For the Birds!
Since the cherry blossom post was such a hit, I thought I’d share a few more photos from where I reside in Virginia, being that it is springtime and there are so many beautiful things to see here. We are very fortunate to have had, in our town, a very wealthy family which decided to bequeath their estate to the Audubon Society. The former estate is now a nature preserve, albeit a relatively small one, which supports an old hardwood forest, a pine forest, a spring fed pond, and a very large meadow. The grounds are fantastic, and the number of birds which transit the preserve throughout the year is impressive. I’m not a bird guy, so I’ll refrain from even trying to identify the subjects of my photos – if you are a confident birder, then please, share your knowledge with us!
This fella was playing peekaboo with me, darting all around and peeking out when I wasn’t looking.
The feeders around the manor were attracting several species, all of whom were sharing the perches.
This hawk was about 120 yards off, enjoying a rodent from the nearby field. This shot was handheld, and frankly I am shocked that it came out with ANY clarity. The bird was just a dot in the lens. After a couple of minutes, another hawk (a mate?) came by and squawked enough to make this one take flight with the mouse dangling.
OK, I said I wasn’t going to try identifying the birds, but this one seems to look like a goldfinch. The next few frames were shot with a 70-200mm zoom (f2.8), which produces some very nice, crisp shots… even at 200mm.
Almost there! Looks like the Missus was already enjoying an afternoon snack.
Isn’t love a beautiful thing?
Meanwhile, on the ground, some LBB’s (little brown birds) were busy foraging in the grass. This one was quite pretty, I thought.
OK, this isn’t a bird, but Ms. Squirrel sure acted like one! I had a lot of fun shooting this series of photos – it was a departure from my usual shots of people and places. Hey, if you’ve got a camera, get out there and get some shots of your local wildlife. I promise, you won’t regret it!
Windward Journey 