Birds and Backdrops

In evaluating my photos, I sometimes have to draw the proverbial line between the raw depiction of the bird, itself, and the overall aesthetic quality of the photo. I must accept the fact that I do not own one of those expensive cameras with attachments that can produce really good closeups, even at a distance. In this respect, I simply do not have tight control of the outcome.
On the plus side, given a scenic backdrop, the "aesthetic" outcome that is acheived often surpasses the pedestrian result of producing an awesome closeup of a particular bird. In the cases shown below, the virtue of the photo has as much to do with the splendor of the setting as it does with the stylish elegance of the wading bird, itself.

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Voila!
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Adieu !

Ladies Night Out

When it comes to water fowl, I have taken an interest in observing  the stages in the socialization process that evolve over the course of the warm weather months.
Predictably, in springtime, a young male's fancy turns to thoughts of love.

Of course this applies to both the mergansers... 

                                            

...as well as the mallard ducks.

                                         

However, by summer's end, as seen below, it's Ladies Nite Out.

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As it turns out,

this poor guy has to go it alone.

As for the lady megansers, it's time to preen away at the plume bar while quacking it up.

           

Reflections

September can be a difficult month for picture-taking. I would like to see it as an opportunity to capture images of warblers flitting around the trees in my backyard, before heading south again. But they are too small for me to get good, close-enough shots. I need more practice.
For now, there are egrets and herons that linger at my favorite Woodstock haunt just down the road.

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Some distance away, on the Ashokan Reservoir, cormorants linger on a convenient float, while
one man, alone, shuffles along in a tiny boat.

When I turn my head toward the wooded expanse that abuts the Ashokan I immediately
spot a deer looking my way who seems to say, “what is he doing here?”

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I look at all this while reflecting on the fact that I was raised in a much different environment, a considerably more urban one, on  the lower east side of Manhattan. Sitting, immersed in all this, I, too, often wonder:  "What am I doing here?"

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Transitions

The summer will soon transition into fall. My days at the reservoir off Sawkill Road (which I have come to view as a marsh) are numbered. Over the past few months I have watched the population of egrets and great blue herons grow and, in their own way, prosper. They have certainly made hay of the local fish population, as have the hungry kingfishers.
Over the past few days I have been rewarded by the presence of a green heron.  Though sparse in number, their piercing look makes their presence felt and one's skin crawl.

Some of the results of my meanderings along the perimeter of the Sawkill marsh follow.

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American Egret

Great Blue Heron

Blue Heron - small, but still great

Kingfisher and Egret - dynamic duo

Kingfisher

Green Heron

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Labor Day Weekend Blastoff: My Woodstock NY Birdlist

 For starters, I'd like to share one of my most valued photos, a female snow bunting, spotted on a cold winter's day on the Ashokan Reservoir in Ulster County, NY.

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                                                            Snow Bunting (Dec., 2008)
 

Ashokan Reservoir

       BIRDS ON PROPERTY
baltimore oriole
blackburnian warbler
black-throated blue warbler
blue jay
bluebird
cardinal
carolina wren
cerulean warbler
chickadee
chipping sparrow
cowbird
creeper
crow
downy woodpecker
field sparrow
flicker
fox sparrow
golden crowned kinglet
goldfinch
hairy woodpecker
house finch
house wren
junco
kingbird
magnolia warbler
mallard duck
marsh hawk
mockingbird
mourning dove
myrtle warbler
olive-backed thrush
ovenbird
parula warbler
phoebe
pine siskin
pileated woodpecker
purple finch (f)
red-bellied woodpecker
red-breasted nuthatch
red-shouldered hawk
redstart
robin
ruby crowned kinglet
ruby throated hummingbird
yellow-bellied sapsucker
scarlet tanager
sharp-shinned hawk
song sparrow
tennessee warbler
towhee
tree sparrow
tufted titmouse
veery
white-throated sparrow
white-breasted nuthatch
wild turkey
wood thrush
yellow-bellied flycatcher

    BIRDS SEEN ABOVE PROPERTY
Broad-winged hawk (further confirmation needed)
Cooper's Hawk (further confirmation needed)
Turkey Vulture

   BIRDS IN SURROUNDING AREA
american egret
american merganser
baldpate
bald eagle
black-bellied plover
black duck
bufflehead
canada goose
catbird
cedar waxwing
common loon
cormorant
great blue heron
great horned owl
green heron
grey-cheeked thrush
hooded merganser
horned grebe
killdeer
kingfisher
osprey
red-tailed hawk
red-winged blackbird
ring-necked duck
seagull
snow bunting
solitary sandpiper
spotted sandpiper
tree swallow
white goose
white-crowned sparrow

total count: 92
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Looking forward to your comments, suggestions, questions, critiques, etc.
Have a great holiday,   Bob Filmore (Woodstock, NY)

Birds of Woodstock: An Introduction

Having lived in the lovely area of Woodstock, NY  for the past six years, I decided it was time to make some effective use of my newly purchased camera. Since birdwatching had always been an interest of mine,  I decided to not only view birds through the use of binoculars, but to photograph them as well. For starters, I put a couple of birdfeeders in front of my house, and spent a few hundred dollars on a camera. A Fuji Finepix S5200 replaced my equally inexpensive Sony, which slipped through my hands one day, fell to the ground, and broke. Since I had little technical background in photography, the prospect of capturing birds, of any size, on my modestly priced Fuji, posed a real challenge for me. In time, through much trial and error, I finally got a handle on it and, with a somewhat steadier hand, managed to take some reasonably good photos.



 Bald Eagle (Ashokan Reservoir)


Ashokan Reservoir
Rapture!


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Some of the birds, early on, photographed on my property


Blue Jay


Cardinal


Carolina Wren


Chickadee


Flicker (backyard woods)


Goldfinches


Hairy Woodpecker (m)


Mourning Dove


Pileated Woodpecker

(Note: every spring,  eats the grubs from this same tree stump on my front lawn)



Pine Siskin (uncommon)

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                                  Obviously, the greater challenge that awaits me is to get exposd to a variety of environments that provide opportunities for taking photos in the air and on the water; hawks and herons serving as examples. Tiny birds like warblers offer yet another challenge. Nonetheless, with my trusty camera in hand, here goes...

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My objectives are:
   
- To share my collection of bird photos with other bloggers
- To identify the most accessable birding locales in the  area
- To stimulate an interest in bird photography


Bob Filmore, Woodstock, NY 























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Crosswords aside, my real joy is photographing birds, in my case in and around Woodstock, NY.