[missbirdphotos] Re: My new bird studio
- From: "J. K. Cliburn" <jcliburn@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: missbirdphotos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:20:00 -0500
I'd love to see a picture or two of your warbler. I've never seen a
Prothonotary. I guess I need to make a trip up to Mayes Lake
sometime.
On Mon, Apr 23, 2012 at 9:59 AM, Dance, Gayla <dancegf@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Okay, Jay! I have talked about doing this for years, but you really did it.
> I talk the talk, but you walk the walk. Your wife sounds like my husband who
> finds by brush pile disgusting. Ha! I have the same blind and he doesn't
> like it either.
>
> I had a beautiful prothonotary warbler playing in the water fall yesterday.
>
> gayla
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: missbirdphotos-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:missbirdphotos-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of J. K. Cliburn
> Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 8:29 AM
> To: missbirdphotos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [missbirdphotos] My new bird studio
>
> So a couple of weeks ago we had a thread here discussing a "bird studio." I
> was intrigued, so I decided to convert my driveway loop into one.
>
> First I had to move my birdbath and a couple of feeders away from the front
> of the house, from where I could conveniently watch birds through a big
> window from the comfort of my kitchen table. Then I read somewhere that
> moving/dripping water was an effective bird attractant, so off to the store
> for a little pump... I got a 60 gph submersible pump from Home Depot for
> $15, but, alas, I had no power in the driveway loop. Sigh. I remedied that
> by boring a 1-inch hole in the front of my house, trenching across the
> driveway, laying 45 feet of conduit, stringing 12-2 wire, tying into a
> circuit in my garage, and installing a weatherproof riser box with an outlet
> and a switch out in the loop. Presto: power for the pump. (Have you priced
> Romex recently? Yikes!)
>
> The drippers at the store were too expensive for my tastes -- and they
> weren't suited for a birdbath anyway -- so I went to a nearby canebrake,
> harvested a couple of stalks, and fashioned a dripper out of cane segments.
> Works like a charm.
>
> I wanted a rustic look, so I rejiggered my platform feeder by removing it
> from its 4x4 post in the front yard, removing the roof, mounting it on an old
> pine knot fencepost, and made an insert out of 1x2 and window screen to allow
> water to drain through the seed when it's installed in the platform. I then
> found some elm limbs and mounted one to the feeder for a perch. I sat the
> other one on the ground over a cast iron plant.
>
> Next, I went into the woods and found a deadfall white oak trunk that had
> broken in a few places and used my chainsaw to cut off a couple of "stumps."
> I found a deadfall elm limb with a nice bend in it that I used to lean
> against one of the pine trees. I bored some 1-inch holes in it and inserted
> peanuts, hoping for jays or woodpeckers. (None have partaken yet.)
>
> Finally, I erected the Ameristep doghouse blind, which my poor wife finds
> appalling, but I argue we live in the country and don't get many refined
> visitors anyway, so what harm can it be?
>
> Yesterday was my first attempt at photography in the studio. The highlight
> of the day was an early morning, dew-drenched Indigo bunting who surprised me
> sufficiently to cause me miss a shot when he was on the perch. I settled for
> a feeder sidewall shot. I also got a cardinal and a chipping sparrow in the
> evening, but unfortunately they weren't on the perch, either. (BTW, It gets
> HOT inside that blind when the sun shines on it -- even on a cool, windy
> day!) I was pleased to finally get good feather detail using only a 300mm
> lens (without teleconverter, because I wanted to open up to f4). I'm not
> pleased with the Chipping sparrow detail, but he was in harsh light, so that
> probably explains it. The cardinal and bunting were in diffuse light, and
> those seemed to turn out much better.
>
> So, thanks to Missbird photogs, I now have a studio! I'd be happy to receive
> suggestions for improvements and additions.
>
> Jay
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