Eastern Bluebird – Sialia sialis

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Photos By Shawn Weigelt
May 18, 2009
Carmel, Maine

I don’t get to go birding very often but sometimes I am treated to a real gem in my own backyard.  Malia spotted this beautiful adult male Eastern Bluebird perched on one of the shepherd’s hooks for our feeders.  He was very cooperative for us as we scrambled for our cameras and started shooting.  His colors are absolutely exquisite!  I LOVE this time of year!

Nikon D80 70-300mm VR
1)  at 280mm, 1/200sec, ISO 200, f/5.6
2)  at 300mm, 1/160sec, ISO 200, f/5.6

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Chipping Sparrow – Spizella passerina

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Photo By Shawn Weigelt
May 18, 2009
Carmel, Maine

Chipping Sparrows are little feathery balls of energy!  They seem to always be on the move and I’ve found it very challenging to get a decent photograph of one.  This individual held still just long enough for me to get a postable shot.

Nikon D80 70-300mm VR at 300mm, 1/250sec, ISO 200, f/5.6, hand held.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak – Pheucticus ludovicianus

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Photos By Shawn Weigelt
May 18, 2009
Carmel, Maine

Not to be outdone by Malia, I wanted to post my own photos of this beautiful couple.  We have seen two pairs in our yard recently, and on one occasion we watched them have a battle with all four birds getting in the mix!  It is amazing to watch these birds feed.  Their massive bills are perfectly suited to opening sunflower seeds.  They are able to do it so quickly and effortlessly.

Nikon D80 70-300mm VR
1)  at 230mm, 1/320sec, ISO 250, f/5.6
2)  at 300mm, 1/250sec, ISO 250, f/5.6
3)  at 195mm, 1/320sec, ISO 200, f/5.3

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Male

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Female

Rose-breasted Grosbeak – Pheucticus ludovicianus

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Photo By Malia Weigelt
May 18, 2009
Carmel, Maine

Malia spotted this beautiful pair chowing down on some sunflower seeds on our back deck this afternoon.  She captured this nice image with her new camera.  Great photo, Malia!

Canon SX10IS, 1/250sec, ISO 200, f/5.0, hand held.

Baltimore Oriole – Icterus galbula


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Photos By Shawn Weigelt
May 16, 2009
Carmel, Maine

Last Spring I only saw one Baltimore Oriole in my yard and I was lucky enough to get a picture of him. This week, however, a male and female have been paying us a visit on a daily basis, eating suet and oranges that I have set out for them. These photos serve as a good comparison of the sexes. They are absolutely stunning!

Nikon D80 70-300mm VR at 300mm, f/5.6, hand held
1) 1/100sec, ISO 320
2) 1/200sec, ISO 200

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The female

White-crowned Sparrow – Zonotrichia leucophrys

Photos By Shawn Weigelt
May 13, 2009
Carmel, Maine

Here are a few pictures I took of this beautiful sparrow.  I have come full circle.  My first ever bird photos with my D80 were of this species last May.  I hope I’ve improved since then!

Nikon D80 70-300mm VR at 270mm, 1/400sec first two shots 1/500sec third shot, ISO 200, f/5.6, hand held.

Just a gorgeous bird!

White-crowned Sparrow – Zonotrichia leucophrys

Photo By Malia Weigelt
May 13, 2009
Carmel, Maine

Malia got a new camera recently and these are her first official bird photos with it!  I think it’s pretty cool that Malia’s first photos with her new camera are of this species, the same species that I photographed last year at this time with my new camera!  White-crowned Sparrows only migrate through our area in the Spring and Fall so it’s great that they pay us a visit in our backyard.  Nice photos, Malia!

Canon Powershot SX10IS, 1/400sec and 1/320sec, ISO 200, f/5.7, hand held.

Tree Swallow – Tachycineta bicolor

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The Fill – Seattle, Washington
June 27, 2008

I thought all along that these are Tree Swallows, but as I got ready to post them I noticed the birds were not blue. I don’t have my field guides with me at the moment, but I’m guessing these are just young birds.

I hope someone out there will set me straight if I’m wrong.

Nikon D80, Tamron 200-500 zoom

Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus

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The Fill – near University of Washington
June 27, 2008

This was our first trip to The Fill. I had heard a lot about it from other birders so our good friend Doug who frequents the spot gave us the royal tour. The location is at the north end of Lake Washington and there is quite a variety of habitat.

This Killdeer was found near a small pond that was beginning to dry up.

Nikon D80, Tamron 200-500 zoom, Manfrotto tripod

Savannah Sparrow – Passerculus sandwichensis

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Kent Ponds, Washington
June 22, 2008

This Savannah was found in a bush during our walk of this popular bird site.

Nikon D80, Tamron 200-500 zoom, Manfrotto tripod