New England Winter Hobby

It must be a winter thing – actually, it’s obviously a winter thing – but the birds have really got my attention lately, and I don’t see this distraction letting loose until Spring.

And that’s okay…

It’s this time of year where they go from being “birds” to being Junco’s and Titmice – Wren’s and Chickadee’s, all with interesting descriptors before their species. Names that I’ll forget once it warms up, and rediscover again when it starts to freeze next winter.

I enjoy toiling over what kind of food to get them, and as this is a hobby, I don’t mind making the small investment in that food. I don’t mind spending my time making sure the squirrel’s leave that food alone, or standing by my kitchen sink, silently and motionless, waiting for the next winged wonder to land on the feeder, or dangle off of the suet cage so I can try and take a picture.

Most birds don’t mind you taking their picture.

They have no idea what you’re doing – you just need to be fluid in your motions and make sure not to break an imaginary barrier and get any closer to them. If you can follow these unwritten rules, you’ll get some great shots that you can post and share – come back to and faun over in the future.

Birds are simple, but they’re scared. We’ve domesticated them by feeding them, but we’ve also instilled that fear in them. This is no truer than when you try to capture a Cardinal. Even with a barrier between us, they’ll ditch all their efforts if they see you – even the shadow of you.

Even the idea of you…

Sure, you could snap a great picture of one – or any bird – from a great distance with the right camera and lens – but here at the homestead, it’s more about connecting than collecting. Like trying to get both of your kids to smile in a picture on the first day of school, as opposed to taking the whole class picture.

Details.

Update: Shortly after I published this article, I was able to get a, somewhat decent, pictures of a female Cardinal. This is pretty exceptional, considering the context of this article, and it’s overall crux.