Avian Landlords 0x07: Graduation Day

All good things must come to an end.  Luckily for the cardinal chicks nesting in the bush outside my living room window, it is a happy ending.

While I was at work on Friday, my wife chatted with me that the chicks had started to leave the nest while we were both out of the house.  She only got a shot of the second chick following the parents across the road and into the wooded area on the far side.

She did see both chicks cross the road, just didn't get pics of the first one, so we know they at least left the nest on goo terms.

So now, for the first time in our lives, my wife and I are empty nesters.

I am going to miss this pair of chicks, but it was great to share the first few days of their young lives.

If you want to check out all the posts in this series, click here.

Avian Landlords 0x06

I only had time this evening to grab a few shots of the cardinal chicks that have been growing in a nest outside my living room window.

I didn't see mama, but father was doing a great job bringing food.

The chicks feathers are growing in nicely.  They are also moving around more.  This one is stretching his wing (and, I suspect, showing off for the camera).

Papa doesn't stick around long after feeding, so most of the shots are the chicks getting their snack on.

 See what I mean?

You can check out all of the bird pics by clicking here->  Avian Landlords

Avian Landlords 0x05

Since the last post I managed to improve my ability to get decent shots of the chicks that have inhabited a nest just outside my living room window.

I did some research and apparently cardinal chicks stay in the nest for 8-12 days, so we are right around half way done with this little experiment. Their feathers are coming in nicely.

The chicks appear to be about twice the size they were when I first started this little adventure.  Its no wonder, as they are fed a lot by their dutiful father.

Two mouths to feed keeps daddy busy.

Actually, the time between feedings can be 15-20 minutes long.  Baby birds are a lot like baby humans, in that when they are not feeding, they are sleeping.  

I have learned that they rouse and wake up just before the parents return to the nest, so the secret of this sort of photography seems to be keep a lazy eye on the camera screen as you go about your day, and when the chicks open their mouths, you have 20-30 seconds to get ready to shoot shots of the parents.

Sure enough, mama appears with a grub (caterpillar?) in her beak...

... which is fed to one of the chicks. 

Neither of the parents stick around for long, but based on the actions of these chicks, it won't be long before they return with some more food.

That will have to wait until tomorrow.  Come back soon to see more pics of the chicks and watch them grow from egg to fledgling.  You can see all the posts of the birds by clicking this link: Avian Landlords.

Avian Landlords 0x04

The bush is starting to fill in, so I had to adjust the camera.  I didn't get a chance to perfect my technique from the new position, but I have a few semi-decent photos to share of the chicks.

A picture of papa feeding a chick.

The chicks eyes are really starting to open.

Another feeding shot.  You can see how much the chicks have grown in this shot.

You can see the rest of the series by clicking this link:  Avian Landlords.

Avian Landlords 0x03

In the bushes right outside my living room window, a pair of cardinals have made a nest.  I have started capturing their progress, and posted the photos here.  You can see the rest of the series by clicking this link:  Avian Landlords.

Today proved to be more interesting.  Yesterday, being the first day, the parents did not return to the nest the entire time the camera was set up.  Today they seem to be getting used to the camera as I saw both the mother and (briefly) the father.

The first shots were of the chicks sleeping in the nest.

This was the brief shot I got of the father (you can see some of his red feathers at the very top of the nest).  He likes to stay on the sides, and out of the nest.  He also doesn't stick around very long, so he is rather camera shy.

When the chicks are not sleeping, they have their beaks open, waiting for food (I presume - I am not an ornithologist)

This may be a shot of a feeding,  but I am not sure.  You can see mama's beak hovering over one of the chicks.

This is mama, sitting on the nest.   I assume its for warmth, but it is raining today, so I also think she is spending some of her time sheltering the chicks from the cold rain.

One last shot of mama hanging out on the nest.

Finally, thanks to #AutoAwesome, you can get a time-lapse-esque feel og the activity on the nest today.

I hope to have more photos of the chicks up in the next day or two, so stay tuned!

Avian Landlords 0x02: The Setup

In the bushes right outside my living room window, a pair of cardinals have made a nest.  A couple days ago their eggs hatched and two chicks now inhabit the nest.

I have started taking photos of the nest, in an attempt to capture the growth of the chicks.

Since I have a lot of photographer friends, I figure a post on my setup would be interesting.

I am using a Sony A6000 camera with a 55-210mm lens, on a tripod.  I set the focus to manual to ensure the focus is on the nest, and not the plethora of leaves and the flowers between the nest and the lens, and have it on Aperture Priority Mode, and am letting the camera decide the rest of the settings.

I have the camera sticking out the window, on a tripod, pointing down into the bushes.

The A6000 has a really cool remote control feature, which allows me to take photos from an app on my phone.  This allows me to be other places in the house and still monitor the nest so I can take photos at the right times.  So far I have set the camera up for over an hour at a time and this allows me to do other things at the same time - for example, todays crop of shots was taken while playing Skip-Bo with the kids at the kitchen table.

Not having to watch the nest directly also means that I am not causing as much stress to the birds, even tho I have a camera pointed at them for hours at a time.  I think this is going to allow for more natural shots.  Already the mother is getting used to the setup and is coming back to the nest when the camera is present, but I am not.

This setup is allowing me to get shots like this one.

Post processing is simply the Auto Adjust feature in Picasa, then uploading.

You can keep track of the progress of the chicks by following this blog, using the label Avian Landlords (<-- i.e. click that link).

Avian Landlords 0x01

In the bushes right outside my living room window, a pair of cardinals have made a nest.  A couple days ago their eggs hatched and two chicks now inhabit the nest.

Watching them grow should prove interesting.  Here are some pics of the siblings (Check the #AutoAwesome'd animation at the end):

 

I hope to take more pics over the coming days so stay tuned!