Bird Watching

[Pico and ME]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

I'm a great fan of the many pictures approach. As Dana and Limey noticed when we went away.

It doesn't work with the Diz cat though - I still only get close ups of his face as he hurries over to see what I am doing. And I doubt it would work with the birdies either. By the time I spot a robin or a bluetit feeding, it would be off before the camera lumbered into being. Do all digital cameras take ages to get a shot or is it just at (my) cheaper end of the market? My camera is pink though

Regular visitors to our garden NOT photographed by me. Yes I know this is cheating but I wanted to share anyway. Bluetit from Wiki, Robin from RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) taken by Chris Gomersall. Robins are ubiquitous on Christmas cards here. We always get a shedload of them because the family name is Robinson. Robins on... you see?

I have a pretty decent camera, a fuji, but it is sometimes testy. There are many times that I cant get it to focus, and right now it is only taking RAF pictures which I cant switch over to jpeg on my computer. I really want to trash it at this point and get a new canon rebel digital.

BTW, you robin is so much cuter than ours...

[Gravdigr]

Seems like the only bird pix thread we got, even though it didn't start that way. So...

Got mahself a new-to-me camera with a 24x optical zoom.

Been playin' widdit.

Nothing/no one is safe now.






This wren was not too happy about the giant eye staring at him through the window.

[Pico and ME]

Nice pics, grav. The last one is priceless!

[chrisinhouston]

I took this shot of a group of African vultures while in South Africa in 2009. There is a big push to rebuild their population which has dwindled as agriculture replaced the wild bush where animals routinely die as a meal. Farmers bring the carcasses of dead animals to this spot and the vultures feed on them.

It was all I could do to hold my breath to get this and some other images, the smell of rotting animals was unbelievable!

[Gravdigr]

The other day Popdigr brought in one of his trail camera cards to see what was on there. None were outstanding pics, but, we did have a few semi-rarities. A gray fox, terrible picture, a few shots that captured flying squirrels, horrible pics, and, of course, deer.

And then there was this pic:



It's a pretty bad pic of a blue jay (he's quartering toward the camera). He's got the crest. He's got the black collar. He's got the yellow bill. Wait, WTF? Blue jays have black bills. I have never seen a blue jay w/a yellow bill, they're always black.

Wiki quote:

The bill, legs, and eyes are all black.

I went to GoogleImageSearch and searched for blue jays. I looked at every result, not one blue jay in those results had a yellow bill. Not one.

Here is your challenge: Find me another blue jay with a yellow bill. Or tell me just wtf I have a picture of, and, please don't say it's a blue jay with a yellow bill.


Also: I learned, during my search, that blue jay feathers aren't blue. They only look blue.

Wiki:

As with most other blue-hued birds, the blue jay's colouration is not derived from pigments but is the result of light interference due to the internal structure of the feathers; if a blue feather is crushed, the blue disappears because the structure is destroyed. This is referred to as structural colouration.

I will be crushing the next blue jay feather I find.


ETA: Even juveniles have black bills.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Ah Ha, shenanigans.

[Gravdigr]

Shenaniwhatnow?

[xoxoxoBruce]

she·nan·i·gans
/SHəˈnanəɡənz/

noun informal
plural noun: shenanigans

1-secret or dishonest activity or maneuvering.
"widespread financial shenanigans had ruined the fortunes of many"
2-silly or high-spirited behavior; mischief.
3-Bluejays using strap on beaks to fake their identity

[Gravdigr]

Ok...It's a string. I couldn't make out where you were headed.

[BigV]

it's glare off the glossy bill