique to the Americas, known as New World Vultures. We have already almost rendered the California Condor extinct.

      Delete
  5. Super pony and mum shot, never mind the fence, that is all part of their farm. And birds, every one is lovely, and I do like to see the ones we don't have down here.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That Shetland pony is adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Song Sparrow! We could certainly do with some of those as our Sparrows just chirp and squawk. We used to have a couple of little Shelties on the farm, although they look cute they are some of the toughest animals I've ever known; in winter ours used push aside the snow to eat thistles and anything else that the pigs hadn't destroyed during the summer, and by Spring they looked a picture of health!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love the bird shots and especially the shetland ponies.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Birds shots are the hardest unless you have really good lens and also a nice tripod. But like you, when I am out walking or hiking, I just want to carry as little as possible.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nice bird shots! I hear white crowned sparrows around here all spring and summer, then they leave. But they are always calling out to each other! I really appreciated your comment on my blog about being an athlete. I forget. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a lovely variety you have presented here, brilliant.
    Thank you.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  12. The ponies are quite a delightful sight!

    ReplyDelete
  13. oooooh great captures of the birds!! i hope i inspired you, if even just a little!!! have a wonderful sunday!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Shetland ponies are really scary animals and very bad tempered. One called Cruachan famously bit the Queen. And whatever you think of her, she really knows horses. Embarrassing as Cruachan was a regimental mascot and formally introduced to the Queen as part of an official visit. mihttp://www.rememberingscotlandatwar.org.uk/Accessible/Exhibition/225/Ponies-and-Pony-Majors
    Your comments section doesn't like my link. Sorry.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Lovely photos . Birds can be tricky to photograph as they are always moving about . I do like the Song Sparrows such tiny birds with a big loud pretty song . We get the Turkey Vultures soaring over our house and valley a lot this time of year and through out the summers . I like Shetland ponies and had a few on our farm when I was a kid .I use my 55-300mm telephoto zoom lens all the time I find for me it is wonderful for all kinds of nature shots especially wild life shots as I can get close but not so close it scares my subjects . Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !

    ReplyDelete
  16. Song Sparrows were a welcome sight when we arrived here in Illinois from Florida. They simply do not venture that far south. I also notice that their plumage is more rusty-red than I remember in the NE US.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love the ponies. They're so adorable. Have a great week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Fun bunch of critters. Well maybe not the vulture.....

    ReplyDelete