Big Job

Last week, I landed my biggest assignment so far. Not only will I write an article on a subject I am keenly interested in, I'll get to provide the photos too. My secret is: persistence. I kept sending queries to an editor and in one of them I mentioned that I am a bird photographer. She replied that, while she wasn't interested in my idea, would I like to do something else along that line? Of course I would! So, next week I'll be off to shoot this assignment together with my assistant, aka husband.
Things have quieted down in our backyard. The migrants have passed on to greener pastures, meaning that the rose-breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore orioles have disappeared.
On Sunday, we visited the Wingfield Pines area in Bridgeville. We saw bluebirds, Baltimore orioles, mallards, and yellow warblers, to name the ones we could identify for sure. It is an interesting place and I am sure we'll go back once the wildflowers and butterfly weeds are in bloom. I can hardly wait to get the overshoes I ordered so I can explore wetland areas without getting wet feet.

Health woes

I had already had a sore throat when I left for Presque Isle last Friday. I took along plenty of cough drops but my throat got worse over time. Just when I wanted to talk to people I croaked like a frog. Now, I am slightly better and can't wait to stop coughing.
When I returned from Presque Isle, our kitty who has just been diagnosed with kidney disease did not greet me as usual. She barely lifted her head and I learned that she had scarcely eaten anything while I was gone. I was alarmed over her gaunt looks and took her to the veterinarian. It turned out that Kitty had lost more weight and her kidney values have gotten worse. I was told to give her what she wants to eat, even if it is not a kidney diet food. The most important thing right now is to put some weight on her. So far, it seems to work. She is eating more now and with great appetite. I am also giving her vitamins and hope that makes a difference. She still is very skinny and does not play like she used to. I miss her antics of running through the house and playing with her feather toy. Now, all she does is sleep and eat occasionally.

Festival of the Birds

I just returned from the Festival of the Birds at Presque Isle State Park. It was were well organized and the weather was awesome, especially on Saturday when we had sunshine and blue sky all day. People took advantage of the great weather and fished, hiked, biked, and birded all over the peninsula. On Saturday, I attended a walk at Fry's Landing that yielded a lot of warblers for birders. My summary of the walk is: Warblers seen: plenty; warblers photographed: 0. I am now convinced that photographing a warbler is just about as difficult as winning the powerball. My greatest success that day was a Cedar Waxwing I photographed in a flowering tree. Yesterday morning, I had better luck during a photographer's walk on the Sidewalk Trail. I spotted my first Tree Swallow and my first Red-headed Woodpecker. The woodpecker, of course, was too far away for a good photo, but it was exciting to see it. On the way back to the conference we stopped to look at the Bald Eagles' nest but the eagles were absent at the time. At least, now I know where the nest is. In fact, the most fruitful aspect of the conference was the inside scoop, the information on which trails yield which birds. During the two days of the festival, birders tallied 132 species. Don't ask me how many I saw... I was surprised, however, when one woman spotted her first Rose-breasted Grosbeak. That was one day after I had seen three at our backyard feeder!
To sum it all up: Presque Isle is a great place to visit this time of year, before the summer crowds arrive. The festival therefore closed with these words: Happy trails and happy birding!

Spring is here

Yesterday was a great day for birding...in our backyard. I glanced out the window and jumped for joy when I spotted a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak in our silver maple. I put my camera together and carefully went outside to photograph it but it flew off when it saw me. A while later, I set up my blind in the hopes that it would show up again. It took a while to come back so I photographed other birds, including a very streaked brownish bird that turned out to be a female RBG. Finally, the male returned to our bird-feeder and I got some great shots. I would prefer to photograph it on a branch but right now, I'll take what I can get. While I was sitting in the blind, I also saw the first male Ruby-throated Hummingbird of the year. Is it a coincidence that I just filled the syrup feeder with fresh syrup yesterday? Other regulars are Chipping Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows (yes, they're still here), Blue Jays, and our "resident" Eastern Towhee. I have yet to see a female towhee so I wonder how long the male will be around.
Our backyard is turning greener every day. The redbud in our front yard is having an excellent spring and the insects are swarming around it all day long. The columbines are ready for the hummingbirds to savor their nectar and it is exciting what will bloom next. We have started some flowers indoors, including a very good-looking crop of sunflowers and zinnias, another hummingbird favorite.

Gone Birding

Yesterday was a gorgeous spring day and we decided to go to the wetlands trail at Raccoon Creek State Park. We were rewarded with many first sightings of the year: a Bluebird, several tiger swallowtails, Yellow Warblers, Catbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds (not really a first since they hang around our yard right now), a Baltimore Oriole, and a snapping turtle (the first ever for me). I tried in vain to get a good photo of a warbler but they never sat still. We had a great time anyway. When we spotted what looked like a log in the pond a passing couple informed us that it was a snapping turtle. It still had all kinds of plant debris on its huge back.
We love the wetlands, except after a heavy rain because the trail does get wet. From spring till fall there is always something new to see there. Besides birds, there are numerous wildflowers, butterflies and other insects and in early summer the bullfrogs provide a noisy concert.

Busy week

Despite my knee problems, I have dusted off my blind to photograph the birds that visit our feeders. Spring is a great time to do that since they all wear their best clothes. Because we have a wooded hillside behind our property (and also because we have three bird feeders) we get a wide variety of birds. Lately, an Eastern Towhee has been showing up under the feeder regularly, and it also entertains us with its beautiful songs. I already have great photos of it from last year and so I was more interested in photographing Blue Jays and Red-winged Blackbirds. The Blue Jays are still eluding me, but I finally took a great shot of a blackbird today. I am eager to increase the number of species in my collection and so this is a great addition. The juncos appear to be gone now, but the White-throated Sparrows are still around and also make good photo objects. I hung up my hummingbird feeder last week and am eagerly waiting for their arrival. That usually happens around the first days of May. Every day, there is something new to see out there and the weather is cooperating too. Happy birding, everybody!

Good news and bad news

Last week, I got two assignments for Pennsylvania Magazine. One of them will be a big photo feature and the other one a regular one. I'm very excited about both jobs.
On Sunday, I attended an art show with my photographs and greeting cards but I did not have a single sale. That was a bad omen since my week got worse from there. My arthritic knee flared up again and has been bothering me since Monday. On top of that, my back also began hurting hellishly. Then yesterday, I took our younger cat to the veterinarian for her annual check-up. She had lost some more weight since last year so I decided to have her blood tested. The veterinarian called me back to inform me that our kitty's kidney enzymes are elevated. She suggested to put kitty on a special diet and I rushed back to her office to pick up the food before the weekend. I don't know yet if she'll take to the food. Right now, she is still bummed out from her rabies shot. I hope we can manage her disease since this is the cat that is attached to my lap all winter. In summer, not so much...
On the birding front, I haven't seen many migrants passing through yet. The only one was an Eastern Towhee I spotted yesterday under our birdfeeder.

At the Rookery

Yesterday morning, we decided to check out the Great Blue Heron rookery on Big Sewickley Creek Road. Naturally, we drove around for quite a while until we found it. And then we had to turn around another couple times to park our car. I set up my tripod and camera on the edge of the road, right by the guard rail. It was a bit nerve-wrecking to think about all the cars that passed behind me. Most of them slowed down, however, to see what in the world we were looking at. We attracted quite a following. Seeing all the nests perched on tree tops was quite impressive. We never counted them, but there must have been nearly 20 of them. The photo shows a heron adding a stick to an already huge nest. But then, they are huge birds. Every once in a while, a fight erupted between two herons over whatever it is herons fight about--territory probably. Occasionally, one bird would fly off to catch some food and I had my camera ready. However, the rookery was only "relatively" close by. Even with a 400mm lens it was hard to focus on something that only filled part of the frame. In the end we left vowing to come back when the creek is stocked with fish. Spring birding has finally begun.

Gone birding

This week, my husband had to take some old vacation days before he lost them. So on Tuesday morning, we went to North Park to do some birding and photography. Unfortunately, there weren't many birds around. We had better luck when the lake was frozen. The gulls were too far out in the lake to get a good picture of. At last, we gave up and went to our favorite place, the Shaler shelter, where there is a little wetland area. I managed to get some great photos of--Canada Geese. Not exactly a rare bird around here, but it was the first time I took really good photos of one. For some reason, they're hard to focus on. Not this time, even though my approach through dried reeds sounded more like small explosions. The two birds were safe across the little creek and didn't seem to mind posing for me. Other than that, we saw three mallards and a red-winged blackbird in the distance. I can't wait to see some migrants passing through.

March Madness

March is going by pretty fast. My talk at the garden club went very well and I even sold some greeting cards afterward. I am also working on several story ideas. One of these projects led me to the National Aviary the other day where I received a fascinating tour of the animal hospital. I hope that my proposal will be accepted because it would combine my passions of birds, photography, and writing. The gift shop manager was out sick so I don't know yet whether I can sell my photos at the gift shop. Next week, I will participate in the Ladies' Night Out at Soergels Orchards in Wexford.
I am also planning on attending the first Festival of the Birds at Presque Isle in May. My goal is, of course, to write a story about it; but I also want to learn where to find certain birds so I can return later and photograph them without so many people around. I have no idea how many birders will attend the festival but it sure was difficult to find a room in Erie.
We are still experiencing family problems and are therefore, once again, dog-sitters to a very energetic (= high-strung) Jack Russell Terrier. Did I mention she is high-strung? Last night, my husband took her outside and she encountered our neighbor's Labrador. She took off after the Lab like a shotgun and pulled the leash out of my husband's hands. Had it been me, I could have injured myself since she would have likely knocked me on the ground. Brandi is having a good time in our backyard with all its mole tunnels and other critters. Our cats are taking the dog's presence easier than the first time. I, however, am not used to having an animal follow me around wherever I go. The cats' reaction is more like, "So you're home, big deal!" Oh well, this too shall pass. Happy Easter!

News

February is finally over and once again, I have to say, "good riddance." It has been one of the worst months in my life and the reason is not because I am now eligible for the AARP. I would like to move my birthday into summer because not only did it pour buckets on my recent birthday, but then it snowed so hard that we couldn't even go out and have a nice dinner. Family problems and the weather are weighing down on me and my only consolation is that I am now busy with several projects.
I currently have an exhibit at the Mt. Lebanon library which will be up until March 31. Yesterday, I received the March/April edition of Pennsylvania Magazine and found that I have a full-page photo of an Eastern Fox Squirrel in it. Next week, I am giving a talk at the Moon Garden Club. The subject is how to attract birds to your garden. I will, of course, also cover butterflies (but not squirrels since they come anyway) and hope it will be enlightening for everybody.
I also have an appointment at the National Aviary and hope that I can offer my photos in their gift shop. In addition to that, I am working on another story idea.

Migrant

Yesterday, we ventured out to North Park lake to catch some rare rays of sunshine. The lake was almost entirely frozen. Only near a dam there was an ice-free area where several Canada Geese congregated. One was even sitting on the ice as if it were breeding. Near the geese my husband spotted a duck-like bird. It swam around the ice-free water but did not come close enough to take a good photo of it. I did take some record shots because otherwise we are never able to identify strange birds once we get home. This one, with a white stripe and outline on its bill and a "bump" on its head, flubbergasted us. Only after we looked through several bird books did we identify it as a ring-necked duck. We learned that this duck only spends time here during migration. I guess this one got an early start on migration and took a breather at the lake.
On the backyard front, I wished that the bird count had been last Saturday because I spotted over a dozen cardinals near out feeders. The worse the weather, the more birds we get. However, a couple weeks ago I heard and then saw several red-winged blackbirds. Migration must be around the corner!

Backyard Bird Count

As a relief from the stresses of life, I decided to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. They couldn't have found a better day than last Saturday for the count: The weather was sunny and the snow-covered ground lured many birds to our four feeders. Here is a list of the birds we saw:
1 Mourning Dove
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpeckers
1 Hairy Woodpecker
6 Blue Jays
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Tufted Titmouse
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Caroline Wren
2 European Starlings
5 White-throated Sparrows
2 Dark-eyed Juncos
7 Northern Cardinals
1 House Finch
6 American Goldfinches
I did not look out the window constantly but once I watched as a Blue Jay picked up a sunflower seed from a feeder, flew to a tree and fed it to another Blue Jay. Love is in the air. Literally!
On the homefront, we are now a dog-less household again. Our house gueast, a very active Jack Russell Terrier, is gone. It was a very stressful time since she kept chasing our cats around. And she didn't smell too good either. If we ever had any desire to get a dog, we're cured now. Our two cats fit our lifestyle much better--and they come with their own wash and rinse cycle.

Adventures of Dog Sitting

Today is Valentine's Day, but we don't feel very romantic. The hair ball that our cat spat out this morning was pretty much the highlight of our week.
For reasons I cannot divulge here, we have become sudden and somewhat reluctant dog sitters. The dog is a high-strung Jack Russell Terrier named Brandi. This wouldn't be so bad if we were a no pet family. But we have two middle-aged cats who don't take too well to intruders, particularly the "in-your-face" kind. Brandi wants to be friendly and is met with hisses. The first week was particularly bad since the weather was windy and rainy and we learned that Brandi gets scared when it rains. We didn't get much sleep therefore--and then the phone rang at 2 o'clock Friday night. I would have paid real money for a good night's sleep.
Things have calmed down now and we let Brandi loose in the house more often. In fact, I think I've been adopted. She follows me everywhere. The best part is that she now sleeps through the night. This morning I caught her growling at our washing machine. I guess she has never seen a frontloader before. Oh well, this too shall pass.

Bird Day

Yesterday was a bird day for me. During late morning I heard bird chatter outside and checked what the commotion was about. There was a female turkey under one of our bird feeders, gobbling up the seeds that fell on the ground. By the time I grabbed my camera and went out the front door to not disturb it, it was gone. But then I saw a turkey flying from one of the tall trees on our hillside down to the bottom of the hill where it joined another turkey. Wow, what a sight! I had never seen a turkey flying from a tall tree before. I didn't know they could fly this high.

After lunch I went to the Aviary to get some bird photography done. I had not taken my camera there for a while. The photo above of a Troupial is the best I got and it posed for me several times to make sure I got a good one. I had great fun "shooting" all the different birds but I can't wait to get out in nature again to add some more species to my stock photo list.

Published Again

The year 2008 is off to a good start. I just returned from the mailbox with my contributor copies of Pennsylvania Magazine of my article "Painting Noses." The big surprise was that the article was slated for publication in September 2008 so I didn't expect to see it yet. The editor ended up using six of my photos, a new record for me. I'm happy to say that the photos came out very nice. While my specialty is bird photography nowadays, the images show some pretty big birds, KC-135T tankers to be exact.
In November, Allegheny West magazine published a two-page story about my bird photography. I was recently asked by a garden club whether I would like to give a talk about how to attract birds to a garden. I gladly accepted the challenge because it gives me an opportunity to share my love of nature and wildlife with like-minded people. Our little butterfly garden attracts not only monarchs, tiger swallowtails and other butterflies, but also various insects, hummingbirds and goldfinches who eat the coneflower seeds in fall. My talk will take place in April so I'll plenty of time to prepare for it. Who knows what other opportunities it will lead to?
In our own backyard, the recent snowfall has brought many birds to our feeders, particularly juncos. Where do they all come from and what do they do when the weather is nice? We also noticed that our "resident" Cooper's Hawk (which I once photographed on our bird bath) is still in the area. I guess hawks have to eat too, but I hope it doesn't eat too many of the birds we feed.
I'm busy marketing my photos and look forward to the challenges and opportunities of the new year.

Ramblings

At the craft shows I attended recently I was often asked, "What camera do you use?" As if cameras take photos by themselves. It would make more sense to ask what lens I'm using. While it's true that a certain focal lens is necessary for bird photography, I can take good travel photos with an advanced digital camera. A person who always cuts off his subject's feet or shoots trees growing out of people's heads can't take a good photo even if he owns the most expensive pro camera. It's the photographer, not the camera, who takes the picture.
Many people think that digital photograph is automatically manipulated. The only time I "manipulate" a photo is when I decide that cropping will enhance the photo or I'll remove a disturbing branch or flare in the background. Sometimes, the background itself is the problem. Most often, though, I decide beforehand which background will work best and move around my subject to get the best possible photo. For me, digital photography is a great way to organize and distribute my photos and saving big bucks along the way. Happy shooting!

Successes

After attending some craft shows with dismal results I was pretty disappointed. An art show at Sweetwater Center for the Arts in Sewickley proved to be more successful. I sold three out of the five images I was allowed to submit. That alone would have been great news, but it got better. I had offered my images at two stock photo agencies in England without any sales so far when I checked my account and found that I had made a sale. Before I recovered from the excitement, I checked again a few days later and learned that I had made another sale! This time, my image will be on the cover and the inside of the publication. I just wish I knew the names of these publications so I could brag about it. Naturally, I submitted more images to this agency.
I also wanted to have a presence in an agency here in the U.S. that specializes in outdoor activities and am happy to report that they accepted me. Such good news brighten up the gray, dreary days of December. I can't wait to get out there again and take more bird photos, but I'm using the indoor time wisely to get my images out into the public.

Taking Stock

I recently put together a selection of images for a stock agency to consider for their library. When going over the images, I realized that this wasn't a very good year for adding new species to my bird stock photo list. However, it was a good year for frogs. Everytime I went to the nature center to photograph birds I ended up taking photo after photo of the countless bullfrogs that populate the pond in the summer. I'm hoping that next year will be better for my bird photography.
Our bird feeders are very busy this time of year. This is the first time that some robins are staying here well into December. They are joined by the usual suspects, such as diverse woodpeckers, cardinals, tufted titmice, chickadees, goldfinches, and juncos. Occasionally, a flock of starlings or red-winged blackbirds will decend on our trees. The squirrels, of course, take great advantage of our generosity. Oh well, they are darn cute.

Birding

Yesterday may not have been a great day for hunters weatherwise, but it was a good day for birders - from the safety of our house. It rained buckets yesterday but the worse the weather, the more birds show up in our neighborhood. For the past few weeks, I've noticed flocks of Cedar Waxwings perching on a couple of tall trees on the hillside that belongs to our yard. They never visited our feeders and I wondered what they were doing here until I realized that one of the trees back there is covered with a vine that's full of berries. Aha! I thought I could finally get a photo of a waxwing eating a berry but it's not that easy. For one, these birds prefer lofty heights, and another, the weather is always gray and dark when they descend on our trees.
These aren't the only birds around here lately. The robins are still around and the juncos and White-throated Sparrows have arrived from Canada already. Flocks of starlings and crows show up from time to time, swooping down on lawns like locusts. Add to that the usual suspects that visit our feeders this time of year and we have a virtual aviary in our neighborhood.