[Astronomersmith]

Okay, here goes. I'm going to post a few pics of my backyard bluebird couple, and a blue heron. They are highly cropped, and I know it magnifies imperfections in focus and shake, but I hope to improve with practice. I tweaked them a little bit to brighten and sharpen, but not much.


They were shot with a sigma 100-300mm or 70-200 Pentax kit lens - I think the heron was with the Pentax, blue birds with Sigma.


Astronomersmith

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[SSGGeezer]

I like the first and third images a lot. Number two seems a bit soft focused but that could just be the conversion to a jpeg. If it is windy, even a good holding position can suffer from swaying, especially with a longer lens. herons are hard to catch in flight when they get going so I am very impressed with that shot.

[honey bo bo]

herons are hard to catch in flight when they get going so I am very impressed with that shot.

Nice catch ! Look at the reverse Carrier Wings. A lot of lift coming from those wings you can feel it from the shot!

[TER-OR]

Very nice! It reminds me I need to make sure the nest boxes in our yard are clean and ready.

[marcusBMG]

The 300mm plus lens Club discuss your long lenses. - Page 1862 - PentaxForums.com

[jddwoods]

There is another large thread: Thematic: The Yard birds thread where a lot of us are posting pictures of our backyard birds. Its worth a visit. Nice pictures of your bluebirds. I have posted pictures of my bluebirds in that thread. They can get fairly tame after they have raised a few broods in your nest box. I make one recommendation and its to put up some sort of baffle on your nest box. I have had raccoons, squirrels and black snakes trying to climb up the pole when the bluebirds were nesting in the box. The baffle has been a life saver for the bluebirds

[Astronomersmith]

There is another large thread: Thematic: The Yard birds thread where a lot of us are posting pictures of our backyard birds. Its worth a visit. Nice pictures of your bluebirds. I have posted pictures of my bluebirds in that thread. They can get fairly tame after they have raised a few broods in your nest box. I make one recommendation and its to put up some sort of baffle on your nest box. I have had raccoons, squirrels and black snakes trying to climb up the pole when the bluebirds were nesting in the box. The baffle has been a life saver for the bluebirds

I think I know what you mean by 'baffle'? Do you mean something to keep critters from crawling up the post? That would make sense. I'll have to look into that. We do have some raccoons in our area, not any trees so no squirrels though. Black snakes? They can climb a fence post? Never thought of that! Thanks for the suggestions.


Astronomersmith

[jddwoods]

I think I know what you mean by 'baffle'? Do you mean something to keep critters from crawling up the post? That would make sense. I'll have to look into that. We do have some raccoons in our area, not any trees so no squirrels though. Black snakes? They can climb a fence post? Never thought of that! Thanks for the suggestions.


Astronomersmith

Looks like you have a thick post unlike my thinner tube type one. I do not know if a black snake could climb yours but twice I caught one between 5 and 6 feet slithering up my post. Fortunately my baffle stopped it. The snake was harmlessly deported off my property. Raccoons and squirrels could easily climb your post which is what you would need the baffle for. Raccoons in particular. I am glad to see you helping bluebirds, they and tree swallows need all the help they can get.

[Astronomersmith]

Looks like you have a thick post unlike my thinner tube type one. I do not know if a black snake could climb yours but twice I caught one between 5 and 6 feet slithering up my post. Fortunately my baffle stopped it. The snake was harmlessly deported off my property. Raccoons and squirrels could easily climb your post which is what you would need the baffle for. Raccoons in particular. I am glad to see you helping bluebirds, they and tree swallows need all the help they can get.

Not on photography topic, but about the subject of this thread...I may have lost my models.
My wife saw a small brown and white bird, she thinks a Wren, attacking the blue birds and going into the nest. I did a little research and found out this is a bad problem for blue birds - others robbing their nests.
I've seen blue birds back on the house again, but only after my wife ran out into the back yard "shooing" away a couple of Wrens and a Starling/black bird from the nest. Maybe my scarecrow....I mean my wife, did a good job and the blue birds will come back?




She and I really enjoyed watching and photographing those little feathery models. Kind of skittish, but when I hide and use my longest lens, they make excellent unwitting subjects! Maybe they'll stick around.


Astronomersmith

[jddwoods]

Not on photography topic, but about the subject of this thread...I may have lost my models.
My wife saw a small brown and white bird, she thinks a Wren, attacking the blue birds and going into the nest. I did a little research and found out this is a bad problem for blue birds - others robbing their nests.
I've seen blue birds back on the house again, but only after my wife ran out into the back yard "shooing" away a couple of Wrens and a Starling/black bird from the nest. Maybe my scarecrow....I mean my wife, did a good job and the blue birds will come back?




She and I really enjoyed watching and photographing those little feathery models. Kind of skittish, but when I hide and use my longest lens, they make excellent unwitting subjects! Maybe they'll stick around.


Astronomersmith

Try to get a picture of the brown/white bird if you can. Hopefully it is not a house sparrow which is a serious invasive. I do not know where you are located but the one wren species likely to bother bluebirds is the house wren and up here in northern Delaware it is too early in the season for them. One other possibility is tree swallows but except for very young ones, they are blue and white. Good luck with your box and hopefully your bluebirds will prevail, although I would allow any native species that moves in to use it. The bluebirds are in complete control of my box. Lastly, if the entrance hole is the proper size for bluebirds, that will keep the starlings, another nuisance invasive here, out.

[Astronomersmith]

Here are the little brown birds a couple of weeks before they decided to take over my blue bird house. I think they are house sparrows? I looked at some birds online and at first thought they were wrens, which is what several people I know call them. But in doing a little research, wrens seem to have longer, narrower beaks than sparrows.
Since this is a photography forum, not a bird watching forum, I'll go ahead and self criticize my pitiful attempt at photographing these little pests! I could barely even see them to focus because they blended so well into the hay we've got covering our back yard...as the birds pick and enjoy the grass seed I planted! They seemed very appreciative, but made my wife very sad and upset when they have been fighting and chasing off 'her' blue birds.

[jddwoods]

Here are the little brown birds a couple of weeks before they decided to take over my blue bird house. I think they are house sparrows? I looked at some birds online and at first thought they were wrens, which is what several people I know call them. But in doing a little research, wrens seem to have longer, narrower beaks than sparrows.
Since this is a photography forum, not a bird watching forum, I'll go ahead and self criticize my pitiful attempt at photographing these little pests! I could barely even see them to focus because they blended so well into the hay we've got covering our back yard...as the birds pick and enjoy the grass seed I planted! They seemed very appreciative, but made my wife very sad and upset when they have been fighting and chasing off 'her' blue birds.

As best I can tell, these look like chipping sparrows. Are they smaller than bluebirds? If they are bluebird sized or almost bluebird sized then I need to go back to my bird guide and look again. If they are smaller, goldfinch sized, then I believe them to be chipping sparrows. The give away for chipping sparrows is the small size, rusty cap and black line through the eye and a gray breast with no streaks or marks.
What I am sure about is they are not house sparrows and they are not wrens, I am 100% on that. They are native sparrows and should not be a threat to your bluebirds. You may just have a minor territory squabble going on. If you go to allaboutbirds.org they have some good pictures that can help. Also check sialis.org (see link for other brown birds) and nabluebirdsociety.org for some more helpful info. Hopefully some others perusing this thread will also weigh in. Being a bluebird landlord, if I saw these in my yard, I would not be concerned. Still keep this thread going if you have any other observations. Also, last word, a lot of small brown birds look alike and when they are moving about very quickly can get confusing.

[normhead]

Chipping sparrow


House sparrow


Definitely a chipping sparrow.

[jddwoods]

Chipping sparrow


House sparrow


Definitely a chipping sparrow.

Thanks Norm! nice pictures. As much as I try, I've never got a good picture of a chipping sparrow. They are just starting to show up in my yard now.
@Astronomersmith The bluebirds already made a nest in my box. They are a lot tougher than I expected. So far they chased away northern mockingbirds, northern cardinals and even blue jays and red wing blackbirds from the territory around my (their) nest box. There should not be a problem with the chipping sparrows. I would not think they would do more than occasionally perch on top of the box, especially if there are no trees around it. They nest in shrubs or trees, not birdhouses. If, however you have house sparrows around, that is another matter and a real problem.

[normhead]

As much as I try, I've never got a good picture of a chipping sparrow.

You have to be lucky to get decent shots of them even with a blind. I see them every year, but i don't get great images every year.