Just a couple of studies of the finches that occasionally feed on the berry bush by the driveway. They’ll hang out atop the avocado tree, and often there will be half a dozen in the berry bush, but they don’t stay there for long nor can I count on them every day. As I was taking these, Doug came by and startled them, and they never returned.
The first is in the berry bush, where I finally got one not obscured by the branches. This is actually only the first on the page here, as this series was what I was taking when Doug and Bootsie came through and broke up the party.
A few will pick pine nuts off the dead pine tree in the middle of the yard. The Goldfinches do this, as well, but I haven’t been able to get a really good shot of them.
And this guy spent some time atop the avocado tree. The dark streaks in the background are the power wires across the street, and I haven’t photoshopped these. I just cropped what came out of the camera.
Alas, while this perch is great in that they’ll stay there, it is still difficult to get a good angle on them as the light is from the west and the tree is right on the western edge, against the fence. Trying to get up against the fence always scares them away, but as the summer is past and the sun is moving south, it is easier to get them reasonably lit while standing in the driveway, due south of them.
So, LBBs are hard. There’s a reason for the term “flighty” and these little bastards sure are. They swoop in and swoop out, and choose a different place to perch or feed almost every evening, very seldom where I am when I have a camera in hand.
At least I’m getting some practice exposing birds. Even if I do end up deleting 100 crappy images after I’m done trying.