Green Heron - White River Wapahani Trail

A Green Heron investigates a log jam in the White River, beneath the White River Wapahani Trail foot bridge, in downtown Indianapolis. The bridge connects the White River State Park and the Indianapolis Zoo and is a favorite place for nearby business employees to escape for a break during the workday.

Bananaquit (Chibichibi) - Bonaire

Shortly after breaking my ribs windsurfing

in Lac Bay, Bonaire in 2007, this little Bananaquit came by to console me and

of course pose for this photo.

This is the most common bird on the island and will come right to your chair or table, as this one did with me. It is known locally as the Chibichibi.

Cold January Sunset

Stepped out the front door yesterday

evening to this beautiful winter sunset!

Photo shot with IPhone5.

Coffee and Irony

You know you have reached electronic security code overload when you are reheating a mug of coffee in the microwave and instead of punching in the time, you enter your pin code.

Now, if you like a spoon full of irony with your coffee, like me, you've come to the right place. Just when I was feeling pretty dumb for what I had done, I glanced up and noticed the model of the microwave in beautiful, gold letters, mocking my stupidity.

 

The Genius!

 

 

Yes, it really happened!

 

 

Tufted Titmouse - Wings

A Tufted Titmouse coming in for a landing.

Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouse

A frequent visitor to the backyard feeder and one of the least skittish birds around. The Tufted Titmouse is a cute, little, social bird that enjoys shelled peanuts as much as the Blue Jay. However, the Titmouse does not load up on nine peanuts at a time. Instead he flies in and out repeatedly taking one half nut per visit. The Titmouse will swoop in and out of the feeders while I am filling them. It's a pretty neat thing to hear several of them fluttering their wings, as they bustle in and out during rush hour at the feeder. These birds are pretty social and don't seem to be too bothered by human activity or other feathered friends. Some of you may recall that a Tufted Titmouse ate peanuts from my hand at the Beech Forest, in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The following link will take you directly to that blog post and photo of the Tufted Titmouse eating from my hand. You will need to scroll through the blog photos until you get to the Titmouse.

Just click --->>Tufted Titmouse, Beech Forest. 

White-throated Sparrow

Is this little White-throated Sparrow

actually getting cocky with me?

I find the White-throated Sparrow to be one of the most fascinating birds in the yard. I have never seen these in any great numbers, they are usually found in singles blending in amongst larger groups of Sparrows. This little bird rarely comes to the feeder, instead choosing to take the scattered seed from the ground beneath - when he is willing to get that close. Most of the time he prefers to forage on the ground, on the outskirts of a densely wooded area of the yard. The Sparrows are a group of birds that are easy to overlook, because they are so abundant and wide-spread, but if you really pay attention to the large group of Sparrows in your yard, you will likely find the group to be much more diverse than you originally thought. It is always a nice surprise to find a spunky White-throated sparrow among the crowd.

Single Blue Jay

One of four Blue Jays that visit the feeder for shelled peanuts. One of the few birds the Northern Mocking Bird is unable to intimidate. Interesting thing is that the Blue Jay's call is the most frequently mimicked sound the Mocking Bird guarding my feeders makes. It's fun to watch the Blue Jay gorge itself on peanuts. In a single trip to the platform he can pack nine halved peanuts in his beak and gullet. It is humorous to watch the Blue Jay toss the peanuts in the air, trying to arrange them, when the load is getting  full and he still wants just a few more nuts before he flies. Often times the Blue Jay will bend over to collect the next peanut, as the previously collected one tumbles out of its over-stuffed beak. An entertaining show, for sure!

Flamingo

It was 63°F Saturday. Unseasonably warm for Indianapolis in January. A flamingo grooms itself at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Crested Caracara, Bonaire

A Crested Caracara, in the Washington-Slagbaai National Park, Bonaire (2007).

This photo was shot with a digital, fixed lens, 5.0 Megapixel, Sony Cybershot DSC-F717. A real shame I didn't buy the D300 until 3 months after this trip! This could have been a nice photo, with a better camera. Since this is the only shot I have of this bird - it will have to do! Ah - Now that I know this bird is pretty common in a location just a short hour drive from one of my closest friends - I will be planning a visit soon!

Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Garden.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED | Hoya 67mm +2 magnification Lens  

Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Garden.

I wanted to try out a new close-up lens set yesterday, so I took the camera to Garfield Park Conservatory and gave the Hoya 67mm +2 lens a trial run. The Hoya close-up lens set comes with 3 lenses (+1,+2,+4) that thread into the end of your lens and can be stacked to increase magnification. A nice, affordable alternative to a macro lens, at less than 10% the cost.  It is definitely going to take some time to master using a magnification lens, as most of my images were blurry. A tripod would have been useful, but not permitted in the conservatory!  However, I was pretty pleased with this photo and I know someone had wanted to see a photo shot with a magnification lens, so here you go. I love the depth of field achieved with the +2 lens at f/4.5. This is the full image, it is not cropped. Image was resized and resolution reduced for web publication. I have no idea what this plant is. If anyone knows, please post in comments or text message me:) Thanks!

Giraffe Kisses, Indianapolis Zoo

I've heard of Butterfly kisses,

but seriously, Giraffe kisses?

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Something in Pink

I think this is Hibiscus. Nashville, Indiana. 

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Eastern Fox Squirrel

One of our many Eastern Fox Squirrels. 

This squirrel must think he is an honorary bird, I've caught him several times on the platform feeder. I bet I look pretty silly chasing him around the pond, beating on my tin pie pan with a wooden spoon, in my coonskin cap, fringed jacket, shorts and boots! Where are the hawks when you need them?

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Pileated Woodpecker

The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest (remaining) woodpecker in North America. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is larger, but believed to be extinct. You'll never forget the first time you see one of these. I've read a lot of bird books that describe the sound this bird makes, but to me they sound more like  a monkey in the jungle. They really make a ruckus, especially in flight, although they don't always announce their presence. They are one of the most exciting birds to watch. They are somewhat shy, so you may not want to startle them. If you see a Pileated Woodpecker, stay reasonably still and they will usually stick around, though they will most likely hide around the opposite side of the tree from you or move a little further away, to another tree.

No, this is NOT a mirrored image created with photoshop. This is actually a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers, male on the left with the red mustache and female on the right.

An uninvited guest arrives. These are two females. The one on the right is with the male above. This unwanted female is receiving a warning here.

And no more warnings! The unwanted single is attacked as the male watches the fight from the suet feeder just to the left of the tree.

The male hopping over to the suet feeder just before the fight commenced.

The male enjoying dinner and a show.

Gold Class!

Nikon D300 | Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS | Vangaurd Alta 263 AP Tripod | Barronett Grounder 350 Hunting Blind.

Blue Jay Wings

This Blue Jay was coming in for his favorite snack, shelled peanuts, when I got this shot. The original photo is much larger but I was unhappy with the image quality, which was significantly effected by noise ( a downside to shooting in high ISO with the D300). In an attempt to spare the photo, I edited it in Photoshop Elements 10 with a noise reduction filter. The Rustic wooden Frame was added using Roxio PhotoSuite 10. The brown spots in the tree above the Blue Jay are House Sparrows.

Nikon D300 | Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS | Vangaurd Alta 263 AP Tripod | Barronett Grounder 350 Hunting Blind.

Northern Cardinal

Two Northern Cardinals (male above, female below) rest in a nearby Maple Tree. The Northern Cardinal is the State Bird of Indiana, as well as the mascot of Ball State University.

Go Cards!

Nikon D300 | Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS | Vangaurd Alta 263 AP Tripod | Barronett Grounder 350 Hunting Blind.

Northern Flicker

The Northern Flicker coming in for a bite to eat as a small sparrow checks out the colorful show!

The Northern Flickers in all of these photos are Yellow-shafted Flickers  (a red-shafted group exists in the west, but I have never seen one myself). All of the Flickers in these photos are males. Despite my best efforts I have been unable to locate any photos of the female. I will add a photo of the female as soon as I locate one! The female looks very similar but without the black mustache! 

A European Starling underestimates the Northern Flicker, but the Starling is no match for this hungry Flicker.

 The Northern Flicker eliminates the Starling with its eyes closed and both wings metaphorically tied behind its back.

A little trivia for you:

The Northern Flicker has zygodactyl feet which are common to many woodpeckers, though I'm guessing not the Three-toed Woodpecker :)  Zygodactyl feet have two forward facing toes and two rump facing toes. Zygo (yoked pair) and Dactyl ( finger, toe, digit).

The Northern Flicker is quite shy. Unlike the downy woodpecker that will hang around while you are filling the feeders, the Northern Flicker will disappear if it sees you. They  can be quite elusive, but easier to photograph in winter when they are more inclined to visit feeders. During other seasons they are more likely to be found foraging on the ground. 

I read somewhere once about how long a woodpeckers tongue was, but I really never imagined this! I doubt I got this shot off at full extension either. I've got to find that article again to see what it said. This is a shot you probably don't see too often! Enjoy! 

Enjoying the suet.

The most distinctive features of this bird are its bright white rump obvious when flying, its red crescent shape on the back of its neck and the yellow under-lining wings and tail (most visible in flight). 

All above photos were shot using:

Nikon D300 | Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS | Vangaurd Alta 263 AP Tripod | Barronett Grounder 350 Hunting Blind.

This Flicker is enjoying the morning at Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Carolina Wren

One of two Carolina Wrens that visit every day. Carolina Wrens mate for life so the wrens are most likely a mated pair that have chosen to winter here. I saw them in the barn last week though I didn't see or seek out their nest. It is best to leave the birds alone and not disturb them or stress them out unnecessarily. These little birds can be found most often in wood piles (above photo) and in shrubs, but will also perch in trees, bushes, window ledges and feeders. These little birds are very shy and will not hang around and pose for photos. I use a camouflage hunting blind to shoot bird photography. One of the most enjoyable aspects to having these little birds around is there incredibly cheerful song that draws you right to the window to look for them. They carry on quite loudly until they notice you listening or watching! 

 At the feeder, they prefer and enjoy meal worms (coined the "Cheetos of the bird world" by a friend of mine). Mealworms are an excellent source of protein (roughly 47% protein) and fat  (roughly 25%). This little wren repeatedly chose the mealworms over peanuts, black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, milo, wheat, safflower seed, and various suet (apple, blueberry, cherry).

On top of the wood pile.

In the wood pile.

Still investigating the wood pile.

Resting for a brief moment in a Maple Tree.

Above photos shot with Nikon D300 | Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS | Vangaurd Alta 263 AP Tripod | Barronett Grounder 350 Hunting Blind.

At another feeder.

Nikon D300 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED