[missbirdphotos] Re: My new bird studio
- From: "Dance, Gayla" <dancegf@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "'missbirdphotos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'" <missbirdphotos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:59:37 -0500
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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