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
Attachment:
bird-studio.jpg
Description: JPEG image
Attachment:
studio-detail.jpg
Description: JPEG image
Attachment:
dripper.jpg
Description: JPEG image
Attachment:
inbu-20120422-DSC_1065-800x600.jpg
Description: JPEG image
Attachment:
noca-20120422-DSC_1099-800x600.jpg
Description: JPEG image
Attachment:
chsp-20110422-DSC_1108-800x600.jpg
Description: JPEG image
