HG Lindquist: Bird watching, continued

I can see how bird watching can become an obsession.

When I reviewed the video I had just shot and saw the red crest of the bird pecking the suet in the bird feeder, I felt a jolt of adrenalin. It was the excitement of winning a prize big enough to be exciting.

Red-bellied Woodpecker (melanerpes carolinus). (Male, I believe.)

I asked what it was via my Facebook page and a friend came back with the answer.

Please note: I had tried to look it up on the web and wasn't successful, but I made an even greater find in the search. I discovered The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website allaboutbirds.org. It appears to be a superior resource for bird watchers, but as a naiveté, I have to add, "Time will tell." However with a name like "Cornell," it's got to be great. Right? I have joined the website as a citizen scientist. Once again my "handle" (aka "User ID") is "hglindquist". And I am clicking my way through it in-between typing this, following whatever catches my eye, like "YardMap". It is great! -hgl

Another "scene" that has caught my attention is when the bird looks directly into the video camera. Here, a Bluejay is looking into the camera. I have more shots of birds looking directly at the lens. There's a small, but bright, flashing blue light on the front of the Toshiba Camelio B10's that I use, and it may be attracting the birds attention.

Please note: I am not focused on the quality of the photography ... yet. I am focused on developing the setting for bird watching in the yard by testing the different types of bird feeders, where to put and how to arrange them, and so forth. I want to be able to take both stills and video, as well as watch the birds with my binoculars, and possibly up close with a blind. -hgl