The past few weeks at home have been quiet. I’ve been taking lots of photographs but not of moving things. I have missed going out and shooting photographs of birds and other critters that I have become so accustomed to doing on my frequent travels away from home. But, with those travels mostly curtailed, I am paying more attention to the birds in my backyard. On Saturday, I attended an on-line backyard birding class with Moose Peterson offered through Precision Camera in Austin, Texas. It was inspiring and Moose had lots of great ideas for improving the bird-friendliness of my backyard. I already have several hummingbird feeders but plan to add some seed feeders and maybe a suet feeder. A few strategically placed perches will help me use my yard as a shooting gallery. Just before the class, I was outside with my Nikon D500 and 300mm PF lens with the 1.7 X teleconverter attached. The female Anna’s Hummingbird spent quite a bit of time hovering around the Crape Myrtles which are just leafing out but are already covered with sticky dew from aphids and other tiny critters. I think she might have a nearby nest because she’s been visiting the trees for bugs, the feeders, and even the blossoms of the Echeveria below.
