House Guest
Outdoor Ontario

House Guest

Shortsighted

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 In the early spring I installed a bird house in the backyard. Its architecture was very basic in keeping with my skill level, just four walls, a slanted roof and a rustic perch made of genuine Canadian twig, and its exterior details were rendered with fancifully colours because my aim was to attract just the right kind of tenant.
 
 I have finally had reason to remove the vacancy sign because a House wren has accepted a lease. The rent is cheap, the occasional appearance of the wren being all that I ask in return. The serenade is a bonus. I have agreed to supply some Acousti-Wool for nesting building material at no extra charge because that’s the kind of guy I am. There is also a bird bath within five meters of the bird house that is available to the wren if it doesn’t mind sharing the facilities with a pair of goldfinch.









 
 


Dr. John

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Both a beautiful birdhouse and some beautiful pictures of its resident.


Shortsighted

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Thanks doc, one must keep up appearances. I have several more bird houses but not that much PVC pipe to mount them. Besides, arranging a collection of fanciful birdhouses around the yard might be construed as eccentric and even contravene some archaic bylaw. When I put it that way it makes me immediately see the appeal of actually carrying through with the idea. Would it be viewed as art, or as kitsch? I'll need to consult Ally since she's artistic enough to offer sober advise on such matters. Of course, then there is the lazy factor. It's all so exhausting.


Ally

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Very beautiful indeed!
I haven't done a lot of birding, but I have very convincing excuses. I'm moving close to Colonel Sam Smith Park at the end of month, so I'm working on birding in a way.


Shortsighted

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Good decision vis-a-vis birding, although perhaps not from the standpoint of cost-of-living-close-to-CSS. Once you are suitably ensconced, I'm sure that we will have a plethora of photos to peruse on a periodic basis. Right?


Ally

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At the mean time, please settle for some flower pics


Ally

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More flower pics


Shortsighted

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By golly, dem dare is a lotta roses! I suppose you know what kind they all are. Are they all Tea roses? Probably, and here I am drinking coffee. I think that you would put good use to a macro lens and an image stacking program. Doesn't need to be an L-series lens. There must be some sort of less-expensive macro lens in the Canon line-up. Since you already have a tripod, by your own admission, you could play with staged lighting effects while coupled to a macro lens. Then again, while serving better as a means to grandiosity in photography, specialized equipment requires set-up and deliberation and you might prefer the freedom implicit in spontaneity as provided by a workhorse kit lens. Let's see what your penchant and philosophy will be after a couple of years of having CSS in your backyard. You've got the Humber River trail embedded in your head and have delivered its treats on this forum, so now the doors are wide open and you have a new expanse to cover in detail. Am I making this sound like a responsibility? Good! My work is done and yours has just begun. Happy hunting. BTW, I know that there are many species of rose, but to me a rose by any name will smell as sweet. Oh dear, my coffee is cold, again. A keyboard and a hot coffee are incompatible.


Ally

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I grew fond of roses in recent years. Who wouldn't?
The four are all David Austin roses, Grace, Graham Thomas, the pink one is Boscobel and the Red one is Munstead wood. I'm so addicted to the scent.
That was the plan. Sometimes I question my decision to move there, but why not?
I haven't got a tripod, maybe my next target.

By golly, dem dare is a lotta roses! I suppose you know what kind they all are. Are they all Tea roses? Probably, and here I am drinking coffee. I think that you would put good use to a macro lens and an image stacking program. Doesn't need to be an L-series lens. There must be some sort of less-expensive macro lens in the Canon line-up. Since you already have a tripod, by your own admission, you could play with staged lighting effects while coupled to a macro lens. Then again, while serving better as a means to grandiosity in photography, specialized equipment requires set-up and deliberation and you might prefer the freedom implicit in spontaneity as provided by a workhorse kit lens. Let's see what your penchant and philosophy will be after a couple of years of having CSS in your backyard. You've got the Humber River trail embedded in your head and have delivered its treats on this forum, so now the doors are wide open and you have a new expanse to cover in detail. Am I making this sound like a responsibility? Good! My work is done and yours has just begun. Happy hunting. BTW, I know that there are many species of rose, but to me a rose by any name will smell as sweet. Oh dear, my coffee is cold, again. A keyboard and a hot coffee are incompatible.


Shortsighted

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So you do know the name of all the roses. I knew that!  I used to have two roses in the backyard that my father planted many years ago when he was still able to do such things, but I have no idea what kind of roses they were (are). One of the roses died. It was yellow. The surviving rose is a small bloom and it is pink (see photo). Are you able to identify a rose by its appearance or do you need a DNA sample? The perimeter fence is going to be replaced this month so I hope the contractor doesn't stress the rose plant too much. Having it endure my taking its picture must be stressful enough especially with all the cursing in the light rain, which is not the same as singing in the rain. Nuff said.


300mm / f4 @ f14

300mm / f4 @ f14

250mm / f4.5 @ f11 legacy lens on extension tube with adapter


Ally

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They are stunning!I know like ten roses. so guess I need to join a rose platform somewhere to learn those. Does your rose have fragrance?


Shortsighted

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Good question. The rose bush is unruly (not well-pruned) and is located right beside a lilac bush, therefore the only scent I generally detect when I walk past that spot is the lilac. Much like honeysuckle, this lilac's scent is the backyard's signature odour. I'll try sniffing the rose the next time I'm out if I don't get distracted by other stuff. I've been trying to refurbish a wooded border around the beds but it always starts to rain after I get work clothes on and head out. I gather the tools and bring them in again, take off my jumper and then the rain lets-up. In,out,in,out ... I feel like a cuckoo in a clock except I'm usually unaware of what time it is.


Ally

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Tell me you like them too.


Dinusaur

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That House Wren as house guest is excellent - beautiful bird house and I am glad that it is taken. How about some songs - tiny bird with such a big voice. I was in Kortright Center yesterday morning, looking for a Sedge Wren which I found and photographed. But the trails were buzzing with the House Wren songs everywhere, one even setup a nest inside a broken lamp post.