Setups - Lesser Goldfinch

After a seminar with Alan Murphy on "Outdoor Studio Wild Bird Photography" (my title) at the First Coast Birding Festival in St. Augustine, Florida I dedicated a few days shooting to "setups". Since there was an abundance of Lesser Goldfinces at the sock feeders in my back yard I decided to try my hand a some set up shots. As I am finding out it is quite difficult and a lot of planning is involved. Some of the first results can be found at:

Lesser Goldfinch

Pygmy Nuthatch - Nest Building

Early this morning I walked one of the loops at Natural Bridges State Beach looking for a reported Orchard Oriole. No luck. As I was about to leave I heard a few Pygmy Nuthatchs in a tree near the Ranger Shed. I stayed about an hour observing the cavity building activities of two or three members of the family.

Interesting facts about the Pygmy Nuthatch from: All About Birds the web site of Cornell Lab of Ornithology


Pygmy Nuthatch is one of only two nuthatch species in
the world known to have helpers at the nest. Offspring
from previous years help their parents raise young.

Unique among songbirds, the Pygmy Nuthatch uses three
energy-saving mechanisms on cold nights: it uses a
protected roost site (hole in a tree), huddles with
other nuthatches, and lets its body temperature drop
(hypothermia).

No records exist of Pygmy Nuthatches roosting alone.
They always huddle in a group, sometimes with more than
100 in a single cavity.

See more Pygmy Nuthatch photos here.

Bonaparte's Gull and Brown Pelican at the Santa Cruz Wharf

After work I drove down to the Santa Cruz Wharf. A feeding event was taking place. A raft of Brown Pelicans was in the water, flying overhead and diving. Bonaparte's Gulls were also fishing with many other Gulls. I stayed about an hour and practiced flight shots

See more Brown Pelicans here.

See more Bonaparte's Gulls here.

Cliff Swallows on the Lighthouse

With only short time to shoot this morning I went to the Lighthouse on West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz. The Cliff Swallows were working on their nests.

See more Cliff Swallows here.