Such Is Life
I could probably use a Wordless Wednesday or a free pass of some kind this week. My mind is sludged up and I am out of sync with the rest of life. The birds are not sitting quite long enough... or there's a branch in the way or...Wah,Wah,Wah! It's that time of year in the Northern Hemisphere when all of us here participate in the mandatory self annihilation of a late winter nervous breakdown. What could be the remedy? I made a concerted effort to go after Blue jay pictures using every dirty trick I could conceive of. There's a gorgeous band in the area and I was doing okay at attracting them into the photographic set I had made out of a White pine branch bribing their compliance with peanuts and kerneled corn. Of course, I was not quick enough or intuitive enough to get that shot. It's impossible to force the issue when Vex, the God of frustration, finds divine comedy in your sincere bumblings. "Such is life," is what my friends and I used to say back in the day when our plans went awry. The expression helped our young heads sound worldly wise to life's vague mysteries. There is almost nothing this blithe saying doesn't sum up. It is the hammer and the nail. I spent two days trying to get a stinking Blue Jay picture and all I got is a long distance shot of two starlings eating rotten apples. Such is life! 
An ill mannered dinner companion leaves before the check arrives.
This pleasant pheasant picture was taken last year around this time. Those were the days!
Help an old retired fireman out, pretend this is a Blue Jay.
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I love your pleasant pheasant. Hang in there, that perfect bluejay photo will happen soon.
ReplyDeleteExcellent photos this week, I love the blue jay, its getting harder to attract them here in my yard, but there is always HOPE. Have a great week, I found a little something to share for this WBW.
ReplyDeleteNo birds sit still for me...ever! The pheasant is so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteyou made me laugh!!! loved the jay fleeing the scene (or 'fly bye' shot, as i like to call it).
ReplyDeletei thought of you several times on friday, and again over the weekend, hoping you had made it to the retired side of life w/o too much overload... seems you funneled that emotion to the blue jays... :)
You deserve a Wordless Wednesday whenever you need one! But actually I'm glad you didn't take one today, because your words made me laugh. And your pictures, as always, made me smile.
ReplyDeleteMost of your birds seem to sit still for you on command. The blue jays are just obnoxious ;>)
You're not the only one who can't seem to get the photo you're after at times. I had a similar issue the other day. The Blue Jays may not have cooperated, but your pheasant shot is outstanding! Instantly reminds me of Michigan. And the woodpecker is photo is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThe Starling photo is great! A much under rated bird, probably because it is so common! Surely the plumage is worth a second look on its own!
ReplyDeleteJ
Follow me at HEDGELAND TALES
Aww don't be so hard on yourself, maybe those Blue Jays sensed that you now have more time to play with them!
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with the Blue Jays here, they seem to have taken over the feeders along with the Cardinals! Love the Downy...uhh, Blue Jay and of course the Pheasant is outstanding with its patch-work pattern of feathers.
I think to cure your late winter breakdown you need a trip to Florida. Sunny and 80 almost every day now. Love that new black and white blue jay. Very rare indeed.
ReplyDeleteI hope the blue jay happens! Love that tail picture though. Stunning shots. My favourite is the pheasant.
ReplyDeleteThey Call it March Maddness for good reason...Don't give up Hope.
ReplyDeleteBalance will be restored to your corner of the Garden.
It's just not fair! You have all the time in the world to take photos and the darn birds won't cooperate! What's with those Blue Jays, anyway? They're so wary.
ReplyDeleteThe birds you posted today do have beautiful plumage, though.
I have the same trouble with the Blue Jay and they don't come to the feeders every day!
ReplyDeleteI actually like the tailfeather and corn shot!
The pheasant is a stunning bird - bautiful capture!
nothing wrong with starlings. :) I spotted the first ones 2 days ago out in a field. I never got close enough to get any shots. They flew away. Love that tail shot. :)
ReplyDeleteSpringman, gorgeous images!
ReplyDeleteI seem to be feeling the same way as of late. We have had a definite lack of sunshine around here of late. After a long winter, this time of year seems to drag. It snowed here last night! Unheard of!
It has precipitated every day this month so far. 60 mm of it! Poo Poo!
Cheers my friend!
Well, you made up for it with pictures. That pheasant photo is magnificent! I hope your retirement day went well. And don't fear, it won't be long before the spring migrants return and you'll be bedazzling us with your shots of them! Oh, and that's a cute little Downy too!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy, well that isn't the right word, appreciate let's say, reading about your frustrations in photographing birds. It is comforting to know that you are not the only one when you read of the trials and tribulations of others. The Scrub Jays we have frequent our yard every day and are pretty tolerant of having a camera aimed at them. I must set some time aside for them and leave the mushrooms and fungi alone for awhile. Then guess what? I'd have something to contribute to World Bird Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your new free time Dave... just breathe in and relax..
ReplyDeleteThe Jays will be there for you when their ready... you now have all the time in the world to get to know them personally..
I an so jealous my friend.
You do not need the jays, you have other wonderful birds. I love the woodie and the pheasant is gorgeous. Great shots. If you have a lot of free time maybe you could join the local Audubon or birding club. They have nice outings. Have a great week and thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteFinally, in all that ramble, I came to the crux of the matter . . . so you have retired! No wonder the world is out of whack and the birds won't sit still. Don't worry, the world will right itself again and the birds will sit for you like lambs. I have been in a faraway place watching my sister die . . . had not touched my camera until last sunday when I went to the sea.
ReplyDeleteLove your shot of the starlings at al . . .
Oh, that's DEFINITELY a blue jay!
ReplyDeleteYep, it looks like a Bluejay to me! They just don't sit still that long. I have tried to catch a picture of one with a peanut, but no luck yet.
ReplyDeleteAnyway the snow has almost disappeared, and now it's time for BASEBALL. Yipee. Good luck with your Tigers, and I hope you are getting some much needed rest!
B.
I have a horrible time trying to get blue jays...pesky little things don't like to pose...
ReplyDeleteGreat shots. I think it is quite rude of the blue jay to leave after his meal before paying with a decent profile shot.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say:
ReplyDeleteAll going pear-shaped, but then I saw they are apples :-)
I would think you can rest on your laurels and coast on your store of magnificent images for the next few years. The pheasant is a work of art. And the left bottom apple in the starling picture is winking at us.
Don't fret, you will get the shots
ReplyDeleteof the blue jays another day.your
other photos are first class,and
anyway is'nt the waiting and planning,and exspectation all part
of the fun!!
Beautiful shots as always.
ReplyDeleteYou'll get your shots of the blue jays.
Love the photo of the pheasant.
We had two visiting last Winter.
But I haven't seen them this Winter (I've been waiting for them with my new lens).
Thanks for hosting.
Wish you a great weekend.
Mette
It’s in situations like this that we should be very grateful for digital!
ReplyDeleteRather do like the Starlings mind you!
Stewart M
Hey, I just happened to feature a blue jay that looks just like yours on my blog today. :)
ReplyDeleteNow you make me wish I had saved all those shots of feet and tail feathers!
ReplyDeleteArgh... as I like to say!
ReplyDeleteI am excited to get a shot of birds these days and it usually takes a drive to the country or the mountains. The things we do... though I must say, this total novice is ALWAYS in awe of the shots you take. I assume one day in the future, with more experience and know how, I won't be too happy with my current shots at all.
Great shot of the Starlings. The pleasant Pheasant is wonderfully clear!
Love your woodpecker... er... um Blue Jay in disguise. And the difficult Blue Jay... well, I can see why you were frustrated!!
I do hope the move to retirement is relatively smooth and you have some brilliant opportunities to get some perfect bird shots!
Thanks again for hosting.
I love your starlings eating rotten apples picture... another can get a pic of a blue jay... your pic is artistically original
ReplyDeleteNo matter the content, still the best place to come! But totally know the frustrations! Aacckkk! Everybody just.sit.still!
ReplyDeleteAh, a serious case of the late winter blue jay blues I see... maybe instead of trying to capture over-active blue jays you should go after the famous Norwegian Blue Parrot of Monty Python fame, the Norwegian Blue is less apt to fly off when you are trying to photograph it, especially if it has been properly nailed to its perch... happy hunting... things are bound to come around again...
ReplyDeleteWhat I would have given when I was in their presence, to get a pleasant Pheasant image like the one you captured...oh my, what a handsome one!
ReplyDeleteLove your header of the nuthatch.I had to laugh again over your choose of words today,your pictures are wonderful!My poor beef tallow bag is still hanging,can`t even get a racoon interested in it...I especially love the bluejays tail,have a great week!phyllis
ReplyDeleteWonderful shots of such beautiful birds.
ReplyDeleteAnother great post Dave. We all have days that the birds don't cooperate with our plans for their photo shoots. The best thing is that some of us are retired and have more days to try!
ReplyDeleteGreat shot of the Downy Woodpecker, er, I mean, Blue Jay too Dave ;-)
Springman (or Dave if I may!), if ever there was a person to put out a firestorm it would be you!
ReplyDeleteI think we have an interesting evolutionary story in the case of White Ibis and their chip eating tendencies.
In ecological and evolutionary terms I think that chips can be viewed as having arrived in Australia essentially instantaneously. This means that as a resource the chips can be viewed as an “empty niche”. (Niche being defined, of course, as the resource utilization profile of a species). So while the Ibis may not have the best “chip eating device” as defined by some form of human design criteria, it may have the best “chip eating device” of any species that occupy the niches that now surround the chips. This is a clear case of evolution favouring the best available adaptation, even if this adaptation is clearly not really “best” when viewed from a human perspective. It’s the best of a bad job, rather than a gold standard of ‘bestness’.
I would have also thought that the high calorific value of the chips would have more than offset any limitations caused by the Ibis’s general inability to manipulate the chips because of their beak size. Thus eating chips is selected for because on an hour by hour basis a chip eating ibis gathers more energy than a non-chip eating ibis. This of course leaves it more time, or energy, to chase lady ibis and between them make more chip eaters!
Stewart M - Australia
Great blog Springman - I'll be back if you don't mind.
ReplyDeleteYou made me laugh! I'd have been ecstatic to have captured those starlings. It's nice to know you don't get the whole bird in the picture at times, too. Your pheasant shot is incredible.
ReplyDeleteoooooo! I WANT that pheasant! Lovely bird.
ReplyDelete