2008-07-04T00:10:22Z Writer's block and logorrhea since 1993. tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2 Movable Type Copyright (c) 2008, Squip http://dustingmybrain.com/images/dmbrss.jpg http://dustingmybrain.com 150 50 Dusting My Brain 2008-07-04T00:10:22Z 2008-07-04T10:57:02Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2604 2008-07-04T10:57:02Z

Stars and Stripes

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Stars and Stripes... 2008-07-04T00:10:22Z 2008-07-04T10:02:38Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2605 2008-07-04T10:02:38Z

Been overly busy. Way busy. Too busy. Busy, busy, busy. Sorry I missed last week, couldn't be helped. *sigh* Still busy. No time for 'splainin'. Here's a bird. Enjoy! :-)

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers Been overly busy. Way busy. Too busy. Busy, busy, busy. Sorry I missed last week, couldn't be helped. *sigh*... 2008-07-04T00:35:50Z 2008-06-20T10:12:03Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2602 2008-06-20T10:12:03Z

Ahhh... the cardinal. A beautiful red bird that continues to elude me. I've yet to take a single photograph of this bird that I'm happy with. The male (above) is striking with its rich red attire. The female (above) is dull and less vibrant with its washed out hue. I'll never understand why the male is much more vibrant than the female.

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers Ahhh... the cardinal. A beautiful red bird that continues to elude me. I've yet to take a single photograph... 2008-07-04T00:10:23Z 2008-06-13T10:46:14Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2599 2008-06-13T10:46:14Z

Here are a few photographs of the Yellow Crowned Night Heron. The photos were taken prior to my "big baby" episode; you know, before I was attacked by the Canadian Goose. According to What Bird.com: The Yellow-crowned Night Heron is listed as threatened in the state of New Jersey and endangered in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. A group of herons has many collective nouns, including a "battery", "hedge", "pose", "rookery", and "scattering" of herons."

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers Here are a few photographs of the Yellow Crowned Night Heron. The photos were taken prior to my "big... 2008-07-04T00:10:23Z 2008-06-05T21:33:39Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2598 2008-06-05T21:33:39Z

Back next week!

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Back next week!... 2008-07-04T00:10:23Z 2008-05-30T10:06:20Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2597 2008-05-30T10:06:20Z

This Common Grackle was busy racing around in the grass. Seems it had a prize in its beak... ... a shishkebab of worms. Ew.

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers This Common Grackle was busy racing around in the grass. Seems it had a prize in its beak... ...... 2008-07-04T00:10:23Z 2008-05-23T10:39:29Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2595 2008-05-23T10:39:29Z

Whenever I see this photograph of a Red-Bellied Woodpecker I'm reminded of the time I took it. It was weeks before I'd see the shot due to the fact that my laptop decided to up and die. Gone from my home base for a month of housesitting, I was stuck in a very rural area and therefore without access to any type of computer store. After shooting the entire 2GB of my camera's card, I took it to the nearest camera shop and had the photos transferred to disk. I may not have been able to review the photos each evening, but I couldn't imagine not using my camera. No laptop + no camera? I shudder at the thought. This bird kept me company for the duration, dutifully showing up at the feeder every afternoon around 3:30 p.m. As long as there was food for it to eat, it would hog the feeder, linger between bites and happily pose for pictures. As long as the bird was happy, I was too.

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers Whenever I see this photograph of a Red-Bellied Woodpecker I'm reminded of the time I took it. It was... 2008-07-04T00:10:23Z 2008-05-16T19:50:43Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2594 2008-05-16T19:50:43Z

Here in NYC we often refer to pigeons as "flying rats." This particular bird is all over the place, swooping down on unsuspecting pedestrians and forcing them to duck for cover. Although they're more of a nuisance 'round this neck 'o concrete, every so often I come across one that is particularly striking. I've no clue what type of pigeon this is (dare I refer to it as a "Rock Dove?" I'm not sure.) Regardless, here's the full body shot. On a separate note, welcome Abraham Lincoln! Yes I can hear the chuckles clear across the country, but Abraham Lincoln is his given name and he resides in Ohio. He stopped by here on the advice of the divine Ms. Zoe of MBIAT, and he's an extremely talented bird photographer. You can read all about Abraham on his blogs: Brookville Daily Photo, My Birds Blog and the blog featuring his books.

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers Here in NYC we often refer to pigeons as "flying rats." This particular bird is all over the place,... 2008-07-04T00:10:23Z 2008-05-09T10:32:52Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2592 2008-05-09T10:32:52Z

This is one of those shots where you ask yourself if you're really seeing what you think you're seeing. I kicked myself a number of times for not using a tripod when I took this photograph of a Black-Backed Gull and its "Got One!" pal, the Osprey next to it. My photo stirred quite the debate over at the Birder's Forum where I queried its members as to the I.D. of the gull. Though some members did offer up an I.D., the conversation morphed into photography and whether or not the gull was in front, above or behind the Osprey, and did I take any other photographs to assist in their discussion. (I did, but not of the two together.) I should have known the bird next to the gull was an Osprey, but somehow I missed that fact. (Must be post-traumatic stress from my tango with the Canada Goose.) Now I know. :-)

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers This is one of those shots where you ask yourself if you're really seeing what you think you're seeing.... 2008-07-04T00:10:23Z 2008-05-02T10:10:21Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2591 2008-05-02T10:10:21Z

aka: "a big baby" ... parents often violently chase away nearby creatures, from small blackbirds to other geese, to humans that approach, after warning them by giving off a hissing sound. In the few years that I've been photographing birds, I never once considered or thought about any type of danger. I'd think about where I was and what villains might be hiding behind a tree during bear season; then again, there was the time when I was driving and cut off by a pair of Turkey Vultures. Other than that, nah. What could a bird possibly do to me while I was out taking pictures? The answer to that question came a week ago when I visited my favorite marine study area to photograph whatever birds I came across. As I walked in and surveyed the landscape, I came upon two gentlemen; one had binoculars and the other a camera. Mr. Binoculars, who I would later find out goes by the name of Paul, pointed out this Yellow-Crowned Night Heron not far from where we stood. I quickly lifted my camera and took a few shots. Mr. Camera, whose name I didn't get, informed me that the geese were nesting. I don't recall my response, but I do remember that the information didn't really register in my brain. I was too busy scanning the skies, I suppose. Paul must have caught on that I didn't quite *hear* what Mr. Camera just shared with me. He turned to the sign behind us, pointed to it and told me the Canadian Geese were nesting and they were doing that very thing on both sides of the path. The sign informed the reader to not disturb the nesting geese. Not long after we parted company. The two gentlemen headed off to the path in front of us while I (of course) turned left. The path I took loops around and back to near the entrance. I then followed the same path Paul and Mr. Camera had taken. 10 minutes later I saw a Canada Goose standing in the middle of the path ahead of me. I froze, fearful of a goose on a path in front of me. To my right, about two dozen geeselettes (juveniles, but 'geeselettes' is what I named them) were busy gliding through the water. To the left of me, dried sea grass and other swampy "stuff" (for lack of a better description.) My head kept turning left-right-center, left-right-center. I was looking for nesting geese. I moved to my left to see past the shrubs where goose #1 was hanging out, and that's when I spotted goose #2. In my mind, that Stealers Wheel song began looping, only there was a slight change of lyrics. Geese to the left of me, Geese to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you. One would think that an 8-foot tall Grizzly was in front of me, the way my heart was pounding. I could actually hear the rapid and hurried thumps - THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP - I'll admit to silently slinging some sixteen thousand expletives while praying I'd not die of heart failure over a bird. I mean really. I was headed toward the Osprey nest and the nesting geese would prevent me from getting there. Nah uh. No way. I was going to forge ahead with my plan. Meanwhile back in the land of my now instant oatmeal brain, I pondered my options. Keep going and hope for the best or turn around and go back. I thought about the amount of time I'd been there -- not very long -- and additional, more colorful swear words slipped out of my mouth. What's that saying, listen to your gut? With that in mind, I turned around and started walking back to the entrance. Along the way, staff from the nature area whizzed past in a golf cart, headed in the direction I just came from. I decided to turn around and follow them, hoping they stopped nearby. A few minutes later I spotted them, and went off to inquire if I passed the goose, which was still there in the middle of the path, would it start freaking out (exact words.) One staffer replied, "Oh, that goose isn't nesting, you should be okay." Her colleague said, "The trick is to be as quiet as you can when walking past them (trick is the operative word, since the path is littered with broken shells) and act like you own the place -- it's about attitude." I thanked them and decided to proceed... with extreme caution. Anyone who may have seen me walking (er, race walking) past that area could have easily spotted my fear. My camera, now melted into my body from absolute terror, became my armor. That goose is looking at me, I can feel it. Now it's hissing like a snake. Oh shit. DANGER! Will Robinson. DANGER! I flew past. Had there been a flight race between me and the hissing goose, I would have won... had I recovered from the sudden realization that I was surrounded by nesting, hissing geese. Holy shit. If I thought my heart was thumping wildly before, it was now out of my chest and lodged somewhere in my throat. I couldn't turn around because there were nesting geese, and god knows what lies ahead.

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers aka: "a big baby" ... parents often violently chase away nearby creatures, from small blackbirds to other geese, to... 2008-07-04T00:10:24Z 2008-04-25T12:01:05Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2590 2008-04-25T12:01:05Z

I think this Mourning Dove had a rough night. :-)

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers I think this Mourning Dove had a rough night. :-)... 2008-07-04T00:10:24Z 2008-04-18T13:29:21Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2589 2008-04-18T13:29:21Z

The Carolina Wren sings year-round. The male is known to sing up to 40 different song types, singing one song repeatedly before switching to another. The female also sings, resulting in duets.

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers The Carolina Wren sings year-round. The male is known to sing up to 40 different song types, singing one... 2008-07-04T00:10:24Z 2008-04-11T11:38:30Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2588 2008-04-11T11:38:30Z

Perhaps this one's a keeper? Northern Mockingbird.

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers Perhaps this one's a keeper? Northern Mockingbird.... 2008-07-04T00:10:24Z 2008-04-04T10:01:32Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2587 2008-04-04T10:01:32Z

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers 2008-07-04T00:10:24Z 2008-03-28T10:30:28Z tag:dustingmybrain.com,2008://2.2585 2008-03-28T10:30:28Z

One afternoon while photographing gulls I heard a familiar tapping. The sound didn't register immediately. Eventually I turned my head, looked up at the tree nearby, scanned the naked branches and then I saw it: a Downy Woodpecker. Ahh, that's where the tapping was coming from. The problem with photographing birds in trees is when the wind kicks in. The tree branches shift and this sudden movement can make things difficult. Though the bird remains on the same branch you're focused on, branches waving in the breeze can sometimes get in the way. Depending on how high the bird is in the tree, this can turn into a bit of a dance for the photographer trying to capture the image. Birds move, so you move with them. After a lot of camera shifting to the left, right, up and down, you finally arrive at a clear shot. You press the shutter, check the display and think "hey, that's a keeper!" I like both of these photographs. The first, because of the way the woodpecker is hanging from the tree branch, and the second because the bird's eye is (magically!) crystal clear. If only the branches didn't get in the way. *sigh* Next time I'll just climb the tree, cut down the offensive tree appendages, then take the picture. ;-)

Squip squipper@nyc.rr.com Friday Feathers One afternoon while photographing gulls I heard a familiar tapping. The sound didn't register immediately. Eventually I turned my...