Just before opening the patio door to get a shot of the little hummers on the feeder, one of the two that were perched there flew off. This little guy, however, stayed to enjoy some more nectar sips while I took several pictures of him. It was drizzling at the time, but the hummingbirds don’t seem to mind. As a matter of fact, when it was snowing on New Years Eve, the little guys were still coming for the nectar. Click on the image to enlarge.
I have started carrying the camera with me as I do some of the routine outdoor chores; one never knows when a desert “Photo Op” might present itself. I had just finished taking a birdseed block and bell up to the feeders this afternoon, when two roadrunners, a male and a female (mates, I presume) showed up at the base of the poles where the feeders hang.
I was near the back door of the screened-in patio and had my telephoto lens on the camera at the ready. I snapped several shots of the birds as they lurked around the feeders waiting for an opportunity to snatch a goldfinch or other small bird as it might come to feed. Click on either bird to enlarge the image.
We saw these birds earlier in the day when the dogs alerted us to their presence. We saw them again as we were taking the dogs for a walk after breakfast. I got the shots above an hour or so after the last morning sighting.
I’m still messing with the new camera to continue exploring its various features. I needed to set the autofocus to a single, rather than multiple, focus points for use with the telephoto lens.
While I was out in the courtyard experimenting with the new setting, I saw a curve billed thrasher on the cholla in front of the house. Upon closer inspection through the viewfinder, I noticed that it held a twig in its beak. After I took this photo, the bird went deeper into the cactus where it and its mate are apparently building a nest. Click on the image to enlarge.
I have been enjoying using the new camera a lot. The camera, as ordered, came bundled with a Canon 75-300mm EF telephoto lens. I’m still reading the aftermarket how-to book on the camera and accessories, but have had pretty good luck photographing some of the critters in our back yard.
I went out into the unimproved part of our lot and laid in waiting for some of the desert birds to come around to gather the goodies that Damsel and I put out to attract them. It was just a few minutes after I hung out the seed bell and block that a house finch (upper left) showed up to partake. There was also a cardinal (lower right) in the mesquite tree next to the feeders waiting for his opportunity. Earlier in the day when I took out the finch feeders, a little Antelope Ground Squirrel (lower left) showed up for a handout. As a bonus, a hummingbird (upper right) perched in the mesquite tree as I was headed back into the patio.
All of these (and more not shown) were taken in our back yard. Click on each individual panel above to see the full-sized photo.
I stood by the patio trying to keep myself concealed from some quail on the hill behind our house. I was going to try and capture some wild bird photos from this slight cover when a hummingbird approached Damsel’s feeder not three feet away and commenced to get some of the nectar.
With the new camera, it only took a matter of a second or two to reacquire the target at close range, deploy the flash and capture the shot seen above. I sure like the new camera. Click on the image to enlarge.
Signs of Second Spring have persisted for several weeks. Today, there were dozens of butterflies browsing the flowers on the sage, red birds and Rosemary. The nice thing about using Rosemary for ground cover along the RV drive, is that butterflies of all sizes, colors and descriptions are attracted to the tiny blue flowers.
I captured this photo of a yellow and gold butterfly lighting on a Rosemary just under the top of the little hill out back. Click on the image to enlarge.
After doing chores and some business at the old house in Torrance, we decided to get some fast food and take the short drive over the Palos Verdes hill to Point Vicente and have a late lunch. There is a nice park there overlooking the Catalina Channel with picnic tables, shade and a place for us and the dogs to walk.
Image: Point Vicente Lighthouse as seen from the park
The park wasn’t crowded and we enjoyed our lunch while a gentle pacific breeze kept things cool on a nice end of summer day in Southern California. It was very relaxing until our little boy dog got out of his harness and we had to chase him down. He finally slowed down and stopped running long enough for me to pick him up and get him back in the harness.