At The Feeder

Visitors to my Garden Bird Feeders and Others

16th June 2020
by walter hampson
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Visitors to My Feeders 1st-15th June 2020

It is now mid June and I’ve once again become part of the wider world.  Six months since my last post is not conducive to building up a readership or forming links with other bloggers.  As I explained in the one solitary January blog – life events took their toll and it was a while before I climbed out of that depression pit..  Currently my garden is a tip as work began yesterday on a much needed make-over.   Prior to that it had become overgrown and plants needed replacing after a 20 month lack of attention.  During this time the feeders were kept full as the sound of the birds did bring some peace of mind.

Enough of the back story – Today is now and the future is tomorrow and it looks good (from a personal point if view). Like the rest of Scotland/Uk I have been in lockdown, and my sanity was kept by working on a model railway layout (see my  Pictures by Walter blog  for the history and current situation). which Susan and I started back in 2015 when she was first diagnosed with her cancer.

Sanity struck back towards end of May and I began to live again not just exist, House was cleaned up, outstanding task completed and arrangements made to have garden renovated and I picked up my camera again.  Like a faithful old friend it sat in place until I needed a photographic fix.

Please click on the image below to see my Facebook Album of “Visitors to my Feeders 1st – 15th June 2020”

 

19th February 2020
by walter hampson
2 Comments

January 2020 – A Bad Start to the Year

As 2019 stormed out and 2020 raged in the visitors to the feeding stations dwindled to nil. 2019 was not a good year for me, my partner, latterly my wife was dying of cancer and was in and out of hospital from January to August. Susan passed away at home on 15th September 2019.  Susan  loved to watch the birds from our living-room window.  I had sited my computer near that window and my camera was close at hand.  Looking back the years 2017 to December 2019 my photography dropped from 4093 in 2017 to 1953 in 2019.  January 2020 a total of 200 images were taken.

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Robin (Erithacus rebecla)

Goldfinch (Carduelis caeduelis) & House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

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Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)

Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

The star visitor for January was the visit and return visits of one of the most common birds the humble Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus).  I had not seen one in my garden in over a year.  Once a regular visitor they suddenly ceased to appear.  It was nice to see it back.

Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus)

18th February 2020
by walter hampson
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Introduction-Setting the Scene

I live in a mid terraced single storey house.  My front door leads to the pathway between the house in front of mine. My backdoor leads to a small garden.  My late wife (Susan) and I planned it to attract birds, butterflies etc.The garden usually gets a makeover at the end of February/beginning of March. Within the area are three bird tables and five birdfeeders .

Nikon D5300, ISO 6400 1/20th Sec f3.5 Tamron 18-200 zoom

Since 2000 the garden feeders has attracted many birds whilst I had time to watch them I never could take photographs.

This changed in 2005 when I bought my first ever digital camera a point and shoot simple look, press button Nikon Coolpix 7900 which led to a Pentax *istds DSLR then Pentax K10D.  I eventually came to rely on a Canon 60D fitted with a Sigma 150-500 APO Zoom lens to photograph the birds that visited my feeder stations, until that was stolen last year.  Since then I’ve used a Nikon D7100 with Sigma 150-500 zoom.  Today I bought a new Sigma 150-600 zoom Canon fit and testing with  Canon 500D. I’m thinking about buying a Canon 90D this month, I’ll decide when I finish testing the Canon 500D and the Sigma 100-600 zoom combination.