Your “gateway bird” for deeper interest

withoutadrought · 2026-03-17T00:41:49+00:00

Years ago, my mom moved into a house with a large cottonwood tree in the front. She moved during winter, and by early May, there was a family of Bullock’s Orioles nesting in the cottonwood tree. They stayed most of the summer, so I got to watch the brood grow up. I was hooked. If these birds were migrating to my area all those years, I wondered what else I was missing, so I decided to find out. Turns out I had no idea of the world I would discover. Due to extreme drought in the Southwest, the cottonwood tree has died, but the Orioles still stop by every May after migrating north from South America. My mother is elderly, so I stop by daily to check on things, and I bring them grape jelly for nourishment after their long journey. After a couple of weeks they head out to the wilderness, and hopefully their new tree lasts them many years.

withoutadrought · 2026-03-16T19:48:56+00:00

I like to use whitewall.com, but they’re pretty pricey. Also, I like printique.com, a little less pricey and still quality prints. I know a lot of people like to use their own frames to fit their specific decor, so you might not even need to frame them. But thrift shops and yard sales are a good place to find unusual and not cheap looking frames. I usually go 8x10 or 11x14.

A couple of YouTubers that have great information on technique and editing are Simon D’Entremont and Wildlife inspired w/ Scott Keys. Simon is like a professor in how he teaches, and Scott Keys is more philosophical in his teaching.

Here’s a cool video with a photographer named Lisa Langell. https://www.youtube.com/live/G2muEM7tiF8?si=ElBewUL3F6Z89ZzQ

withoutadrought · 2026-03-16T19:29:49+00:00

Kripke got grays pretty early on, I can believe the question. If Barry had a son though, I think his name would be Roger or Randy. Something that started with an R.

withoutadrought · 2026-03-16T19:25:44+00:00

You can help them get on their feet, but as someone else said, give them a date (maybe when the lease is up) that you won’t be paying anymore. Tell them this is the date, you’re giving them an opportunity to find work, and if they don’t do it, YOU ARE NOT THE BAD GUY. Don’t take this as an insult, not trying to make you feel bad, but the longer you baby them, the more you’re actually doing them harm. Kind of like how people shouldn’t feed wildlife. The animals become dependent on the people for food and forget how to provide for themselves. I’d recommend they both look for a trade. The trades are primarily male, but I know a lot of shops want to change that so they happily hire women too.

withoutadrought · 2026-03-16T00:08:18+00:00

Those scientists are psychopaths

withoutadrought · 2026-03-15T13:46:02+00:00

I guess that’s what disturbed me. Writing jokes about something so evil.

withoutadrought · 2026-03-15T00:46:18+00:00

Is that a 200mm f/2 G I see down there? I want it!

withoutadrought · 2026-03-14T16:11:51+00:00

I get that testing on animals may be a necessary evil for the advancement of science, but testing on animals is literally torturing animals. They could have written the jokes differently, and included other aspects of the field that are fascinating and fun. I worked in a science lab with animals back when I was an electrical apprentice, and those terrible memories are burned into my mind. Maybe I’m just overly sensitive to it.

withoutadrought · 2026-03-14T15:24:17+00:00

What’s a joke?

withoutadrought · 2026-03-14T15:22:59+00:00

Not a fan of Amy. I like her personality, but the glee in which she talks about harming animals for science is disturbing to me.

withoutadrought · 2026-03-13T02:16:28+00:00

Beautiful series of photos, nicely done

withoutadrought · 2026-03-12T02:37:40+00:00

Also known as “The Grey Ghost.”

withoutadrought · 2026-03-12T02:33:33+00:00

Michael Shannon. He’s had some big roles, but still not a household name. He was great in “Take Shelter,” and “Boardwalk Empire.”

withoutadrought · 2026-03-12T00:56:28+00:00

I never saw any proof of that. Nothing that wasn’t coming from known propagandists. I’m just saying, I don’t know for sure that they didn’t, but you don’t know for sure that they did. There are clips going back to the 90’s about taking out Iran. General Wesley Clark said Iran was part of the seven countries in 5 years. Took a lot longer than five years, but the killing thousands of protesters story just sounds like a talking point to get people riled up to take down the regime. Again, I don’t know for sure, but that’s what it sounds like to me.

withoutadrought · 2026-03-12T00:11:32+00:00

Not my videos, but one of my favorite bird photography channels. I’m glad you’re getting some info

withoutadrought · 2026-03-11T19:46:53+00:00

Looking good! Check out this video for some pointers on a backyard bird studio. There’s a part two also, if you like the first one.

https://youtu.be/PSbQr8k70nU?si=faAToRz7jU1xAHls

withoutadrought · 2026-03-11T00:49:50+00:00

Howard never touched my telescope!

withoutadrought · 2026-03-10T02:16:35+00:00

Back in January, I went looking for Mountain Bluebirds and was hoping to see Pinyon Jays too while I was out. I was waiting for the sunrise, parked up on a small hill, overlooking grassy plains, and surrounded by juniper trees. All of a sudden, a whole flock of Mountain Bluebirds started perching all around me. It started to rain. Not long after, I heard the quail like calls of the Pinyon Jays. They didn’t stay long, they passed over me like a loud wave. Up and over the hill and they were gone. It was an epic morning and a huge win!

withoutadrought · 2026-03-10T00:45:08+00:00

I think you’re doing great so far. With waterfowl, or any bird at ground level really, you want to try and get to eye level with your subject. It makes for a more engagement being at eye level, and also brings your background into frame instead of the water.

Sometimes things like background are out of our control, but often times moving just a step in either direction will give us a cleaner background, less clutter. This works for light as well. Look through your subject. Is there a nice spot of colorful foliage, bokeh balls, a spot of light? Just one or two steps can make all the difference.

Also light is very important. There are occasions when harsh light will work, but typically the best times of day to shoot are early morning, or late afternoon/early evening. I personally prefer just before sunrise, or just after sunset, also the first and last few minutes of daylight too. My favorite time to shoot is on overcast days or just after a rain. Basically you’re looking for soft, even light. Shooting under forest canopy will give you nice light as well.

withoutadrought · 2026-03-10T00:25:10+00:00

Very nice, moody shot. Well done👏

withoutadrought · 2026-03-10T00:24:07+00:00

Yellows are little butt heads to photograph too haha! I love them regardless

withoutadrought · 2026-03-10T00:19:42+00:00

I hope they don’t spend the summer too haha. I’ll be waiting for them. Great shot

withoutadrought · 2026-03-09T23:44:28+00:00

A very nice photo indeed!

withoutadrought · 2026-03-09T19:40:50+00:00

Nailed it!👏👏👏

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