Tammie Rogers
Inspired by Dogs & Nature
Finch Photo-Bomb!
I adore the Northern Cardinals that live in almost all corners of our property. They have a little, happy chirping sound to announce their arrival into an area, and of course the males’ brilliant red coloring is a sight to behold. Even though I am typically aware of where the birds are through their calls, I cannot always see them. Then, once they fly into my general zone, they are not easy to film. They remain hidden in the branches of the trees, and flit about often quite quickly.
This next photo is of a female Northern Cardinal. For me, it’s pretty good quality – but, there’s the shadow of a branch across her face.
When I was a kid, I remember Cardinals stopping by the basic bird feeder in our yard that contained the generic seed selections. But, the Cardinals on our farm are quite elusive. They are a rare visitor to the feeders off my office patio. And, while the new feeding platforms we put up in two locations out in the “wilds” of our property are stocked with Cardinal friendly food, I hadn’t seen one land to snatch a sunflower seed since we began feeding the birds this autumn.
That all changed a few days ago when, while sitting filming the “regulars” at the Pond Meadow feeder, I began to hear Cardinal chirps moving increasingly closer to my location. Now that the trees have shed their leaves, I have been able to get a few good shots of the Cardinals. Many times, however, a branch still obscures the complete beauty of the birds. I was hoping that one might actually land on the feeder so that I could get a complete bird in good light. It was a bright, sunny day and I was just about fifteen feet from the feeder.
Then, it happened. A male Cardinal flew into a tree, three trees down from the feeder. He made the short flight to the second closest tree, then the tree just next to the feeder. A moment later, as if he had been doing so for months, he hopped onto the platform feeder! I prefer taking photos of birds in their natural habitat, but the feeder allows for an un-obscured view of the bird.
Uncertain how long he might stick around, I focused on the lovely, red bird and snapped away. I hope I get that glint in his eye! I hope his feathers are in super-clear focus….
Happy that I had finally experienced the Cardinal on the platform feeder, a few hours later I sat down at the computer to review the pictures I had captured. I was so excited to view them!
How kind of this handsome guy to flip his position so that I could film both sides of the bird, I thought. But, the next image included a White-crowned sparrow that landed just behind the Cardinal.
The Sparrow quickly moved onto the platform where he began selecting his seed prize, but immediately a House Finch flew in and consumed the pristine image I was hoping for. She settled, staring at the large, crimson bird as if she questioning his purpose on “her” feeder.
Frame after frame, the finches took over the photo-shoot!
Even when there was a clear shot of the Cardinal – as long as I cropped out the bird at the end of the branch – a White-crowned sparrow’s shadow marred the possibility for a clear image. And, when the Cardinal had his fill, and turned to fly off, that dang little bird flew off with him. Seriously?
Hopefully after he had his fill of the seed offerings, the Cardinal flew into a nearby tree. Great! The chance for a clear image of the bird was still possible. But, alas. Look at the top of the photo. Mrs. Finch is zooming in!
I was able to crop this one shot to nice representation of a Northern Cardinal. But, after the finch found her branch, there would be no more single species image for me! Even a male House Finch flew into a shot! And, off flew the Cardinal.
I reminded myself there would be another day to film the Cardinal on the platform. And, the following day there was! But, it was a cloudy day (which mean much less clear images), and the Finches were still engaged in welcoming their larger cousin to their diner. I guess nobody wants to eat alone.
Great photos of the Cardinals. They are so abundant in our area and it is a joy to see these colorful birds. I find the female Cardinals beautiful in their own way.