Wings!
I have a lot more pictures. A LOT more. And two more cards with all birds too. I stopped shooting a little while ago. I spend ALL day yesterday processing photographs and I’ll need another whole day to process the next batch. I like to think the time is worth it, but sometimes, I need a breather — a pause between shifts at the computer. Meanwhile, here’s my lot of Blue Jays.
There were close to a dozen of them on the deck this morning. I’ve never seen that many Jays together in one relatively small setting. I didn’t think they got along well enough to clump together, but these guys were hunting seeds. This cold weather makes them all hungry and there aren’t any live insects for them, so they rely on people like me and my neighbor. Also, because of the long summer drought, there were fewer seeds in the woods this year, so without feeders, they wouldn’t make it.
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Categories: #Birds, #gallery, #Photography, Wildlife
SERENDIPITY: SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
Stunning.
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I think the birds are what has kept me from madness this year. Apparently that has been true for all of us. Both Garry and Owen can name every bird we see, including whether it’s male, female, young, or mature. We stand at the windows and just watch them.
I want wings, too!
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They’re beautiful, Marilyn! The second photo from the top looks like a drawing – is it or how did you make it look like that?
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I decided to make that look like an illustration since all the others looked the same. I love artistic stuff, but I recognize that not everyone is equally thrilled about it and for birds, unless the picture isn’t sharp (this one was very sharp, but I wanted something more like a portrait than a photograph), I decided to try something else. Also, sometimes these graphic representation bring out a different part of the image, like feathers or colors. Or, in this case, just pretty 🙂
I got a “new” (second hand, but very lightly used) camera that is insanely fast focusing. I’m amazed at how much sharper ALL the bird pictures are. If only they would let me come outside to take pictures. Not shooting through a none-too-clean (it’s winter in the northeast and everything outside is messy) window would make a huge difference.
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What GORGEOUS birds! Your new camera really takes some very sharp pics! Thanks for sharing them!
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I’m impressed with this camera, too. It’s SO fast and so sharp. I couldn’t afford it, but it wasn’t expensive compared to buying it anywhere else because when you buy it from a friend, you get the “hey, I’ve known you for more than 50 years” discount 😀
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I love watching blue jays. “Mine” used to call for me if I didn’t have the food out there when they arrived!
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The Jays fly across the street and eat back there, I think. They are very strong flyers. The little birds are addicted to our feeders, maybe because this was the first place they ever ate from a feeder, so it’s home. The little birds don’t call, but they flutter madly. And there were so MANY of them. One chickadee didn’t even leave while I filled the feeder — a first. I actually think they are beginning to recognize that all we do is FEED them.
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Yes, I think that birds do learn that!
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I hope they get over themselves. I would like to take pictures without fitting between the glass panels.
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These photos are great Marilyn! I especially love “Wings”
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I didn’t even see that photo until late last night. I have been taking a lot of pictures and sometimes, I don’t make it all the way to the bottom of the batch. This was at the very bottom. I think he was about to take off. Jays prefer eating from the ground and I’d thrown a lot of seeds on the snow for them.
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These pictures are lovely, Marilyn. Well worth the effort involved.
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Taking the pictures is the easy part. Sorting them, processing them (cropping, straightening, sharpening, adding a bit more light, etc.) is what take so much time. When I take a lot of picture almost every day, I find I spend the majority of my day processing photographs. But it’s also fun 😀
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Yes, photography is to you what baking is to me.
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I did a lot of baking, too, but I started to put on pounds very quickly — which reminded me why I STOPPED baking. If I could separate the baking from the eating, all would be well. Sadly the smell of fresh-baked anything makes me HUNGRY!
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