Coming in for a Landing

The birds have flocked to our feeder this summer. It took a while for them to find it.  But once they did - they have been quite active. So have the squirrels!  There were 3 on the deck yesterday.  Earlier this summer we had a family of cardinals - Mom, Dad, and at least two young ones.  They seem to have moved on. Now it is purple finches and sparrows.  
 
 

I grabbed my camera to see if I could catch a few of the birds flying around the feeder. I set the shutter to rapid burst – 7 frames a second and played around with my settings.  I used a polarizing filter and a -1/3^rd stop exposure compensation.  My initial settings were f16 (aperture priority) at ISO 1000 because it was a bright sunny day.  The shutter speeds ranged from 1/125 sec to 1/160 sec, which was too long to freeze the birds in flight. 

My second set was done at f5.0 at ISO 2000.  The results were better – shutter speeds changed to 1/2500 sec.  Still some blur on the wings, but some came out okay.  Finally, I changed to f5.0 at ISO 4000 and had much better success. The noise increased, but at least the images captured the birds without blur on the wings.  More experiments to come!

The Beautiful Glory of Morning Glories

Purple Morning Glory on our deck

Morning glories greet the day with their blue hued petals facing the rising sun. They survive until afternoon when they curl up and begin developing seeds that will replenish the flower bed in the next year.  

My Mother grew blue Morning Glories when I was young. She still grows some, but not as many. I grew some off our back deck for several years. Most were blue ones. But I also planted some red and purple ones as well. The blue and red varieties were behind the main part of the deck and created a green and blue curtain that partially shielded us from the outside world.  Eventually I stopped planting them every year. The blue and red ones kept returning every year but the color deteriorated in each generation until they eventually only displayed a reduced number of small white flowers.

Backlit Morning Glory

Purple Morning Glories are another story. They were planted around the gazebo and climbed up the lattice below and intertwined in the deck railing. Each year, several of the plants come up and continue to present the same deep purple as they always did.

One thing about Morning Glories is the different color patterns you see depending on how you look at them.  Looking straight on like the one in the upper left gives you the reflected color. But a whole different color pattern emerges when it is backlit by the bright sunlight as the other pictures show. Backlighting helps bring out the structure of the flower and gives a different color entirely.   

The Cardinal!

A couple of cardinals have been visiting our deck recently. Usually it was the female enjoying our bird seed. Well, a couple weeks ago the couple turned into a family of four. It looks like the young ones are a male and female. As the picture shows, the male is very bright red - cardinal red you could say. 😏




The two young ones don't have their color yet. One looks very disheveled. My friends and I call it the awkward teen! It won't be long and they will disappear. So, I'm enjoying it while I can.

Purple Finch

Purple Finch on my deck

Canon EOS 70D, ISO1000, f6.3, 1/4000, -0.3step

My bird feeder is starting to get more visitors. Last Friday I had a couple purple finches hanging out on the deck. I slipped the sliding door open and was able to get some pictures before it took off. The Audubon field guide information online says they are declining in the northeast. My Mother gets a lot at her feeder in Pennsylvania. 

THE GERMAN REFORMED CHURCH

German Reformed Church, Fannettsburg, PA
Canon 70D f7.1(-1/3) 1/800sec iso200 29mm

Just about a mile north of my hometown Fannettsburg, Pennsylvania is this old German Reformed Church. Built in 1844 of local limestone, it served congregations for many years. For several decades, it has been used for one annual service in mid-June. A different priest or minister presides each year.  This year the ceremony is on my birthday, so I plan to attend.

WWI Grave Marker
Canon 70D f7.1(-1/3) 1/400sec iso200 55mm

Many of my ancestors or their relatives are buried there. My great uncle Lynn Mort (My Mother’s Father’s brother) is one of them. He died of the Spanish influenza during World War I, or ‘World War’ as it says on the marker. An American Legion post in California named after him wanted a picture of his tombstone for a ceremony. .  

Blue Jay

Blue Jay: Canon EOS70D, f7.1 (-1/3 step) 1/60sec. iso 200 200mm

One of the things I enjoy when we visit my parents is trying to get a good picture of the birds that flock to their feeders. Finches, sparrows, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and hummingbirds are frequent visitors. An occasional cardinal or Blue Jay make appearances. Last weekend was one of those times. This pretty Blue Jay kept flying in and out. He would never stay very long. But after patiently waiting I got a few shots of him. This is the best one.  

BASKETBALL BANQUET

Tuscarora and Atlee High School Tipoff 2-25-17
Canon EOS 70D, 1/640sec., f2.8 80mm ISO 4000

A week ago, the Tuscarora High School Girls Basketball team had their end of season banquet.  It was a nice to see the girls enjoying the recognition for their achievement throughout the season. The Team Mom had a student develop a slide show from the picture I took at the games and showed them throughout the event. The coach recognized me for the photography.  The best part? Getting a thank you card from the girls with notes thanking me for the pictures.

I have long enjoyed taking pictures at sports events. It has mostly been youth sports as a spectator.  But it was different this season.  Last year, the local paper used a picture I took, as a spectator.  The coach liked it and asked me to be the team photographer.  I accepted and had a great time at the games and improving my skills.  I even succeeded in getting four photos in the print edition of the Loudoun Times Mirror newspaper! 

One picture kept eluding me until the final game – a good tipoff shot!.  Using a fast shutter burst I o finally got one with both girls touching the ball.  Already I am missing the games and look forward to next season.