Little better is better than nothing

There are a handful of birds that I’ve filmed on our property – but the pictures are just not very good. Some are just good enough that I feel confident in the ID of the species. Needless to say; I really want to get a better photo of those birds.

Of course, I would love the opportunity to get a better shot of any of the species that I have filmed. But, I keep a short list of birds that I know are around here fairly frequently, I see them when we are driving to town or I scare them up from their favorite spot but still I fail to capture their loveliness in a photo.

The Swamp Sparrow is one of those birds. Three days in the past week when I went out to the pond area I heard them, and two of those days I spotted the little guys as I entered the area. They are tricky because their “go-to” strategy to seek safety is to drop off the branch of a low tree or shrub (where I usually spot them) down into the tall weeds at the water’s edge. Once they seek cover there, I have little chance to see them again.

Another species I truly want to catch in good light and focus is the American Kestrel. This is a very small hawk that routinely perches on the utility lines along the road. There is a pair that hunts from the southwest corner of our property. West is bad for me because my schedule usually means I am out in the afternoon. Facing a camera upwards and westward in later afternoon typically means I’m pointing right at the sun. The result is usually just a silhouette of the bird.

The other day, I made a decision to take the road, rather than travel across the interior property to the East, in order to see if I could stop in a location where I have heard owls. I actually scared one from its late afternoon perch not long ago. I have never filmed an owl. By traveling East on the road, I thought that a stand of mature trees might hide my arrival and luck would let me see, and maybe even film the elusive bird. But, before I even got there, I noticed a Kestrel on the power line just where I have seen it many times before.

I would not call these photos images that satisfied my need to get well lit, in focus pictures of the bird, but they are a bit better than my earlier shot. Better is always better than nothing at all!

There were two Kestrels. The first one is the subject of the first two photos below. Just as it flew off, the second bird landed at nearly the same spot on the wire. I’m pretty sure they are a pair. Oh how I hope they might consider using the nest box that Robert and I crafted and hung on a tall pole near the old barn. Time will tell. It’s almost January and they may begin scouting for their nesting location in February!