Blind Images

Below are photos taken from inside my chair blind. I am loving that thing, but it is getting a little warm for it now. The link to Amazon has a different price every time I click on it; I purchased it for $75, but as I'm scheduling this post (5/9) it is $69.99. Last week it was $90. Since Amazon is being "playful" with the price, if you want one and don't like the price, wait a day or two.

For such a large bird, the blue jays around here are awfully skittish.
After about 10 clicks he was outta there.

Listening to the click of my camera.

This female house finch was eating my weeds. Thank you!

The female and male are never far from one another. It's so sweet.

The ravenous starling (one of many) who gorges on the suet before my poor woodpeckers hardly have a chance.

The infamous chair blind! Sorry about all the weeds in the garden; I haven't had the energy
to get to this particular bed yet. How do you like my dead branches attached to the feeding station? It's not pretty,
but it gets the job done. Extra seating for birds waiting their turn at the feeder.

Today I advance to the ripe old age of 53!! I refuse to let my age dictate any area of my life. My mom used to say things like, "She is too old to be wearing her hair that long" or "Women over 35 should not wear sleeveless tops" or "That woman is trying to act way too young for her age." Ummm...I am breaking every one of her rules, lol. The plan today is to kayak at my favorite lake in a TANK TOP, my hair up in a clip because I'm letting it grow out. I'm sure she's looking down shaking her head at me. My mom was such a graceful, refined woman, and although we have a strong physical resemblance, our personalities couldn't be any different. If she were alive, she would be praying the rosary the whole time I kayaked in an effort to prevent an alligator attack or drowning. Poor mama.

Since I'm scheduling this post ahead of time, I hope the weather holds up for us. It's not looking too good at the moment. So if you see me making blog visits it means the rain kept me from kayaking and birding. If it does rain, we will go on Saturday instead since I agreed to work for my former boss on Thursday and Friday.

SX50 Round 2

I'm still trying to work with the Canon SX50. Most of the usable shots have been with the tripod attached. Some shots have come out okay hand-held, but image quality is obviously better with the tripod. The reason I bought the camera was to take it on the kayak, so it remains to be seen whether the image stabilization is as good as they say as I float on water. That'll be the final test. On Good Friday we are taking three of my cousins for their first time kayaking. I plan to have fun whether the camera is cooperating or not.

I'm in a Picture of the Day (POD) Group on Facebook and it amazes me to see how many people are using this camera in place of their DSLR! I don't think I could go that far. Only if I get really lazy and don't want to carry my gear, or develop arthritis in my hands or something. Nope, I don't see the SX50 as a DSLR replacement, but it'll sure do in a pinch.

Shots from yesterday and today. Still not sold; however, it's getting better and I can see potential.

I added dead limbs and spanish moss to the feeding station. The birds love to sit on the extra limbs
and I think the moss adds a bit of security for them.

Hope our CPA comes through today! Double D delivered the tax paperwork to him in Dallas on the 9th. I'm dreading the dollars that are sure to leave us for Uncle Sam. Ugh, I hate April 15th! Unless it's your birthday, then I love it! :) All will be well!!!

SX50 Test Run

Happy Monday morning to you all!

I've been playing with the Canon Powershot SX50 quite a bit, and though it's been a frustrating experience, I think I've finally figured out through trial and error, and tutorials on the internet*, how to obtain fairly sharp images. However, it's been raining and/or cloudy since I got the camera, so I haven't had adequate light to know if I can get the same sharpness I am seeing from others who own this camera.

On my DSLR (Bertha) I shoot in aperture priority, sometimes at 1600 ISO to get a fast shutter. Since the sensor in Bertha is full frame, there is no noise at this ISO level. No-can-do on the SX50. The main trick with this camera is to have a shutter speed of 500 or more, an ISO below 400 (preferably), and let the camera choose the aperture. Also, I have better luck using the back screen for finding my subject, rather than looking through the viewfinder. The viewfinder pretty much sucks on this camera, imo. Put her on a tripod and use the back screen with the other settings, some bright light, and it's a great little camera.

No cropping on any of these, just resized, noise removed, and sharpened slightly for the blog. I think this is going to be a good option for kayaking and for times when I do not want to lug all the heavy gear.

The Autumn Carnation azaleas I planted are going crazy! There are hundreds of blooms on three small bushes.

Downy woodpecker. Not sharp, but I was amazed at how much closer the zoom allows than my 400mm.

Izzy. Double D has made her rotten.

Sparky. My first rescue from the emergency pet clinic. He's 12 now and on three medications for
congestive heart failure and thyroid disease.

*I found this link very helpful on how to achieve sharp photos with the Canon SX50. I hope this helps someone else out there who owns this camera, or is thinking of buying it.

Linking with Saturday's Critters. Please check out other submissions on Eileen's fun new meme!

Horses and miscellany

It's been so hot and windy here lately that I haven't photographed anything worthy to share. I've been wanting to show you my agapanthus, but the wind is wreaking havoc with their portraits. The heat really zaps me. I wilt like a piece of lettuce over a pot of hot water. Perhaps my trip to Portland will inspire me. I'm leaving Thursday, so this will likely be my only post this week. I have a lot left to do to get ready, plus dealing with some family drama, so I'll try to catch up with y'all next week. Be good and stay safe. My heart is heavy for those affected by the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma and the Midwest. :(

Below are some shots from the archives.

Look at those crazy eyes. I felt sorry for this horse as I hate to see animals cooped up in stalls or cages.
You can see where he's chewed the front of his stall. 

Different horse, same stables, April

South Baton Rouge along River Road, April (iPhone)

Wild berries, Bluebonnet Swamp, April

Baby starling, early May

Baby downy woodpecker having trouble negotiating the fence.
Mama Cardinal seemed to be saying "Where's your mama?"

American robin, Baton Rouge State Capitol, April

Scattered

My mind has been so scattered lately. The root of it all (I suspect) is something that starts with an M and ends with a PAUSE. I've been forgetting about my favorite memes, so I hope it's not too late to enter them. I read a book called Still Alice recently, recommended by Lisa at Two Bears Farm. It's a fictional account of a 52-year-old with early onset Alzheimer's. While I loved the book, every little instance of forgetfulness makes me paranoid that I have the disease.

What was I saying? SEE?! Oh yeah, the memes. Here are some bird shots taken in my yard and at a nearby park.

Red-bellied woodpecker

Downy woodpecker baby being fed

My first sighting of the Eastern kingbird. Not the best shot, but at least I have a new bird to add to my list.

Loggerhead shrike aka butcher bird

Eurasian collared dove
These birds inhabiting North America are the result of a pet store robbery in the
Bahamas in the 1970s where several escaped. The store owner then released
the rest of the flock—another 50 or so. More interesting facts here.

LINK

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As usual, I will be laying low for the weekend. My new computer policy, in addition to quitting Facebook, is to only blog during the week. While I don't post every day, I do still visit my favorite blogs each week day morning (and sometimes evenings). Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Edited to add two more memes I forgot about:

She Who Carries Camera: Garden Party!

Skywatch Friday
Eagle's nest in February

Battle of the Birds

We have a new arrival at our backyard feeders: the red-bellied woodpecker. And he is quite smitten with the peanut feeder. For the last few days he has successfully fought off every starling that has tried to overtake the coveted feeder. He is a one-man army fighting for his cause. Finally, the starlings put their bird brains together and figured if they double-teamed him, they might be able to take the feeder back. It all came to a head recently and it was really fun to watch. What can I say? I'm easily amused. You can see how Woody is having a nice leisurely lunch at first, then the peaceful meal escalates into a frenzy as the starlings assert their dominance.

Mmmm...nice morsel...

It's so peaceful without those foul and uncouth starlings. Maybe they won't show today.

Spoke too soon! Dagnabit!

Starling: I am the angel of death and this is your warning.

Woody: Back off you brute!

Woody: I will cut you, fool!

Starling: Muah hahaha. We'll see about that. I have friends in high places.

Oh, crap.

Uh oh, I'm surrounded.

I'm outta here!

Woody either realized he was outnumbered or got tired of defending his territory. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of that $12.99 bag of peanuts. Well worth the price of admission!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday. :)

STARling WARS

I hated to depart from my peace-loving, hippie-titled posts of this week, but these shots were just begging for it. The peanut bar is a coveted hangout for the starlings, so when I fill it, there's always a big brouhaha. I love that word. It's so fun to write and say.

Somehow the baby downy found the bar before the starlings.

OH NO YOU DON'T!

If I have to lose a toe to stand my ground, so be it!

Air battles are the best, but very difficult to photograph.

AND STAY OFF!

Peace at last because the peanut station is empty.

A Doozy of a Day

Today I planned to drive to Magnolia, MS to take my dad to the doctor. Due to a ferocious thunderstorm that raged right over my route, the hour and fifteen minute drive turned into a two-and-a-half hour terrifying ordeal. It was the second time this year that I experienced a panic attack behind the wheel of my car. Rain, 18-wheelers, and interstates put me in terror mode. I had to pull over on five different occasions, my heart palpitating wildly and hands so sweaty they were slipping off the steering wheel. My entire body was trembling, rigid, and frozen with fear. I was praying for valium to fall into my lap or for the rain to cease. This is becoming a real problem, especially since it rains so much here. Thank God I made it through.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a gorgeous day so Double D is driving me to Lake Martin to see the Roseate Spoonbills. I don't really have anything new to post, but I wanted to share another shot of the grosbeak and new poses from our usual cast of characters. Will catch up with y'all tonight. Wish me luck at Lake Martin! :)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

American Goldfinch in crape myrtle

American Goldfinch in Indian Hawthorns

American Goldfinch in crape myrtle

American Goldfinch in angel statue

Cardinal in angel statue

European Starling causing a ruckus

Downy or hairy woodpecker. Does anyone know how to tell them apart?