Images from Ketner Reservoir

During today's lunch I walked for my second time at Ketner Reservoir. It is a smallish lake in the middle of a neighborhood, but one that I hope will prove to be a good little patch to check on every once in a while. Today I didn't see anything exceptional, but did get a few good shots of more common birds, thanks to playing with Exposure Compensation.

The Northern Flicker above was foraging on the ground beneath some mature trees. The bird itself was shaded a bit, but the patch of grass just behind was bright enough to trick my camera's sensor into thinking the scene was well lit. Knowing from a wealth of underexposed subject shots that this bird would lose detail, I set the exposure compensation up a third of a stop. That was enough to bring out the texture and colors on the Flicker, making a fun shot.


This Black-capped Chickadee had such great expressions as it evaluated me from a small tree. To get detail on a bird that is isolated against a bright sky I had to use the same principle as above, but really push it this time. I pushed the exposure up two full stops, and was able to capture the Chickadee's dark face.

As I passed the lake, I spotted a bunch of Redhead Ducks lifting off from the water. While waiting for them to clear a group of trees I took the time to pull the exposure back down to a negative third. That helped to keep the light bodies of the ducks from being blown out where they were in direct sunlight.



I received a practical lesson on exposure compensation last year at the CFO convention on a photography field trip. In the year since I have been practicing... It doesn't always work out, but is a good tool to have in the bag when shooting in the ever changing light conditions that are nature. Needless to say that trip is one I have signed up for again this year.

Vacation Mode

Getting the chance to spend relaxed time with friends and family is always a treat, getting to do so with busy bird feeders just outside the window is even better.


Minnesota has been putting its best wintry face forward, supplying a fresh coat of the white stuff on Christmas Eve morning, and bright clear skies the past couple of days to show it off.


The Black-capped Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches have been the most common feeder visitors, but even an American Tree Sparrow stopped by for a quick snack.


I hope that those that are able to do so are enjoying some extended relaxation this week, and if you are back to work just hold out for New Years!

Roxborough State Park

Our bizarre mild December continues here in Colorado, making it tough to process that the holidays are nearly upon us. I fear that Colorado is not going to give me a preparatory cold snap before I head to Minnesota at the end of the month.


On the bright side though, walking around in a t-shirt and light jacket last Wednesday wasn't bad at all. I spent a few hours in almost perfect solitude on the South Rim Trail at Roxborough State Park. It was one of those days where the air wasn't stirring a bit, and the silence was palpable. I would hear animals and birds moving on the ground or through the branches from dozens of yards away. The Western Scrub Jays (top) and Spotted Towhees (not pictured), were generally stationary and I would pass groups or individuals as I walked. Chickadees, both Black-capped (above) and Mountain (below), were moving about - with mixed flocks moving past at times. They would all gather around to get a look as they flew from branch to branch, responding to my very quiet pishing. Twice, they were joined by Downy Woodpeckers (two below) - who seemed to associate more with the Mountain Chickadees than the Black-capped ones.


Roxborough didn't produce those great Gray Foxes, as it did during my last visit. Even so it continues to grow on me. Wednesday was great for reflection, while getting in a bit of exercise. For a few weeks now I've been chewing on the question of how far my birding skills have progressed. Along those lines I had a great opportunity to wrap my mind around ways to improve one's birding skills. I had some thoughts...but am curious about what others think. If there was a single tip you could give to a beginning or novice birder, what would it be. Feel free to comment or email, I would like to see if my thoughts are in-line with those of others.


I haven't had the lens or lighting to show off the rock formations of the park on my visits to date. To set the scene think of a more intimate Red Rocks or Garden of the Gods if you are familiar with those types of rock formations. The view that I had from the crest of the South Rim ridge moving counter-clockwise around the loop was just great; it offers views north towards Long's Peak.


Hopefully I will get back on a day with better light to show off the impressive geology. A young Red-tailed Hawk was trying to make up for the overcast sky, and doing an admirable job.

Not a remarkable birding day, but a memorable one nonetheless. Nature offered an intimate look at some of its more subtle sights, and I am glad I was there to accept.

Still a couple more posts in the works from last weekend, and will be getting in some type of outdoor activity this weekend as well.

Sights from Sunday Morning

While looking for loons at Chatfield State Park.


I found no loons, but this Townsend's Solitare was posing nicely.


As was this Downy Woodpecker.


A Black-capped Chickadee just looked cold, although those little birds move so much I don't think the cold would ever get a chance to catch them.


This juvenile Bald Eagle was just curious enough to let me approach along the shore. I think the hundreds of Coots just below him were happy to have me there.

Finding that Virtual Shoebox of Pictures - Part 2

Black-capped Chickadee

Spotted Towhee

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Complete, simple white eye-ring; plain gray above contrasts with plain white below.

For Gnatcatchers look to the tail, white on the sides with a tapered progression of tips locks in an id, if the bird cooperates!

Intra-day Improvement

I had two decent birds on the way into work this morning. The first was a juvenile Red-tail Hawk across the street from the grocery store I stopped at, and the second I had to loop around the street twice for to get stopped in a safe spot and get the lens aimed.


This Cooper's Hawk was perched and too good an opportunity to just pass up.

Unfortunately the settings were off once again, and some great flight shots fell victim to an overly dark exposure. A bit of brightening and contrast help show what I got to see, and who knows, with a bit of photoshopping it could be improved further. For now though, and to the end of me getting better in the field this is just another lesson learned.

For all that, the bird can't be held responsible for my mistakes, and it really was a great sight. So as I suffered the sting of another disappointment, (OK with a shot like that it wasn't much of a sting), I finally got smart and decided to check back on what the really good bird photographers do. I checked in at Nature Photographers to see what settings were documented for the good shots being posted from overcast skies. I think abandoning my process of trying to reinvent the wheel is going to work. Here is one of my shots from lunch:

This afternoon I shot with an ISO of 400 and opened my aperture to f8. The overcast skies were tough, and I am still getting more noise than I would like, but I think the added depth of field is going to help the detail, and the higher ISO will compensate for the motion of the birds I see.

The shots were taken as I revisited the Singletree Trail and its productive brush. The Chickadees greeted me with their 'Mar-co....Mar-co' calls that are so reminiscent of the childhood Marco Polo pool game.

The House Finches aren't the most exceptional species, but they helped to confirm that I was getting back to a baseline level I could live with.

Finally, my Mom once took an entire roll of film while we were on a family trip to Switzerland, the subjects - Swiss Brown Cows. So for you Mom, if you read this, here is a calf that is only a week or so old, at the oldest.

Improving Temps and Targets

Today's lunch excursion was met with high hopes, a cleaned lens, cleared memory card, and many fewer layers. Of course after cleaning the sensor my camera was once again left in 'artsy' mode - aka black and white. Oh well, appreciate the contrast and highlights of the White-breasted Nuthatch!

I got my gear sorted out, and started getting a few captures of Chickadees against the clear blue sky, when I spotted something moving up high in the tree. Could you see it in the picture above?

Here is a tighter crop, a Brown Creeper! One of my better shots of these well camouflaged and always moving acrobats. While this one taught me something about looking for these trunk dwellers at the treetop level I was not surprised to see it hang inverted several times as it spiraled the branch it was on barber pole style. It was also so good as to give me one solid call to reinforce its distinct style as I watched it. All the better as I had heard several on the CBC, but had not gotten more than a passing look that time.

Of course Chickadees were everywhere, and this one happened to catch the light as well as any.

On the way back I followed some old Nordic ski tracks and was rewarded with a good flock of Juncos, most that I saw were Pink-sided, and some House Finches. They were returning to the trees I passed in the open space between visits to a local house with well stocked feeders.

CU Campus Northwest Pond

The Sun is finally shining again in Colorado! To celebrate I headed up to the CU campus in Boulder on lunch to see if I could locate an American Redstart that had been reported there earlier in the day.

Instead it was a bunch of common birds, in a nice environment. Unfortunately I showed up just as the landscape crews were mowing, so that may have sent anything passing through to deeper cover, but at any rate there were some nice looks at familiar species. The Black-Capped Chickadee is one example. They are so familiar on bare snowy branches that seeing one surrounded by sun-drenched leaves almost seems wrong.

The House Wren was also cooperative in its perch. It was singing, and I approached it from the footbridge. I was able to move just under it and to the side of a building to get shots from the front - but at that point the light was behind the bird.

This brilliantly colored House Finch was working its way along the ivy covered walls. Even when seen daily their colors can be impressive in the right setting.

Starting the Weekend Right

Is there a better way to start a weekend than by exploring a new stretch of creek bed?


Not much, when you get a good view of a Yellow Rumped Warbler - aka Butterbutt. This was a much better look than I had on my previous sighting, and the first time that I had located one myself rather than having it spotted by someone else in a group. I was impressed by the brilliant yellow stripe in the middle of the plain grey head.

Even more yellow was to be had with this American Goldfinch.

Not to be outdone, the Black-Capped Chickadees made up for their lack of color with their activity and song.

No new species, but a lot of improved looks and just a great evening to be out.