Here we are, only 3 days removed from the last snow, and it's almost all gone already. Incredible! It's a balmy 44 degrees and there are only a few spots in the yard with snow on them.
We have been running the Bird Cam quite a bit these last few days. Here's a few photos and some tips that we have already learned.
This shot is of a bunch of Lesser Goldfinches underneath out bathroom window. It turned out good but it was a little too far away.
A Scrub-Jay and a Squirrel. Again, a good shot but I think the camera needs to be closer for great shots.
If you ever wanted to see Starling tongue, this is the way to do it.
Starlings and a White-Crowned Sparrow. The Starlings were all over the seed we were tossing out for the ground feeders during the storm.
We have never seen the Starlings eat seed before. They always go for bugs or the suet. I guess all the snow had them eating whatever they could get.
Here's what not to do. Make sure that when you go to retrieve your camera from where you had it stationed, that you turn it OFF first. Otherwise, you get a bunch of photos of you bringing the Cam inside.
During the height of the storm Michelle and I got bundled up and took our sled to the only store that was open around us. Unfortunately, it was Fred Meyer. We don't like to buy seed from the big box stores but our local bird shop was closed due to weather and we were completely out of seed.
From our regular digital camera. A Yellow-Rumped Warbler grabbing some suet.
Another of the Yellow-Rumped. We have been getting at least 3 on a daily basis.
A Townsend's Warbler trying it's best to get some frozen suet.
A Towhee, a Golden-Crowned Sparrow and a couple of Juncos.
A brave Song Sparrow. They usually do not come onto the porch when we are there, but the snow had the little guy acting a little differently.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
The yard and Bird Cam photos
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
We got a Wingscapes BirdCam!
WoooHooo! It was Michelle's idea as a Christmas gift to each other! We purchased it today but by the time we got home, the light was really low. I put it out and let it start snapping, but it soon went to "night mode" because of the low light conditions. It took a few images though, and a couple of them were even identifiable! Here's the first pic. We will play with it for the next few days and try to learn how to use it. It seems pretty simple. All that I did, was take it out of the box, walk into the backyard and turn it on. I will play with it all night long and hopefully understand all the little nuances by tomorrow! We will post more snow photos tonight (or maybe in the morning) but we will definitely be posting the BirdCam photos!
If anyone owns one of these and has any tips for us, we would sure appreciate it. We know a few folks that own the BirdCam and it is capable of taking tremendous photos. We just have to learn how to adjust it a bit. Take care and we'll "see" you soon.
Here is the pretty, pretty box that it came in! If you can't tell, I'm a tad bit excited about this new prospect!
Here's the first photo of a bird that the BirdCam took! Like I said, it was getting dark. (p.s. it's a Song Sparrow)

