So I might be a bird photographer

Kinda. I’m working on it.

This spring I was more motivated than usual to try to catch some birds with the long lens. My strategy, such as it is, is to sit in the yard, mostly on the ground with a cushion, and wait. After a while the birds hardly notice you and will go back to their normal activities. While staking out a favorite tree for woodpeckers, check out who came into view – a most adorable little Butter Butt, aka the Yellow-rumped warbler. This is the male giving me the over-the-shoulder look. They flit around in the trees and are branch gleaners, which means they basically comb the branches for bugs. Very busy little guys.

While sitting there this beauty came along to give me a classic pose and I love that you can see the gap between the tree and his body. Check out that tail action!

I’m pretty sure this is the same Red-bellied woodpecker in all these shots. They are territorial and so I can’t imagine two males being in the yard at once. I didn’t see his mate so I assume she’s in the nest with the kids. I think I’ve spotted it, but it’s very high up and impossible to see once the leaves grow in.

And now a less typical pose. After sitting in the woods on the ground for a few hours at a time on successive days, I got to know some of his favorite spots so I sat near one and waited. Along he came, foraging to feed himself and his mate, and you can see just a hint of his namesake.

And check this out! I think he just had a bath.

Kind of wet isn’t he? I like this pose, too, because it’s a little different. He was preparing to jump onto the feeder.

And here’s a look at a robin building what would end up being an abandoned nest which was a bummer since it’s a fairly straight shot from the deck.

Here’s the new nest while I can still photograph it before the leaves block me –

Another sitting on the ground and waiting shot. This time I’d seen robins land on this ancient tip-up and positioned myself for a more distinctive setting for a robin photo. The light isn’t wonderful, but I still like how it shows her colors – very soft.

And oh boy, this is probably the best Wood duck photo I’ve taken so far. They were up a tree in the backyard scouting for a nesting site. There is an old Pileated woodpecker nest nearby that is always in hot contention this time of year. Because all the leaves grow in to block the view to the nest hole, I never know who wins. Some years it’s squirrels which irritates me because they have options! Cavity nesters who can’t carve their own cavities, like ducks and owls, have to look elsewhere if they can’t lay claim. Woodpeckers are the architects of the woods for this kind of thing. Even Kingfishers rely on their handiwork for tree nesting sites. To get this shot I opened a window and shot straight out at them.

So that’s it for this batch. No doubt there will be more. I am hatching a plan to watch and wait for a couple others that nest in, or near, the yard – American redstarts (a kind of warbler) and Rose-breasted grosbeaks. And of course anything else that wanders near my lens is fair game.