Outdoor Ontario
Birding Reports => Backyard Birding => Topic started by: Howieh on August 01, 2020, 12:37:08 PM
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Compared to previous years it's actually been relatively quiet but things are picking up. The hummers and the wasps have learned to coexist (well, sort of) and I now have at least 3 regulars coming to the feeder, including a male who comes to the window every so often to check me out! It pays to keep a camera handy at all times, even in the house! On a side note; my son persuaded me to set up my monarch rearing gear and I now have 2 chrysalis's and 3 rapidly growing caterpillars in the pail. When all the cats are hanging I'll move them to a frame on my computer room window to make it easy to photograph the emerging butterflies. :)
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Compared to previous years it's actually been relatively quiet but things are picking up. The hummers and the wasps have learned to coexist (well, sort of) and I now have at least 3 regulars coming to the feeder, including a male who comes to the window every so often to check me out! It pays to keep a camera handy at all times, even in the house! On a side note; my son persuaded me to set up my monarch rearing gear and I now have 2 chrysalis's and 3 rapidly growing caterpillars in the pail. When all the cats are hanging I'll move them to a frame on my computer room window to make it easy to photograph the emerging butterflies. :)
Show us, show us, show us!
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I still have 2 fledglings coming to the feeder (they are sitting about two feet apart behind the feeder as I write this!) and, as if the wasps aren't bad enough, early this morning they were bothered by a couple of young chickadees that like to drink from the ant moat.
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I still have 2 fledglings coming to the feeder (they are sitting about two feet apart behind the feeder as I write this!) and, as if the wasps aren't bad enough, early this morning they were bothered by a couple of young chickadees that like to drink from the ant moat.
I want to see them, sitting together. 2 feet apart sounds good too :)
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I couldn't get them both because one was hidden in the foliage but I have a two hummer shot from a few weeks ago. If I can find it(?) I'll post it. Have you seen any at your feeder? The past week has been fairly active; along with all the usual suspects I've seen kinglets and blue jays and a couple of birds I couldn't identify. I think one may have been a wilsons warbler. Like Shortsighted I'm kind of shut in so I'm looking forward to your fall migration shots Ally!
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I couldn't get them both because one was hidden in the foliage but I have a two hummer shot from a few weeks ago. If I can find it(?) I'll post it. Have you seen any at your feeder? The past week has been fairly active; along with all the usual suspects I've seen kinglets and blue jays and a couple of birds I couldn't identify. I think one may have been a wilsons warbler. Like Shortsighted I'm kind of shut in so I'm looking forward to your fall migration shots Ally!
No hummer visits. And I will try to get out more but I just got busy with work, so if I didn't feel yours or SS's frustration, now I feel it.
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Well good news. I finally got to see a Hummingbird visiting my backyard feeder in one evening last week. I was excited to see it again the following day and ready to take some photos. However, it did show up early morning and then disappeared, never to return again. Hope a few others passing by will make a short stop.
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Come on, Dinu. What did you expect from the little bird? It was in shock!
Seeing that 500mm lens, who wouldn't be? The objective lens is wider than
the bird is long. Whenever I see someone with one of those mighty lenses
even I skip a heartbeat. Even now, the poor thing is probably in therapy.
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Haha, not I didn't have a chance to bring the camera out. I was standing right beside the feeder and it came flew in for a drink. The next day it was too early in the morning and saw it through the kitchen window. Then I thought it would come back later in the day when I am home, I'll try my luck then. Unfortunately it never returned.
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Ah well then, I stand corrected again. I must surely have the makings
of a Guinness Book record by now. Sorry for the implication of optical
impropriety. A 500mm at close range for a hummingbird just struck me
as a cartoon deployment, even though the minimum focus of that fine
piece of kit must be comparable to an Olympic sprinting distance. I must
look up that spec because it might be shorter than I think. Have you ever
used an extension tube on your 500mm to reduce MF for any purpose?
If so, what was the purpose? Assuming it was for something we can speak
of. There I go again ... innuendo.
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I just returned from grocery shopping, went to the back yard and saw more wasps on the hummingbird feeder (two flowers completely covered) than I've seen all summer. No sign of the hummers but after I hosed down the feeder for several minutes and all the wasps disappeared one of the hummingbirds returned for a long feed, so they(?) are still around. Somehow they know it's time to fatten up for the long trip south!
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I just returned from grocery shopping, went to the back yard and saw more wasps on the hummingbird feeder (two flowers completely covered) than I've seen all summer. No sign of the hummers but after I hosed down the feeder for several minutes and all the wasps disappeared one of the hummingbirds returned for a long feed, so they(?) are still around. Somehow they know it's time to fatten up for the long trip south!
And they are smart not messing with the wasps, and train your as their leg man.
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What a crazy day! Our power went off just before 1pm and didn't come back on until 6 hours later, but we stayed home anyway and I spent most of the afternoon photographing my 2 fledgling hummingbirds who took turns posing directly in front of me in the branches above their feeder. I probably took more mundane hummingbird shots than most bird photographers take in a year but I may have missed my shot of a lifetime in the process. The viewfinder on the SX50 is almost useless so I always use the rear display to compose my shots; I was framing a perched hummer when the other one landed a couple of inches away and for a split second they were nose to nose (ok, beak to beak) but, because I had zoomed beyond the optical zoom, I just missed getting both birds in the same shot. Oh well, I know they are getting ready to head south, but if my rule (see them late, see them early!) holds I may get another chance tomorrow.
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What a crazy day! Our power went off just before 1pm and didn't come back on until 6 hours later, but we stayed home anyway and I spent most of the afternoon photographing my 2 fledgling hummingbirds who took turns posing directly in front of me in the branches above their feeder. I probably took more mundane hummingbird shots than most bird photographers take in a year but I may have missed my shot of a lifetime in the process. The viewfinder on the SX50 is almost useless so I always use the rear display to compose my shots; I was framing a perched hummer when the other one landed a couple of inches away and for a split second they were nose to nose (ok, beak to beak) but, because I had zoomed beyond the optical zoom, I just missed getting both birds in the same shot. Oh well, I know they are getting ready to head south, but if my rule (see them late, see them early!) holds I may get another chance tomorrow.
Reading the description is also fun. Glad the power outage didn't happen in Summer or winter. Now think of it, I have not any pic with two birds beak to beak...
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Okay, this doesn't really count as beak to beak, but you would admit it's a bit nosy. And I have always found robins with interesting birdnalities, they are so curious. Always found at various scenes.
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The power used to go out here in Pickering all the time, even during calm weather.
I eventually had to put my foot down and the outages stopped. I didn't realize that
I had such influence. I now put my foot down, sometimes repeatedly, whenever I
don't get my way. At least the power didn't fail on your Canon.
I once went all the way down to Ashbridges Bay park and roamed around a while.
Eventually I discovered a subject, can't recall what it was, only to discover that
my battery was dead because I forgot to recharge it.
Another time I arrived on site to discover I forgot to put my battery back into the camera
after charging it overnight. I did a lot of vicious stamping of the feet when that happened
and other people began steering around me giving me a very wide berth. I now have a
tantrum more often and get much less interference from passers-by. The dogs seem to
love my antics so they sometimes make the technique counterproductive.
So, where are those hummer shots?
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It's quiet now but about mid morning I had three(!) hummers in a dogfight above the feeder. They are still posing on the same branches and every so often I spook them by sliding the screen, hoping they will land in a more interesting spot (like near the top of the maple tree where the leaves are turning orange!). My red squirrel finally decided that if the big black guy can raid the regular feeder so can he - can anyone loan me a peashooter? It's a mozzy day but at least I can shoot from the window without getting rained on. The red breasted nutcases and the chickadorks are really enjoying the ant moat on the hummingbird feeder and the hummingbirds don't seem to mind. And speaking of beak to beak here's a shot that really shows off the power of the superzoom.
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It's quiet now but about mid morning I had three(!) hummers in a dogfight above the feeder. They are still posing on the same branches and every so often I spook them by sliding the screen, hoping they will land in a more interesting spot (like near the top of the maple tree where the leaves are turning orange!). My red squirrel finally decided that if the big black guy can raid the regular feeder so can he - can anyone loan me a peashooter? It's a mozzy day but at least I can shoot from the window without getting rained on. The red breasted nutcases and the chickadorks are really enjoying the ant moat on the hummingbird feeder and the hummingbirds don't seem to mind. And speaking of beak to beak here's a shot that really shows off the power of the superzoom.
Starlings are one of my least favourite birds (sorry, too discriminating, apologize to those starling fans), but I love your pic. :D :D Now waiting for the hummer pic. SS, lets make more noise, so he will post. :lol: :lol:
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Ok, I'm overwhelmed with guilt so here's a shot from 2015 (I think). Sorry it's so small but I had to get the file size down to 256k to post. Don't look now (it's too dark!!) but I think they are still here so I'll try again later today for a multi-hummer shot.
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Ok, I'm overwhelmed with guilt so here's a shot from 2015 (I think). Sorry it's so small but I had to get the file size down to 256k to post. Don't look now (it's too dark!!) but I think they are still here so I'll try again later today for a multi-hummer shot.
Wow, I wish I am anywhere close to your horizontal perches. That is too cute. They do talk!
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Do opposites attract? It's pretty quiet out there but conditions are marginal VFR so I'm still watching the feeder. Has nature finally called them south?
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Do opposites attract? It's pretty quiet out there but conditions are marginal VFR so I'm still watching the feeder. Has nature finally called them south?
I love it, they are pretending the other one is not there. Sibling rivals must be fierce. Do they travel together when times up?
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Spotted a Hummer across the street this afternoon and then again in the backyard so I figured
I might as well put out the feeder again. Came every ten minutes.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-gL39C5t/0/157f509b/M/i-gL39C5t-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-gL39C5t/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-m3RdSGr/0/4285cd1b/M/i-m3RdSGr-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-m3RdSGr/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-kJKtzvC/0/463fd28a/M/i-kJKtzvC-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-kJKtzvC/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-5RckgNn/0/2fdbbdd4/M/i-5RckgNn-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-5RckgNn/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-22vQcqg/0/897a69bd/M/i-22vQcqg-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-22vQcqg/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-DdVH4nF/0/f1186bae/M/i-DdVH4nF-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-DdVH4nF/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-VNHDdcn/0/54290963/M/i-VNHDdcn-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-VNHDdcn/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-Bg3NtxZ/0/54483246/M/i-Bg3NtxZ-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-Bg3NtxZ/A)
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Do opposites attract? It's pretty quiet out there but conditions are marginal VFR so I'm still watching the feeder. Has nature finally called them south?
I love it, they are pretending the other one is not there. Sibling rivals must be fierce. Do they travel together when times up?
They are not known as social birds but based on the number of times I've seen two or more after a long quiet interval I find that hard to believe. We returned home from Costco (with TWO chickens no less!) just after 4pm and I went to my upstairs 'observation deck' just in time to see one hummer chase another one from it's perch above the feeder. You guessed it - I took lots more mundane shots and I fully expect to see them again tomorrow.
Very nice set Shortsighted. I really like your unobtrusive background, makes me want to hang a sheet behind the feeder.
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Spotted a Hummer across the street this afternoon and then again in the backyard so I figured
I might as well put out the feeder again. Came every ten minutes.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-gL39C5t/0/157f509b/M/i-gL39C5t-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-gL39C5t/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-m3RdSGr/0/4285cd1b/M/i-m3RdSGr-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-m3RdSGr/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-kJKtzvC/0/463fd28a/M/i-kJKtzvC-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-kJKtzvC/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-5RckgNn/0/2fdbbdd4/M/i-5RckgNn-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-5RckgNn/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-22vQcqg/0/897a69bd/M/i-22vQcqg-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-22vQcqg/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-DdVH4nF/0/f1186bae/M/i-DdVH4nF-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-DdVH4nF/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-VNHDdcn/0/54290963/M/i-VNHDdcn-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-VNHDdcn/A)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-Bg3NtxZ/0/54483246/M/i-Bg3NtxZ-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-358cgw/i-Bg3NtxZ/A)
I put my feeder out for a month now, nobody came. Your hummer is missing a wing!! Really love those shots. :)
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It's just after 7am and two hummers are STILL contesting the feeder! There is a weak cold front coming down from the north; will the northwest winds behind it finally prompt them to head south? The second of my last five monarchs should emerge this morning, not exactly a great day for a release but nature must take it's course!