Blue Jay No.2

BLUE JAY, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 29, 2013

Pentax K-5
Sigma APO 135-400
at 400mm
1/640 sec. f8
ISO 1600

The jays, always early spring visitors to these parts of the Lake Superior shore, are about to move on to newer surroundings. This one discovered the chipmunk feeding station in front of our cabin and gave me the stink eye when he spotted me at the camera behind the window.

Chipping sparrow

CHIPPING SPARROW, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 27, 2013

Pentax K20D
Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5
1/750 sec. f8
ISO 400

Of the dozens and dozens of sparrow and finch varieties to be seen in the Upper Peninsula, this is one of the most easily identified. The combination of brown cap and white eyebrow distinguishes it from the very similar Tree Sparrow.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 25, 2013

Pentax K20D
Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5
1/250 sec. f8
ISO 400

So far nuthatches (and in lesser numbers, chickadees) have been the only visitors to the suet cage in the back yard of our cabin. But it's still early in the season and we hope to attract more varieties of songbirds as summer wears on.

Downy woodpecker

FEMALE DOWNY WOODPECKER, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 25, 2013

Pentax K20D
Pentax F* 300mm f4.5
1/750 sec. f8
ISO 400

The woods behind our cabin's back yard echoes all day with the rat-tat-tat of woodpeckers, but this was the first such bird to come in close enough to have its portrait taken. I used the older K20D camera for this shot, and it still yields excellent image quality despite heavy cropping.

Mr. and Ms. Goldfinch

AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 25, 2013

Pentax K-5
Pentax F* 300mm f4.5 plus Kenko 1.5x teleconverter (equiv. 450mm)
1/200 sec. f5.6
ISO1600

Nothing attracts goldfinches like a feeder full of thistle seed. A dozen or so of these bright little songbirds enliven our cabin's back yard every day.

Blue Jay

BLUE JAY, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 24, 2013

Pentax K-5
Pentax F* 300 f4.5 plus Kenko 1.5x teleconverter (equiv. 450mm)
1/160 sec. f8
ISO 1600

At this time of year blue jays are plentiful in this neck of the Upper Michigan woods, but before long they'll have moved on, not to return until fall. Taken handheld through a window.

Spotted Sandpiper

SPOTTED SANDPIPER, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 21, 2013

Pentax K-01
Sigma APO 135-400 at 400mm
1/180 sec. f11 with on-board flash
ISO 800

This sandpiper was photographed late in the afternoon on a rainy day when it moved from the beach to a log in front of our cabin, finally close enough to capture in sufficient detail. The image required some work with Lightroom to increase the contrast and with Photoshop Elements to clone out several distracting twigs and branches.

White-throated Sparrow

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 21, 2013

Pentax K-5
Pentax F* 300 f4.5 with Kenko 1.5x teleconverter (equiv. 450mm)
1/180 sec. f8 with on-board flash
ISO 1600

I had never before encountered this species of sparrow, but the bird books say it is not uncommon in brushy areas in or near forests. The yellow eyebrows make it look like Andy Rooney after a makeover with Breck. As were the previous three photographs, this was shot handheld through a window.

Purple Finch

FEMALE PURPLE FINCH, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 20, 2013

Pentax K-5
Pentax F* 300mm f4.5 with 1.5x Kenko teleconverter (equiv. 450mm)
1/2000 sec. f5.6
ISO 1600

At first I wasn't sure of the identification, but this seems to be a female purple finch that discovered the chipmunk's dining table on the lake shore in front of our cabin. Adult females of that species display a marked white "eyebrow," but this one seems to be yellowish. Maybe it's just a color variation. Taken handheld through a window, hence the high shutter speed against camera shake.

Munky business

EASTERN CHIPMUNK, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 20, 2013

Pentax K-5
Pentax F* 300mm f4.5 with 1.5x Kenko teleconverter (equiv. 450mm)
1/1250 sec. f5.6
ISO 1600

The suet bell was atop a pole guarded by a squirrel baffle, but this canny chipmunk climbed an unprotected feeder pole six feet away and took a mighty leap from pole to pole. I took the shot handheld; setting up the tripod would have taken too long, and in any case the 'munk spooked and leaped away a second later.

First chipmunk of the season

EASTERN CHIPMUNK, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 16, 2013

Pentax K20D
Sigma 135-400 at 400mm
1/180 sec. f8 with on-board flash
ISO 400

A day after we arrived in the North Woods, a local chipmunk discovered the offering of birdseed we poured on the riprap on the shore of Lake Superior in front of our cabin. It was getting on for dusk, so I opened the flash on the camera to illuminate the scene.