Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Experimenting with flight

20 Comments

No, not my flight, though when I was young I did think I’d like to fly a plane, and when I was even younger I used to dream that I could fly like a bird.

This is the scene from the window and what I had to shoot around.

No, this morning I put some peanuts in the flat feeder, and that quickly brought in my merry band of noisy bluejays. I swear they sit up in the trees and wait for me to fill the feeders. They always arrive immediately and with great fanfare.

Trying to focus on the bird among the branches.

And while I was standing at the window, watching them come and go in the morning light, I realized I could try to capture their flight. They were much too busy hogging the peanuts to notice me.

He has 3 peanuts in his beak and more in his throat. But he’s not really in focus.

You need a very short shutter speed to stop those wings in mid-flight, at least 1/2000 per second. If there is sunlight that’s easier to accomplish.

Coming and going.

I took 84 images before the sun was hidden by the clouds of the latest incoming storm front. Out of that barely a handful are passable. But I learned a lot and some day I will try again.

My favorite image.

I’m sharing them with you now, because bluejays, no matter the fact they are obnoxious, are truly beautiful.

Beauty in motion.

Even if they are little pigs.

Author: dawnkinster

I'm a long time banker having worked in banks since the age of 17. I took a break when I turned 50 and went back to school. I graduated right when the economy took a turn for the worst and after a year of library work found myself unemployed. I was lucky that my previous bank employer wanted me back. So here I am again, a long time banker. Change is hard.

20 thoughts on “Experimenting with flight

  1. They are obnoxious because they are so smart. They’re part of the crow family. Keep up the excellent work!

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  2. These are wonderful, Dawn. The coming and going photo, especially. Wow!!

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  3. I love how their feathers and tail are fanned out like that, showing their beautiful weather. That one piggy Blue Jay sounds like he/she is related to a Chipmunk hoarding all those peanuts. Yay – I see some little buds on the trees. It felt like Spring ’til we dropped 20+ degrees when the cold front rolled in.

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    • Yep, we had spring for a minute there.

      I think the birds put their tails down like a rudder when they’re almost ready to land somewhere. They were fun to watch. Today was sunny and I could have watched them some more, but I had too much to do!

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      • Spring might be back next week – hopefully. I have always been fascinated how birds with large wingspans tuck their wings against their body when at rest, then when they take flight, I’m amazed how large those wings really are.

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  4. That last photo, when I right-click it and “Open image in new tab” so that it’s larger, it looks like the bird is wearing glasses. Goofy, huh. 🙂

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  5. Nice captures, Dawn. They are beautiful little pigs! 😀

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  6. Great in-flight photos, Dawn! They highlight all the lovely shades of blue in their feathers.

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  7. Wowsah, what pictures! I’m sure those jays are keeping an eye on you.

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    • I’m sure they are. Along with all the other birds that arrive as soon as I go back inside, sometimes sooner. But the JAYS announce the arrival of seed to the world loudly from the top of trees and then a whole bunch of them show up! I used to have a band of 5, but I can’t count them all now.

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  8. They can be noisy and obnoxious, but that blue color is striking! I love how they wait for you to load up the feeders. I think you’ve done a great job capturing them in flight — I suspect the winter bareness provides an ideal background to make their colors pop.

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  9. I love them. Inspiring me to try my hand at some bird photography.

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  10. They ARE beautiful. Wish they would be kinder. Don’t they know they can be beautiful AND nice? 😊

    Hopefully, since you fill their bellies with peanuts, they let the little birds have your other seeds.

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  11. Wow, fun experiment! Great way to play with photography.

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