Summer Photo Fun: For the Birds

Birds 009

My Summer Photo Fun wouldn’t be complete without sharing some of the bird photos I’ve taken the past few months. You may remember that earlier this summer I told that I’ve gone a little bird crazy lately. But when you’ve got cuties like the robin above picking blackberries in the neighborhood, it’s hard not to get carried away :)

Hope you enjoy some of the shots I captured on my trusty Canon PowerShot SX210IS. It has a 14x optical zoom lens. A pretty good camera for a point and shoot! :)

The cardinals have been rather skittish, but I’ve managed to get a few shots. This is a female.

This is the best shot of a male cardinal that I’ve been able to get. Why is it men don’t always cooperate with our plans? :)

Remember when I told you my blue bird shot at my parents’ house was too blurry to use? I’m happy to tell you I got this shot when we visited in July!

Not only did I get the bluebird on the birdhouse, but the next morning my little friend hung out with a Summer Tanager long enough for me to capture this shot from Mom and Dad’s deck. Yay, huh?!

I think this is one of the Northern Mockingbirds that hangs out in our neighborhood. Loved getting the morning sunlight to illuminate his feathers a little.

I caught this robin building a nest in a neighbor’s tree branch that overhangs our yard. Notice the dried grass in its beak?

With the nest all done, morning is one of her preferred times for setting on the eggs. Lucky for me, she ignores me while I take photos!

That neighbor’s tree is a popular place. The doves like it, too!

Looks like somebody had his feathers ruffled. Actually, I’m not sure what was going on witih this Northern Mockingbird. It made repeated noise along with repetitive movements, and allowed me to get fairly close before it flew away.

We recently got a birdbath, and this Northern Mockingbird (and I’m sure many other birds as well) has been most grateful for it during the extreme heat we’ve experienced this summer. I haven’t had much luck getting pictures of birds enjoying it, though, because most of them startle and fly away.

And finally, can anyone identify this bird? I captured this shot in my daughter Kristin’s yard in Little Rock. It liked to dig in the dirt, much to Kristin and Shawn’s aggravation :)

Hope you enjoyed  my photos. Birds are indeed amazing creatures. They’re not only beautiful, but we can learn much from them, too.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out today. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign up is free and to the right!

Comments

  1. These are great! And I love the color of the birdbath.

  2. The last is a Northern Flicker
    a yellow-shafted male.

  3. Kristin, glad you enjoyed the photos — and that you like the birdbath! :)

    Elece, I thought you might be able to identify the bird. Thanks!

  4. You’re a great photographer, Cheryl! Thanks for sharing your birds with us. I hate to admit it, but I think the Angry Bird is my favorite! :-) Not the image we normally think of when we think of birds!

  5. Thanks, Vonda! You ought to see all the lousy photos I delete while trying to get the good ones :) I think there’s a lesson for writing there, too, huh? :)

  6. We have an annoying bird that comes in our carport to torment our cat. The cat could care less, but I’m just about over it. Makes the most grating sound ever. It might be a northern mocking bird, but I never thought they made such horrible noises.

    Anyway, these are beautiful pic’s. I need a new camera. Thanks for the info.

    peace~elaine

  7. Your comment made me smile, Elaine :) I’ve had my share of experiences with annoying noise, too :)

    Good luck selecting a new camera. I really like mine. It does give me a little trouble with lighting on some of my indoor shots. Sometimes it makes the background look kind of yellow. When that happens, it usually helps to turn off the flash.

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