# Flew the Nest



## Graybeard (Aug 6, 2020)

There were only two young in the nest and last Monday one fledged. This one was reluctant. Finally after a lot of encouraging from it's mother it hopped up the branch and sat for some time. Sadly I was messing with a different lens and missed a picture but I'm happy with this. We were really lucky to be able to be this close and enjoy it. A great balm in this time of uncertainty and staying home. Notice the spider webs that are backlit below the nest. I'm told they use those to secure the nest. They sure held up to some strong winds and rain. Creation is good thing.

Reactions: Like 7 | Great Post 3 | Way Cool 3


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## gman2431 (Aug 6, 2020)

Very cool!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## DLJeffs (Aug 6, 2020)

Fantastic. Glad to hear the little birds made it this far. Dave - there's some good nest camera sites if you enjoy checking them out. We have one out this way that is a golden eagle nest. The adult pair has used it successfully for the last three or four years in a row. Kind of fun to check it out once in awhile. They have a recorder set up as well and will often post short segments of interesting action, such as the parents bringing back a rabbit or the fledglings fledging.

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 1


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## Wildthings (Aug 6, 2020)

DLJeffs said:


> Fantastic. Glad to hear the little birds made it this far. Dave - there's some good nest camera sites if you enjoy checking them out. We have one out this way that is a golden eagle nest. The adult pair has used it successfully for the last three or four years in a row. Kind of fun to check it out once in awhile. They have a recorder set up as well and will often post short segments of interesting action, such as the parents bringing back a rabbit or the fledglings fledging.


Don't tease us and then don't provide the links!!


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## DLJeffs (Aug 6, 2020)

Geez, do i have to do everything ...

The golden eagle cam on Wychus Creek is shut down now because the eagles have fledged and are out hunting. Here's the link for next year:
Golden eagle cam

Cornell Ornithology Lab is one of the better sites for all kinds of bird stuff. Here's a link to their cameras:
Cornell Ornithology Lab Nest Cams

Went out to see a flock of tiny bush tits that invaded the juniper tree out back. They wouldn't get in camera range but our male Anna's hummingbird flew over to scold me for being on his deck. Cheeky little bastard.

Reactions: Like 2 | EyeCandy! 2 | Funny 2 | Way Cool 3


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## Nature Man (Aug 6, 2020)

DLJeffs said:


> Geez, do i have to do everything ...
> 
> The golden eagle cam on Wychus Creek is shut down now because the eagles have fledged and are out hunting. Here's the link for next year:
> Golden eagle cam
> ...


Great photo! So clear and in focus! Chuck

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Graybeard (Aug 7, 2020)

There's an eagle cam in Decorah, Iowa that we've watched. Evidently it got blown down in a storm because it's not there anymore. https://explore.org/livecams/bald-eagles/decorah-eagles Looks like maybe the whole tree is down. I was told it had been down for a bit because one of the adults brought a small dog with a collar on into the nest. I guess you could see the collar even after the dog was eaten. Sounds like the stuff of an urban legion but my PT said his mom was a teacher and watched it with her class until it went off air. Not unlikely really.

Reactions: Like 1


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## DLJeffs (Aug 7, 2020)

Eagles are amazing;y strong birds and the crushing strength in their talons is very high. I'm sure they could take a small dog or cat with no problem. I want to see a harpy eagle. They take sloths and monkeys right off the tree branches in the Amazon.


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## gman2431 (Aug 7, 2020)

Graybeard said:


> There's an eagle cam in Decorah, Iowa that we've watched. Evidently it got blown down in a storm because it's not there anymore. https://explore.org/livecams/bald-eagles/decorah-eagles Looks like maybe the whole tree is down. I was told it had been down for a bit because one of the adults brought a small dog with a collar on into the nest. I guess you could see the collar even after the dog was eaten. Sounds like the stuff of an urban legion but my PT said his mom was a teacher and watched it with her class until it went off air. Not unlikely really.


We have some falcons here that are always a big hit with people watching them on the camera. Pretty neat to have such a rare bird around this area. 





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Bird-watching - Grand Haven


Bird-watchers make daily treks through the Grand Haven Area in search of winged wildlife. Understandable. It’s not uncommon to see 50 or more species of birds and waterfowl, especially on an early spring morning near Harbor Island including the majestic bald eagle. Watch as horned grebes do...




visitgrandhaven.com

Reactions: Like 1


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## DLJeffs (Aug 9, 2020)

The rufous hummingbird finally showed up. Now he and the Anna's spend all day chasing each other away from the feeder.

Reactions: Like 1 | EyeCandy! 2 | Way Cool 2


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## Graybeard (Aug 10, 2020)

Beautiful lighting on them. Natural or supplemental? Fast shutter speed to stop those wings - they beat fast. 70 beats per second! Nice photos.


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## Eric Rorabaugh (Aug 10, 2020)

Awesome photos


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## DLJeffs (Aug 10, 2020)

Graybeard said:


> Beautiful lighting on them. Natural or supplemental? Fast shutter speed to stop those wings - they beat fast. 70 beats per second! Nice photos.



Thank you. I shot those at iso1000. Those little biggers move too fast and anything slower you get too much motion blur. I do use photoshop to crop and sharpen the images sometimes. But I try to keep the image as natural as possible. For some reason, in my mind, if you over manipulate a photo it changes from a skilled photograph to an art project. Those were taken in early morning, low angle sun so the flowers really lit up. The advent of digital certainly produced many many more photographers. You can shoot 50 photos to get one decent shot and simply delete the rest. Whereas with film and the associated developing costs, that would become pretty expensive in short order. Plus add on the time factor - digital is instantaneous, whereas 35mm film took days to see your results. A week ago this quail was sitting on top of the thorn bush out back as the sun was setting. I liked how the light lit him up so i grabbed a couple shots. I think being in the right place at the right time, and having a camera ready, is as much a factor to good photos as anything.

Reactions: Great Post 1 | Way Cool 2


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## Graybeard (Aug 10, 2020)

Beautiful. Just like in woodturning, low angle light really shows detail. I agree totally. My wife worked at a major retail clothing company in the creative department as a photo librarian/art director and editor for many years. She started with 4 by 5 and 8 by 10 film, then 2 1/4 and 35 mm, and finally digital. The volume of images skyrocketed. She'd be at home editing and show me some of the crap that was submitted. She'd be up til midnight working at home editing photos. Funny she complained so much they sent her on photo shoots to coordinate the shoot and was known as the mother superior.  She went to London, Bucks County Penn and Key West to name a few. I stayed home with the dog and was a happy man.

Reactions: Sincere 1


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## DLJeffs (Aug 10, 2020)

I've never gone someplace with the specific intent to take photos. I'll go somewhere, usually fishing, bring my camera, and just wait for an opportunity to arise.


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## Wildthings (Aug 10, 2020)

Those are spectacular. Awesome little quails, those and scaled quail are my favorites


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## DLJeffs (Aug 14, 2020)

Spied the fastest animal on earth today...

Reactions: Like 3 | Way Cool 2


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## DLJeffs (Dec 17, 2020)

With cold weather and snow coming, the raptors are having to work harder for dinner. This sharp-shinned hawk has been hanging around the bird feeder hoping someone gets careless...

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 1


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