Nature Blog Network Wildlife Photography Blog Fatbirder's top 1000 birding websites

Welcome to the Pine River Review. Our sight is dedicated to our little homestead located along the Pine River tucked inside the Chippewa Nature Center's 1400 Acres of wild in Michigan's lower penninsula. We love to share our pictures, video, comment, and our own homespun music. Step inside our world as we celebrate this beautiful nook!


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

World Bird Wednesday LXXVI




April Showers

    As any bird photographer quickly learns, the ability to quiet one's mind and sit for long periods is a primary advantage in getting those really choice pictures. Of course, it helps to choose your perch wisely. There are so many variables.
    If a guy wants to see pretty girls in bikinis he should go to the beach; but unless he's very patient, he should wait for a sunny summer day. In this admittedly tortured analogy "the beach" is my magnificently bloomed cherry tree and the "pretty girls" are any bird that happens to land gracefully enough to make a good centerfold framed by those beautiful buds. In my mind's eye I could see great things and I was willing to wait patiently for their arrival even if it wasn't the perfect sunny day. The blooms were fading and my window of opportunity was closing fast.
    This cherry tree is a fairly reliable bird magnet in it's own right but just to be sure I parked a seed feeder in a near by tree to amp up the activity and for my own creature comfort, out came my mini chair blind.
    The clouds pressed low in the chilly sky, coco coffee was the drink of the day and I had a big cup with me when I slipped into the chair and pulled the camo' cover over me like a Lady bug shell.
     Thirty minutes later my resolve to "get that picture" emptied with the last lukewarm drop of coffee. Suffering for your art is cool in theory only. I teetered on the slippery edge of sheer boredom when a shadow swept to my left and a Coopers hawk with its fiery eyes lit on a wire by the road. So that's why the song birds had been so quiet!



    It wasn't a minute after Rasputin flew off that a earful of Cedar waxwings landed on the branches before me and began to chow down on cherry blossom petals. Aha! This is what a cocktail of good planning, patients, and luck tastes like! I congratulated myself knowing these birds wouldn't be going anywhere for a good two minutes and I had 'em right where I wanted them. I clicked off a couple of test shots to double check exposure, can't be to careful...wait...what's that on my screen?
   Please change battery!
   Now for the walk of shame back to the house... past the snickering coffee pot to retrive the extra battery and sprint back to the tree. Like a swimmer who's lost his suit in the surf, there was no graceful way out of this jam.
   Cedar waxwings are not easily spooked, would they wait for me and spare the tattered remnants of my self-esteem?



    Thankfully, a couple birds lingered and I chased a few others into my neighbors orchard where the waxwings dined on apple blossoms. Normally serendipity is not to be trifled with and as if to illustrate the point, it turned out only those first few shots before the battery went down were usable. I am all the humbler for it.



    Out on the road yesterday, April showers swept over the flatlands and marshes south of the bay. A good day for fishing if your a Common tern. I hunted for bird pictures more out of reflex than the thought of getting anything as good as his fat minnow.
    The Great egrets have come back to Saginaw Valley's wetlands in mass and along about Five o'clock one held for me as it preened and fished. Unaccountably warm brown tones juiced the edge of the reed bed. I had my header picture in the bag and was happy at the end of this weeks adventures!


This is the home of World Bird Wednesday. A place for bird photographers from around the world to gather and share their photographs and experiences as they pursue Natures most beautiful treasurers, the birds.

You don't have to be a Bird Watcher or expert photographer to join in, just enjoy sharing what you bring back from your explorations and adventures into nature!




#1Simply copy the above picture onto your W.B.W. blog entry, it contains a link for your readers to share in the fun. Or, you can copy this link on to your blog page to share WBW. http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com/


#2Come to The Pine River Review on Tuesday Noon EST North America through Wednesday midnight and submit your blog entry with InLinkz.

#3Check back in during the course of the next day and explore these excellent photoblogs!


The idea of a meme is that you will visit each others blogs and perhaps leave a comment to encourage your compatriots!


Come on it's your turn!

59 comments:

  1. Beautiful images and oh the battery. Oh no.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love your Header and amazing captures as usual.The last one is too good!!
    Have a great day!!

    Shantana

    ReplyDelete
  3. lol, that´s birding for sure. Sadly I´m not that patient. First shot of the waxwing is stunning. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. beautiful shots - all of them. the egret ones are stunning, though! yikes!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'll try this again..."Please change battery", my first laugh of the day. Thank you. Wonderful post as always.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for sharing your story. Somehow it makes me feel better. :))

    ReplyDelete
  7. Now I know why I can't get bird pictures ! You show such beautiful pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful header - such an elegant bird! You did get a couple of lovely shots of the Cedar Waxwings before the battery died.

    ReplyDelete
  9. all of your images are exceptional, i dream about getting pictures like this. great story!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. A super series of images from the very patient photographer.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Whew, so happy that a few Waxwings waited for you while you changed the battery! Waxwings are gorgeous and perfect with the cherry blossoms!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Amazing photos as always. The cedar waxwings are gorgeous and I can't wait till they arrive in our garden.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wonderful shots! The Waxwings are exceptional! They are such a pretty bird!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Terrific captures! The first one a sure winner!

    ReplyDelete
  15. If you have only missed a great shot once because of a battery, you are doing well. If you are ever feeling bad, call on me, I could write a book on photographer catastrophes ... has something to do with being an old poop. So, in spite of your battery incident, your pictures are, as usual, glorius. Thank you once again.

    Andrea @ From The Sol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am always feeling bad about lost shots therefore I would be calling you constantly Andrea. BTW your old poop theory grows more accurate for me daily!
      ;-)WBW!

      Delete
  16. Those captures of the waxwings are awesome! My jaw dropped when I saw the second one!! Stunning is an understatement!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Excellent. I love the Cedar Waxwings in that first shot, and your header is exquisite!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wonderful photos of all the beautiful birds. You caught the waxvings so lovely in the cherrythree! And yes patience is a must, but not allways so easy :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow, I love the Waxwings in the CherryBlossom tree. The Tern with the catch of the day is awesome. Fantastic post and wonderful photos, Springman.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Very pretty Birds !

    Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  21. OMG! Those Cedar Waxwings are about the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Thanks for your patience!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I like your photos of springtime birds - especially the ones with the blossoms and birds - BUT - what is a mini chair tent? It sounds ideal for bird watching but a photo would be good too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No problems Mick, I shall post a picture of my chair blind!

      Delete
  23. Good Sir Springman,
    Just stopped by to lay an egg at your doorstep... though it's not a full fledged bird, it's an almost bird, a bird that was to be, but that was not to be, a bird potential full of unfulfilled promise, the spirit of a bird.

    Your photos are phenomenal, as always...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "To be, or not to be?" The Bard is on his A game!

      Delete
  24. ...that common tern had a great fishing catch! Always enjoy your so interesting posts Springman

    ReplyDelete
  25. Wonderful images and I have recently purchased a little pop up hide just like yours... only in English Oak camo.
    Just scroll down a few posts on my blog to see it in my home.
    I can't wait to try it out properly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just to be out of the wind is huge. I know you already love it Andrew. English Oak camo! LOL!

      Delete
  26. Now I want a Cherry tree. I like your blind too. Beautiful images Springman.

    For some reason the link feature will not allow me to post a photo from my post. Can you or anyone help?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know you were having problems last week too Jean. Hmmmm. Let me see... your old blog format was working. Yeah, that frog head isn't to attractive! Maybe InLinkz has a FAQ clue.

      Delete
    2. OK Jean, I right clicked copied your picture and pasted that in the picture URL box in inlinkz. That did the trick but I wonder why it's such a convoluted process?

      Delete
    3. Thanks Dave! Did you copy and paste the picture from my blog???
      I love frogs but don't like it as my thumbnail. LOL.
      Oh...I checked the FAQ and couldn't find an answer. It must be my new format.:(

      Delete
  27. Waxwings - bathing Beauties (in bikinis... ) ah your post is heaven Springmnan, however your Waxwing images are devine my friend....

    I know where I am going wrong now - the mini hide. That could be the difference between good shots and stunningly detailed shots. Seriously!

    As always a top post
    Dave

    ReplyDelete
  28. Springman, a fun story to read and even more beautiful photos! Of course, I love the shots of the waxwings in the blossoms; who wouldn't. Well done. The egret is pretty darn nice also.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Wow! These photos are absolutely amazing and beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  30. well done sir...

    ReplyDelete
  31. The cedar waxwings are such beautiful birds. And your shots are fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi there - the "flat battery" symbol is always such a nightmare: why can’t it happen in the car on the way home or something!

    Great header shot - and I'm still amazed wax-wings are a yard bird for you!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Australia

    ReplyDelete
  33. Amazing shots as always.
    Thanks for sharing your story.
    Mette

    ReplyDelete
  34. Great little 'blind' chair, I'll have to make myself one too if I want to get some of our flighty birds.
    Wonderfully romantic waxwing/blossom shots. Yes, nature has a way of keeping us honest and tantalises us with possibilities. I had a lot of chances in gaining more inner peace than shots lately but it was great to be totally out of reach of civilisation, phone and internet for a couple of weeks.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Loved your blind chair! But, I had to laugh at the battery incident...have had way more of those than I really care to admit! Great photos anyway!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Fantastic photographs, unusual birds. I am greeting

    ReplyDelete
  37. Beautiful Cedar Waxwings -- one of my favorites. And congratulations on your retirement. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Gorgeous shots. The Waxwing is very hard to shoot (for me, anyway) Yours are extra special as all your bird shots are. Oh the drama-right? We see them more in the fall eating Western Mountain Ash berries. MB

    ReplyDelete
  39. Wonderful images, I love the Waxwings with their little masks!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Beautiful shots & I'm glad those Waxwings waited for you amongst the beautiful foilage.
    Enjoy your retirement... more time for bird watching!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. Truly stunning photos Springman. Some of the best Waxwing images I have seen. They were certainly worth the wait.

    ReplyDelete
  42. terrific narrative...several great lessons there...and the photos are equal to the narrative

    ReplyDelete
  43. You made me smile again springman,love your photos,they always seem to get better & better.phyllis

    ReplyDelete
  44. You gave me such giggles so early, I was sure that I would awaken the sleeping husby!
    Those Cedars are stunning! Flat out Stunning, and to actually be there when the Cooper came by, what grand good fortune!
    Now then, for your little camo thingy. I did basically the same thing 2 years ago. I was all set up and had taken some images of a mother Squirrel moving her young from one location to another, when out of nowhere a little voice said..."Miss Mary what are you doing?" Caught by the little girl who lives next door...I gave up my great style to go back inside~

    ReplyDelete
  45. I almost forgot, I drink Gevalia's Mocha flavored Coffee, yum!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Stunning shots of the Waxwings,they would make lovely water colours.
    Shame about the battery,I guess it's happened to us all at one time or another.
    Love what you call your chair blind,- I want one, seems like a very good idea!!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Well Dave, I can certainly identify with your plans and your patience, waiting in the blind for God knows how long. I have discovered too that whatever it is you may have been waiting for will usually arrive just as you "fold up your tent" as it were. The Cooper's Hawk by itself would have been gratifying enough for me to write home about!

    I am all too familiar with the dead battery scenario so I won't even comment on that except to say that I ALWAYS carry an extra battery for both my camera and my camcorder now.

    That first image with the two Cedar Waxwings in the tree... Estupendamente!!!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Wonderful Dave! I love the cedar waxwing -- they're such a great bird and the picture you did get is lovely. What a great birding day you had -- as always thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Dave, you're quite self-deprecating for someone who takes such amazing photos. And now we know how you do it--a large dose of patience and a little chair blind. Fantastic shots!

    ReplyDelete