Blue Ridge Birds

I went to a conference in Asheville, NC and took lots of pictures of course.

From the third floor of the hotel with my phone

Rain over the Blue Ridge Mountains

Clear skies and blue haze

Partly cloudy with awesome blue skies.

I stepped out of the hotel the first morning and was greeted with song! So I went back in and grabbed my camera.

Gray Catbird 

This Northern Mockingbird was at the tip top of a 60-ft tree in bloom, singing his heart out. 

Black-capped Chickadee

A pair of Tufted Titmice were busy collecting materials for nesting

 

The mockingbird moved down to a much easier height to shoot

 On the University of North Carolina-Asheville campus, everything was in bloom and buzzing.

Carolina Wren

House Finch 

Song Sparrow 

The next few days were windy and the birds were scarce.  On a flight of my own, I got a glimpse of the Blue Ridge Mountains at sunrise

Blue Ridge sunrise from the plane with my phone

Feathered feeders

A feeder I frequently take pictures at has been empty most of the winter due to a pine squirrel.  Feeding the squirrel is not the problem, just the damage done by the squirrel in the proximity of the feeders.  Recently the feeders were filled and the chickadees immediately returned.  As did the squirrel.  Within a few days I heard the distinct nuthatch call.  I waited patiently and watched.  Soon a red-breasted nuthatch zoomed in to a perch, paused, jumped to the feeder, grabbed a sunflower seed, and flew off.  This sequence repeated over and over, affording a window of less than one second each time to snap a photo.  The pic could be better but the morning light was not strong yet.  The chickadees were more compliant.

Red-breasted nuthatch

Black-capped Chickadee

Chick-a-dee-dee-dee!

Started this morning by spotting the first fawn of the season.  Tiny with wobbly legs crossing the road behind its mom.  Then the chickadees and a pine squirrel were friendly and let me get within minimum focal distance off my 300mm lens.  A female ruby-throated hummingbird visited but didn't like how close I was.  Several blue jays hopped in the trees above, making an interesting variety of calls.  An unknown flycatcher sang me a song.  Later on the drive to work, I spotted an osprey building a nest.

Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee

Pine Squirrel nervous about how close I am.

Osprey building a nest despite a nesting deterrent wire.

Time-of-Flight

I was practicing getting nice stills of birds in flight and I happen to catch some interesting sequences with my camera shooting in continuous mode.  So I photoshopped the sequences together for some interesting composites. 

Birds abound

Today I was hoping to get some shots of the Purple Finches that visit my feeders.  They are so flighty I usually can't get close.  After patiently waiting for 30 minutes a male and female pair decided it was safe enough to feed and I got some nice shots.

White-breasted nuthatch

 Black-capped Chickadee

 Common Redpoll

male Purple Finch

Show off

The Happy Couple: female and male Purple Finches

Patience, pileated.

Sitting very still, I was snapping pics of the little chickadees and red polls at my feeders, hoping some the color I saw earlier would return: blue jay, white-breasted nuthatches, red-bellied woodpecker, and a purple finch.  I was just about to pack it in, when he showed up.  I was very close to this nervous Pileated Woodpecker (about 7ft) and he couldn't figure out what that clicking noise was.

Ruffed Grouse                                              Blue Jay

 Common Red Poll

Black-capped Chickadee

Backyard buck from down the road