Isabelle
Forum Replies Created
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Those birds are magnificent, I was lucky we had three in my local regional park and could observe the same behavior you describe. Nice photo!
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Cemetery are actually an awesome place to observe birds. Another great place are public parks, birds are used to people walking around not minding them and I found that they are easier to approach than in wilder areas.
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The little ones look so different from the parents. Lovely photos!
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What an unusual birds. Thanks for sharing these lovely photos.
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Beautiful. Enjoyed reading the your post about their call.
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Wonderful shots. Swallows are so hard to photograph in flight.
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Beautiful!
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Oh wow! The violet- green swallows are such a gem! I’d love to have a nest in my backyard. Thanks for sharing this cuties.
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Very cute! I observed the exact same behavior in California Quails.
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Beautiful photos! I love those birds.
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What beautiful birds! Thanks for sharing the lovely photos.
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@gnu_photographer Hi, It is totally fine, my instagram account is oiseaulune_ I just followed you:) I also like the conservation and environment protection message Melissa is sending.
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Sorry I replied to myself, I forgot to share example of photos with my Fuji Film camera - a House Finch (actually two of them), close-up in my backyard - and a male Wood Duck from a distance in a regional park. -
I started birding a year ago for real (even though I have always enjoyed the presence of birds). I started taking pictures of birds so that I could later identify them at home and recognize them the next time. I have used ebird, Merlin and the Audubon app extensively, I have joined my local Audubon and went on numerous field trips. The more I am birding the more I want to take nice photos of birds. I used a Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT with a 135mm lens at first. It was very challenging to take close up photos of birds - but it taught me to get close to bird without spooking them so I guess it was a good training. I then bought a used 300mm to see how it would change my photos. The added focal length made a huge difference and I got hooked on birding and taking photography. I now have an instagram account and I share my bird photographies daily. I am also following a huge community of birders/photographers and look at their inspiring photos daily on instagram. I listen to lots of birding podcast. I enjoy Wildlife Photo Chat where Melissa was recently a guest. I was lucky to acquire a Fuji Film XT-3 camera with a XF50-140mmF2.8 lens. I quickly added a teleconverter x2 and have taken great shots with this combination for a while. I very recently got a XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 lens. It gives awesome results. It has a great reach and is also excellent to take video. My goal is to know my gear inside out to be able to make the most use of it. I am mostly using the autofocus mode and would like to get familiar with manual focus. I can say that it took me about a year, taking daily pictures of birds to get my head around how a camera works. I want to improve my knowledge of my equipment to be able to photograph what I exactly see on the field. Watching birds is so beautiful, I want to share the beauty I witness in nature through my photos. For now I am only photographing handheld.
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In Lesson 2, in the section called Understand tripod, Melissa mentions at the end that she uses Ground pods, in particular the Skimmer Pod from NatureScapes. That could be the one.
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@Judy Wow! Crows are super smart. Jays are too. In this case, I wasn't watching the nest he raided. But, your comment is a good reminder to watch where we are looking when crows are around. Thanks for sharing.
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I had a juvenile this morning at the feeder with its dad. While the male ate, the juvenile waited while flapping its wings and making lots of sounds, beak open begging for food - that is how I knew it was a juvenile. Having observed this behavior for a few days I was ready with my camera and took several shots of the dad feeding the juvenile. He ate until its beak was full of mushy seeds and then he transferred it to the juvenile open beak. It did it in two or three exchanges. It was very interesting to watch. Hope you can witness a similar feeding tomorrow.
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Your patience and research was rewarded. Beautiful shots of a striking bird.
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In California where I live, the California Scrub Jay is a popular bird. He is very noisy and easy to find. He has blue feathers that stand out. One day in May, I was on a trail and saw one, I followed him with my binoculars as it went down a little ravine and into a bush. I saw him fly back in my direction holding what looked like a pretty yellow flower in its beak. I quickly took my camera and aimed it to the tree next to me where it landed thinking I might get some interesting shots if he stuck around. Usually, I see them holding acorns in their beaks, so a yellow flower was unusual. I was able to take several close-ups. It is only when I looked at my photos at home that I realized that the yellow flower was in fact a baby bird, its legs sticking out of the California Scrub Jay's beak. I did some research afterwards and realized that California Scrub Jays are omnivorous and can eat insects, caterpillars, snakes... They can also follow parents to their nest and steal their babies. After this experience, I observed their behavior even more carefully, they don't only eat acorns as I first thought.
Sorry I replied to myself, I forgot to share example of photos with my Fuji Film camera - a House Finch (actually two of them), close-up in my backyard - and a male Wood Duck from a distance in a regional park. 
In California where I live, the California Scrub Jay is a popular bird. He is very noisy and easy to find. He has blue feathers that stand out. One day in May, I was on a trail and saw one, I followed him with my binoculars as it went down a little ravine and into a bush. I saw him fly back in my direction holding what looked like a pretty yellow flower in its beak. I quickly took my camera and aimed it to the tree next to me where it landed thinking I might get some interesting shots if he stuck around. Usually, I see them holding acorns in their beaks, so a yellow flower was unusual. I was able to take several close-ups. It is only when I looked at my photos at home that I realized that the yellow flower was in fact a baby bird, its legs sticking out of the California Scrub Jay's beak. I did some research afterwards and realized that California Scrub Jays are omnivorous and can eat insects, caterpillars, snakes... They can also follow parents to their nest and steal their babies. After this experience, I observed their behavior even more carefully, they don't only eat acorns as I first thought.